RotoBaller's Weekend Warrior Show: American League Central Preview

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discuss the 2019 fantasy baseball season and gets you warmed up for the MLB preseason. Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - Monday through Friday from 6-7 am ET. You can also find new weekly shows on BlogTalkRadio live or on demand, SoundCloud and on iTunes under RotoBaller […]

Is It Legit? Blake Treinen's Breakout Season

We're back with another edition of "Is It Legit?" to discuss another surprising breakout performer from the 2018 MLB season in order to assess his value heading into 2019. With so many players seemingly becoming fantasy baseball darlings overnight, it can be challenging to sift through the multiple hype trains and determine which players are […]

2019 Bullpen Outlooks - American League East

With the National League already taken care of, it's time to jump into the bullpens of the American League and take a look at what we can expect for the 2019 season. After a slow offseason, it seems like relief pitchers are finally coming off the free agent board and signing with the teams they'll […]

Greg Holland Agrees With Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with free-agent relief pitcher Greg Holland on Wednesday. The deal also includes performance-based incentives, probably for games finished. While Archie Bradley and Yoshihisa Hirano are capable of closing out games, Holland has more experience and might be the favorite now for ninth-inning duties in the […]

Torey Lovullo Receives Extension

The Arizona Diamondbacks signed manager Torey Lovullo to an undisclosed extension on Tuesday. Lovullo's current deal was set to expire after the 2019 season. He was named the 2017 National League manager of the year after he led the team to a 93-69 record and playoff berth, but the D-Backs fell to 82-80 in 2018 […]

Brad Peacock A Candidate For Rotation Spot

Houston Astros relief pitcher Brad Peacock is a candidate for one of the team's final two rotation spots this year behind Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Collin McHugh. Peacock wasn't useful to fantasy owners in a relief role in 2018 for Houston, but he went 13-2 with a solid 3.00 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 11.0 […]

Rangers Agree With Shawn Kelley

The Texas Rangers agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million deal with free-agent relief pitcher Shawn Kelley on Monday, according to sources familiar with the deal. Including the buyout and the club option, the deal could be worth $2.75 million. Kelley will turn 35 in April and has injury concerns at his age, but he was […]

No Way, Jose? What To Expect After Jose Leclerc's Breakout

There are two schools of thought regarding what to do with the reliever position in fantasy baseball. The first mentality is to grab an elite arm early, guaranteeing you elite ratios and a safe save source. The other method of thinking, that’s becoming increasingly popular, is to wait until the later rounds or to find […]

Tyler Thornburg Could Have Shot At Closer Role

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Tyler Thornburg (shoulder), who was shut down last September due to complications from thoracic outlet syndrome, could be a wild card in the team's bullpen this year. His injury in 2018 led to him allowing 15 earned runs in just 24 innings all year. The hard-throwing right hasn't been healthy […]

Kenley Jansen Throws Bullpen Session

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (heart) said he threw his first bullpen session on Thursday since he underwent heart surgery. He has also dropped 25 pounds by cutting out carbohydrates and sugar this offseason. Jansen had a heart scare during the season and missed a short amount of time, but he should be good […]

2019 Fantasy Baseball Weekend Warrior: American League East Preview Show

Host Anthony Aniano of RotoBaller Radio discuss the 2019 fantasy baseball season and gets you warmed up for the MLB preseason. Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius 210, XM 87) - Monday through Friday from 6-7 am ET. You can also find new weekly shows on BlogTalkRadio live or on demand, SoundCloud and on iTunes under RotoBaller […]

Jose Leclerc Will Be Rangers Closer

Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward said on Friday that relief pitcher Jose Leclerc will open the 2019 season as the closer. Leclerc was one of the best relievers in baseball last year (1.56 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 12 saves, 13.3 K/9), so he certainly has earned it. He's ranked by RotoBaller as the No. 15 fantasy […]

Mets Agree With Justin Wilson

The New York Mets agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with free-agent relief pitcher Justin Wilson on Friday. Wilson put up a 3.46 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 11.4 K/9 in 54 2/3 innings for the Cubs in 2018. The left-hander will merely be a lefty specialist as a setup guy with his new team […]

2019 Bullpen Outlooks - National League West

The East and Central have already been covered, so let's head out west. It's time to see what's going on in the bullpens of the National League West division. There are still too many significant relief pitchers on the free agent market to believe that any bullpen is "set" for Opening Day, but there are […]

Anthony Swarzak Will Be Behind In Spring Training

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Anthony Swarzak (shoulder) will be behind when he reports to spring training. Swarzak was listed as the favorite for save duties in Seattle, but that was before the team signed Hunter Strickland on Thursday. The right-hander was limited to only 26 1/3 innings with the Mets in 2018 because of injury, […]

