Noah Syndergaard Receives A Raise

New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $6 million deal. Thor is a risk/reward high-end fantasy ace because of his injury history, but when he's healthy he's usually lights-out on the mound. The hard-throwing right-hander went 13-4 with a 3.03 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 155 […]

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 […]

Mets Plan To Use Jeff McNeil In The Outfield

With the acquisition of second baseman Jed Lowrie on Thursday, the New York Mets plan to play infielder Jeff McNeil more in the outfield in 2019 than previously thought. McNeil was a pleasant surprise in his rookie season, hitting .329/.381/.471 with three home runs, 19 RBI, 35 runs scored and seven steals in his first […]

Jed Lowrie Agrees With Mets

The New York Mets agreed to a two-year, $20 million deal with free-agent second baseman Jed Lowrie on Thursday, according to league sources. The 34-year-old had a career year in Oakland in 2018, setting career highs in homers (23), RBI (99) and walks (78) for a surprising A's team that made the playoffs. It's a […]

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 […]

Kevin Plawecki Avoids Arbitration

Cleveland Indians catcher Kevin Plawecki avoided salary arbitration on Wednesday by agreeing to a one-year, $1.137 million deal. The Tribe acquired Plawecki from the Mets last weekend, and he's expected to be the primary catcher in 2019 alongside Roberto Perez. He was a top prospect before reaching the big leagues, but he's hit just .218/.308/.330 […]

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 […]

David Wright To Work In Front Office

New York Mets third baseman David Wright has admitted that he is no longer physically able to play the game, but he will keep a small role in the organization as a special assistant to new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, according to two team sources. Sources close to Wright say it'll be a part-time […]

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 […]

Indians Acquire Kevin Plawecki

The Cleveland Indians acquired catcher Kevin Plawecki from the New York Mets on Sunday in exchange for minor league pitcher Walker Lockett and infielder Sam Haggerty. Plawecki hit just .210 with seven home runs in 79 games in 2018 and has hit just .218 with 14 homers and 75 RBI in 237 games over four […]

Mets Acquire J.D. Davis

The New York Mets acquired infielder J.D. Davis and minor league infielder Cody Bohanek from the Houston Astros on Sunday in exchange for minor league outfielder Ross Adolph, infielder Luis Santana and catcher Scott Manea. Davis was a third-round pick in 2014 and hit just .175 with a home run in 103 at-bats in 2018. […]

Nick Pivetta - Ace In The Making

In 2018 there was a breakout pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies who took the league by storm. After garnering league-wide attention, he’s pegged by many fantasy experts as a top-tier starting pitcher for the upcoming year. I'm talking about Aaron Nola, of course. But after this season it very well could be Nick Pivetta. He […]

Mets Acquire Keon Broxton

The New York Mets acquired outfielder Keon Broxton from the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday in exchange for pitchers Bobby Wahl and Adam Hill and infielder Felix Valerio. Broxton was expendable in Milwaukee's crowded outfield picture, and the speedster will now have an opportunity to start in center field with New York in 2019. Broxton has […]

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 […]

No Timetable For Yoenis Cespedes' Return

New York Mets special assistant Omar Minaya said there is no timetable for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (heels) in 2019. "If he gives us anything this year, that is great, we're happy for that," Minaya said. A top-shelf outfielder when healthy, Cespedes just hasn't been able to stay on the field for long stretches of time […]

Everything You Need to Know About Brandon Nimmo

You must be a fan of cliffhangers if you’ve been following New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo. After an offseason of trade talk, fantasy owners breathed a sigh of relief when it was Wilson Ramos announced as the team's newest cash signing, rather than the potential Nimmo - J.T. Realmuto deal proposed between the Mets and […]

Is It Tim Tebow Time in 2019?

It has been a long and polarizing road for Tim Tebow as a professional athlete. The two-time national champion and 2007 Heisman Trophy winner for the Florida Gators was a 2010 first-round draft pick to the Denver Broncos and, while he was never much of a passer (with the exception of his classic game-winning touchdown […]

Top 10 Dynasty First Basemen - Fantasy Baseball Prospects

It might seem like I drew the short straw among the prospect analysts here at RotoBaller, but I actually picked this assignment! You won’t see many of these names on top 100 lists. Despite being one of the positions from which teams expect to get the most offensive production, first base gets the least amount […]

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. […]

Travis d'Arnaud Avoids Arbitration

New York Mets catcher Travis D'Arnaud avoided salary arbitration on Saturday by agreeing to a one-year, $3.515 million deal. d'Arnaud continues to be plagued by injuries and only played in four games last year for the Mets. As a result, New York brought in Wilson Ramos to be the primary catcher in 2019. That means […]

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, […]

Wilson Ramos Signs With Mets

The New York Mets agreed to a two-year, $19 million deal with free-agent catcher Wilson Ramos on Sunday. This signing means that the Mets will no longer pursue Miami Marlins backstop J.T. Realmuto. Ramos and Travis D'Arnaud will split the catching duties next year, with Ramos likely seeing most of the playing time. He has […]

Mets Discussing Nick Castellanos

The New York Mets have talked to the Detroit Tigers about trading for outfielder Nick Castellanos, according to sources. The Tigers asking price is high, according to multiple teams who have spoken with them. Castellanos has just one year left on his deal, but he had a career-high .298 average, 23 home runs, 89 RBI […]

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 […]

Jeurys Familia Agrees To Terms With Mets

Relief pitcher Jeurys Familia has agreed to a three-year contract with his former team the New York Mets. Familia spent his first six and a half years with the Mets, prior to being dealt at the trade deadline last year to the Oakland Athletics. The reliever posted a 3.13 ERA with 83 strikeouts in 72 […]

Mets Have Extension Talks With Jacob deGrom

The New York Mets had preliminary contract-extension talks with starting pitcher Jacob deGrom's agents this week. It's unlikely that anything happens soon, but the lines of communication are open. deGrom dazzled in 2018 and won the National League Cy Young, although he only managed to win 10 games with a bad Mets offense behind him […]

Mets Meet With Adam Jones

The New York Mets met with free-agent outfielder Adam Jones in Las Vegas at the winter meetings. Jones can still be a valuable veteran right-handed outfield bat for a club in need, but he's 33 years old and is no longer the stud offensive weapon he used to be in his prime with Baltimore. Jones […]

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 […]