Rays Add Luke Bard On Minor League Deal

The Tampa Bay Rays signed right-handed pitcher Luke Bard to a minor league deal on Thursday. The 31-year-old right-hander appeared in 46 games (three starts) for the Los Angeles Angels from 2018-20, posting a 5.05 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 60 strikeouts and 18 walks in 66 innings pitched. He missed all of the 2021 […]

Ryan Helsley To Make Spring Debut Friday

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said on Thursday that relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (elbow, knee) will make his first in-game appearance this spring on Friday. Helsley had a stress reaction in his right elbow last year and also dealt with a left knee injury that required offseason surgery. The hard-throwing right-hander is working his […]

Guardians Re-Sign Bryan Shaw

The Cleveland Guardians re-signed relief pitcher Bryan Shaw on Thursday, according to sources. MLB Network's Jon Heyman is reporting that the deal is for one year and $3 million and includes an option for the 2023 season. Shaw will make $9 million if he hits all his incentives and his option is exercised. The 34-year-old […]

Taylor Rogers Settles With Twins

Minnesota Twins closer Taylor Rogers avoided salary arbitration on Tuesday by agreeing to a one-year, $7.3 million deal. Rogers was a first-time All-Star in 2021 and had nine saves, a 3.35 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, a career-high 35.5% strikeout rate and a 4.8% walk rate in 40 1/3 relief innings over 40 appearances. The 31-year-old left-hander […]

Josh Hader Settles With Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers closer Josh Hader avoided salary arbitration on Tuesday by signing a one-year, $11 million deal. Hader remains an elite closer in both real life and fantasy after posting 34 saves, a 1.23 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, a 45.5% strikeout rate and a 10.7% walk rate in 58 2/3 relief innings for the Brew Crew […]

Sergio Romo Heads To Mariners

Free-agent relief pitcher Sergio Romo agreed to a one-year deal with a base salary of $2 million with the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday, pending a physical. Romo will receive a $250,000 bonus. The 39-year-old veteran reliever will stick in the big leagues for his 15th major league season in 2022. He had a 4.67 ERA, […]

H2H Points League Strategy Primer

Spring Training has finally started, the hot stove is steaming, and draft season is fully underway! Whether you are a Head-To-Head Points veteran or are interested in trying the format for the first time, there are essential preparations to be done prior to your drafts and the season. My goal here is to outline the […]

Edwin Diaz Settles With Mets

The New York Mets avoided salary arbitration with closer Edwin Diaz on Tuesday by settling on a one-year, $10.2 million deal on his birthday. Diaz had 32 saves, a 3.45 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and a 34.6% strikeout rate in 62 2/3 relief innings as the Mets closer in 2021, and he'll enter this year entrenched […]

NL-Only Draft Sleepers for 2022 Fantasy Baseball

I am highly anticipating the 2022 season because I love baseball plus there was a little concern that we not might see MLB action in 2022. Well, the billionaires and millionaires put their minds together and made baseball a reality for this season, and I can't wait. This also means we will have to bear […]

Hunter Strickland Joins Reds

Free-agent relief pitcher Hunter Strickland signed an undisclosed deal with the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday. Strickland pitched for three teams -- Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels and Milwaukee Brewers -- in 2021 and had a combined 2.61 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 58 strikeouts and 22 walks in 58 2/3 relief innings over 57 […]

Fantrax H2H Points League Primer for Fantasy Baseball Drafts

Points-league players are often overlooked in the fantasy baseball draft world. Rankings for roto leagues do not match up and one-size-fits-all points rankings aren't much better since every site has unique scoring settings. So here I am, taking the baton from RotoBaller's own points league guru, Nicklaus Gaut, and advancing toward new horizons. Those horizons […]

CBS H2H Points League Primer for Fantasy Baseball Drafts

Our very own Nicklaus Gaut already told you: "ESPN now has point rankings that more accurately reflect how players perform under their standard point scoring system. And not just rankings but dollar values too!" As he's often said, us points-league players need the proper content from different platforms to align with their particular systems. It […]

Where to Draft Injured Pitchers in Fantasy Baseball

In this article, I'm going to discuss pitchers who ended last season injured and discuss how comfortable I believe we should be in drafting them. We'll look at the nature of their injury, their projected recovery timeline, and whether a start in early April should make you less inclined to draft them or not. There […]

Richard Bleier Signs A Two-Year Extension

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Richard Bleier signed a two-year, $6 million contract extension on Monday. It's a solid deal for both sides, as the soon to be 35-year-old was a strong bullpen arm and seemed to work into a role as a leader in 2021. Bleier doesn't strike too many guys out, but he also […]

Anthony Bender Gets A Spring Save On Monday

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bender earned a Grapefruit League save in Monday's win over the New York Mets. Bender struck out three and allowed one hit to close out the 3-0 win. As the roster stands today, Bender is clearly the best pitcher in the Marlins bullpen, but the odds are against him being […]