Hunter Strickland Agrees With Mariners

The Seattle Mariners agreed to a one-year deal with free-agent relief pitcher Hunter Strickland on Thursday, according to sources. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed. Strickland missed time with a fractured hand last season and posted a 3.97 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 14 saves and 37 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings for the Giants. Now […]

Cubs Agree With Brad Brach

The Chicago Cubs agreed to an undisclosed deal with free-agent relief pitcher Brad Brach on Thursday, according to sources. Brach struggled with Baltimore in 2018, posting a 4.85 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, 8.8 K/9 and 11 saves in 42 outings before being traded to Atlanta, where he was much better in 27 games (1.52 ERA, 1.31 […]

Jordan Hicks - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Jordan Hicks was a fireballing rookie last season that dazzled with 70 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings; he also only had a 3.59 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. A starting pitcher in the minors, Hicks made 73 appearances out of the Cardinals pen last season, walking 45 batters as well. The 22-year-old […]

NL-Only Deep League Draft Targets

Objectively, deep-league AL or NL-only fantasy baseball is the best format to play this summer. For one, NL-only leagues were the original formats of fantasy baseball. With both an expanded and limited player pool, the unique challenges of balancing depth with team need come to the fore. While this writer might be in the minority, I […]

Brandon Morrow Hopes To Play Catch Early Next Month

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Brandon Morrow (elbow) is hoping to play catch around Feb. 6. Morrow had 22 saves in his first season in Chicago in 2018, but his elbow injury cost him the entire second half of the season, and it looks like he won't be ready for Opening Day in 2019. The right-hander […]

2019 Points League Draft Strategy - Fantasy Baseball

When discussing fantasy baseball. An often neglected-but-entertaining format is the points league. These exist in both cumulative season-long and weekly head-to-head formats. While existential debates about scoring categories and their true depiction of player worth are endless, points leagues arguably get closest to the objective of sabermetrics. Points leagues attempt to define a player’s contribution […]

Cody Allen Will Close For Angels

Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Cody Allen will be the team's closer in 2019, according to general manager Billy Eppler. “He has a history of pitching in big games and big spots," Eppler said. Allen was recently signed to a one-year deal after a disappointing 4.70 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 2018, although he did […]

Top 420: Points Leagues Tiered Staff Rankings (January)

Welcome back RotoBallers. Today we are here to start looking at points leagues and head-to-head (H2H) formats. In this column, you will find our staff's preliminary 2019 fantasy baseball points league rankings for January and the top 420 players. Over the next few days, we will also be publishing individual tiered rankings analysis columns for each […]

Cody Allen Expected To Sign With Angels

Free-agent relief pitcher Cody Allen is in serious discussions with the Los Angeles Angels on a one-year deal, according to sources. The agreement is believed to be in place and is only pending a physical. With Blake Parker now in Minnesota, Allen could be the favorite to close in Anaheim over options like Ty Buttrey, […]

Yankees Closing In On Adam Ottavino

The New York Yankees are closing in on free-agent relief pitcher Adam Ottavino on Thursday, according to sources. If the agreement is completed, the deal is expected to be in the three-year, $25 million range. Ottavino had an excellent year in 2018 and was Colorado's best reliever, posting a 2.43 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, six saves […]

Alex Reyes Making Progress In Rehab

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Alex Reyes (elbow, lat) had a light mound session to work on his mechanics on Tuesday during the team's instructional league in Florida. “Alex has continued steady progress with his throwing progression,” general manager John Mozeliak shared in an email after Reyes’ workout. “He is utilizing our ‘Pitching and Performance Staff’ […]

2019 Bullpen Outlooks - National League Central

Now that the National League East and all their moves have been covered, it's time to look at the NL Central and discuss the lack of movement in that division. Several teams in the NL Central could benefit from strengthening their relief corps, yet only one team has made any noise in free agency or […]

AL Rookies to Target in 2019 Mixed Redraft Leagues

As the New Year has finally come, and fantasy football is over, at last, fantasy baseball draft season is right around the corner. With that comes mock drafts, draft previews, ADP analysis, and of course, player recommendations. This article will help owners get ready by looking to the American League All-Star team of rookies to […]

NL Rookies to Target in 2019 Mixed Redraft Leagues

As the New Year has finally come, and fantasy football is over, at last, fantasy baseball draft season is right around the corner. With that comes mock drafts, draft previews, ADP analysis, and of course, player recommendations. This article will help owners get ready by looking to the National League All-Star team of rookies to […]

2019 Relief Pitchers - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

A tough position to evaluate is that of relief pitchers, as a lot of success for closers comes from success from teams. There are also a lot of bullpens by committee these days, further stifling the value of closers. That being said, only four of the pitchers that ranked in the top-10 in saves in […]