Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Slimming Down

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. told the Dominican newspaper elCaribe that he's lost 32 pounds since he reported to summer camp. "I finished the season more or less and put that in mind. I started with the slow swing and when I lost 20 pounds I started feeling better," Guerrero said. He […]

J.D. Martinez Opts In

Boston Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez will keep his contract that will pay $19.375 million in each of the next two seasons rather than opting out and becoming a free agent. Martinez hit a career-low .213 during the shortened 2020 season with seven home runs and 27 RBI. The 33-year-old's deal also gives him […]

Mitch Moreland's Option Declined By Padres

The San Diego Padres declined a 2021 team option on first baseman Mitch Moreland and he will become a free agent. With the universal designated hitter in question, the Friars opted against a reasonable $3 million price tag for Moreland, who they acquired via trade in 2020. With the resurgence of incumbent first baseman Eric […]

Red Sox Talking With Alex Cora

The Boston Red Sox are expected to interview former manager Alex Cora in the coming days, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. Boston parted ways with Cora last January due to his part in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal during 2017, and Cora was suspended for all of 2020. According to The Boston Globe's Alex […]

White Sox Decline Options On Edwin Encarnacion, Gio Gonzalez

The Chicago White Sox declined 2021 options on designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion ($12 million) and left-hander Gio Gonzalez ($7 million) on Friday, making them both free agents. Encarnacion's deal didn't include a buyout, while Gonzalez will receive $500,000. Chicago also exercised their $3.5 million option on utilityman Leury Garcia on Friday. Encarnacion, 37, hit just […]

Twins Negotiating With Nelson Cruz

The Minnesota Twins entered contract negotiations with designated hitter Nelson Cruz this week. Cruz is a free agent after hitting 57 home runs and slashing .308/.394/.626 over the last two seasons in Minnesota, but they are entertaining bringing him back for another season. The power hitter is now 40 years old, but he remains one […]

Steve Cohen's Purchase Of Mets Approved By Owners, NYC

The New York Mets ownership bid by Steven Cohen, the billionaire hedge-fund manager of Point72 Asset Management, was approved by Major League Baseball owners on Friday. Additionally, the New York City Law Department and NYC Mayor's Office signed off on the sale on Friday despite recent reports they would raise objections. As a result, the […]

Tigers Officially Hire A.J. Hinch

The Detroit Tigers officially hired former Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch as their new manager on Friday. Hinch was a backup catcher for the 2003 Tigers. The hiring comes one year after he was fired by Houston for his part in the sign-stealing scandal, and he was suspended for all of the 2020 season. Hinch […]

Tigers Finalizing Deal To Make A.J. Hinch Their Manager

The Detroit Tigers have made progress in finalizing a deal to make former Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch their next manager, according to sources. Hinch lost his job with Houston before the start of the 2020 season for his role in the team's sign-stealing scandal. Former Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire retired on Sept. 19 with […]

Fantasy Baseball Applications of zxwOBAcon Analysis

In part one of this series, I established that zxwOBAcon is the primary driver of season-to-season changes in xwOBAcon and that the biggest risers in zxwOBAcon each season tend to be rebound candidates. Furthermore, rebound candidates recover all of their zxwOBAcon losses more often than not and frequently outperform their season x zxwOBAcon in season […]

Randy Arozarena's 2021 Fantasy Value: WPC+ Videocast

Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut look back at the amazing rookie season and postseason run by Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena in order to project his fantasy baseball value and ADP for 2021. Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and […]

White Sox Name Tony La Russa Their New Manager

The Chicago White Sox named Tony La Russa, a three-time World Series champion, as their new manager on Thursday. The 76-year-old hasn't served as a big league manager since ending his 16-year run with the Cardinals in 2011, a season that ended in his third championship. La Russa has a 2,728-2,365 managerial record and began […]

White Sox Close To Hiring Tony La Russa?

The Chicago White Sox could officially name Tony La Russa as their new manager as early as Thursday. La Russa got his start in the big leagues in 1979 with the White Sox, and rumors have been swirling for more than a week that he'd land there. The 76-year-old won three straight American League pennants […]

Mets Decline Options On Wilson Ramos, Others

On Wednesday, the New York Mets declined club options for the 2021 season on catcher Wilson Ramos, third baseman Todd Frazier, and catcher Robinson Chirinos, making them free agents. Ramos' option was worth $10 million. Frazier's was worth $6.5 million. Chirinos' option was worth $5.75 million. The Mets will, instead, pay those three players a […]

2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values Based On Contact Quality

In part one of this series, I established that zxwOBAcon is the primary driver of season-to-season changes in xwOBAcon and that the biggest risers in zxwOBAcon each season tend to be rebound candidates. Furthermore, rebound candidates recover all of their zxwOBAcon losses more often than not and frequently outperform their season x zxwOBAcon in season […]