Max Meyer Throws Four Spectacular Innings

Miami Marlins rookie pitcher Max Meyer was outstanding in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the New York Mets. The 23-year-old started the third inning and ended up pitching four perfect innings while striking out five. He was dominant in all four innings and, at least based on this one performance, looks more than ready for […]

Oliver Perez Signs Minors Deal With Arizona

Free-agent relief pitcher Oliver Perez signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday. The 40-year-old stands a good chance to make the team's Opening Day roster with J.B. Bukauskas now out for the foreseeable future with a teres major strain. This will be Perez's 20th major league season if he's pitching in […]

Astros Sign Adam Morgan To Minors Deal

The Houston Astros have reportedly signed pitcher Adam Morgan to a minor league deal, according to Chandler Rome of The Houston Chronicle. Per Rome, Morgan has also been invited to Major League Spring Training. The left-handed pitcher owns a lifetime 4.80 ERA and a 4.68 FIP in seven career Major League seasons. Six of those […]

Padres Sign Thomas Eshelman To Minors Deal

The San Diego Padres have reportedly signed pitcher Thomas Eshelman to a minor league deal, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. Eshelman previously appeared in parts of three seasons for the Baltimore Orioles from 2019 to 2021. His most successful season came in 2020 when he pitched to a 3.89 ERA, a 5.76 FIP, 16 […]

Josh Taylor's Availability In Question

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Josh Taylor (back) is dealing with a back issue and hasn't thrown off a mound yet this spring. As a result, his availability for Opening Day is in question. Taylor also dealt with a back injury late last year that landed him on the injured list. The 29-year-old left-hander was […]

J.B. Bukauskas Suffers Grade 2 Strain

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher J.B. Bukauskas suffered a Grade 2 teres major strain in his first spring outing last Thursday. Manager Torey Lovullo said the injury is similar to the one Taylor Clarke had last season, which sidelined the right-hander for over seven weeks. It's a tough break for the 25-year-old right-hander, and he doesn't […]

Casey Sadler To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Casey Sadler (shoulder) will undergo season-ending surgery, according to manager Scott Servais. It was announced earlier in the day that he was shut down from throwing indefinitely. It appears the organization has decided to go the surgery route. The 31-year-old posted an outstanding 0.67 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 37/10 K/BB ratio […]

Yankees Claim Yoan Aybar Off Waivers

The New York Yankees have reportedly claimed pitcher Yoan Aybar off waivers from the Colorado Rockies, according to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. The 24-year-old left-hander pitched for Colorado's Double-A affiliate during the 2021 season, turning in a 6.22 ERA in 46.1 innings while logging 53 strikeouts and 33 walks. As Saunders noted in […]

Mariners Reportedly Sign Ryan Buchter To Minors Deal

The Seattle Mariners have reportedly signed relief pitcher Ryan Buchter to a minor league deal, according to The Seattle Times' Ryan Divish. Also per Divish, Buchter will get an invite to Major League camp. Buchter has 236.1 innings in the Majors and has appeared in each of the last six seasons. He owns a lifetime […]

Best Fantasy Baseball Fits For Pittsburgh’s Trade Chips

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ rebuilding efforts are still ongoing, but it’s easy to see what the team’s next competitive core might look like. Pittsburgh has a host of promising prospects in the lower minors, including 2021 first-overall pick Henry Davis, as well as Liover Peguero, Quinn Priester, Nick Gonzales, and Endry Rodriguez. That group, along with […]

Braves Sign Brock Holt, Brad Brach

The Atlanta Braves signed free-agent infielder Brock Holt and relief pitcher Brad Brach to minor league deals with invites to spring training. Holt comes to Atlanta after hitting .209/.281/.298 with two home runs, 23 RBI and five steals in 260 plate appearances over 76 games for the Texas Rangers last year. The 33-year-old veteran has […]

Lucas Sims Unlikely To Be Ready For Opening Day

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that closer Lucas Sims is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day. He's not injured, but he has less time to prepare for the season due to a shortened spring training. Sims had "hiccups" in his buildup to camp but is healthy now and is throwing bullpens. The 27-year-old […]

Giants Sign Taylor Williams To Minors Deal

The San Francisco Giants signed free-agent right-hander Taylor Williams to a minor league deal on Sunday. Williams, a former fourth-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2013 out of Kent State, had a 4.63 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and nine strikeouts in 11 2/3 relief innings split between the San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins in […]

Red Sox Reportedly Sign Hansel Robles To Minors Deal

The Boston Red Sox reportedly signed relief pitcher Hansel Robles to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, per MassLive's Chris Cotillo. Robles finished the 2021 season with Boston after coming over in a trade-deadline deal from the Minnesota Twins for pitching prospect Alex Scherff. Overall, the veteran pitched to a 4.43 […]

Angels Designate Kyle Tyler For Assignment

The Los Angeles Angels have designated right-handed pitcher Kyle Tyler for assignment. The 25-year-old former 20th-round pick made his Major League debut this past season, allowing eight hits, six walks, and four earned runs in 12.1 innings while logging six strikeouts and six walks. He had pitched to 3.66 ERA in 86 innings split between […]