Zach McAllister, Indians Avoid Arbitration

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Zach McAllister was able to reach an agreement to avoid arbitration with the team, signing a one-year, $2.45 million contract. McAllister was an important part of the Cleveland bullpen in 2017, posting a 2.61 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 66/21 K/BB ratio in 62 innings. He'll return to a middle-relief role in […]

Zach McAllister And Indians Avoid Arbitration

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports that relief pitcher Zach McAllister has avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.45 million contract with the Indians. McAllister had a strong season out of the bullpen last year for the Tribe. Over 62 innings, he had a 2.61 ERA with 66 strikeouts. He will be eligible to reach […]

2018 Relief Pitchers - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We wind up our mixed league rankings analysis with a look at the most volatile position of all, relief pitchers. Whether you choose to grab a top-notch closer early or prefer to work the waiver wire all season, these early rankings will give you a good sense of where the current market values each reliever, before […]

Nate Jones Expected To Be Ready For Opening Day

Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Nate Jones (elbow) has begun throwing and is expected to be ready by spring training. Jones made 11 appearances last year before having season-ending nerve repositioning surgery on his right elbow in mid-July. If Jones doesn’t suffer any setbacks, he is a candidate to be […]

Matt Belisle, Twins Interested In Reunion

The Minnesota Twins and free-agent relief pitcher Matt Belisle are interested in a reunion in 2018, but no deal is close, according to sources. Belisle was a nice surprise for the Twinkies in 2017, going 9-for-11 in save chances, although he did sport a 4.03 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings. Belisle worked […]

J.J. Hoover Agrees To Minor League Deal With Brewers

Free-agent relief pitcher J.J. Hoover has agreed to a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. Hoover recovered with the Diamondbacks after a rough year with the Reds in 2016. This past season. he posted a 3.92 ERA and 1.77 WHIP over 41 1/3 innings. He will have a chance to earn a spot with […]

Brad Brach Doing More Cardio Heading Into 2018 Season

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Brad Brach is changing his offseason workout routine to include more long-distance running in order to remain more effective deep into the season. With closer Zach Britton (Achilles) not expected to be ready until around midseason, Brach is expected to begin the year as Baltimore's primary closer. In the last two […]

Chris Young Signs Minor League Deal With Padres

Free-agent pitcher Chris Young has agreed to a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres. Should Young make the opening day roster, he will receive $1 million plus an extra $6 million in incentives. Young, 38, struggled this past season with a 7.50 ERA in 30 innings. Even if he makes the opening day […]

Cubs Are In On Greg Holland

Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe reports that the Chicago Cubs are “in the picture” for free-agent closer Greg Holland. The closer had a phenomenal comeback year for the Colorado Rockies this past year. The Rockies moved on after adding former Cubs closer Wade Davis. Holland has previously been linked to the Cardinals and Nationals. […]

Kazuhisa Makita Agrees With Padres

Japanese relief pitcher Kazuhisa Makita agreed to a two-year, $4 million deal with the San Diego Padres on Saturday, according to sources. Makita posted stellar numbers for the Seibu Lions the last two years overseas, but he's likely to have just a setup role in the San Diego bullpen in 2018, which means he is […]

Mets And Jenrry Mejia Avoid Arbitration

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports that the New York Mets and relief pitcher Jenrry Mejia avoided arbitration. Mejia will be paid $1.729 million, but he is unlikely to receive any of that due to a suspension. Mejia is currently on the permantly ineligible list after failing a third performance-enhancing drug test in 2016. The […]

Padres Are “Strong Favorites” To Sign Kazuhisa Makita

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that the San Diego Padres "have emerged as strong favorites" to sign Japanese reliever Kazuhisa Makita. Makita, 33, pitched to a 2.30 ERA this past year in 58 games. He’s not a strikeout pitcher, having just 35 this past year in 62 2/3 innings. Unless he becomes a closer, […]

Astros Could Be Landing Spot For Greg Holland, Addison Reed

The Houston Astros could emerge as a landing spot for free-agent closer Greg Holland, who is the top remaining closer on the free-agent market. Some people within the Astros organization see the closing spot as a potential issue for the team, according to sources, with current closer Ken Giles struggling during the playoffs. Free-agent relief […]

Champ or Chump - Mike Minor and Tyler Chatwood

Now that big names like Giancarlo Stanton and Shohei Ohtani have moved, it's easy to stop paying attention to the lesser names on the transaction wire. Don't fall into that trap! The most prepared owners frequently perform the best, and everybody will have an educated opinion on guys like Stanton. Spin rate is still beyond […]

Champ or Chump - Brad Boxberger and Welington Castillo

The hot stove has been more of an ice box so far this season, as few moves have been made of any fantasy consequence. This seems poised to change in the near future, as both Shohei Ohtani and Giancarlo Stanton should provide some clarity regarding their intentions before the new year. That said, the two […]

Shohei Ohtani - What Should We Expect in 2018 and Beyond?