Dissecting Contact Quality In Search Of Fantasy Bargains

Of the 1,015 hitters sampled(1) between 2015 and 2019, there were only 14 instances of hitters making more productive contact against pitches outside of the strike zone than against pitches inside of the strike zone based on xwOBAcon. Based on the same sample, the average hitter was a whopping .116 points better against pitches inside […]

Nationals Re-Sign Josh Harrison

The Washington Nationals re-signed utilityman Josh Harrison to a one-year, $1 million deal on Thursday. Harrison was released by the Phillies in July and latched on with the Nats, hitting .278 with two doubles, three home runs, 14 RBI, six walks and 11 runs scored for Washington. The 33-year-old can make an extra $250,000 in […]

Lineup Order Risers and Fallers: AL West 2020 Review

It’s the offseason and there are about to be a bunch of moving parts. This allows for speculation in terms of players gaining or losing playing time, moving up or down a batting order and much more. The idea here is to highlight some lineup situations for each team and some potential winners or losers […]

Tigers Interview George Lombard, Marcus Thames

The Detroit Tigers have interviewed Dodgers first base coach George Lombard and Yankees hitting coach Marcus Thames, who both previously played for the Tigers, for their managerial opening, according to sources. The two join long-time Tigers coach Lloyd McClendon as candidates who have interviewed for the job. McLendon served as the interim manager following Ron […]

White Sox Interview Tony La Russa

The Chicago White Sox have interviewed Tony La Russa for their managerial opening, and he remains a top candidate in their search, according to two sources. General manager Rick Hahn and executive vice president Kenny Williams each spoke with the 76-year-old. La Russa managed the White Sox from 1979-86 before moving to the Athletics and […]

2021 Early Mock ADP Values & Reaches: WPC+ Videocast

Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut prepare for the 2021 fantasy baseball season with a look at early mock draft results from the RotoBaller Expert mock. 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 […]

Statcast Season Review: 2020 Barrel Leaders (Hitters)

The 2020 MLB season will always be one for the record books, even if everything that took place will have multiple asterisks attached to it. Evaluating Statcast numbers is a nice way to find hot and cold hitters, as well as underachievers and overachievers. Now that the regular season is over, let's reflect on the […]

Aaron Boone Will Return As Manager In 2021

New York Yankees managing general partner/co-chairperson Hal Steinbrenner said on Tuesday that manager Aaron Boone will return next season for his fourth year as the Yankees skipper, but also that he was "very disappointed" with the team's inconsistent play in 2020. Boone became the first big-league manager to win 100 or more games in each […]

White Sox Mutually Part Ways With Rick Renteria

The Chicago White Sox mutually agreed to part ways with manager Rick Renteria on Monday. The team also parted ways with pitching coach Don Cooper on Monday. General manager Rick Hahn is looking for something a bit different moving forward as the White Sox move from a rebuilding phase to their goal of winning multiple […]

Early 2021 Mock Draft ADP Risers & Fallers: WPC+ Videocast

Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut prepare for the 2021 fantasy baseball season with a look at early mock draft results from the RotoBaller Expert mock. 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 […]

Giancarlo Stanton Hits Fifth Home Run In Four Games

New York Yankees outfielder and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton went 2-for-4 against the Rays on Tuesday, including a pair of well-hit home runs. Stanton has been on a tear since the start of the postseason with a 1.944 OPS over his first four games, and he’s now clearly removed from the lower body injuries that […]

J.D. Martinez Likely To See Stock Dip Ahead Of 2021

Boston Red Sox outfielder/designated hitter J.D. Martinez entered 2020 as one of the most consistent power bats in the game, but after a drastic downturn in production during the abbreviated ‘20 campaign, he’s likely to fall around the 50-60 mark in rankings for next season. Where there lies upside in Martinez is in his past […]

David Bote Presents Upside Play For Game 2 Friday

Chicago Cubs infielder David Bote will draw the start at second base for Game 2 of Friday’s wild-card series versus Miami over veteran left-handed bat Jason Kipnis. With hard-throwing rookie right-hander Sixto Sanchez on the hill for the Marlins, Bote will hold down the keystone, having delivered reverse splits this year with an .801 vs. […]

2020 Expectations vs Reality (Hits and Misses): WPC+ Videocast

Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut share the players they were the most right and wrong about in 2020 by comparing their preseason rankings to actual performance. 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 […]

Tommy Pham Strings Together Four Knocks

San Diego Padres outfielder Tommy Pham collected four hits in five at-bats in Game 2 of the wild-card series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Pham continued his string of quality plate appearances this postseason, now owning six hits in two contests. After posting a .624 OPS in a down season riddled with injuries, an ascending […]