Guardians Could Have Interest In Matt Olson

The Cleveland Guardians could have interest in trading for Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson when/if Major League Baseball's lockout ends. If the Guardians did swing a deal for Olson, current first baseman Bobby Bradley would probably be one of the players headed to the A's, along with a middle infielder and possibly a starting […]

ATC Projections - Overvalued and Undervalued Hitters for 2022

The industry-leading ATC Projections are live for the 2022 fantasy baseball season. That means it's time to dive into the numbers to see what the fantasy takeaway is for key players. As Ariel Cohen himself explained in a recent breakdown of risk analysis using ATC, projections aren't meant to be viewed as exact predictions. They […]

Dodgers Sign Stefen Romero To Minor League Deal

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed first baseman/outfielder Stefen Romero to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training on Saturday, according to a source. Romero smacked 96 home runs in the last five seasons while playing in Japan, including the shortened season in 2020. The 33-year-old could be a designated hitter option for […]

Improved Hitter K% vs. Power Production - Fantasy Baseball Risers

There are plenty of different ways for a hitter to improve at the plate. We see dozens of players every year who make huge improvements at the plate, and it's very important for fantasy managers to identify these hitters earlier than the field does. Sometimes these improvements can be driven by luck, sometimes by a […]

Players Union Unimpressed By MLB's Latest Offer

Major League Baseball and the Players Association met for less than an hour on Saturday, and there remains no deal on a new collective bargaining agreement. The players came out of the meeting unimpressed by the offer from the league, and there's very little progress made between the two sides in negotiations. The league proposed […]

Eric Thames Signs With The A's

Free-agent first baseman/outfielder Eric Thames signed a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics on Friday, according to a source. Thames is a South Bay native that had most of his season in Japan last year wiped out by a torn Achilles. The 35-year-old left-handed slugger spent four seasons in Major League Baseball before that […]

Ballpark Factors: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball

If you have ever selected a streamable pitcher based on a home park or benched an otherwise must-start arm at Coors Field, you already know how much a stadium can impact a player's bottom line. Ballpark Factors quantify the influence each stadium has, allowing you to make the most of your fantasy team's real-life schedule. […]

Rob Manfred Says No Change To Spring Training

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said on Thursday that "the status of spring training is no change right now." Manfred also called the possibility of missing regular season games amid the league's lockout of players "a disastrous outcome." "I believe we will have an agreement in time to play our regular schedule," Manfred said. […]

Dodgers Looking To Extend Dave Roberts

The Los Angeles Dodgers are planning extension talks with manager Dave Roberts. According to Andy McCullough of the Athletic, Roberts and Dodgers president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman indicated the two parties would negotiate an extension in the coming weeks. "It'll get done," Roberts said. "It'll get done." The 49-year-old has managed the Dodgers over […]

Rangers Reportedly Interested In Trading For Matt Olson

The Texas Rangers are reportedly interested in trading for Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson. According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, the Rangers have "already begun investigating" what an Olson acquisition might cost them. Texas will "absolutely" circle back with the A's to see if there's a potential fit. The 27-year-old slashed […]

Prospects To Ditch In Dynasty

The dynasty format requires an owner to consider both the immediate and future implications of draft picks, trades, and waiver wire moves. Evaluating a player’s present and long-term future makes dynasty much more strategic, and unfortunately, much less forgiving given than redraft formats. The decision to cut loose a prospect for another prospect, a major […]

MLB Planning To Make New Proposal To Union

Major League Baseball is planning to make a new proposal following the owners' meetings this week, which will end on Thursday. Their proposal is expected to involve core economic issues, and hope remains that it could trigger something to get a deal done so that the regular season can begin as scheduled. MLB and the […]

Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (Chase Rates) - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball

As the MLB and MLBPA keep working towards ending the lockout and getting baseball back into our lives, we've been keeping the offseason content going by digging into some 2021 stats. While we all obviously want the lockout to end, this is a useful time to do your research and have a better understanding of […]

Best Fantasy Baseball Fits for Oakland's Trade Chips

The Oakland A’s might be rebuilding. Or at least something that resembles it to a degree. Of course, that’s purely speculative but Bob Melvin, Mark Canha, and Starling Marte have all departed this winter, and more could follow once the lockout ends. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweeted the following on November 9: GM David Forst of the cash-strapped A’s […]

MLB Stops Drug Testing During Lockout

Major League Baseball has stopped drug testing players during the lockout that began on Dec. 2 of last year. Testing for steroids was stopped for the first time in almost 20 years due to the expiration of the league's drug agreement between management and the players' association. "It should be a major concern to all […]

