Dodgers Acquire Russell Martin

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired catcher Russell Martin from the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, according to league sources. Toronto will eat a large portion of Martin's $20 million salary for 2019. Martin will turn 36 in February and is near the end of the line after hitting .194/.338/.325 with 10 home runs and 25 […]

2019 Bullpen Outlooks - National League East

Last year's Bullpen Outlook got started with the American League, so let's take the National League on first this time around. Some signings and trades have made a splash in the bullpens of the NL East, and there may still be more to come. With some top free agent closers and setup men still looking […]

2019 Catchers - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

Catcher is a tough position to evaluate, as many teams utilize multiple catchers and it is rare for one to play 140 or more games in a season. Wear and tear as a backstop limits offensive value for sure, but there are still a group of solid catchers that can contribute in multiple categories. Beyond […]

Brian Dozier Agrees With Nationals

The Washington Nationals agreed to a one-year, $9 million deal with free-agent second baseman Brian Dozier on Thursday, according to league sources. Dozier had a down year in 2018, hitting .215/.305/.391 in 553 at-bats between the Twins and Dodgers, but he still managed 21 home runs, 72 RBI, 81 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. […]

2019 Second Base - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the second base position. Even though we are just coming off ringing in the new year, RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, JB Branson, Pierre Camus, and Chris Zolli have wasted to time coming up with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values […]

Brewers Agree With Yasmani Grandal

The Milwaukee Brewers agreed to a one-year deal with free-agent catcher Yasmani Grandal on Wednesday, according to sources. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed. He turned down a one-year, $17.9 million qualifying offer from the Dodgers and a four-year deal that could have reached $60 million with the Mets. Grandal was a disaster both […]

Javier Baez - Don’t Overpay for Last Season's Stats

A common mistake by fantasy managers on draft day is taking a player based on his previous year's statistics and thinking it will be repeated the following season. A player’s draft day price can become heavily inflated after one breakout year. It's easy to fall victim to the belief that a one-year sample size is now […]

2019 First Basemen - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the first base position. Even though it is only January, RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, Chris Zolli, and I have come up with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. As the offseason progresses, these rankings […]

2019 Shortstops - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings

It’s never too early to start looking toward the fantasy baseball season, so I’m here to kick off RotoBaller’s position-by-position rankings analysis series with the ever-so-glamorous shortstop position. Shortstop is rich at the top and while it boasts intriguing depth, this is not a position to wait on, especially if you also have a middle-infield […]

Phillies To Make Manny Machado Another Offer

The Philadelphia Phillies remain primarily interested in free-agent shortstop Manny Machado, and they are expected to make a second offer to the superstar this week. The White Sox and Yankees remain interested in him as well. While the Phils will meet with free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper in person in Las Vegas this Saturday, they haven't […]

Top 660: Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings (January)

Welcome back RotoBallers, and Happy New Year! Below you will find our staff's early 2019 fantasy baseball tiered rankings (top 660) for mixed leagues. In case you missed it, you can also see our tiered positional rankings as well. Four of our lead fantasy baseball analysts - Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, JB Branson and Chris Zolli - have analyzed the MLB offseason moves and […]

Statcast Review - Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (xSLG)

xSLG isn’t a stat you’ll find on the back of a baseball card or one you’d find on a baseball reference page. However, as far as advanced stats go, xSLG is pretty straightforward. It is the expected slugging percentage of a hitter based on hit probability his batted balls in play, regardless of outcome. So if […]

Trevor Story Rankings Debate - Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers

For the RotoBaller baseball crew, it's our favorite time of the entire year. It's time to revive our signature series of articles debating the overall ranking of some of the most fantasy-relevant players of the 2019 baseball season. That's right, it's Ranker vs Ranker time! RotoBaller's expert writers have come up with our consensus rankings […]

Teoscar Hernandez - Promising or Pretender?

Every new beginning signifies an end elsewhere. This was the case for Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernandez last season. The hard-hitting righty broke through in more ways than one in his first full year in the big leagues, finishing with a .239/.302/.468 line, and most importantly 22 home runs. The path to the plate […]

White Sox Officially Make Offer To Manny Machado

The Chicago White Sox have officially made an offer to free-agent shortstop Manny Machado. The White Sox remain interested in free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper, but they haven't made him a formal offer. The White Sox aren't believed to be willing to give either superstar more than a six-year deal, so we'll see if they are […]

Yusei Kikuchi to the Mariners - Fantasy Outlook

The Mariners rang in the new year with yet another move, as news broke in the final hours of 2018 that Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher Yusei Kikuchi had signed a four-year deal with Seattle. Kikuchi will be joining the Mariners after a "down" season in which he only went 14-4 with a 3.08 ERA — […]

Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood Become Reds

Starting pitcher Alex Wood, catcher Kyle Farmer, and outfielders Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig are trading Dodger blue for the bright kit of the Cincinnati Reds. The trio was traded for Homer Bailey and prospects in what was essentially a salary dump for Los Angeles as they attempt to sign or trade for more superstars. […]

Dodgers Land Homer Bailey, Jeter Downs, Josiah Gray

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired starting pitcher Homer Bailey, middle infield prospect Jeter Downs and pitcher Josiah Gray on Friday from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for outfielders Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp, starting pitcher Alex Wood and catcher Kyle Farmer. The Dodgers also sent $7 million to Cincy. The main takeaway for LA here […]

Reds Acquire Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood

The Cincinnati Reds acquired outfielders Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp, starting pitcher Alex Wood and catcher Kyle Farmer on Friday in exchange for starting pitcher Homer Bailey, middle infield prospect Jeter Downs and pitcher Josiah Gray, according to league sources. The Dodgers are also sending $7 million to the Reds. Puig and Kemp will both […]

Please Let Brandon Belt Get Traded

A report recently came to light that the San Francisco Giants were making first baseman and owner of a genuine super-beard, Brandon Belt, available in trades. Apparently, there are teams interested in the oft-injured slugger, despite the whopping $48 million due to him over the next three years. It’s not terribly surprising that Belt is available, […]

Manny Machado To Meet With White Sox

Free-agent shortstop Manny Machado is expected to meet with the Chicago White Sox next week. The Yankees, White Sox and Phillies are the three teams believed to be pursuing the superstar the most. Chicago has plenty of money to spend and also just traded for Machado's brother in law, first baseman Yonder Alonso. Machado would […]

Manny Machado To Meet With Yankees Wednesday

Free-agent shortstop Manny Machado is scheduled to have a meeting with the New York Yankees on Wednesday. Machado is the top option on the free-agent market alongside superstar outfielder Bryce Harper. The Yanks could use Machado at the 6 for at least half the season with Didi Gregorius (elbow) recovering from Tommy John surgery. They […]

Ivan Nova to the White Sox - Fantasy Impact

The buzz all off-season surrounding the White Sox has been whether they will break out the checkbook and land superstars Bryce Harper or Manny Machado. Well, it took only three days into the Winter Meetings for the White Sox to... trade for Ivan Nova. While this may not have been the big move White Sox […]

2018 Baseball Winter Meetings - Wednesday/Thursday Recap

MLB Winter Meetings are ending in Las Vegas, Nevada and the headline-grabbing moves have come from relatively unknown places. Players like Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, J.T. Realmuto, and Noah Syndergaard were rumored to be traded or signed, yet none of those moves materialized. What did occur over the last two days, though, were some solid […]

Dodgers Discussing Francisco Cervelli

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been in touch with the Pittsburgh Pirates about trading for catcher Francisco Cervelli and view free-agent Nick Hundley as a fallback option. Cervelli had a career-high 12 home runs while hitting .259/.378/.431 with 57 RBI for the Bucs in 2018. However, he played in just 104 games and has been […]

Dodgers Check In On Wilson Ramos

The Los Angeles Dodgers checked in on free-agent catcher Wilson Ramos on a one-year deal, but he is seeking more years, according to a source. Despite injury issues in his career, Ramos is one of the better hitting catchers in baseball and is very attractive on the open market. He'll certainly be relevant in single-catcher […]

Joe Kelly Agrees To Contract With Dodgers

Multiple outlets have reported that relief pitcher Joe Kelly has agreed to a three-year, $25 million deal, pending a physical. Kelly had a 4.39 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings for the World Series champions last year. Kelly will be a late-inning arm for the Dodgers and a strong candidate for holds in […]

Dodgers, Reds Continue To Discuss Trade

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds continue to talk trades, with Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp and Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey a part of the conversations, according to sources. Outfielder Yasiel Puig is another option to head to Cincinnati, with the Dodgers having a surplus of outfielders yet also being in on free-agent outfielder […]

Dodgers Discussing Jose Martinez

The Los Angeles Dodgers are discussing a possible trade for St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Jose Martinez, according to sources. Martinez could play first base, which would move Max Muncy to second base and Cody Bellinger to the outfield. Martinez can hit (.305/.364/.457 with 17 homers, 83 RBI), but he's bad on defense and is […]

2018 Baseball Winter Meetings Recap (Monday/Tuesday)

MLB Winter Meetings have started in Las Vegas, Nevada and the headlines thus far have been more about what has been rumored to happen rather than what has happened. There have been some relatively minor moves thus far (including the signing of a former stolen base leader), but most of the stories have revolved around […]