MLB Spring Training Notebook - February 19th

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Well, things are at least a little more […]

Playing For Keeps: Making Keeper Decisions for 2021

Spring training is officially underway, and with that comes the start of fantasy baseball draft season. While the majority of people participate in redraft leagues, keeper formats are also popular, and fantasy managers in those leagues are already weighing their decisions on which players to retain and which to toss back into the pool for […]

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Working Out at 1B, 3B, OF

The Blue Jays organization is looking to increase Lourdes Gurriel Jr.'s versatility this spring by having him work out at first base, third base, and in the outfield. A shortstop when he signed, the Cuba native has played a number of positions already in his career but was kept mostly to the outfield in 2020. […]

Gio Urshela Close To Full Health

New York Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela (elbow) is close to full strength, according to manager Aaron Boone. Urshela has made encouraging progress after undergoing offseason surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow, and fantasy managers should expect him to be ready for Opening Day (or extremely close to it) at this point. […]

MLB Spring Training Notebook - February 18th

Welcome to the 2021 edition of RotoBaller's Spring Training Notebook. I began this column a year ago, and made it about four or five articles in when Major League Baseball decided to shut things down, just like everything else around the globe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Well, things are at least a little more […]

Top 250 Dynasty Prospects Rankings (Part 1)

RotoBaller's Top 250 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Prospects list is back and refreshed for the 2021 season. Baseball has undergone a lot of change over the past 12 months due to the pandemic and no area of the game has been more heavily impacted than the minor leagues. Since this time last year, Minor League Baseball has […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Batter BABIP

The most accessible of the fantasy-relevant advanced stats is BABIP, or Batting Average on Balls In Play. It simply measures a player's batting average on balls in play, with outcomes such as strikeouts and home runs removed from consideration. In general, the league average hovers around .300, a nice round number to remember. Many know […]

Blue Jays To Play First Two Homestands In Florida

The Toronto Blue Jays will play the first two homestands of the regular season at their spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida, because of Canadian government restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Blue Jays start off with a three-game series at the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers before a homestand with four games against […]

Travis Shaw Returning To Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers signed free-agent third baseman/first baseman Travis Shaw to a minor league deal on Tuesday. The 30-year-old had 30-plus home runs and a 3.5 fWAR in 2017 and 2018 with Milwaukee but slumped badly in 2019 and was sent to the minors for most of that season. The left-handed slugger posted a .717 […]

Mets, Kris Bryant Rumors Aren't True

Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said that the rumors of the New York Mets and third baseman Kris Bryant are inaccurate. Hoyer also said he hasn't been engaged in any serious trade talks in a while, and nothing major is expected at this point with pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training […]

Justin Turner Inks Two-Year Deal With Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a deal that will bring back third baseman Justin Turner. Reports state it is a two-year contract worth $34 million and will become official pending a physical. The veteran infielder fared well across a shortened 2020 season, slashing .307/.400/.460 with four home runs and 23 RBI. Turner remains […]

Deeper League Sleepers at Third Base

Fantasy managers are always on the lookout for the sleeper that can turn into a breakout performer. I've already reviewed the best deep sleepers at second base, so now let's turn to third base. When defining a breakout, I look at it as a player that can take a step forward to a level they […]

2021 All-Value Team: Pouncing on ADP Fallers

One of the most common ways to get ahead in fantasy baseball is to be on the right side of small sample-size overreactions. After the 2020 season that saw just 60 regular-season games for each team, there is sure to be a lot of this as we approach draft season for 2021. Most hitters will suffer […]

Rough Times in the Rockies: Examining Prospects from the Arenado Trade

With the Nolan Arenado trade finalized, we now know who Colorado will be receiving from St. Louis. Here's how that trade breaks down: St. Louis receives: 3B Nolan Arenado Colorado receives: LHP Austin Gomber, SS Mateo Gil, 3B Elehuris Montero, RHP Tony Locey, RHP Jake Sommers I already wrote about what to expect from Arenado in […]

Mets Resume Talks For Kris Bryant

The New York Mets have resumed talks with the Chicago Cubs about trading for third baseman Kris Bryant, according to league sources. However, it's unknown how likely a trade is, as it was recently reported that the Cubs would likely hold onto Bryant until the July 31 trade deadline unless they were blown away by […]

Mets Talking About Matt Chapman

The New York Mets have talked to the Oakland Athletics about trading for third baseman Matt Chapman, according to sources. The Mets have also been linked to Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant and Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez, with Chapman now emerging as a surprise candidate on the Mets radar. The 27-year-old has […]

