Champ or Chump - Joe Musgrove and Randal Grichuk

Baseball's offseason continues to trickle in moves as opposed to flooding us with them, but the latest batch seem interesting from a fantasy perspective. Joe Musgrove's 4.77 ERA last year may be a big reason prognosticators don't love Pittsburgh's side of the Gerrit Cole trade, but he may have the talent to replace Cole himself. […]

2018 Second Base - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers

Aside from catcher, second base is amongst the shallowest positions heading into the 2018 season. Assuming a standard 10-12 team league, depending on the bench size it makes sense to roster only one 2B upon conclusion of your draft. If you can’t scoop up Jose Altuve, Jose Ramirez or Anthony Rizzo, you may need to […]

2018 First Base - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers

If you play in a head-to-head points league, or season long format, you already know how difficult it can be to find fantasy analysis tailored to the format. Not only are the traditional rotisserie and head-to-head arrangements more popular, but the very nature of points leagues makes them difficult to cover in a general sense […]

Fixing A Broken Fantasy Baseball League

Coming into last season, my home league of 13 years had a problem. Since becoming a rotisserie league, adopting an auction draft, and instituting a new keeper system six years earlier, only one person had won it: Me. Let me state up front and unequivocally that I don’t intend or want for this article to […]

Top 100: MLB Prospect Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

Prospects. For any fantasy baseball enthusiast, it's all about knowing about the prospects, rookies and call-ups. More than any other sport, baseball offers a fresh influx of rookie talent every year, both before and during the MLB season. And adding the right guy at the right time can be a league winner (see Aaron Judge and […]

Top 450: Points Leagues Tiered Staff Rankings (January)

In case you haven't noticed, we've already been cranking out all sorts of 2018 fantasy baseball rankings at RotoBaller HQ. It's only mid-January but you can already find preliminary staff rankings for mixed leagues, points leagues, AL/NL only leagues, dynasty leagues, top 2018 prospects, dynasty prospects and more. Today we are here to start looking […]

Josh Harrison Prefers Trade If Pirates Aren't Contenders

Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Josh Harrison said he would prefer to be traded if the team doesn't expect to be in contention in 2018 or 2019 after the trades of starting pitcher Gerrit Cole and outfielder Andrew McCutchen. “In our minds, a rebuild implies you’re looking five years down the road,” general manager Neal Huntington […]

Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Buy or Sell - Hitters

The dust has finally settled on 2017 and many of us are fully immersed in winter, which means it’s the perfect time to re-evaluate our dynasty squads. Last season featured plenty of breakouts and many head-scratching performances, so where to go from here? The old adage of buying low and selling high is just as […]

Kyle Crick Headed To Pirates In Andrew McCutchen Deal

Pitching prospect Kyle Crick will head to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of the Andrew McCutchen deal, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Crick, 25, was used as a starting pitcher before being moved to the bullpen in 2017. His numbers improved as a reliever for Triple-A Sacramento, and he even appeared […]

Fantasy Implications - Gerrit Cole to the Astros

The Gerrit Cole sweepstakes have finally come to an end and the Houston Astros are the new home of the 27-year-old former first round pick. Houston traded third baseman Colin Moran, outfielder Jason Martin and pitchers Joe Musgrove and Michael Feliz to Pittsburgh in order to add Cole to an already formidable Astros rotation. With […]

Pirates More Willing To Trade Andrew McCutchen?

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington may be more receptive to trade offers for outfielder Andrew McCutchen after the team traded starting pitcher Gerrit Cole to the Astros on Saturday, according to teams that have spoken with the Pirates. The Giants remain the team most interested in trading for McCutchen as they look to boost […]

Joe Musgrove Among Four Players Acquired By Pirates For Gerrit Cole

As part of the Gerrit Cole deal, the Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired pitcher Joe Musgrove, relief pitcher Michael Feliz, infielder Colin Moran and outfielder Jason Martin. Musgrove spent most of his time as a starter in 2016 but worked in a swing role for the Astros this past season. In 38 games (15 starts), the […]

Giants Still Hopeful To Land Andrew McCutchen

Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports that members of the San Francisco Giants are hopeful that starting pitcher Gerrit Cole being dealt to the Houston Astros will clear the way for the team to acquire outfielder Andrew McCutchen. Cole being moved from the Giants is a definite sign that they are rebuilding, and McCutchen […]

Rule 5 Picks to Watch for Keeper Leagues

Every year the MLB Rule 4 draft, more commonly known as the First-Year Player Draft, gets a lot of attention from casual baseball fans and fantasy baseball players alike. In terms of fantasy relevance, though, the Rule 5 draft, which occurs during baseball's annual Winter Meetings, is far more impactful than the Rule 4 draft for […]

