Adventures in Scarcity: Stolen Bases Edition

In this series of posts, I will go through a few situations in today's fantasy baseball game where resources are scarce. These are the parts of the game where the smartest and best players really excel, as they recognize the scarcity and know how to use it to their advantage. Category scoring is a zero-sum […]

Pat Valaika Agrees With Braves

Free-agent second baseman Pat Valaika agreed to a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves on Saturday. The deal will pay him $775,000 if he's on the major league roster. Valaika played in 90 games for the Baltimore Orioles last year, slashing .201/.250/.290 with five home runs, 25 RBI and 17 runs scored in 281 […]

Braves Agree With Phil Gosselin

The Atlanta Braves agreed to a minor league deal with free-agent infielder Phil Gosselin on Saturday, according to a source. Gosselin spent the 2021 season with the Los Angeles Angels, where he hit .261/.314/.362 with seven home runs, 47 RBI and 40 runs scored in 373 plate appearances over 104 games. The 33-year-old will likely […]

Kenley Jansen To Be Braves Primary Closer

Relief pitcher Kenley Jansen will be the Atlanta Braves primary closer after signing to a one-year, $16 million deal on Friday night. Left-handed reliever Will Smith is fine with the move and told general manager Alex Anthopoulous that he just wants to win another World Series ring. It's obviously a big hit to Smith's fantasy […]

Closers and Saves Report for 2022 Fantasy Baseball Drafts

We're back! Baseball is back and we're still getting all 162 games, so there can be good news in 2022! While there are still some big-name relievers looming in free agency and likely some trades left to come, it's never too early to take a look at where each team's bullpen stands. Once the season gets […]

Kenley Jansen Joins Braves

The Atlanta Braves signed free-agent relief pitcher Kenley Jansen to a one-year, $16 million deal on Friday. The three-time All-Star spent all 12 years of his MLB career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he will now head to the east coast and is likely to supplant left-hander Will Smith as the Braves new closer […]

Mike Soroka Agrees With Braves

The Atlanta Braves re-signed right-hander Mike Soroka to a one-year, $2.8 million deal on Friday to avoid salary arbitration. The 24-year-old missed all of the 2021 season due to an Achilles injury, and he won't be ready to rejoin the Braves starting rotation until the second half in 2022. The good news is that Soroka […]

Updated Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Rankings (Part 2) - 5x5 Mixed Roto Leagues

Earlier, we broke down the first few tiers of starting pitcher rankings for 2022 fantasy baseball drafts. It's time to look at the rest of the starting pitchers that may be fantasy-relevant and worthy of a draft pick. RotoBaller's rankers, JB Branson, Pierre Camus, Ariel Cohen, Nicklaus Gaut, and Nick Mariano, have updated our 2022 […]

Ronald Acuna Jr.'s Timetable Becomes More Clear

According to Jim Bowden, Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) could see action as early as April 21. General manager Alex Anthopoulos stated that the plan is to have Acuna begin serving as the designated hitter as early as April 21 and then transition to the outfield, beginning May 21. This is great news […]

Late-Round Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Targets - NFBC Draft and Hold Leagues

Even as the Major League Baseball lockout drags on, fantasy baseball managers have begun diving into draft season. In these early months before Spring Training begins, the most common draft formats are draft and hold leagues in which managers will draft large teams (usually 50 players) and then make no waiver claims during the year. […]

Freddie Freeman to Dodgers - Fantasy Baseball Impact

The Los Angeles Dodgers did not need to add a free agent hitter to go into the 2022 MLB season as the league's premier offense. They did not let that fact stop them from signing the cream of the free-agent crop Freddie Freeman to a huge six-year contract. Let's talk briefly about the fantasy impact […]

Universal DH - Biggest Fantasy Baseball Risers

The battle lines have long been drawn between baseball traditionalists (i.e. grumpy old men) and revisionists (those who realize we are in the 21st century). It appears progress has won out and both leagues will finally play under the same rules over a full season going forward. Although nothing has been officially settled in the […]

Alex Dickerson Signs With Atlanta

Free-agent outfielder Alex Dickerson signed a one-year deal worth $1 million with the Atlanta Braves. Dickerson did have a career-high 13 home runs in 2021 with the San Francisco Giants, but other than that he was mostly underwhelming with a .233/.304/.420 slash line, 38 RBI and 37 runs scored in 283 at-bats over 111 games. […]

Mid-Round First Basemen - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values and Targets

Welcome officially to the 2022 fantasy baseball season! Now that an MLB deal is in place, a lot more fantasy drafts will be taking place – and we're here as always to guide you through it. Once you reach the middle rounds of drafts, everyone is looking to draft players with upside that can provide […]

Mid-Round Starting Pitchers - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values and Targets

Welcome officially to the 2022 fantasy baseball season! Now that an MLB deal is in place, a lot more fantasy drafts will be taking place -- and we're here as always to guide you through it. Once you reach the middle rounds of drafts, everyone is looking to draft players with upside that can provide […]

