Cody Bellinger Won't Play Outfield This Spring

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told L.A. Times reporter Andy McCullough that the club has "no plans" to use first baseman Cody Bellinger in the outfield this spring. Bellinger spent most of his rookie season manning first base but also played all three outfield positions. He's considered a top-25 outfielder, so hopefully the Dodgers will […]

Yasmani Grandal Expected To Be Primary Catcher

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal is expected to see the majority of playing time behind the dish in 2018 over Austin Barnes, according to manager Dave Roberts. "Yasmani obviously had more opportunities, more at-bats, more playing time [in 2017]— and I see that again," Roberts said. "But Austin has earned the right to get […]

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 […]

Champ or Chump - Adrian Beltre and Yu Darvish

One great way to identify sleepers and busts is to take advantage of any biases that may impact the community's perception of a player. For example, older players are frequently bargains on draft day because owners assume that they're going to collapse. Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers seems to fit into this category so […]

Three Up, Three Down – 2018 First Base Prospects

Power. Nothing else defines the first base position more than pure, raw power. If you have it, you better display it in abundance or there will be concerns. If you are smaller in stature, there will be concerns. If your talent is just hit tool, there will be concerns. If your defense is lacking, there […]

Tony Watson Agrees To Terms With Giants

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports that the San Francisco Giants have finalized a contract with free-agent relief pitcher Tony Watson. It has been rumored over the last couple of weeks that this could be a match, and the Giants have found a way to stay under the luxury tax, according to Heyman. Watson started […]

The Most Profitable Pitchers of the Last Five Years

If you missed last week’s column on the most profitable hitters of the last five years, you can find it here. That post explains the methodology behind this work, and acknowledges the considerable help I received from colleagues throughout the process. Today I'm here to take a look at the pitchers - players who have […]

Alex Wood Throws Cautiously Despite Bad Ankle

Updating a previous report, Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Alex Wood (ankle) threw off the mound in Arizona on Friday, dispelling the severity of his ankle injury. Wood rolled his ankle during a running drill on Thursday and was sidelined briefly until further tests and X-rays, but he told SportsNet LA's Alanna Rizzo that he could have […]

Alex Wood Undergoing X-Rays

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Alex Wood (ankle) will undergo X-rays on his right ankle and will not take part in workouts Friday. Wood had an excellent first half in 2017, going 11-0 with a 1.56 ERA and 0.88 WHIP, but he predictably struggled a bit more in the second half with a 3.89 ERA […]

Corey Seager's Elbow Issues A Thing Of The Past

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (elbow) said his elbow held up well during offseason throwing exercises, but he has yet to throw past 100 feet. His nagging injuries didn't really slow him in 2017, as Seager hit .295 with 22 home runs, 77 RBI and a .375 on-base percentage in 145 games. He's become […]

ADP Sleepers and Busts - Catcher

Catcher is generally considered the weakest position in fantasy baseball. That is exactly why getting reliable production from the position is so important. There won’t be many good options on the waiver wire to replace a bad pick. This article looks at some catchers that are undervalued and overvalued based on their NFBC ADP (as […]

Justin Turner (3B, LAD) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~55 CURRENT ADP: 79 ANALYSIS: Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Justin Turner does not have the power that the top 3B options in fantasy do. What he offers is sharp plate discipline and hits for days. Turner is the poster boy for the fly-ball revolution. A late-blooming hitter who didn’t find his stride until […]

Three Up, Three Down - 2018 Shortstop Prospects

Much like the wave of third basemen to sweep the league, we’ve had an equally impressive push of young shortstops. Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, and Corey Seager are all 24-years-old, or younger, and are in the Top 30 in fantasy baseball rankings. Who will be part of the next breath of fresh air […]

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 […]

Clayton Kershaw Named Opening Day Starter In 2018

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts named starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw as the team's Opening Day starter on Tuesday. What a shocker. The talented left-hander will turn 30 years old next month, but he remains the best pitcher in baseball and went 18-4 with a 2.31 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 202 strikeouts in 175 innings […]

