Mets Sign Adeiny Hechavarria

The New York Mets signed free-agent shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training on Sunday, according to a source. Hechavarria is a defense-first infielder that will provide veteran depth behind starter Amed Rosario. Hechavarria is a career .254 hitter with a .635 OPS over seven seasons in the […]

Peter Alonso Has Improved Defensively

New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway said first base prospect Peter Alonso is "probably the most improved defensive guy" the coaches have seen "in a long time." Alonso is ranked as MLB Pipeline's No. 51 prospect in 2019 after hitting .285/.395/.579 with a whopping 36 home runs and 119 RBI in 132 games with Double-A […]

2019 MLB Prospects - Fantasy Baseball Rookie Outlooks

Here at RotoBaller, we've been producing fantasy baseball analysis all offseason. As part of that, our awesome MLB team has written up detailed 2019 fantasy baseball outlooks for 400+ players. These player outlooks include RotoBaller's analysis on how we expect player to perform in 2019, where to target them in 2019 drafts, and supporting stats […]

Yoenis Cespedes Expected To Do Baseball Activities Next Week

New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (heels), who is almost four months removed from the second of two surgeries to remove calcification and bone spurs from both of his heels, is expected to begin baseball activities next week. He is confident he will return to play this year, but he's unsure if it'll be in […]

Jeff McNeil To See Most Of His Time In Left Field

New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway said second baseman/outfielder Jeff McNeil will see the bulk of his repetitions in left field this year and won't see much time -- if any -- in center. The Mets regular outfield against right-handed pitchers will be McNeil in left, Brandon Nimmo in center and Michael Conforto in right. […]

Mid-Round Shortstops - Fantasy Baseball Outlooks

Here at RotoBaller, we've been producing fantasy baseball analysis all offseason. As part of that, our awesome MLB team has written up detailed 2019 fantasy baseball outlooks for 400+ players. These player outlooks include RotoBaller's analysis on how we expect player to perform in 2019, where to target them in 2019 drafts, and supporting stats […]

Jacob deGrom Named Opening Day Starter

New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom was named the team's Opening Day starter by manager Mickey Callaway. It's the least-surprising news of the day after deGrom won the National League Cy Young award in 2018 by going 10-9 with a 1.70 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 269 K's in 217 innings across 32 starts. The […]

The National League Could Use a DH Right About Now

Ken Rosenthal, followed by Jeff Passan, Joel Sherman, and Jayson Stark, recently reported on negotiations between MLB and the Player's Association, especially regarding the rulebook. One of the most provocative pieces in the overarching story has been the possibility of the designated hitter coming to the National League as soon as this coming season. *cue sad trombone […]

Jason Vargas Is Mets Fifth Starter

New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway said that starting pitcher Jason Vargas will be the team's fifth starter to open the 2019 season. The 36-year-old lefty had a pretty ugly year in his first year in New York, going 7-9 with a bloated 5.77 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 8.2 K/9 in 92 innings (20 starts). […]

2019 MLB Fantasy Outlooks - Starting Pitchers

Here at RotoBaller, we've been producing fantasy baseball analysis all offseason. As part of that, our awesome MLB team has written up detailed 2019 fantasy baseball outlooks for 400+ players. These player outlooks include RotoBaller's analysis on how we expect a player to perform in 2019, where to target them in 2019 drafts, and supporting […]

Jacob deGrom Won't Negotiate Extension During The Season

New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom informed the team that he will not negotiate a long-term contract extension during the season, according to an industry source. The 30-year-old 2018 National League Cy Young winner won't be a free agent until after the 2020 season, but he's seeking a deal that will buy out his […]

ADP Champ or Chump - Josh Hader and Arodys Vizcaino

Recent seasons have shown how a great relief corps can sometimes be a cheap and effective way to bolster a team. Moreover, the move to convert semi-viable starters to relief pitchers has increased the number of legitimately good relievers rather than hoping to luck into the good Joel Hanrahan (excellent for two years, unusable otherwise). […]

Three Up, Three Down for Prospects - Second Base

Continuing the RotoBaller dynasty preview series, this article shifts the attention to second base prospects that owners should target in dynasty leagues and drafts. The keystone is one of this writer's favorite spots, as it offers the most comprehensive mix of player types. For as fun as the outfield is to rank, there are basically two […]

Jeff McNeil Could Play Outfield Against Righties

New York Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said that infielder Jeff McNeil's focus this spring will be "a transition to the outfield because we think we can be a lethal lineup with a McNeil, Conforto, Nimmo outfield against right-handed pitching." McNeil was never a big prospect for the Mets through the minors, but the […]

Mid-Round Outfielders - Fantasy Baseball Outlooks

Here at RotoBaller, we've been producing fantasy baseball analysis all offseason. As part of that, our awesome MLB team has written up detailed 2019 fantasy baseball outlooks for 400+ players. These player outlooks include RotoBaller's analysis on how we expect player to perform in 2019, where to target them in 2019 drafts, and supporting stats […]