Marwin Gonzalez Agrees To Join Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with free-agent utility man Marwin Gonzalez on Thursday, according to a source. The Toronto Blue Jays were also interested in him. The 31-year-old has played every position except pitcher and catcher in his nine-year career. He also switch hits and should see plenty of […]

Tigers Sign Renato Nunez To Minor League Deal

The Detroit Tigers have signed corner infielder Renato Nunez to a minor league deal. Nunez was designated for assignment by the Baltimore Orioles late last year. The Tigers currently project to use a combination of Jeimer Candelario, Willi Castro and Isaac Paredes at the corner spots this year, but Nunez could be a candidate for a […]

Mets Interested In Justin Turner

The New York Mets are interested in free-agent third baseman Justin Turner, but the two sides aren't matching up on years/dollars, according to sources. The Mets also aren't sure what third baseman J.D. Davis would bring in a trade. The Milwaukee Brewers and of course the Los Angeles Dodgers are also interested in signing Turner. […]

MLB To Deaden Baseballs Amid Home Run Surge

Major League Baseball has slightly deadened its baseballs amid a years-long surge in home runs totals, according to a source. The league thinks that its changes will be subtle, however, and an independent lab found that the new balls will fly one to two feet shorter on balls hit over 375 feet. Five more clubs […]

Greg Garcia Signs With Tigers

The Detroit Tigers signed infielder Greg Garcia to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training on Tuesday. Garcia became a free agent when the San Diego Padres non-tendered him following the 2020 season. The 31-year-old had only 71 plate appearances in the shortened 2020 campaign and hit .200/.279/.250 with a career-low .529 […]

Fantasy Baseball Preseason Injury Updates

Injuries remain commonplace in all sports. Baseball has seen the rate of injury continue to rise over the past few years. In fantasy, if someone is not in the medical field, it is hard to gauge how long a player will be out and whether they need to be replaced in a lineup. Sometimes this […]

Blue Jays Interested In Marwin Gonzalez

The Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox are among a half-dozen teams that are interested in free-agent utility man Marwin Gonzalez. The 31-year-old could prove to be a valuable utility man for a contending team. The New York Mets have also been rumored to be interested in him this offseason. The Blue […]

Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Redraft Prospects for 2021 (Part 2)

Spring Training 2021 is almost here, which means it’s time to start thinking about prospects again. A strong pop-up performance from a rookie or two can have a massive impact on a fantasy manager’s season. If we look back to the truncated 2020 season, we can easily locate a healthy dose of players that had […]

Top 750: Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Rankings

What's up RotoBallers. Today we are bringing you our top 750 fantasy baseball dynasty rankings for the 2021 MLB season. Dynasty leagues, or keeper formats, continue to become more and more popular in the fantasy sports landscape. For those of you who are playing in dynasty formats, or are interested in long-term valuations of fantasy players, […]

Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Redraft Prospects for 2021 (Part 1)

Spring Training 2021 is almost here, which means it’s time to start thinking about prospects again. A strong pop-up performance from a rookie or two can have a massive impact on a fantasy manager’s season. If we look back to the truncated 2020 season, we can easily locate a healthy dose of players that had […]

ATC Hitter Projections with Ariel Cohen: WPC+ Podcast

Pierre Camus is joined by Ariel Cohen, creator of ATC projections, to discuss hitters that could be great draft values or busts based on ADP. Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as well! Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller […]

Brewers Still In The Mix For Justin Turner

The Milwaukee Brewers remain in the mix for free-agent third baseman Justin Turner even after agreeing to a deal with second baseman Kolten Wong this week, according to sources. The Los Angeles Dodgers are viewed as the favorite to re-sign Turner, but the Brewers remain interested. The 36-year-old hit .302/.382/.503 with 116 home runs in […]

Braves Not Interested In Kris Bryant

The Atlanta Braves have made it clear that they are not interested in trading for Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant. However, they did talk to the Colorado Rockies about third baseman Nolan Arenado before he was traded to the Cardinals this week. A significant hindrance to a potential Arenado deal was future payrolls. Bryant […]

Mets Win Arbitration Case Over J.D. Davis

The New York Mets won their salary arbitration case over third baseman/outfielder J.D. Davis on Friday, and he will make $2.1 million in 2021. Davis was seeking $2.475 million this year and still has three years left of team control after this season. The 27-year-old is a solid right-handed hitter with some pop, adding 22 […]