Cubs Sign Eric Yardley

The Chicago Cubs, per the team's official transaction log page, signed right-handed pitcher Eric Yardley to a minor league contract on Monday. Previously a member of the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers, Yardley has pitched to a 3.52 ERA and a 5.05 FIP in 53.2 career innings in the Majors dating back to the […]

Royals Sign Colten Brewer

The Kansas City Royals announced Monday in a tweet that the team signed right-handed relief pitcher Colten Brewer to a minor league deal. Brewer has appeared in 81 games in the Majors since the 2018 season. He made his debut with the San Diego Padres and has pitched for the Boston Red Sox in each […]

Angels Sign Daniel Ponce de Leon

The Los Angeles Angels signed right-handed pitcher Daniel Ponce de Leon to a minor league deal on Monday, per the team's official transaction log. Ponce de Leon has spent his entire Major League career to this point with the St. Louis Cardinals, pitching to a 4.33 ERA, a 4.83 FIP, 152 strikeouts, and 81 walks […]

FIP/xFIP: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball

While we've only examined how to evaluate hitters using advanced stats thus far, sabermetrics are at least as useful for pitchers. The first advanced pitching stat most fantasy owners encounter is FIP. FIP stands for Fielding Independent Pitching and attempts to measure a pitcher's actual skill instead of the effects of luck or his supporting […]

Pitcher BABIP: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball

While FIP is a useful tool to predict a pitcher's future ERA performance, fantasy managers should remember that ERA, not FIP, is what matters in most formats. This means that we are interested in the "luck" that separates the two statistics. While some of this luck is unpredictable, we can and should predict some of […]

Under-The-Radar MLB Free Agent Sleepers for 2022 Fantasy Baseball

Despite the free agent frenzy that happened before the lockout, there are still a number of significant free agents left on the board, both in real life and fantasy. Hitters like Carlos Correa, Kris Bryant, Nick Castellanos, and Kyle Schwarber will draw the headlines, as will pitchers like Kenley Jansen and Clayton Kershaw, and rightfully so. […]

Early 2022 Fantasy Baseball Rankings - Points Leagues and H2H Points Formats

Welcome RotoBallers to our early 2022 fantasy baseball points league rankings for points leagues and head-to-head (H2H) points leagues. We couldn't be more excited to be putting out various fantasy baseball rankings and fantasy baseball articles for the 2022 season -- it's always an exciting time of year. In general, points leagues and H2H points […]

MLB Makes First Labor Proposal Since Lockout Began

Major League Baseball made its first labor proposal on Thursday since locking out players on Dec. 2, but it did little to encourage players and raised the likelihood of spring training being postponed, according to sources familiar with the situation. MLB proposed changes to the arbitration system for players with two-plus years of service, tweaked […]

Yankees Sign Reliever Jimmy Cordero

The New York Yankees signed former Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jimmy Cordero to a minor league deal on Wednesday. The right-hander was recovering from Tommy John surgery that he had in March and did not pitch at all last season. The 30-year-old could be a nice high-upside, low-risk signing, but it's […]

Mark Kotsay A Candidate For A's Managerial Job

Third base coach Mark Kotsay is among the Oakland Athletics managerial candidates who have or are expected to interview soon, and the list also include Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro, Red Sox bench coach Will Venable, Astros bench coach Joe Espada, A's bullpen coach Marcus Jensen and A's hitting coach Darren Bush, according to sources. […]

Mets Interview Brad Ausmus For Manager Position

The New York Mets interviewed Brad Ausmus for their managerial opening on Monday, marking the first interview of what's expected to be an extensive search, according to sources familiar with the situation. The 52-year-old Ausmus served as the manager for the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels previously, and he has a long relationship with […]

2022 Fantasy Breakout Candidates - NL Central 

Identifying potential fantasy breakout players in drafts each Spring can be crucial in building a championship-winning roster for fantasy managers. Often times the breakout players, if they do in fact break out, will significantly outperform their draft position and help you find success. It may be a late-round pick performing like a quality contributor who […]

MLB Owners Vote Unanimously For A Lockout

Major League Baseball owners have voted unanimously to institute a lockout, beginning at an unspecified time on Thursday. The Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire at 11:59 pm ET on Wednesday. The MLB Players Association hasn't moved away from its original proposal in May, which seeks a major overhaul of the sport's economic system, […]

Royals Sign Taylor Clarke

The Kansas City Royals have signed relief pitcher Taylor Clarke, according to a tweet from MLB Network's Jon Heyman. Per Heyman, it's a one-year deal for Clarke worth $975,000. The 28-year-old pitched to a 4.98 ERA and a 3.54 FIP in 43.1 innings last season for Arizona. He'll join a Royals bullpen that also features […]

Luis Garcia Signs With Padres

The San Diego Padres have signed relief pitcher Luis Garcia, according to a tweet from MLB Network's Jon Heyman. Per Heyman, the reliever will earn $7 million in two seasons, $500,000 of which is a signing bonus. The 34-year-old pitched to a 3.24 ERA and a 2.72 FIP in 33.1 innings for the St. Louis […]

Mark Melancon Signs With Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed relief pitcher Mark Melancon, according to a tweet from MLB Network's Jon Heyman. Per Heyman, it's a two-year deal that includes a third-year option with a $2 million buyout. Including the buyout, the contract is for $14 million with an additional $2 million potentially in incentives. The veteran reliever pitched […]

