Fernando Tatis Jr. Says His Shoulder Is 100%

San Diego Padres shortstop/outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (shoulder, wrist) said his shoulder is 100 percent healthy. "It's just locked in. I feel like it's not going to come out anymore and it feels really secure. It just feels right," Tatis said. In addition to having surgery on his left shoulder, the 24-year-old phenom also had […]

Cole Hamels Agrees With Padres On Minor-League Deal

Free-agent left-hander Cole Hamels and the San Diego Padres agreed to a minor-league deal on Thursday, according to a source familiar with the deal. Hamels is likely to receive an invitation to major-league spring training and can make as much as $2 million if he's in the majors in 2023. The San Diego native is […]

Pitchers To Downgrade? Analyzing the Shift, Ground Ball Data and Rule Changes

One of the biggest things people are talking about and studying for the 2023 MLB season is what effect the changes to the rules about shifting will have on the game. I myself talked about that on the hitting side earlier this offseason, you can read that analysis here. Today, I want to get into […]

Five Overvalued Starting Pitchers for 2023 Fantasy Baseball Drafts

We have brought you five hitters to avoid in each of the infield and outfield. Now adding to the fold is five starting pitchers to avoid in 2023! When playing fantasy baseball, the player pool is so deep you have to know it front and back. A key strategy I use when I am preparing […]

Top 25 First-Year Player Rankings (FYPD) - Dynasty Prospects for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

When fantasy baseball players begin their first-year player drafts this year, they will have 2022 MLB draftees, foreign imports from Asia, and January 15 signees to sift through. There can be a lot of static in those stats, especially when you are dealing with minor-league players and some fantasy baseball prospects who haven't even played […]

Seth Lugo To Be Part Of Six-Man Rotation

The San Diego Padres were set to open spring training with five starters -- Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Blake Snell, Nick Martinez and Seth Lugo -- but they had a desire to use a six-man rotation after it was successful in the early stages of 2022. The Padres signed right-hander Michael Wacha on Tuesday, and […]

Michael Wacha Agrees With Padres

Free-agent right-hander Michael Wacha agreed to an undisclosed deal with the San Diego Padres on Tuesday, pending a physical, according to sources. The deal is expected to be for multiple years with an opt-out clause. The 31-year-old starting pitcher gives the Friars some much-needed rotation depth alongside Nick Martinez and Seth Lugo, who are entering […]

Juan Soto Moving To Left Field In 2023

San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin said that outfielder Juan Soto will play left field this season. Soto has played right field throughout his career, but the Padres' outfield mix suggested he might need to move around this year. Melvin said the club would keep him in left. "His preparation is pretty epic. He would […]

Fantasy Baseball Hitters Who Changed Scenes in 2023 And What It Will Mean For Their Value

The most important factor in constructing an offense in fantasy baseball is finding players with talent. Whether they make a lot of contact, hit the ball out of the park, or run the bases well, they need to do something to be relevant. But, talent isn’t everything. Sometimes a player’s home park, division, or quality […]

Padres Checking In On Michael Wacha

The San Diego Padres have checked in with free-agent starting pitcher Michael Wacha. The 31-year-old veteran right-hander remains available on the open market with pitchers and catchers reporting to spring camps this week. He played the 2022 season with the Boston Red Sox, going 11-2 with a 3.32 ERA (4.14 FIP), 1.11 WHIP and 20.2 […]

Drew Pomeranz Likely To Be Limited In Spring Training

San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin said that relief pitcher Drew Pomeranz (elbow) will likely be limited for the start of spring training. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise after Pomeranz didn't pitch at all in 2022 after having flexor tendon surgery in 2021. The 34-year-old veteran southpaw has only thrown 44 1/3 […]

Five Overvalued Outfielders for 2023 Fantasy Baseball Drafts

Welcome back RotoBallers! This is the second part of our overvalued players series for 2023 fantasy baseball drafts. Today we are looking at outfielders. You can see the first part about overvalued infielders as well. When playing fantasy baseball, the player pool is so deep you have to know it front and back. A key […]

Padres Expected To Explore Extension With Manny Machado Soon

The San Diego Padres are expected to explore a long-term contract extension with franchise third baseman Manny Machado before Opening Day. Machado can opt out of his contract after the 2023 season, and making him a Padre for the rest of his career might require a new deal of at least six or seven years […]

Padres Give Yu Darvish A Six-Year Extension

The San Diego Padres and right-hander Yu Darvish agreed to a six-year, $108 million contract extension on Thursday, according to sources. The deal will start in 2023 and runs through 2028, when Darvish will be 42 years old. The 36-year-old was previously due $18 million this season and was scheduled to become a free agent […]

Will Bryce Harper be Ready for the Season? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

After a disappointing fallout in the World Series, the Philadelphia Phillies will face a difficult challenge heading into 2023. Bryce Harper will miss the first half of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and is expected to begin swinging a bat around March. I'm sure you guys are wondering what […]

