Players for $1: Salary Cap League Draft Targets for Fantasy Baseball - Dinelson Lamet, Brandon Nimmo, and more

We've already identified hitters and pitchers under $10 to target in salary cap league drafts. For this exercise, we're aiming lower and targeting players for just $1. That rules out roughly the top 350 players in drafts! From this vantage point, some managers may look for high-risk, high-reward plays to strike big with a small […]

Luke Jackson Diagnosed With UCL Damage

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Luke Jackson (elbow) recently underwent an MRI exam that revealed damage to his ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm. Jackson is undergoing more evaluation to determine the next steps. The 30-year-old right-hander complained of forearm tightness this week, and he could be forced to miss significant time. UCL damage is […]

Jordan Romano Throws Successful Bullpen Friday

Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano (ankle) said he had a "pretty encouraging" bullpen session on Friday in which he had full effort with normal velocity and movement. Romano plans to pitch in a minor league game on Sunday and a Grapefruit League game on Tuesday. "Then I'll be ready to go," Romano said. It […]

Ken Giles Shut Down For A Couple Weeks

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Ken Giles (finger) is dealing with a middle finger tendon issue and will be shut down for a couple of weeks. The good news is that surgery is not required, but Giles will obviously miss the start of the regular season and may be out for the first month. The 31-year-old […]

Padres, Mets Discussing Trade Involving Eric Hosmer, Others

The San Diego Padres and New York Mets have been in active conversations about a trade that would send first baseman Eric Hosmer and starting pitcher Chris Paddack to the Mets in exchange for outfielder/first baseman Dominic Smith, according to sources. The potential deal would allow the Padres to unload Hosmer's contract while addressing their […]

Emmanuel Clase Close To Contract Extension

The Cleveland Guardians and closer Emmanuel Clase were close to ironing out a contract extension on Friday. As a rookie last year, Clase went 4-5 with a 1.29 ERA and converted 24 saves in 29 opportunities over 69 2/3 innings pitched. The hard-throwing right-hander registered 100 mph or better on 44% of the 1,057 pitches […]

Scott Engel's Fantasy Baseball Industry Draft Review - 2022 FSGA Experts League

In the final week of March, I was invited to represent RotoBaller in the industry's Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association’s Experts League Draft, which featured 15 teams from various fantasy sports outlets in a 5x5 Rotisserie style format. I will be attempting to win my third FSGA Fantasy Baseball Experts championship this season. I was […]

Updated Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings and Relief Pitcher Rankings

Welcome back RotoBallers to more fantasy baseball rankings! With Spring Training rolling and the fantasy baseball draft season in full swing, it's time to look at closers and relief pitchers and see who may or may not be fantasy-relevant and worthy of a draft pick this season. RotoBaller's lead MLB rankers - JB Branson, Pierre […]

Updated Fantasy Baseball Points Leagues Draft Rankings - Aaron Nola, Luis Castillo, Jack Flaherty, Justin Verlander and More

And the hits keep on coming! As we deal with a variety of fantasy baseball news and injuries, below you'll find our updated 2022 fantasy baseball points league rankings. These fantasy baseball rankings are meant to reflect recent injuries and player news, and are geared towards points leagues and head-to-head (H2H) points league scoring formats. […]

Garrett Crochet Likely To Need Tommy John Surgery

Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said that relief pitcher Garrett Crochet (elbow) will likely need Tommy John surgery, but he will go for a second opinion. Crochet walked off the field with a trainer on Thursday in his Cactus League outing, and the 22-year-old left-hander is now expected to miss the entire 2022 […]

Dodgers Acquire Craig Kimbrel From White Sox

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired closer Craig Kimbrel from the Chicago White Sox on Friday in exchange for outfielder AJ Pollock, according to a source. It's great news for Kimbrel's fantasy value, as he was set to open the season in a setup role in front of closer Liam Hendriks in Chicago. Now he'll be […]

Charlie Montoyo Given One-Year Extension

The Toronto Blue Jays extended manager Charlie Montoyo's contract through the 2023 season, according to an industry source. Montoyo's deal also includes two team options through the 2025 season. The 56-year-old skipper is heading into his fourth season with the team after originally signing a three-year deal that included an option for the 2022 that […]

ESPN H2H Points League Primer - Strategy, Bargains and Busts for Fantasy Baseball

Please, everyone just calm down. Don't worry! I'm not gonna do...what everyone thinks I'm gonna do...and FLIP OUT, man!!! I know that this is usually the space where I go on a big rant about ESPN point league coverage and how much they're failing the people by producing content that fails to match the realities […]

Garrett Crochet Injured Thursday

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Garrett Crochet left his Cactus League outing on Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds with a trainer due to an undisclosed injury. He faced just two batters before something went wrong, and he appeared to be showing some discomfort with his arm, but the exact nature of the injury is unknown. […]

Dylan Floro To Open Season On Injured List

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Dylan Floro (arm) will begin the season on the injured list, but manager Don Mattingly said he's "in a good spot." Floro has been behind in camp because of right arm soreness, but he threw a light bullpen this week and was scheduled to throw another on Friday. It sounds as […]