Three Up, Three Down for Prospects - Third Base

Third base prospects are when things get serious. It is the position where you find some of your big-power hitters. Of course, you’ll see your share of warts as no prospect is perfect. I know, I know; some will differ greatly on that topic. Essentially, power is excellent, but sometimes it has a cost to […]

ADP Champ or Chump - Nick Pivetta and Victor Robles

As a general rule, fantasy owners like to play with shiny new toys. Victor Robles has less than 100 MLB PAs to his credit but is frequently taken just outside the top-100 based on his speed. The current 21-year-old (he turns 22 in May) has talent, but this writer sees several red flags that may […]

Mets Re-Sign Devin Mesoraco

The New York Mets re-signed catcher Devin Mesoraco to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training on Thursday. Mesoraco has major injury concerns and hit just .221/.303/.398 with 11 home runs and 33 RBI in 84 games for the Reds and Mets last season. He'll enter the year behind both Wilson Ramos […]

What I Learned in My First Slow Mock Expert Draft

Over the years, I’ve done hundreds of mock drafts, maybe even thousands. However, as someone relatively new to formal writing about fantasy baseball, I’ve never been part of an organization that ran a slow mock draft. I recently took part in RotoBaller’s Dynasty Mock Draft, and boy was it ever SLOW. We started this thing […]

Three Up, Three Down for Prospects - Shortstop

Shortstops are generally the most athletic players on the field. It is also a very important position, defensively, but we don’t really concern ourselves with that in fantasy, aside from ensuring a player will be able to stay on the field. As usual, there is a vast collection of athletic players to choose from, and the […]

Veteran Reliever Jerry Blevins Returns To A's Organization

The Oakland Athletics signed relief pitcher Jerry Blevins to a minor-league contract, and if he wins a job in the majors he'll be paid $1.5 million. Blevins made his major league debut with the A's back in 2007, and he appeared in 281 games in relief, posting a 13-6 record with a 3.30 ERA across […]

Starting Pitcher - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers

Fantasy experts are placing a bigger emphasis on drafting elite starters early this year. It is apparent this strategy is making its way across the fantasy community, as the high-end starters are being valued higher than before. In points leagues, this is a wise methodology, as an ace can serve as the backbone of a […]

ADP Champ or Chump - Nicholas Castellanos and Justin Upton

After the third tier of outfielders, fantasy owners have a few options before they find themselves left with only OF3-type candidates. Former teammates, Nicholas Castellanos and Justin Upton are the 24th and 25th outfielders going in drafts. They’re separated by 10 picks in ADP, at 87 and 97 respectively. Upton has the advantage in history […]

Relief Pitcher - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers

It’s never too early to start looking toward the fantasy baseball season, and I’m here to continue RotoBaller’s position-by-position rankings analysis series for points league and head-to-head (H2H) formats with the ever-volatile relief pitcher position. The "closer carousel" seems to spin faster and faster every year, and there are very few names in the 'set […]

Jacob deGrom Contract Talks To Begin Soon?

New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom and his representatives are disappointed that the team hasn't started contract-extension talks yet after making it sound like that was a priority in the second week of the December winter meetings. General manager Brodie Van Wagenen, deGrom's former agent, wants the star right-hander secured past the 2020 season. […]

Mets Still Expect Big Things From Yoenis Cespedes

Even though New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (heels) is a long way from stepping foot onto a field in a major league game, new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen expects Cespedes to return to a high level of play when he comes back. The 33-year-old outfielder had two surgeries to remove bone calcification from […]

Top 130 Prospect Rankings for 2019 Fantasy Baseball Redraft Leagues

Prospects. For fantasy baseball enthusiasts, we are always looking to know about the next wave of prospects, rookies and call-ups. More than most other sports, baseball gives us a fresh influx of rookie talent every single year. Impact prospects are called-up both before and during the MLB season. Knowing about the right prospect, and drafting/adding him […]

Shortstop - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers

It’s never too early to start looking toward the fantasy baseball season, so I’m here to carry on RotoBaller’s position-by-position rankings analysis series for points league and head-to-head (H2H) formats with the stars of the infield, the shortstops. The position is star-studded, and in roto leagues, I think I'd be comfortable with any of the […]

Mike Soroka - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

It’s an exciting time to be an Atlanta Braves fan. After a surprise division championship in 2018, the club also debuted 20-year-old phenom and Rookie of the Year winner Ronald Acuna Jr. However, there was another 20-year-old that debuted for the Braves last year, not in the batter's box, but on the pitching mound instead. […]

Outfield - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers

It’s never too early to start looking toward the fantasy baseball season, so I’m here to continue RotoBaller’s position-by-position rankings analysis series for points league and head-to-head (H2H) formats with the incredibly deep outfield position. There is a seemingly neverending stream of useful bats, but there are still clear chokepoints where the risk portfolio thickens. […]