Jordy Mercer Avoids Arbitration

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $6.75 million deal. Mercer's 2016 and 2017 seasons were nearly identical, as he had just three more homers last year and one less RBI in four fewer games. He doesn't have much pop and won't help in stolen bases or average, so […]

Gerrit Cole Avoids Arbitration

The Pittsburgh Pirates and starting pitcher Gerrit Cole have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $6.75 million deal. Cole has been a hot name on the trade block with the Yankees and Astros being the most involved. It was reported earlier in the week by numerous sources that Cole to the Astros was a […]

Giants Remain Interested In Andrew McCutchen

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the San Francisco Giants have remained in talks with the Pirates for outfielder Andrew McCutchen. Nightengale also notes that the Giants offered outfielder Jay Bruce a three-year deal before he signed with the Mets, but it was for $10 million less. The Giants have swung and missed on many […]

2018 Relief Pitchers - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We wind up our mixed league rankings analysis with a look at the most volatile position of all, relief pitchers. Whether you choose to grab a top-notch closer early or prefer to work the waiver wire all season, these early rankings will give you a good sense of where the current market values each reliever, before […]

Gerrit Cole To Astros Not Finalized

Updating a previous report, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that there is “no deal” and that rumors of Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole being traded to the Astros is a “false rumor.” The story has been ongoing, as it was previously reported from multiple sources that a deal was done. Jake Kaplan of the Houston […]

Gerrit Cole Traded to Astros

Pittsburgh Pirates starter Gerrit Cole has been traded to the Houston Astros, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Several teams had been interested in acquiring the 27-year-old, but it was the defending World Champions who made it happen. Cole started a National League-best 33 games last season but struggled at times to finish with […]

2018 Starting Pitchers - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

Welcome back to the early edition of RotoBaller’s 2018 fantasy baseball rankings! As a reminder, this round of rankings comes to you courtesy of Pierre Camus and Jeff Kahntroff, in addition to yours truly. Today, I’ll be taking a look at how we ranked starting pitchers. As you peruse the info below, keep in mind […]

2018 Outfielders - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

It's a new year, and with that comes our first set of rankings for the 2018 fantasy baseball season. As a reminder, our first round of rankings comes to you courtesy of Pierre Camus and Jeff Kahntroff, in addition to yours truly. Today, I’ll be finishing up the hitter side of things with a look at […]

Dynasty National League Outfielders - Top MLB Prospects for Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back, RotoBallers. I'll be breaking down impact prospects in dynasty leagues by position over the next several weeks. I’ve already covered catchers, first basemen, second basemen, third basemen and shortstops. Today I'm bringing you my top 10 National League outfielders - dynasty prospect rankings for 2018 dynasty baseball leagues. One of the only two positions […]

2018 Second Base - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the second base position. Even though it is only January 6, 2018 in an extremely slow offseason, RotoBaller writers Kyle Bishop, Pierre Camus, and I have come up with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. As […]

2018 First Base - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the first base position. RotoBaller writers Kyle Bishop, Jeff Kahntroff, and I have come up with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. There are plenty of free agents yet to sign, so keep in mind that these rankings […]

Mets And Pirates Have Discussed Andrew McCutchen

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the New York Mets have talked to the Pittsburgh Pirates about outfielder Andrew McCutchen. No deal is close and Rosenthal reports that the Mets may look at free agency over trading for a player that would cost them depth. McCutchen has also been linked to the Giants this […]

Giants Continue To Discuss Andrew McCutchen Deal

Jon Morosi of the MLB Network reports that the San Francisco Giants continue to inquire with the Pittsburgh Pirates about acquiring outfielder Andrew McCutchen. Morosi notes that the Giants don’t want to part ways with their top three prospects after moving Christian Arroyo to acquire Evan Longoria. The Pirates are said to want one of […]

Dynasty First Basemen - Top MLB Prospects for Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back, RotoBallers. I'll be breaking down impact prospects in dynasty leagues by position over the next several weeks. I’ve already covered catchers. Today I'm bringing you my top 10 first basemen - dynasty prospect rankings for 2018 dynasty baseball leagues. The group of first base prospects simultaneously lost its star-power and recovered. Cody Bellinger, Josh […]

2018 Dynasty Baseball Strategy - There Are No More Wins

Pitchers have always made for awkward dynasty assets. There's no denying that you need some highly productive arms if you want to win your league. However, pitchers - both starters and relievers - have this bad habit of turning into pumpkins with very little warning. It's relatively rare for a hitter to pull a Prince […]

Reviewing Harris Yudin's 10 Bold Predictions for 2017

So, it makes sense that the worst fantasy season of my life coincides with my worst bold predictions. I failed to finish in the top five in any league for the first time, which I guess makes sense considering how heavily I bought into Joc Pederson and Yu Darvish— as you’ll soon find out. I […]