Pitcher Statcast: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball

Statcast metrics such as Barrels and Brls/BBE are great ways to evaluate a batter's performance, so it is only natural to assume that the metrics would be predictive for pitchers as well. As much as batters want to hit a Barrel every time, pitchers want to avoid them at all costs. Yet there is evidence […]

A.J. Puk To Open Season In Bullpen

The Oakland Athletics plan to use left-hander A.J. Puk out of the bullpen to open the regular season. Puk was expected to compete for a spot in the back end of the A's starting rotation this spring, but with the team holding onto Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea for now, Puk will instead open in […]

Jairo Diaz To Throw For Teams Monday

Free-agent right-hander Jairo Diaz will throw for interested teams on Monday in Miami. The hard-throwing reliever didn't make an appearance in a major league game last year due to injury, and he last appeared out of the bullpen in the big leagues in 2020 with the Colorado Rockies, posting a 7.65 ERA and 2.25 WHIP […]

Jordan Romano Has Mild Ankle Sprain

Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Jordan Romano (ankle) has what manager Charlie Montoyo describes as a mild left ankle sprain, although the Blue Jays expect him to be ready for Opening Day next week. Romano sprained his ankle while walking his dog. It's something for fantasy managers to watch, but it shouldn't affect the 28-year-old […]

Royals Pick Up Mike Matheny's 2023 Option

The Kansas City Royals exercised their team option on manager Mike Matheny for the 2023 season on Thursday. Matheny took over as the lead man in Kansas City in 2020 and has led the team to a 100-122 record since. The former big-league catcher was with the St. Louis Cardinals previously for nearly seven years […]

Pete Fairbanks Has 50% Lat Tear

The Tampa Bay Rays will be without relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks (lat) for a minimum of six weeks of no throwing before being re-evaluated. He was diagnosed with a 50% tear of his lat muscle and will need at least six week to build back up when he's cleared to start throwing. It's a tough […]

Relief Pitchers to Target for Holds in 2022 Fantasy Baseball Drafts

Welcome back fellow RotoBallers. One area I implore you to explore is getting your butt into some leagues with Holds as a scoring category. There are far too many stud relievers (that don't get the last out of the game) that get ignored in standard leagues. It's too simple to Google fantasy baseball closer depth […]

Hansel Robles To Report On Thursday

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Hansel Robles is set to report to the team on Thursday. He has been missing from camp due to a visa issue. It's uncertain if Robles will be ready in time for Opening Day. He'll likely need at least a week to ramp up his throwing program. Although, Robles should […]

Pitchers Under $10: Salary Cap League Draft Targets for Fantasy Baseball - Luis Severino, Ian Anderson, Camilo Doval, and more

We've already identified hitters under $10 to target in salary cap league drafts. For this exercise, we're targeting pitchers under $10. That rules out roughly the top-150 players in drafts. From this vantage point, some managers may look for high-risk, high-reward plays to strike big with a small investment. There are plenty of safer guys […]

JB's Bullpen Method for 2022 - Building FrankenAces with Relief Pitchers

Two years ago, I finally published an article breaking down my favorite fantasy baseball strategy I have been using for years. It's really less of a strategy and more a state of mind. No, the Bullpen Method is a lifestyle. I always speak about the importance of balance on a fantasy team. For your pitching staff, […]

Phillies Acquire James Norwood

The Philadelphia Phillies acquired right-hander James Norwood from the San Diego Padres on Wednesday in exchange for minor league infielder Kervin Pichardo and cash. The Padres designated Norwood for assignment on Wednesday, but now he'll head to the Phillies to close out spring training. The 28-year-old has spent three of his four MLB seasons pitching […]

Undervalued and Overvalued Players - Fantrax Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings

This year's RotoBaller Challenge is being hosted exclusively on Fantrax - The Home of Fantasy Sports. Whether you are competing against fellow RotoBallers, joining a public league, or creating your own custom league on Fantrax, you'll want to get familiar with the site's rankings and average draft position (ADP) before your league drafts. Each platform […]

Tommy Kahnle Won't Be Ready By Opening Day

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle (elbow) pitched live batting practice for the second time on Tuesday. He is now scheduled to pitch in the team's final Cactus League game on Saturday. While the 32-year-old is progressing in his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery, he won't be ready for Opening Day, according to Dodgers […]

Tony Santillan Heads To The Bullpen

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Tony Santillan was informed by manager David Bell on Tuesday that he will be starting the season in the bullpen. Santillan will likely be one of the team's go-to relievers in high-leverage situations, so he could have some appeal in deeper leagues that reward points for saves. The former second-round pick in […]

Will Harris Having Lingering Shoulder Issues

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Will Harris (shoulder), who has made just one spring training appearance back on March 19, said on Monday that he's having lingering issues following surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome last summer. That doesn't sound good, and we can bet that the 37-year-old right-hander will open the season on the injured list. […]