Indians Sign Stephen Fife

The Cleveland Indians signed pitcher Stephen Fife to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. Fife is 31 and hasn't pitched in a major league game since he underwent Tommy John Surgery in 2014. He spent 2017 with the Marlins organization and with the Seibu Lions in Japan. He's organizational depth, at […]

2018 First Basemen - Dynasty Tiered Rankings

We continue our fantasy baseball dynasty rankings analysis with the first base position. RotoBaller writers Kyle Richardson, Chris Zolli, and I have come up with our pre-season rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. In a dynasty league, it can be tough to decide between a proven veteran or a high-upside […]

Marlins, Nationals Continue Not Making Progress On J.T. Realmuto Deal

Jon Morosi of the MLB Network reports that the Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals have made no progress in a deal involving catcher J.T. Realmuto. The Marlins are said to be asking for either Victor Robles or Juan Soto, two of the Nationals prized prospects. Realmuto is likely to be the next Marlin moved, but […]

Three Up, Three Down - 2018 Third Base Prospects

We’ve been spoiled with some outstanding, young, talented third basemen in recent history. Kris Bryant, Nolan Arenado, Manny Machado, Jose Ramirez, and Miguel Sano (just to name a few) are all 26 years old or younger. All five of those players produced at least 28 home runs and 73 RBI in 2017. Now, it’s time to […]

Champ or Chump - Jesse Hahn and Lewis Brinson

The Kansas City Royals and Oakland A's recently completed a trade that boils down to intriguing arm (Jesse Hahn) for slugging first baseman (Brandon Moss) for our purposes. Hahn is discussed below, while Moss will receive a closer look in a future column. Speaking of trades, much has been made of Miami's inability to get […]

2018 Dynasty Baseball Strategy - Discovering Closers

When looking to develop talent in a dynasty league, there are two paths to follow. The first is to select prospects. The depth of your league will determine how far you have to reach into the minors. In a 12-team league, you're probably looking to find the next Fernando Tatis Jr. In a 20-team league, […]

NL Rookies Ready to Leap into Starting Lineups in 2018

Drafting rookies is always a tricky proposition. There are usually several first-year players who make a huge impact on fantasy teams, but they aren't always the ones we expect. Last year's NL rookie class featured studs like Cody Bellinger and Rhys Hoskins, as well as solid producers such as Josh Bell and Ian Happ. On […]

2018 Relief Pitchers - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers

It's time to round out our early points league rankings with a look at the bullpen. Relief pitcher values will fluctuate greatly throughout the season, so choosing wisely on draft day can save you a lot of grief. Here are the first round of RotoBaller’s 2018 fantasy baseball points league rankings for relief pitcher in the month […]

Magneuris Sierra (OF, MIA) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~400 CURRENT ADP: 577 ANALYSIS: Magneuris Sierra was one of the prospects Miami received in the Marcell Ozuna deal, and he profiles as a better fantasy player than MLB one. His most notable fantasy skill is his speed, which grades as a 70 on the 20-80 scale. He only went 2-for-4 in SB attempts over […]

2018 Catchers - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers

If you play in a head-to-head points league, or season long format, you already know how difficult it can be to find fantasy analysis tailored to the format. Not only are the traditional rotisserie and head-to-head arrangements more popular, but the very nature of points leagues makes them difficult to cover in a general sense […]

Boston Red Sox Top MLB Prospects for 2018 Dynasty Leagues

This is a farm system that a year ago looked loaded and now looks depleted. But that was expected. The top three prospects last offseason were Yoan Moncada, Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers. Most figured that all three would graduate in 2017, and even if not Devers, at least Benintendi and Moncada looked like locks […]

2018 Outfield - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers

I have the honor of tackling the ever-so-deep class of outfielders for you, the esteemed points-league owner. We realize that many sites tailor their analysis toward the standard rotisserie league, but we love everyone equally. That said, we have to recognize that standard 5x5 categories are also much easier to create white-label rankings that anyone […]

