DJ LeMahieu to Yankees - Fantasy Impact

The Yankees needed to fill a void in their infield with Didi Gregorius likely to miss the first four months of the season and Troy Tulowitzki being unreliable to say the least. New York was (and still is?) heavily linked to superstar Manny Machado, but it was another former All-Star that the Yankees inked on Jan. […]

2019 Relief Pitchers - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

A tough position to evaluate is that of relief pitchers, as a lot of success for closers comes from success from teams. There are also a lot of bullpens by committee these days, further stifling the value of closers. That being said, only four of the pitchers that ranked in the top-10 in saves in […]

Dustin Pedroia To Start Running This Week

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (knee) is scheduled to start running and testing his surgically-repaired left knee this week. The veteran second baseman had microfracture surgery in November of 2017 and played in just three games before being shut down in 2018. He underwent a second arthroscopic procedure in August. The team and […]

2019 Third Basemen - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the third base position. Even though it is only January, RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, Chris Zolli, and I have come up with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. As the offseason progresses, these rankings […]

2019 Starting Pitcher - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the second base position. The sun is still rising on 2019, but RotoBaller writers JB Branson, Pierre Camus, Chris Zolli and myself are here with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. As the offseason progresses, these […]

Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Avoid Arbitration

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts and outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. both avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to one-year deals. Bogaerts will receive $12 million this season, while Bradley will make $8.55 million. Bogaerts is a tier below the top fantasy shortstops after hitting .288/.360/.522 with a career-high 23 long balls, 103 RBI, […]

Red Sox Avoid Arbitration With Eduardo Rodriguez

The Boston Red Sox avoided salary arbitration with starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez on Friday by signing him to a one-year, $4.3 million deal. E-Rod went 13-5 with a career-best 3.82 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 10.1 K/9 over 27 outings (23 starts) for the World Champion Red Sox in 2018. He's struggled with injuries in his […]

Mookie Betts Avoids Arbitration

Boston Red Sox outfielder and 2018 American League Most Valuable Player Mookie Betts avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $20 million deal, according to sources. It's a new high mark for a second-year arbitration-eligible player. Betts is in consideration for the top overall fantasy pick in 2019 after leading all of baseball in […]

2019 Bullpen Outlooks - National League East

Last year's Bullpen Outlook got started with the American League, so let's take the National League on first this time around. Some signings and trades have made a splash in the bullpens of the NL East, and there may still be more to come. With some top free agent closers and setup men still looking […]

2019 Catchers - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

Catcher is a tough position to evaluate, as many teams utilize multiple catchers and it is rare for one to play 140 or more games in a season. Wear and tear as a backstop limits offensive value for sure, but there are still a group of solid catchers that can contribute in multiple categories. Beyond […]

Red Sox Settle With Steven Wright

The Boston Red Sox avoided salary arbitration with pitcher Steven Wright by signing him to a one-year, $1.375 million deal. Knee issues limited the knuckleballer to only 53 2/3 innings (four starts) for the BoSox in 2018, but he was great when on the mound (2.68 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 7.0 K/9). He doesn't strike many […]

2019 Second Base - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the second base position. Even though we are just coming off ringing in the new year, RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, JB Branson, Pierre Camus, and Chris Zolli have wasted to time coming up with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values […]

2019 First Basemen - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the first base position. Even though it is only January, RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, Chris Zolli, and I have come up with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. As the offseason progresses, these rankings […]

2019 Shortstops - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

It’s never too early to start looking toward the fantasy baseball season, so I’m here to kick off RotoBaller’s position-by-position rankings analysis series with the ever-so-glamorous shortstop position. Shortstop is rich at the top and while it boasts intriguing depth, this is not a position to wait on, especially if you also have a middle-infield […]

Top 660: Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings (January)

Welcome back RotoBallers, and Happy New Year! Below you will find our staff's early 2019 fantasy baseball tiered rankings (top 660) for mixed leagues. In case you missed it, you can also see our tiered positional rankings as well. Four of our lead fantasy baseball analysts - Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, JB Branson and Chris Zolli - have analyzed the MLB offseason moves and […]

Statcast Review - Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (xSLG)

xSLG isn’t a stat you’ll find on the back of a baseball card or one you’d find on a baseball reference page. However, as far as advanced stats go, xSLG is pretty straightforward. It is the expected slugging percentage of a hitter based on hit probability his batted balls in play, regardless of outcome. So if […]

Trevor Story Rankings Debate - Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers

For the RotoBaller baseball crew, it's our favorite time of the entire year. It's time to revive our signature series of articles debating the overall ranking of some of the most fantasy-relevant players of the 2019 baseball season. That's right, it's Ranker vs Ranker time! RotoBaller's expert writers have come up with our consensus rankings […]

Teoscar Hernandez - Promising or Pretender?