Breakout Pitchers for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

Finding breakout starting pitchers is one of the most important things we have to do in order to win fantasy baseball leagues every season. In most leagues, an individual starting pitcher has more of an impact on a fantasy team than an individual hitter since they are throwing a higher percentage of your team's total […]

3 Fantasy Baseball Hitters Slated to Breakout Earlier Than Their Prime in 2023

Some ball players are just built differently. The superstars of the MLB world tend to break out well before their prime, far closer to the age of 20 than the generally accepted age-28 prime season. Let's be honest, even though he was promoted at the ripe age of 19, few expected Juan Soto to explode […]

Fernando Tatis Jr. Open To Any Position

When San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. was asked what position he'll play in 2023, he said: "Gotta talk to my manager," while adding that he's open to playing any position after the Padres signed shortstop Xander Bogaerts this offseason. Tatis also said he's been working at both outfield and infield as he prepares […]

Eguy Rosario Out Until Summer With Broken Ankle

San Diego Padres infield prospect Eguy Rosario (ankle) broke his ankle earlier this offseason while doing sprint work in winter ball and will be sidelined until the middle of the summer. The 23-year-old required surgery on his ankle. It's a tough break for Rosario, as he was slated for an extensive opportunity to play in […]

Pull%: Using Sabermetrics for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

We have previously determined that fantasy managers generally prefer batters to hit the ball into the air to have a chance at a home run. Yet, all fly balls are not equal for this purpose. A player can maximize his power production by pulling the ball in the air. One way to illustrate this is […]

Known-Skill Starting Pitcher Rankings - Predicting Future Stats for Fantasy Baseball

There is a lot of guesswork that goes into fantasy baseball. This is especially true when we're talking about starting pitchers. And all of this despite the fact that we have more metrics than we can even count about pitchers. You will see a ton of talk this year about fancy advanced pitch metrics. Spin, […]

Injury Agnostic SP Rankings for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

It's hard to project injuries. Therefore, it's hard to project how many innings a pitcher will throw in a given year. Am I rocking any boats yet? Sure, Jacob deGrom is more likely to hit the IL this year than Gerrit Cole. There's no questioning that, and that should matter when you are drafting your […]

Early 2023 Fantasy Baseball Rankings - 5x5 Roto Mixed Leagues

Hello there fellow RotoBallers! Below you'll find our MLB team's early 2023 fantasy baseball rankings and tiers for 5x5 mixed roto leagues. This is an exciting time of year for MLB and fantasy baseball fans, as the MLB season is getting closer and there's a full year of fantasy baseball that lies ahead. We're here […]

Fernando Tatis Jr. Takes Swings Thursday

San Diego Padres shortstop/outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (shoulder, wrist) took swings in the batting cages on Thursday. Tatis was cleared to resume baseball activities on Jan. 6 and is expected to be ready for the start of spring training after missing all of the 2022 season due to a fractured wrist and a suspension for […]

Adalberto Mondesi and Michael A. Taylor: Buying and Selling the Latest Offseason News for Fantasy Baseball

Even though the Winter Meetings are now behind us, there’s still plenty of offseason left when it comes to baseball news and rumors – especially with a number of the offseason’s top free agents still without a team. And that’s all without mentioning potential trades as there hasn’t been an overabundance of deals made so […]

Jon Anderson's Early Starting Pitcher Tiers & Rankings for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back RotoBallers to my early 2023 fantasy baseball rankings and projections series! We are finishing it up today with starting pitcher. I have been through all of the hitting positions already, so check those out at the links below. Catcher First Base Second Base Shortstop Third Base Outfield I went for an even 100 […]

Jon Anderson's Early Outfield Tiers & Rankings for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back RotoBallers to my early 2023 fantasy baseball rankings and projections series! Today, we are covering the outfield, and it's a monster! Here is what we've done so far: Catcher First Base Second Base Shortstop Third Base I am putting my top 80 or so outfielders into this, so we'd better get started.  Be […]

Fantasy Baseball Hitters That Could Benefit Most From the Shift Ban

Major League Baseball is making some big changes ahead of the 2023 season. One of the most significant is the banning of the shift. You can read more about that here, but here's a quick summary from that article: "With all four infielders needing to be on the dirt, the days of the four-outfielder setup […]

Predicting Pitcher K-BB% Breakouts For Fantasy Baseball 2023

You will not read an article from me about fantasy baseball starting pitchers that does not talk a ton about the strikeout-to-walk ratio (K-BB%). It is the most important and most predictive statistic out there for evaluating pitchers. The way to win a fantasy league is to have a few breakout players on your team. […]

Using Hitter Projections to Identify Probable Improvers for 2023 Fantasy Baseball

Hey everyone, it's Jon Anderson back again! I have recently finished my season-long hitter projection system, so now the fun begins! I will be writing at least a few pieces here that look at what the projections are telling us. This is my first year doing a projection system, so I don't exactly have a […]