ADP Sleepers and Busts - Third Basemen

Take a quick look at the NFBC ADPs of third basemen. What do you notice? Is Manny Machado going too high? Is Joey Gallo the boom-or-bust pick of the year? Is Josh Donaldson the best early-round value pick? Third base might just be the deepest infield position in fantasy this year, so it's important to […]

Tim Lincecum Has Guaranteed Offer

Free-agent starting pitcher Tim Lincecum has a guaranteed offer from a team not named the Giants, according to a source. If the Giants want to bring Lincecum back, they'll have to offer more than a minor league deal, which is unlikely. The Freak is said to be in great shape and was hitting 90 mph […]

Angels Sign Outfielder Chris Young To One-Year Deal

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have signed free-agent outfielder Chris Young to a one-year, $2 million contract with incentives. Young, 34, hit .235 with seven home runs and three stolen bases in 90 games for the Red Sox last season. He will have a hard time finding playing time in LA's crowded outfield. Expect […]

Angels Add Chris Carter on Minor League Deal

The Los Angeles Angels signed free-agent first baseman/designated hitter Chris Carter to a minor league deal on Sunday. Carter will effectively take the place of recently-traded first baseman C.J. Cron, who was dealt to the Rays on Saturday. Carter will compete with Jefry Marte, Luis Valbuena and Albert Pujols for at-bats at first base and […]

Shohei Ohtani Will Pinch Run And Pinch Hit

Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia said that starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani will be available to pinch run and pinch hit on days that he isn't pitching. “Normally I would never have a pitcher pinch run but with three-man bench we’re gonna tap into Shohei’s ability to come off bench," Scioscia said. Ohtani is the […]

Nick Mariano's 2018 Early-Round Overvalued List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Fantasy baseball drafts (and their articles) are almost all about finding the next superstar and unearthing talent late, but we can't forget that surrendering value by over-drafting can be just as crucial. In order to evaluate overvalued players here, we're going to utilize Average […]

C.J. Cron Traded To Tampa Bay, Rays Designate Corey Dickerson For Assignment

The Los Angeles Angels traded first baseman C.J. Cron to Tampa Bay for a minor leaguer to be named later. Cron hit .248 with a career-high matching 16 homers, 56 RBI and a .742 OPS in 100 games last season. The Rays also designated All-Star outfielder Corey Dickerson for assignment in a corresponding move. Dickerson started off […]

Is Ronald Acuna Being Overdrafted?

With the recent glut of top prospect reports emerging from Keith Law to Baseball America, opinions on the future stars of baseball are myriad and loud. We all look longingly at the next generation and dreams of pennants dance in our heads. Of course, each pundit brings their own flavor to the conversation, and each […]

Albert Pujols Looking Leaner

Los Angeles Angels first baseman/designated hitter Albert Pujols said he lost 12 to 15 pounds in the offseason, and he's looking lean and strong. He's looking forward to playing more first base in 2018. Pujols managed to hit 23 home runs and drive in 101 runs, but the Machine will turn 38 years old this […]

Tim Lincecum Looks Improved In Showcase

Free-agent starting pitcher Tim Lincecum looked improved from two years ago during his showcase for scouts on Thursday, and he was reportedly throwing 90-93 mph with his fastball in front of 25 to 30 scouts for at least 15 teams. Lincecum appears to be in good shape, so he'll probably at least sign a minor […]

Cliff Pennington Signs With Reds

The Cincinnati Reds signed free-agent infielder Cliff Pennington to a split contract. He'll receive $1.5 million if he makes the major league roster. The 33-year-old switch-hitter can play all over the infield, but mainly profiles as middle infield depth for the Reds in what could be a utility role. He hit just .253 with three […]

Nick Mariano's 2018 Late-Round MLB Fliers (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Howdy, RotoBallers! I hope you're ready to take chances, make mistakes and get messy. We’re here to dig a little deeper into the draft room and look for players that would be wise to take a flier on in the late rounds. It can […]

Zack Cozart (SS/3B, LAA) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~135 CURRENT ADP: 188 ANALYSIS: Zack Cozart made himself a rich man thanks to a 2017 campaign in which he posted 24 HR, 80 runs, a .297 average, and .385 OBP while striking out on just 15.4% of his at-bats. After producing the 17th-best wRC+ in all of baseball, the infielder signed a three-year, $38 […]

JC Ramirez Recovering Well From Stell-Cell Therapy

Los Angeles Angels starter JC Ramirez (elbow) has thrown 10 bullpens and feels normal. His last bullpen was 50 pitches, simulating two innings. He is recovering from stem-cell therapy on his UCL, which he opted for as opposed to Tommy John surgery. Ramirez tossed a career-high 147 1/3 innings with a 4.15 ERA last season with […]

