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 […]

Phillies Settle With Cesar Hernandez, Others

The Philadelphia Phillies avoided salary arbitration with second baseman Cesar Hernandez on Friday by signing him to a one-year, $7.75 million deal. The team also avoided arbitration with outfielder Aaron Altherr ($1.35 million), reliever Jose Alvarez ($1.925 million), pitcher Jerad Eickhoff ($975,000), third baseman Maikel Franco ($5.2 million), pitcher Adam Morgan ($1.1 million), reliever Hector […]

Javier Baez Earns Raise For 2019

Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $5.2 million deal. The 26-year-old superstar broke out in 2018 with a .290/.326/.554 slash line and career highs across the board in home runs (34), RBI (111), runs (101) and stolen bases (21) on his way to finishing second in […]

O's Avoid Arbitration With Three Players

The Baltimore Orioles avoided salary arbitration on Friday with starting pitcher Dylan Bundy, relief pitcher Mychal Givens and infielder Jonathan Villar by signing them to undisclosed one-year deals. Villar was proving to be a bust in 2018 with the Brewers before he was traded to the Orioles, where he flourished in 54 games by hitting […]

Brewers Avoid Arbitration With Travis Shaw

The Milwaukee Brewers avoided salary arbitration with infielder Travis Shaw on Friday by signing him to an undisclosed one-year deal. While Shaw can play either third or second base, he'll likely be ticketed for the everyday job at the hot corner in 2019 with Mike Moustakas likely leaving in free agency. The dual-eligibility makes Shaw […]

A's Avoid Arbitration With Four Players

The Oakland Athletics avoided salary arbitration on Friday with outfielder Mark Canha, starting pitcher Sean Manaea, infielder Jurickson Profar and shortstop Marcus Semien by signing them to undisclosed deals. Profar is the biggest name from a fantasy perspective. He was acquired from the Rangers in the offseason and figures to be the team's regular second […]

Scooter Gennett Avoids Arbitration

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $9.775 million deal. Gennett proved his 2017 breakout was no fluke by slashing .310/.357/.490 with 23 home runs, 92 RBI, 86 runs scored and four stolen bases in 2018. He may never reach the 30-homer mark, but Gennett is […]

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 […]

Mets Plan To Use Jeff McNeil In The Outfield

With the acquisition of second baseman Jed Lowrie on Thursday, the New York Mets plan to play infielder Jeff McNeil more in the outfield in 2019 than previously thought. McNeil was a pleasant surprise in his rookie season, hitting .329/.381/.471 with three home runs, 19 RBI, 35 runs scored and seven steals in his first […]

Jed Lowrie Agrees With Mets

The New York Mets agreed to a two-year, $20 million deal with free-agent second baseman Jed Lowrie on Thursday, according to league sources. The 34-year-old had a career year in Oakland in 2018, setting career highs in homers (23), RBI (99) and walks (78) for a surprising A's team that made the playoffs. It's a […]

Brian Dozier Agrees With Nationals

The Washington Nationals agreed to a one-year, $9 million deal with free-agent second baseman Brian Dozier on Thursday, according to league sources. Dozier had a down year in 2018, hitting .215/.305/.391 in 553 at-bats between the Twins and Dodgers, but he still managed 21 home runs, 72 RBI, 81 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. […]

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 […]

Javier Baez - Don’t Overpay for Last Season's Stats

A common mistake by fantasy managers on draft day is taking a player based on his previous year's statistics and thinking it will be repeated the following season. A player’s draft day price can become heavily inflated after one breakout year. It's easy to fall victim to the belief that a one-year sample size is now […]

ADP Champ or Chump - Yasiel Puig and Adalberto Mondesi

Champ or Chump began the year with two positive outlooks because it's always a good idea to begin your draft prep with a dose of optimism. However, you won't win your league on draft day no matter how many players you like end up on your roster. You can lose your league on draft day […]

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 […]

Mets Acquire J.D. Davis

The New York Mets acquired infielder J.D. Davis and minor league infielder Cody Bohanek from the Houston Astros on Sunday in exchange for minor league outfielder Ross Adolph, infielder Luis Santana and catcher Scott Manea. Davis was a third-round pick in 2014 and hit just .175 with a home run in 103 at-bats in 2018. […]

Mets Acquire Keon Broxton

The New York Mets acquired outfielder Keon Broxton from the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday in exchange for pitchers Bobby Wahl and Adam Hill and infielder Felix Valerio. Broxton was expendable in Milwaukee's crowded outfield picture, and the speedster will now have an opportunity to start in center field with New York in 2019. Broxton has […]