FaBIO Analysis: Flyballer Starting Pitcher Prospects, Right-Handed Edition

I developed the Fielding- and Ballpark-Independent Outcomes (FaBIO) pitcher evaluation system circa 2013 as a tool for quantifying non-batted-ball and batted-ball fundamentals of individual pro pitchers versus batters of both and either handedness type. Since the model was first applied to affiliated 2013 MiLB play, its reach has been extended to MLB, NCAA Division 1, […]

Joc Pederson Inks One-Year Deal With Giants

The San Francisco Giants have signed outfielder Joc Pederson to a one-year contract worth $6 million. The 29-year-old left-hander seems destined for something of a platoon role with the Giants, based on how the franchise has typically handled their lineup over the last few years. Pederson has a career .832 OPS against righties but his […]

Eddie Rosario Returns To Braves On Two-Year Deal

The Atlanta Braves re-signed outfielder Eddie Rosario to a two-year, $18 million deal on Wednesday. The contract contains an option for a third year. Rosario began the 2021 season with Cleveland before being traded to the Braves at midseason. The 30-year-old lefty slugger really came alive after joining the Braves. He finished with a .271/.330/.573 […]

Where to Draft Injured Hitters in Fantasy Baseball

After a stressful few months where seemingly everybody became an expert on the economics of baseball and traded spin rate analysis for PR spin analysis, we can get back to digging into the game itself. It's wonderful news without a doubt. Except possibly for those injured players who were hoping for another few weeks of […]

Collin McHugh Signs With Braves

The Atlanta Braves have signed right-handed pitcher Collin McHugh to a two-year deal with $10 million guaranteed. The deal also has a club option for 2024. McHugh spent the 2021 season with the Tampa Bay Rays and worked in short relief and as an opener for the team. By most metrics, he was as effective […]

Braves Agree On Eight-Year Extension With Matt Olson

After trading for first baseman Matt Olson on Monday, the Atlanta Braves moved quickly to sign him to an eight-year, $168 million contract extension on Tuesday, according to sources. Olson, who is an Atlanta native, is now locked up two years before he was scheduled to become a free agent. Freddie Freeman won't be back […]

A's Acquire Cristian Pache, Shea Langeliers

The Oakland Athletics acquired outfielder Cristian Pache, catcher Shea Langeliers and starting pitchers Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes from the Atlanta Braves on Monday in exchange for first baseman Matt Olson, according to a source. The A's are clearly rebuilding heading into 2022, but it's a big prospect haul for them. Pache and Langeliers were […]

Braves Acquire Matt Olson From A's

The Atlanta Braves are acquiring first baseman Matt Olson from the Oakland Athletics on Monday in exchange for starting pitchers Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes, outfielder Cristian Pache and catcher Shea Langeliers, according to a source. Another blockbuster in what should be a crazy week. It also means that former Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman […]

Ronald Acuna Jr. Likely To Debut In May

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) is hopeful to make his season debut in May. The superstar outfielder underwent surgery in last July to repair a torn ACL. He was forced to miss the rest of the 2021 season and will sit out the beginning of this season. Possibly, Acuna returns earlier than expected, […]

Updated Fantasy Baseball First Base Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Roto Leagues

Welcome back RotoBallers to some more preseason fantasy baseball rankings! RotoBaller is constantly working to try and bring fantasy baseball managers the best advice, especially during draft season. A big part of that includes regular updates to our tiered rankings for all formats. Our MLB rankers, -- JB Branson, Pierre Camus, Ariel Cohen, Nicklaus Gaut, […]

Braves Throwing "Aggressive" Offers At Freddie Freeman

Free-agent first baseman Freddie Freeman has been heavily linked to the Los Angeles Dodgers over the past day or so. However, the only franchise he's known over the past 12 years is still very much in the mix. According to Jim Bowden of CBS Sports, the Atlanta Braves are "being aggressive with packages with different […]

Finding Clones of Stud Hitters at Cheaper Draft Day Costs

Fantasy baseball is, most of the time, a category-centered game. Unlike fantasy football, where all you want are raw points, the roto category format of baseball really separates certain players in terms of how they can help your fantasy team. Some hitters will boost your team's batting average while bringing down your home run pace, […]

Updated Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Rankings - 5x5 Mixed Roto Leagues

Fantasy baseball draft prep never stops, lockout or not. As we all anticipate the start of spring training, many fantasy baseball drafts are already underway. To prepare our readers, RotoBaller's rankers -- JB Branson, Pierre Camus, Ariel Cohen, Nicklaus Gaut, and Nick Mariano -- have updated their 2022 fantasy baseball mixed league rankings. This article […]

Braves Have Been In Touch With Matt Olson

The Atlanta Braves have been in touch with Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson, who is an Atlanta native, in the event that free-agent first baseman Freddie Freeman signs with another team. The New York Yankees and Texas Rangers have also been interested in trading for the rising left-handed slugger, but no deals are close. […]

2022 Keeper Value Rankings - Outfield

Many many years ago, I noticed the managers in my long-time keeper league were consistently making terrible keeper decisions year after year. Instead of taking their money every year thought I would help them out and find a good set of Keeper League Rankings to share with them. What I found was quite disturbing. There […]