Corey Knebel Reaches One-Year Deal With Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies and free-agent reliever Corey Knebel agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal on Wednesday. The 30-year-old is one of the hardest throwers in baseball, but he's had trouble staying healthy in his career. Knebel missed more than three months in 2021 with a right lat strain but had a 2.45 ERA and […]

Mariners Extend Andres Munoz

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Andres Munoz has agreed to a four-year contract extension that will guarantee him at least $7.5 million dollars. The deal also includes three club options. The initial four-year duration covers his final year before arbitration and all three arbitration years. The flame-throwing Munoz was acquired via trade from the San Diego […]

Richard Lovelady Non-Tendered, Expected To Rejoin Royals

The Kansas City Royals have non-tendered pitcher Richard Lovelady, but he is expected to rejoin the team with a minor-league deal. The left-handed Lovelady appears unlikely to pitch in 2022 after having his 2021 seasoned cut short by Tommy John surgery. Before sustaining the injury, he was performing quite well, putting up a 3.48 ERA […]

Braves Non-Tender Johan Camargo, Richard Rodriguez

The Atlanta Braves have opted not to tender contracts to three players, including relief pitcher Richard Rodriguez and utilityman Johan Camargo. Jasseel De La Cruz will also be looking to link up with a new team. Rodriguez is the most notable name of the bunch, as he pitched to a 2.94 ERA and 0.93 WHIP […]

Raisel Iglesias Returns To Angels On Four-Year Deal

The Los Angeles Angles and closer Raisel Iglesias agreed to a four-year deal on Tuesday night, according to a source familiar with the deal. MLB Network's Jon Heyman is reporting that the deal is worth $58 million. The 31-year-old right-hander turned down the team's qualifying offer, but he'll return to Anaheim after an excellent 2021 […]

Mets Non-Tender Robert Gsellman

The New York Mets non-tendered reliever Robert Gsellman, right-hander Stephen Nogosek and outfielder Mark Payton on Tuesday, making them all free-agents. The 28-year-old Gsellman missed most of the 2021 season while rehabbing a torn right lat muscle. He had a 3.77 ERA in 28 2/3 innings and was more effective than he was in 2020, […]

Daniel Vogelbach, John Curtiss Non-Tendered By Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Daniel Vogelbach and reliever John Curtiss were non-tendered by the team on Tuesday after Milwaukee reached one-year deals with first baseman Rowdy Tellez, utility man Jace Peterson and reliever Jandel Gustave. Vogelbach and Curtiss are now free agents. With Tellez the preferred left-handed-hitting power option at first base, Vogelbach was expendable. […]

Twins Claim Trevor Megill Off Waivers

The Minnesota Twins have claimed right-handed pitcher Trevor Megill off waivers from the Chicago Cubs, according to a tweet from Dustin Morse, who works in the Twins' communications department. Megill made his Major League debut for the Cubs last season, throwing 23.2 innings while registering 30 strikeouts and eight walks. He pitched to an 8.37 […]

Nationals Re-Sign Andrew Stevenson, Luis Avilan

The Washington Nationals re-signed outfielder Andrew Stevenson and veteran left-hander Luis Avilan on Monday. Stevenson avoided arbitration and stands to earn a modest raise from his 2021 salary of $579,100. The 27-year-old remains the team's fourth outfielder, but both he and the Nationals will be hoping for more production in 2022 after he slashed .229/.294/.339 […]

Darren O'Day Signs Minor League Deal With Braves

The Atlanta Braves signed right-handed reliever Darren O'Day to a minor league deal on Monday. The 39-year-old side-armer signed a one-year deal with the New York Yankees last winter but pitched in only 10 2/3 innings due to a rotator cuff strain and a season-ending hamstring injury that required surgery. If he's in the majors […]

Rays Give Brooks Raley A Two-Year Deal

The Tampa Bay Rays signed left-hander Brooks Raley to a two-year deal worth $10 million on Monday. The deal includes an option for a third season. Raley will give the Rays a much-needed left-handed bullpen arm after the team parted ways with Ryan Sherriff, Cody Reed, Adam Conley and Dietrich Enns in the last month. […]

Angels Agree On One-Year Deal With Michael Lorenzen

The Los Angeles Angels agreed to a one-year deal worth roughly $7 million with free-agent right-hander Michael Lorenzen, according to a source. The 29-year-old has experience as both a starter and reliever, and he has a 4.07 ERA over 473 1/3 innings over seven seasons with the Cincinnati Reds. Lorenzen, who is one of the […]

Phillies In Hot Pursuit Of Corey Knebel

The Philadelphia Phillies are in hot pursuit of free-agent reliever Corey Knebel, according to baseball sources. Talks are serious with the 30-year-old, who saved 39 games for the Milwaukee Brewers while being named an All-Star as recently as 2017. If Knebel lands with the Phillies, he'd have a shot at potentially being named the closer […]

Kendall Graveman Officially Signs With White Sox

The Chicago White Sox and relief pitcher Kendall Graveman officially agreed on a three-year, $24 million deal on Tuesday. Graveman will make $8 million in all three seasons and will also have incentives for awards. The 30-year-old right-hander combined to go 5-1 with a sparkling 1.77 ERA, 61 strikeouts, a .180 opponent's average, 0.98 WHIP, […]