Using Sabermetrics For Fantasy Baseball Part 1 - BABIP for Hitters

Hello fellow RotoBallers! Sabermetrics have become an integral tool for fantasy baseball draft prep, but a concise resource for understanding the basics can be difficult to find. This series attempts to define and explain all of the metrics fantasy owners may find useful, citing examples of how to use them in the process. Twenty degrees […]

Top 10 Dynasty Second Basemen - Fantasy Baseball Prospects

Hey, RotoBallers. We have already started breaking down prospects in dynasty leagues, by position, beginning with catcher, outfield, and starting pitcher. Today I'm writing about my top-10 second basemen prospect rankings for 2019 dynasty baseball leagues. The second base position is a difficult spot to find natural players raised in the position. Most are positional migrants, kicked off their position to a […]

Is it Legit? Jose Peraza's 2018 Breakout

We continue with our next edition of "Is It Legit?" to discuss another surprising breakout performer from the 2018 MLB season in order to assess his value heading into 2019. With so many players seemingly becoming fantasy baseball darlings overnight, it can be challenging to sift through the multiple hype trains and determine which players […]

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 […]

Dodgers Land Homer Bailey, Jeter Downs, Josiah Gray

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired starting pitcher Homer Bailey, middle infield prospect Jeter Downs and pitcher Josiah Gray on Friday from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for outfielders Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp, starting pitcher Alex Wood and catcher Kyle Farmer. The Dodgers also sent $7 million to Cincy. The main takeaway for LA here […]

A's Acquire Jurickson Profar In Three-Team Trade

The Oakland Athletics acquired infielder Jurickson Profar from the Texas Rangers on Friday in a deal that also included the Tampa Bay Rays, according to league sources. The Rangers will receive pitcher Brock Burke, infielder Eli White, Kyle Bird, Yoel Espinal and international money from the Rays, while the Rays will receive reliever Emilio Pagan, […]

Daniel Murphy Agrees With Rockies

Free-agent second baseman Daniel Murphy agreed to a deal with the Colorado Rockies on Thursday. The deal is expected to be for two years and $24 million. Murphy isn't the best defensive second baseman, so he'll likely be Colorado's main first baseman, which means Ian Desmond should move to the outfield full time. Murphy will […]

Daniel Descalso Joins Cubs

The Chicago Cubs agreed to an undisclosed deal with free-agent infielder Daniel Descalso on Tuesday. Descalso was a utility player for Arizona the last two years and hit .238/.353/.436 with a career-high 13 home runs and 57 RBI in 138 games last season. He spent most of his time at second base (51 games) and […]

Brewers Interested In Jed Lowrie

The Milwaukee Brewers are interested in free-agent second baseman Jed Lowrie. Milwaukee is looking for another second baseman after their trade last summer for Jonathan Schoop didn't work out. Lowrie will turn 35 next April but had the best season of his career in 2018, hitting .267/.353/.448 with 23 home runs, 99 RBI and 78 […]

Padres Agree With Ian Kinsler

The San Diego Padres agreed on a two-year, $8 million deal with free-agent second baseman Ian Kinsler on Friday, according to sources. The deal comes with a club option for a third year. Kinsler will turn 37 next June and is coming off a season with the Angels and Red Sox in which he hit […]

Daniel Murphy On Colorado's Radar

Free-agent second basemen Daniel Murphy and Neil Walker and free-agent first baseman Logan Morrison are on the radar of the Colorado Rockies. However, the Rockies wouldn't want more than a short-term deal with any of them so it doesn't alter their plan to give increased playing time to left-handed hitting Ryan McMahon. McMahon played mostly […]

Padres Discussing Trade For Jurickson Profar

The San Diego Padres are discussing a potential trade for Texas Rangers infielder Jurickson Profar, but no deal is imminent, according to sources. The Friars are in the market for an infielder who can cover at the 6 until their top prospect, Fernando Tatis Jr., is ready for the big leagues next year. Profar can […]

Padres Interested In Marwin Gonzalez

The San Diego Padres are interested in free-agent infielder/outfielder Marwin Gonzalez. With the Padres seeking a utility infielder who can play shortstop until prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. is ready, other options include Daniel Descalso, Nick Ahmed, who is a favorite of Padres skipper Andy Green, and Rangers infielder Jurickson Profar. Gonzalez had a great year […]