Shohei Ohtani is already the most talked-about player in the baseball world and he doesn't even belong to a Major League team. Not yet, at least. When Giancarlo Stanton is practically an afterthought at the GM meetings, you know you have something big on your hands. The Japanese sensation has dominated headlines lately and is now […]

Reviewing JB's 2017 Bold Predictions

What’s even more fun than making bold predictions? Looking back at the end of the season to see how good (or so, so hilariously bad) they were. As Michael Scott once said, "It takes a big man to admit his mistakes, and I am that big man." Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball […]

Reviewing Pierre Camus' Bold Predictions for 2017 MLB

Never have I looked forward to writing a season recap so much. I didn't do as well in my fantasy leagues this year, mainly due to lack of time attending to my lineups. Nor did half of these predictions come close to coming true. Sometimes it just takes one thing to make it all worthwhile. […]

Reviewing Bill Dubiel's Bold Predictions for 2017

Let's mine through the poop pile and see if we can dig out...I don't know, some undigested corn or something. There's a few good ones here. SHUT UP, I don't see you making any bold predictions. 1. Max Kepler hits 30 bombs AND is a top-30 outfielder.Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball […]

Reviewing Edward Sutelan's 10 Bold Predictions for 2017

One of the my favorite articles of the year is to write up my bold predictions for what will happen in the upcoming fantasy baseball season. Another one of my favorite articles is looking back on those bold predictions to see how great (terrible) my predictions wound up being. I will tell you right now, […]

Reviewing Rick Lucks's Bold Predictions

What’s even more fun than making bold predictions? Looking back at the end of the season to see how good (or so, so hilariously bad) they were. It's my turn to determine if my preseason picks make me a Champ or a Chump. I was terrible this year, so the answer is the latter. Let's […]

MLB Closers and Saves Report Week 26

    This is it, folks. Our last weekly MLB Closers and Saves Report for the 2017 season. It's been 26 weeks of fantasy baseball, and there have surely been ups and downs as the weeks have gone by.Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball draft tools and resources: Fantasy baseball draft kit […]

Holds Leagues: Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds For Week 26

While holds are even tougher to predict than saves, the players we’ll highlight today include some elite setup men to target off the waiver wire for Week 26, the final week of the fantasy baseball season. The more likely an MLB team is to win, the more likely these pitchers will be eligible to earn the […]

Streaming Wars: Waiver Wire Targets for September 29

Welcome to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. Use this column to improve upon your neediest categories in this, the final week of the season. Below are your pitcher and hitter streaming targets for Friday, September 29. Let's get to it.Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball draft tools and […]

Streaming Wars: Waiver Wire Targets for September 28

Welcome to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. Use this column to improve upon your neediest categories in this, the final week of the season. Below are your pitcher and hitter streaming targets for Thursday, September 28. Let's get to it.Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball draft tools […]

Streaming Wars: Waiver Wire Targets for September 27

Welcome to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. Use this column to improve upon your neediest categories in this, the final week of the season. Below are your pitcher and hitter streaming targets for Wednesday, September 27. Let's get to it.Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball draft tools […]

Streaming Wars: Waiver Wire Targets for September 26

Welcome to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. Use this column to improve upon your neediest categories in this, the final week of the season. Below are your pitcher and hitter streaming targets for Tuesday, September 26. Let's get to it.Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball draft tools […]

Streaming Wars: Waiver Wire Targets for September 25

Welcome to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. Use this column to improve upon your neediest categories in this, the final week of the season. Below are your pitcher and hitter streaming targets for Monday, September 25. Let's get to it.Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball draft tools […]

Week 26 Cut List: Players on the Chopping Block

Welcome back, one last time in 2017, to the Cut List. With the season coming to a close next weekend, almost any player who isn’t helping your cause could justifiably be considered a cut in redraft leagues. That makes this final installment somewhat more challenging, and necessitates a minor tweak in format. Instead of spotlighting […]

Underowned and Overowned Players for Week 26

This is it - the final week of the baseball season (sheds single tear). For those trying to clinch a championship or just a better final position, here are some players that could warrant starting, sitting, adding, or dropping, depending on your league and team's circumstance. I'll focus on lightly owned players to add or […]