Top MLB Prospects Rankings: #101-175 - Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Leagues

RotoBaller’s fantasy baseball prospects coverage is back. The 2022 season is quickly approaching and while the MLB season still hangs in the balance due to the lack of a Collective Bargaining Agreement, the minor league season will be unaffected (for players not on the 40-man roster). We’re continuing our 2022 prospect coverage with the comprehensive […]

Cubs Reportedly Could Re-Sign Anthony Rizzo On Short-Term Deal

The Chicago Cubs reportedly could re-sign free-agent first baseman Anthony Rizzo on a short-term deal. According to Bruce Levine of the 670 The Score, Rizzo's return to the Cubs on a "short-term" deal is possible. "I've heard that's possible. I've heard that it's not out of the realm of giving a two or three-year contract, […]

Adrian Gonzalez Retires From Baseball

Free-agent first baseman Adrian Gonzalez has decided to retire from professional baseball. The 39-year-old hasn't appeared in an MLB game since 2018 with the New York Mets. He was a former first overall selection by the San Diego Padres in 2000. Gonzalez was a five-time All-Star and a four-time Gold Glove winner. He slashed .287/.358/.485 […]

Yankees Likely To Pursue Freddie Freeman

Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman has hit the free-agent market, and the organization hasn't jumped on extending their superstar slugger. To be fair, there are not any MLB signings allowed while the new CBA is being discussed. Regardless, it sounds like the New York Yankees are going to take a run at Freeman this […]

Batting Order: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball

You may be wondering why there aren't any advanced stats aimed at predicting a player's counting stats like runs and RBI. The answer is simple: modern sabermetrics reject the idea of a "clutch RBI guy" and therefore do not bother inventing predictive metrics for it. Runs and RBI are team-dependent stats and are unhelpful in ascertaining […]

Players Association Rejects Idea For Federal Mediator

The Major League Baseball Players Association on Friday rejected the league's request for a federal mediator to negotiate between the two sides for a new collective bargaining agreement. "Two months after implementing their lockout, and just two days after committing to Players that a counterproposal would be made, the owners refused to make a counter, […]

Triple-A Schedules Expanded To 150 Games

The schedule for each Triple-A team will be expanded from 144 games to 150 games in the first full season the minor leagues are being run by Major League Baseball. Because the season didn't start until May due to the coronavirus pandemic last year, the Triple-A schedules were cut to 120 games in 2021. The […]

MLB Asks Mediator To Assist In CBA Talks

Major League Baseball has requested the assistance of a federal mediator to help resolve the labor issues between the league and Players Association so that a new collective bargaining agreement can be reached, according to a source. The league sees this as the most productive path toward reaching an agreement to avoid any potential delay […]

Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (Pull Rate) - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball

As the MLB and MLBPA keep working towards ending the lockout and getting baseball back into our lives, we've been keeping the offseason content going by digging into some 2021 stats. While we all obviously want the lockout to end, this is a useful time to do your research and have a better understanding of […]

Failure to Launch: Decreasing Launch Angles and Home Runs for Fantasy Baseball

Once the toast of advanced stats in the baseball universe, average launch angle’s prominence as a performance predictor has taken a step back to other power-focused metrics such as barrel rate and max exit velocity. Perhaps this is because the “launch angle revolution” from a few years ago turned out to be more of a […]

Pull%: Using Sabermetrics for 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 […]

Top MLB Prospects Rankings: #176-250 - Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Leagues

RotoBaller’s fantasy baseball prospects coverage is back. The 2022 season is quickly approaching and while the MLB season hangs in the balance due to the lack of a Collective Bargaining Agreement, the minor league season will be unaffected (for players not on the 40-man roster). We’re beginning our 2022 prospect coverage with the comprehensive Top […]

MLB, Players Union Disappointed After Tuesday's Meeting

Both sides of Major League Baseball's labor talks are disappointed after another meeting on Tuesday, with MLB now joining the players union in that regard. The Union offered a couple small changes -- lowering the bonus pool to $100 million from $105 million - but MLB remains at $10 million. The chances that spring training […]

Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (xSLG) - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball

There are stats for everything now. It's great, but it can also be overwhelming at times. Depending on where we look, we can tell ourselves all different types of narratives about a player. As a result, I've always been a proponent of identifying the stats that you find to be most useful/beneficial and focusing on […]

Spring Training Likely To Be Delayed

Major League Baseball and player representatives continue to hold much different views of the game's economics when it comes to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, and the scheduled start of spring training in mid-February is in jeopardy. In another few weeks, Opening Day on March 31 could be a long shot as well. Players remain […]