Blake Jarwin Signs Three-Year Extension

The Dallas Cowboys and tight end Blake Jarwin agreed to a three-year, $24.25 million contract extension on Monday. Jarwin will receive $9.25 million guaranteed. With Jason Witten expected to either retire or play elsewhere in 2020, Jarwin will finally get his chance to be the top tight end on the team. He looked solid in […]

Brad Boxberger (RP, MIA) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~380 CURRENT ADP: ~470 overall ANALYSIS:  Boxberger hasn't been good since 2017 and hasn't been great since '14. He was particularly bad in '19 with the Kansas City Royals, putting up a 5.40 ERA that was backed up by his 5.45 xFIP. The Marlins were able to sign him to a […]

Jose Urena Pitches Five Scoreless Innings

Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Urena fired five scoreless innings in a Grapefruit League start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. He allowed just one hit and a walk while striking out three and also hitting a batter. Urena wasn't very good last year as a starter which led the team to try him in […]

Spring Training Bullpens: Where The Stats Are Made Up and Saves Don't Matter

Spring training stats, traditionally, don't matter. Teams that look like powerhouses in March will lose 100 games in the regular season. Teams that can't even win against split-squad opponents in March will win their divisions in September. Hitters who hit .100 with 0 home runs will be in the MVP race. Pitchers who can't finish […]

Yadier Molina Working on a Contract Extension

The St. Louis Cardinals and catcher Yadier Molina are reportedly working on a contract extension. The lifelong Cardinal is looking for a deal that would keep him signed through the 2022 season. Molina has declined offensively, but he's still solid with the bat in a very limited offensive position, and pitchers love throwing to the […]

Andrew Miller Has a "Better Feel" After a Battery of Tests

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Andrew Miller (arm) underwent a battery of tests, including blood tests and an MRI of his head, in an attempt to determine why he was losing feeling in his fingers. He threw a bullpen session and reportedly had a "better feel" for the ball. He said he hopes to "push" […]

Brad Boxberger "Close to a Lock" to Make the Team

Miami Marlins non-roster invitee Brad Boxberger is "close to a lock" to make the team and work in the Opening Day bullpen. Boxberger struggled mightily last season but re-worked his delivery, and besides regaining his velocity, he is throwing a pitch (an "alien curveball") that he hasn't thrown in several years. Boxberger could be a huge […]

Brett Cecil Forced to Leave Wednesday's Game

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Brett Cecil was forced to leave Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the New York Mets after coming up favoring his hamstring when attempting to cover first base on a ground ball. Cecil entered spring training healthy after missing all of last season due to carpal tunnel, but the often-injured lefty […]

Paul Goldschmidt Dealing With a Sore Elbow Again

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is dealing with elbow soreness again. He'll be looked at by team doctors, but manager Mike Shildt has already said, "it's going to be a couple of days." He'll be eased back in and at least for now there doesn't seem to be any concern about "Goldy" missing […]

Jazz Chisholm Optioned to Triple-A

The Miami Marlins optioned shortstop Jazz Chisholm to Triple-A. Chisholm was impressive this spring and has tons of upside, but he was never expected to make the team coming out of spring training. The Marlins also optioned first baseman Lewin Diaz and outfielder Jesus Sanchez to Triple-A. All three could be legitimate fantasy stars in […]

Brad Miller Back in the Lineup on Tuesday

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brad Miller (back) will return to the Grapefruit League lineup for Tuesday's game against the Boston Red Sox. Miller missed about a week and a half due to tightness in his lower back, but the team never seemed overly concerned. Barring any further setbacks, Miller will be ready for Opening Day. […]

David A Marcillo's Bold Bullpen Predictions for 2020

Updated on July 6: I stand by all of these predictions! There were plenty of surprises in the last few baseball seasons, including some huge ones that we didn't really find out about until 2020. There's no reason to think that this year will be any less surprising, and if anything, there's plenty to go […]

Kolten Wong Shaping Up to Hit First

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong seems set to be the team's leadoff hitter. While there hasn't been an official announcement by the team just yet, Wong has hit at the top of the order in six of his seven Grapefruit League starts, and manager Mike Shildt said batting first is, "a good spot […]

Closer Committees: When Sharing Isn't Caring

The concept of a closer-by-committee is, according to some theories, the best way to run a bullpen for most "real life" baseball teams. The concept of a closer-by-committee is, according to all fantasy baseball players, a real life hassle. A well-defined closer is ideal for fantasy teams in standard leagues because it guarantees that one […]

Jorge Alfaro Cleared for Activities

Miami Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro (oblique) has been cleared for activities and will begin doing, "some hitting, catching, etc." The report states that this will be a process that will take some time, but the team remains hopeful that Alfaro will be ready for Opening Day. If Alfaro starts the season on the injured list, […]