Every new beginning signifies an end elsewhere. This was the case for Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernandez last season. The hard-hitting righty broke through in more ways than one in his first full year in the big leagues, finishing with a .239/.302/.468 line, and most importantly 22 home runs. The path to the plate […]

Using Sabermetrics For Fantasy Baseball Part 1 - BABIP for Hitters

Hello fellow RotoBallers! Sabermetrics have become an integral tool for fantasy baseball draft prep, but a concise resource for understanding the basics can be difficult to find. This series attempts to define and explain all of the metrics fantasy owners may find useful, citing examples of how to use them in the process. Twenty degrees […]

Top 10 Dynasty First Basemen - Fantasy Baseball Prospects

It might seem like I drew the short straw among the prospect analysts here at RotoBaller, but I actually picked this assignment! You won’t see many of these names on top 100 lists. Despite being one of the positions from which teams expect to get the most offensive production, first base gets the least amount […]

Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood Become Reds

Starting pitcher Alex Wood, catcher Kyle Farmer, and outfielders Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig are trading Dodger blue for the bright kit of the Cincinnati Reds. The trio was traded for Homer Bailey and prospects in what was essentially a salary dump for Los Angeles as they attempt to sign or trade for more superstars. […]

Padres Agree With Ian Kinsler

The San Diego Padres agreed on a two-year, $8 million deal with free-agent second baseman Ian Kinsler on Friday, according to sources. The deal comes with a club option for a third year. Kinsler will turn 37 next June and is coming off a season with the Angels and Red Sox in which he hit […]

2018 Baseball Winter Meetings - Wednesday/Thursday Recap

MLB Winter Meetings are ending in Las Vegas, Nevada and the headline-grabbing moves have come from relatively unknown places. Players like Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, J.T. Realmuto, and Noah Syndergaard were rumored to be traded or signed, yet none of those moves materialized. What did occur over the last two days, though, were some solid […]

Joe Kelly Agrees To Contract With Dodgers

Multiple outlets have reported that relief pitcher Joe Kelly has agreed to a three-year, $25 million deal, pending a physical. Kelly had a 4.39 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings for the World Series champions last year. Kelly will be a late-inning arm for the Dodgers and a strong candidate for holds in […]

Diamondbacks Not Targeting Jackie Bradley Jr.

Sources with knowledge of the situation say that the Arizona Diamondbacks are not targeting Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. as a replacement for free-agent center fielder A.J. Pollock. Bradley is a similar player to Pollock defensively, but he doesn't have the upside with the bat that Pollock does. Either way, the Red Sox […]

Teams Showing Interest In Ian Kinsler

The Tigers, Brewers, Athletics and Nationals are among the teams interested in free-agent second baseman Ian Kinsler. However, the destinations of free-agent second basemen DJ LeMahieu and Jed Lowrie may ultimately decide where Kinsler lands. Kinsler isn't the player he once was and isn't a great fit at the top of a lineup anymore, but […]

2018 Baseball Winter Meetings Recap (Monday/Tuesday)

MLB Winter Meetings have started in Las Vegas, Nevada and the headlines thus far have been more about what has been rumored to happen rather than what has happened. There have been some relatively minor moves thus far (including the signing of a former stolen base leader), but most of the stories have revolved around […]

Andrew Benintendi To Hit Leadoff Next Year

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that outfielder Andrew Benintendi will hit leadoff next year, with MVP Mookie Betts moving to the second spot. Both players will still have extremely high fantasy ceilings, but Betts will now have more chances to drive in runs dropping down one spot in the order. After winning the […]

Red Sox Listening On Rick Porcello

The Boston Red Sox are openly listening to trade offers for starting pitcher Rick Porcello as they try to clear salary space for bullpen help. Rivals also insist that Boston is willing to talk about shortstop Xander Bogaerts and outfielder Jackie Bradley. Porcello isn't the sexiest fantasy starter, but he put up 17 wins in […]

Chris Sale Feeling Fine

Boston Red Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski said starting pitcher Chris Sale (shoulder) is "feeling fine" so far in the offseason and that the team is "comfortable where he is." Sale throwing hard in his first start off the disabled list late in the season was probably too much and contributed to his weak shoulder […]