2018 Shortstop - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers

If you play in a head-t0-head points league, or season long format, you already know how difficult it can be to find fantasy analysis tailored to the format. Not only are the traditional rotisserie and head-to-head arrangements more popular, but the very nature of points leagues makes them difficult to cover in a general sense […]

Brewers Make Trade Offer For Christian Yelich

The Milwaukee Brewers have shown "strong interest" in Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich and have made a trade offer, according to a source. The Brewers are one of at least 15 teams to be interested in Yelich, and talks between Milwaukee and Miami aren't believed to have gotten very far Tuesday. Yelich is one of the […]

2018 Second Base - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers

Aside from catcher, second base is amongst the shallowest positions heading into the 2018 season. Assuming a standard 10-12 team league, depending on the bench size it makes sense to roster only one 2B upon conclusion of your draft. If you can’t scoop up Jose Altuve, Jose Ramirez or Anthony Rizzo, you may need to […]

2018 First Base - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers

If you play in a head-to-head points league, or season long format, you already know how difficult it can be to find fantasy analysis tailored to the format. Not only are the traditional rotisserie and head-to-head arrangements more popular, but the very nature of points leagues makes them difficult to cover in a general sense […]

Top 100: MLB Prospect Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

Prospects. For any fantasy baseball enthusiast, it's all about knowing about the prospects, rookies and call-ups. More than any other sport, baseball offers a fresh influx of rookie talent every year, both before and during the MLB season. And adding the right guy at the right time can be a league winner (see Aaron Judge and […]

Ichiro Suzuki May Return To Japan

Free-agent outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, now 44 years old, might be willing to finish his career in Japan. He hasn't had any success on the free-agent market despite 3,080 career hits. The future first-ballot Hall of Famer has had extensive talks with the Mariners and Padres, but both teams have moved on. The free-agent market for […]

Christian Yelich's Relationship With Marlins "Irretrievably Broken"

Miami Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich's relationship with the team is "irretrievably broken," and it's in the best interests of both the outfielder and the organization if the Marlins trade him before spring training, according to his agent. Yelich was upset when the team traded outfielders Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and second baseman Dee Gordon this […]

Top 450: Points Leagues Tiered Staff Rankings (January)

In case you haven't noticed, we've already been cranking out all sorts of 2018 fantasy baseball rankings at RotoBaller HQ. It's only mid-January but you can already find preliminary staff rankings for mixed leagues, points leagues, AL/NL only leagues, dynasty leagues, top 2018 prospects, dynasty prospects and more. Today we are here to start looking […]

Rule 5 Picks to Watch for Keeper Leagues

Every year the MLB Rule 4 draft, more commonly known as the First-Year Player Draft, gets a lot of attention from casual baseball fans and fantasy baseball players alike. In terms of fantasy relevance, though, the Rule 5 draft, which occurs during baseball's annual Winter Meetings, is far more impactful than the Rule 4 draft for […]

Champ or Chump: Chase Headley & Starlin Castro

The following analysis is presented with some misgivings. Both Chase Headley and Starlin Castro were moved this offseason, making them candidates for a change of scenery examination. However, these veteran players do not present an obvious fit with their presumably rebuilding clubs and have been included in trade speculation, with Castro reportedly asking to be […]

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 […]

Marlins Could Keep Starlin Castro

Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports that the Miami Marlins could keep second baseman Starlin Castro. Frisaro notes that a deal would only happen if “it absolutely made sense.” The initial reaction when the Marlins acquired Castro was that he would be on the block, but that does not appear to be the case. The 27-year-old […]

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 […]

Marlins Not Looking To Add Contracts With Christian Yelich Or J.T. Realmuto

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Miami Marlins are not looking to add some of their higher paid players such as second baseman Starlin Castro or third baseman Martin Prado in any potential deal involving outfielder Christian Yelich or catcher J.T. Realmuto. This would likely allow them to receive better prospects, and with Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna […]