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 […]

AL-Only Deeper League Draft Targets

Objectively, deep-league AL or NL-only fantasy baseball is the best format to play this summer. For one, NL-only leagues are the original formats of fantasy baseball. If readers are not into history, the strategy should also convince them to jump in. With both an expanded and limited player pool, the unique challenges of balancing depth […]

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 […]

James Paxton, Didi Gregorius Avoid Arbitration

New York Yankees starting pitcher James Paxton and shortstop Didi Gregorius both avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to undisclosed one-year, non-guaranteed contracts. Starting pitcher Sonny Gray, reliever Tommy Kahnle and catcher Austin Romine also settled. Paxton was acquired from the Mariners after going 11-6 with a 3.76 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and career-high 11.7 […]

Yankees Settle With Dellin Betances

The New York Yankees avoided salary arbitration on Friday with relief pitcher Dellin Betances by signing him to a one-year, $7.125 million deal. Betances is set to become a free agent after the 2019 season, but general manager Brian Cashman has expressed interest in entering extension talks at some point. The hard-throwing right-hander posted a […]

Aaron Hicks Avoids Salary Arbitration

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $6 million deal. Hicks has a nice combination of power and speed -- he hit 27 dingers and stole 11 bases in 2018 -- but injuries are a concern for the 29-year-old and the fact that New York has […]

Yankees Closing In On DJ LeMahieu

The New York Yankees are closing in on a two-year deal with free-agent second baseman DJ LeMahieu. This could signal the end of the Yankees pursuit of free-agent shortstop Manny Machado, as Gleyber Torres would presumably move to the 6 until Didi Gregorius is recovered from Tommy John surgery. LeMahieu, 31 in July, hit .276/.321/.428 […]

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 […]

Yankees Avoid Arbitration With Greg Bird

The New York Yankees avoided salary arbitration with first baseman Greg Bird on Thursday by agreeing to a one-year, $1.2 million deal with him. Bird was expected to become the team's primary first baseman in 2018, but he flopped and lost the job to Luke Voit in the second half. Bird hit an embarrassing .199/.286/.386 […]

Luke Voit - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

One of my biggest misses over the last few years has been my refusal to move on from Greg Bird at the first base position for the New York Yankees. Year after year I have continued to draft Bird and make excuses why this year will be the year. Part of the reason is that […]

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 […]

CC Sabathia Cleared For Baseball Activities

New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia (heart) has been cleared to begin baseball activities after a follow-up stress test on Tuesday. Sabathia had an angioplasty surgery in early December but is expected to be ready for spring training. The veteran southpaw was decent in 2018 with a 9-7 record, 3.65 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and […]

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 […]

Yankees Bringing Back Zach Britton

The New York Yankees re-signed relief pitcher Zach Britton to a three-year, $39 million deal on Saturday, according to league sources. The deal includes both a club option and a potential player opt-out clause. The Yanks can exercise a fourth-year option after the 2020 season worth $14 million. Britton can opt out of his deal […]

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 […]

David Robertson Agrees With Phillies

Free-agent relief pitcher David Robertson agreed to a two-year deal that will guarantee him at least $23 million with the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday. He will make $10 million this year, $11 million in 2020 and has a $12 million club option ($2 million buyout) for the 2021 season. Robertson went 8-3 with a 3.23 […]

Yusei Kikuchi to the Mariners - Fantasy Outlook

The Mariners rang in the new year with yet another move, as news broke in the final hours of 2018 that Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher Yusei Kikuchi had signed a four-year deal with Seattle. Kikuchi will be joining the Mariners after a "down" season in which he only went 14-4 with a 3.08 ERA — […]

Troy Tulowitzki Agrees With Yankees

The New York Yankees agreed with free-agent shortstop Troy Tulowitzki on an agreement for the league minimum on Tuesday, according to league sources. The Blue Jays will pay the remainder of his $20 million salary for 2019 after releasing him last month. Tulo missed all of 2018 after multiple surgeries on his heels and played […]

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. […]

Daniel Murphy to the Rockies - Fantasy Implications

Rockies fans watched a 2018 team that disappointed on offense and the front office might have just made the key addition to fix some of those headaches. Second baseman Daniel Murphy will be joining the Rockies on a two-year deal and should offer an exciting upside bat, with a glove that might not play all […]

CC Sabathia Undergoes Heart Procedure

New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia (heart) required a heart procedure in which doctors inserted a stent to open up an artery in his heart this offseason. The procedure is known as angioplasty. After meeting with doctors on Friday, his prognosis for the short and long term is good, so Sabathia is expected to […]

Please Let Brandon Belt Get Traded

A report recently came to light that the San Francisco Giants were making first baseman and owner of a genuine super-beard, Brandon Belt, available in trades. Apparently, there are teams interested in the oft-injured slugger, despite the whopping $48 million due to him over the next three years. It’s not terribly surprising that Belt is available, […]

Manny Machado To Meet With Yankees Wednesday

Free-agent shortstop Manny Machado is scheduled to have a meeting with the New York Yankees on Wednesday. Machado is the top option on the free-agent market alongside superstar outfielder Bryce Harper. The Yanks could use Machado at the 6 for at least half the season with Didi Gregorius (elbow) recovering from Tommy John surgery. They […]

Charlie Morton to the Rays - Fantasy Impact

The latest free agent pitcher to find a new home is former Houston Astros starter Charlie Morton, who signed a two-year deal on Wednesday to take his talents to Tampa Bay. Morton underwent a career resurgence in Houston, where he won a World Series ring and earned his first All-Star Game appearance after nine seasons […]

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 […]