Matt Kemp Doesn't Reach Base on Tuesday

Miami Marlins outfielder/first baseman Matt Kemp had a rough game on Tuesday, striking out twice and ending up 0-for-4. Kemp is hitting just .200 with a .450 OPS about midway through Grapefruit League play. Some reports say he's fighting for a roster spot while other say manager Don Mattingly has basically handed him a spot […]

Paul DeJong Stays Hot in Tuesday's Win

St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong has been on fire this spring and he stayed hot on Tuesday, going 2-for-3 with a run scored in a Grapefruit League win over the Houston Astros. DeJong is hitting .571 with an 1.850 OPS about halfway through Spring Training. He's one of the streakiest hitters in baseball and […]

Kolten Wong Goes Hitless on Tuesday

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong went hitless in Tuesday's Grapefruit League win over the Houston Astros, ending up 0-for-3 with an RBI. Wong is hitting just .214 in Grapefruit League play about halfway through Spring Training, but he's in no danger of losing his starting job. He was solid last season, slashing .285/.361/.423 […]

Brandon Kintzler Spins a Perfect Inning on Tuesday

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Brandon Kintzler tossed a perfect 1-2-3 inning in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the New York Mets. Kintzler came in for the fifth inning and made quick work of his inning, retiring the side in order. It was an encouraging sign from Kintzler after an uncharacteristically wild, four-walk outing his last […]

Alex Reyes Strikes Out Four in Two Innings on Tuesday

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Alex Reyes pitched two innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Houston Astros. He struck out four while allowing a run on three hits and a walk. It was mostly a positive sign from Reyes, who lowered his spring ERA to 10.80 after a rough few outings. Reyes was originally […]

Dakota Hudson Throws Four Good Innings on Tuesday

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dakota Hudson pitched well in Tuesday's Grapefruit League start against the Houston Astros. He tossed four innings, allowing just one run on two hits and a walk while striking out two. Hudson has one of the Cardinals rotation spaces more or less locked up, but his control issues and lack […]

Jordan Yamamoto Allows One Run on Tuesday

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jordan Yamamoto pitched well on Tuesday, tossing three innings while allowing one run on four hits in a Grapefruit League start against the New York Mets. Yamamoto didn't walk anyone and struck out one. He allowed the run on a solo home run by Jeff McNeil. Yamamoto has looked solid this […]

Brad Miller Day-to-Day With a Back Issue

St. Louis Cardinals infielder/utility player Brad Miller is dealing with lower back stiffness and is considered day-to-day. The team does not expect the injury to impact Miller's availability for Opening Day nor for it to be an issue he has to deal with in the regular season. It seems they are being cautious with Miller […]

Kwang-Hyun Kim Scheduled to Pitch on Thursday

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kwang-Hyun Kim (groin) recovered well from his bullpen side session and is scheduled to pitch in one of Thursday's split-squad games. Kim was scratched from his start on Monday due to mild groin soreness, but he was able to throw a bullpen instead and is now ready to go for Thursday. […]

Dexter Fowler Scuffling Through Spring

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler has not had a good spring so far. Fowler, who was awful in 2018 before rebounding with an at-least-average 2019, is 1-for-15 so far in Grapefruit League games. Even with the slight bounce back, his 2019 line of .238/.346/.409 wasn't great, and it may be time for the Cardinals […]

Kwang-Hyun Kim Dealing With Groin Soreness

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kwang-Hyun Kim was scratched from his scheduled Grapefruit League start on Monday due to mild groin soreness. He threw a bullpen session instead and is now on track to start one of Thursday's split-squad games. There doesn't seem to be a ton of concern, but the team wanted to be extra […]

Andrew Miller Having Trouble in the Spring

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Andrew Miller is reportedly "having trouble getting a feel for the ball" but insists that nothing "physically hurts." He will undergo a battery of tests, especially to check if there is a nerve explanation. Miller has pitched just one Grapefruit League inning so far and has dealt with several injuries […]

Garrett Cooper Goes Hitless on Monday

Miami Marlins outfielder/first baseman Garrett Cooper had a rough day at the plate in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Washington Nationals. He went 0-for-3 with a strikeout, lowering his spring batting average to .286. Cooper showed that, when healthy, he could be a legitimate fantasy asset last season, but he had a hard time […]

Pablo Lopez Throws Three Innings on Monday

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez made it through three innings in Monday's Grapefruit League start against the Washington Nationals. Lopez allowed one run on one hit and three walks. He struck out two and induced four groundouts on the afternoon. Lopez is a sure thing for one of the spots in the Marlins rotation, […]

Genesis Cabrera Exits With a Cracked Fingernail

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Genesis Cabrera was forced to leave Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Minnesota Twins due to a cracked fingernail. Cabrera was trying to make a case for a rotation spot, but this setback could push him out of that competition. Cabrera was a bit shaky in 20 1/3 big league innings […]