Several Teams Interested In Tony Watson

Free-agent relief pitcher Tony Watson is receiving interest from the Giants, Philles and Red Sox, according to a source close to the situation. There are also other teams interested beyond those three teams. The left-handed reliever pitched for the Pirates and Dodgers in 2017, appearing in 11 playoff games for LA. He gave up just […]

Will Smith With No Setbacks

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Will Smith (elbow) said he hasn't had any setbacks in his recovery from Tommy John surgery and recently threw his seventh bullpen session. However, he's unsure if he'll be ready for opening day, and the training staff is being cautious with him. It's hard to say how Smith will fare […]

Yu Darvish's Strikeout Rate Is Impressive

Free-agent starting pitcher Yu Darvish has struck out 29.7 percent of the batters he's faced in his career, which is the highest rate in history for a starter with at least 500 innings, ahead of Chris Sale (29.2 percent), Stephen Strasburg (29.0 percent) and Randy Johnson (28.6 percent). Darvish is only behind Max Scherzer (30.4 […]

Clayton Kershaw Rankings Debate: Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers

This is the first 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 […]

Julio Urias Starts Throwing Again

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias (shoulder) posted a video of himself on his Instagram account that shows him throwing for the first time in seven months. The 21-year-old had surgery on his left anterior shoulder capsule last June, which ended his 2017 season. Despite calling the video the "the happiest day of his therapy," he […]

Matt Kemp Not In Dodgers Plans

It's become obvious that the Los Angeles Dodgers have no intention of keeping outfielder Matt Kemp on their active roster to begin the regular season, and they will instead continue to look for a trade partner. The Dodgers have targeted "three or four" potential landing spots for Kemp, according to someone closer to the situation. […]

Yu Darvish Has Five-Year Offer On The Table

Free-agent starting pitcher Yu Darvish has at least one five-year offer on the table from an undisclosed team, according to a source. The Cubs, Twins, Rangers, Dodgers and Brewers are all believed to be interested in signing Darvish. While the Japanese right-hander struggled against the Astros in the World Series, he remains the best starter […]

Willie Calhoun is Coming...

Last season, the Rangers surprised the baseball world by trading superstar Yu Darvish to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a return that, at the time, was deemed pretty sparse. The centerpiece was a little known, and maybe lesser-appreciated infielder named Willie Calhoun. Drafted in the fourth round of the 2015 MLB draft, Calhoun started his […]

A's Remain Interested in Tony Watson

The Oakland A's are looking to add a left-handed reliever and remain interested in free-agent relief pitcher Tony Watson. Watson, 32, had a 3.38 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP last season with 53 strikeouts. He would be unlikely to see any saves in Oakland and would only be worth an add in deep leagues that count […]

Yankees Could Land Yu Darvish At Reasonable Price

With starting pitcher Gerrit Cole being traded to the Houston Astros on Saturday, the New York Yankees are very much interested in signing free-agent starting pitcher Yu Darvish, according to two sources. The stalled free-agent market gives the Yankees a real chance to land Darvish at a "reasonable" price. New York seems to think it's […]

Dynasty National League Starting Pitchers - Top MLB Prospects for Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back, RotoBallers. I'll be breaking down impact prospects in dynasty leagues by position over the next several weeks. I’ve already covered catchers, first basemen, second basemen, third basemen, shortstops and both AL and NL outfielders. Today I'm bringing you my top 20 National League starting pitchers - dynasty prospect rankings for 2018 dynasty baseball leagues. […]

Yu Darvish Tweets That Yankees Haven’t Offered Him A Deal

Free-agent starting pitcher Yu Darvish tweeted to a fan that the New York Yankees have not offered him a contract. Darvish has been using Twitter a lot during his free-agent process to address rumors. Earlier in the week, it was reported that Darvish narrowed his list to the Cubs, Astros, Rangers, Twins and Yankees. Darvish also […]

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 […]

Yu Darvish Narrows List Of Teams

Max Wildstein of the Sporting News reports that free-agent starting pitcher Yu Darvish has narrowed his list to the Astros, Cubs, Rangers, Twins and Yankees. Darvish on Twitter replied to the post saying that "I know one more team is in." Darvish seems to be in the final stages of deciding where he will like […]