Bud Norris Could Be Used as a Starting Pitcher in St. Louis

Newly-signed St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bud Norris may be given a chance to work as a starting pitcher this season. He's been working (and at times excelling) out of the bullpen in recent seasons, but the Cardinals have said he may get a chance to work in the rotation if any of their young arms […]

Justin Upton Rankings Debate: Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers

This is the latest in a long-running series of articles debating the overall ranking of some of the most fantasy-relevant players of the 2018 baseball season. RotoBaller's expert writers have come up with our consensus rankings for mixed leagues, but that doesn't mean we agreed on everything. In this space, we'll hear from rankers with […]

Zack Cozart (SS/3B, LAA) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~200 CURRENT ADP: 225 ANALYSIS: Zack Cozart had an unimpressive track record going into 2017 and move to a pitcher-friendly park, from Cincinnati to Los Angeles are reason enough to ignore his impressive 2017 numbers (.297/.385/.548 with 24 HR). This view seems to have become common perception, allowing owners willing to look past […]

Angels to Implement Six-Man Rotation in 2018

The Los Angeles Angels are likely to implement a six-man rotation in 2018. "I think that's probably the route we will go, but we're going to wait until we get to Spring Training, and then we can make some decisions there," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "I think it makes a lot of sense right […]

Angels, Cam Bedrosian Avoid Arbitration

The Los Angeles Angels and reliever Cam Bedrosian avoided arbitration at the last minute, agreeing on a one-year, $1.1 million dollar contract. Bedrosian opened 2017 as the closer, but an injury cost him a big chunk of the season. He finished the year with a 4.43 ERA and six saves. He is the favorite to […]

Fantasy Implications - Stephen Piscotty Traded to the Athletics

The trade of Stephen Piscotty to the A’s is one of the feel-good stories of the offseason, as the St. Louis Cardinals front office moved the Northern California native to the A’s so Piscotty could be closer to his ailing mother. It was a rough year both on and off the field for the former prized prospect. […]

Matt Shoemaker, Angels Avoid Arbitration

The Los Angeles Angels and right-hander Matt Shoemaker have come to terms on a one-year, $4.125 million contract, avoiding arbitration. Shoemaker made 14 starts for the Angels last year, pitching to a 4.52 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. He is expected to be in the starting rotation next season if he's healthy. However, he should […]

Forgetting The One That Got Away

If you’re a voracious consumer of baseball analysis – a judgment that, if you’re reading one of my articles almost three months before the season starts, I would deem fair – you’ve heard the following phrase plenty of times: Better a year too early than a year too late. This, of course, refers to older […]

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 […]

2018 Starting Pitchers - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

Welcome back to the early edition of RotoBaller’s 2018 fantasy baseball rankings! As a reminder, this round of rankings comes to you courtesy of Pierre Camus and Jeff Kahntroff, in addition to yours truly. Today, I’ll be taking a look at how we ranked starting pitchers. As you peruse the info below, keep in mind […]

2018 Outfielders - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

It's a new year, and with that comes our first set of rankings for the 2018 fantasy baseball season. As a reminder, our first round of rankings comes to you courtesy of Pierre Camus and Jeff Kahntroff, in addition to yours truly. Today, I’ll be finishing up the hitter side of things with a look at […]

2018 Shortstops - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

It's time to examine the glamour position of the infield, shortstop. Once considered strictly a defensive position, there are now a host of options that can fit into your fantasy lineup and deliver. 2017 saw 10 different shortstops score over 400 in points leagues. Speed was key component, as five qualified SS stole over 20 […]

2018 Third Base - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

Today, I’ll be taking a look at how we ranked players at the hot corner. Third base offered an abundance of productive fantasy assets last year, and 2018 figures to be no different. In case you missed it, you can also check out our rankings and analysis for catcher, first base and second base - […]

2018 Second Base - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the second base position. Even though it is only January 6, 2018 in an extremely slow offseason, RotoBaller writers Kyle Bishop, Pierre Camus, and I have come up with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. As […]

2018 First Base - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the first base position. RotoBaller writers Kyle Bishop, Jeff Kahntroff, and I have come up with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. There are plenty of free agents yet to sign, so keep in mind that these rankings […]

2018 Catchers - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

With the holidays in the rearview mirror, it’s time to turn our attention to the upcoming fantasy baseball season. (Or, if you’re me, it’s finally time to start writing about it now that people aren’t focused on the vastly inferior but more popular fantasy sport that is football). Our first round of rankings comes to […]