Steamer Surprises: Projection Values For 2025 Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back to The Lookahead; this week, we take an early look at the first projections of 2025. It’s the most wonderful time of the year… No, this isn’t yet another column decrying the perpetually accelerating Christmas creep phenomenon. Instead, we fantasy baseball fanatics have two events to celebrate. First, drafts for 2025 are open […]

Rays Deal To Build A New Stadium Now Dead?

It appears likely that a historic deal to build a new $1.3 billion stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays at the Tropicana Field site is all but dead, according to the Tampa Bay Times' John Romano. The Pinellas County Commission has postponed one vote on bonds that would go toward financing a new ballpark, and […]

First Base Risers, Fallers, Buys, and Sells for Dynasty Fantasy Baseball

While the offseason has just begun, it's never too early to look ahead and begin prepping for 2025. And for those of you in dynasty leagues, November can be just as important as July when it comes to roster construction and improving your teams for the long run. As I've said several times before, there's […]

Rays To Play Home Games In 2025 At Steinbrenner Field

The Tampa Bay Rays are planning to play their home games during the 2025 season at Tampa's Steinbrenner Field, where the New York Yankees play their spring training games. The move comes after Hurricane Milton tore the roof of Tropicana Field on Oct. 9. Steinbrenner Field seats 11,000 as also serves as the home of […]

Wander Franco Now Facing Weapons Charges

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco will now face charges of illegal use and possession of a firearm after he was arrested in the Dominican Republic countryside during an armed altercation on Sunday, according to public prosecutors. Franco had been held for questioning by police but is expected to be granted his release on Tuesday. […]

Shane McClanahan Expected To Be Ready For Spring Training

Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan (elbow) is expected to have a normal, healthy offseason after completing his rehab program from Tommy John Surgery on Sept. 25 by throwing 15 to 16 pitches in a live batting practice session at Tropicana Field. McClanahan looked good during that session and was hitting 94 to 95 mph. […]

Wander Franco Arrested On Monday After Altercation

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who remains on the team's restricted list, was arrested on Monday in the Dominican Republic. This time, the arrest was related to an incident that happened on Sunday in which an altercation occurred and "guns were drawn." Franco is currently out on bail based on a deal related to […]

Tre' Morgan Stays Hot In 2024 Fall Stars Game

Tampa Bay Rays first base prospect Tre' Morgan went 1-for-2 with two walks and a stolen base during the 2024 Fall Stars Game. Morgan's lone hit went for extra bases. Through 17 games in the Arizona Fall League, the 22-year-old has posted an impressive .347/.405/.528 slash line with eight doubles, 15 RBI, and an 8:8 […]

Rays Have Interest In Juan Soto

According to Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times, the Rays have interest in free-agent outfielder Juan Soto. Topkin noted that New York Post reporter Jon Heyman broke this news first and described the Rays as a "surprise" and a "mystery entrant" in the Soto sweepstakes. This is quite a surprise, as the Rays typically […]

Xavier Isaac Performing Well During Arizona Fall League

Tampa Bay Rays first base prospect Xavier Isaac has posted an impressive .286/.403/.554 slash line through 15 games at the Arizona Fall League. He has hit three home runs and six doubles. This is a great sign for the 20-year-old as he enjoyed a fantastic campaign at High-A last season. Across 71 games with High-A […]

Lessons Learned For Fantasy Baseball 2025

Welcome back to the Lookahead; this week we apply lessons from 2024 to our 2025 draft prep. One of the primary, overarching goals with this column is simple: how can we improve as fantasy players? Just as a shop owner doesn’t know what to order next without taking inventory, so too should we reflect on […]

Rays Pick Up Club Option On Brandon Lowe

The Tampa Bay Rays have picked up the 2025 club option on second baseman Brandon Lowe according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Lowe is coming off another solid season where he hit at least 20 home runs for the second-straight campaign. He also held a .244/.311/.473 slash line with 58 RBI and five stolen bases. […]

Fantasy Baseball Dynasty/Keeper League Outfielders To Stash For 2025

Welcome back, RotoBallers. It may be the offseason but we don't stop thinking about fantasy baseball in these parts, especially if you play in a dynasty/keeper league. I am starting a new series on players to grab and stash before the 2025 season. Spring training or even just offseason analysis could generate buzz on some […]

The Biggest Fantasy Baseball Busts Of 2024

There are technical, precise ways to measure a fantasy “bust,” but we know one when we see one. We lived through it, after all. These players slowly but surely sabotaged our fantasy teams despite high expectations. For those who want firm parameters, we have, with one exception, spotlighted players drafted in the top 150 who […]

Eric Cross' Top 100 Dynasty Rankings for Fantasy Baseball (October 2024)

Another fantasy baseball season has come and gone, but in dynasty, when one season ends the next one begins. Rankings don't reset, they simply continue on. We saw plenty of notable performances down the stretch in 2024, both good and bad which created plenty of movement in my final Top 500 dynasty rankings update of […]

Eric Cross' Top 100 Dynasty Prospect Rankings for Fantasy Baseball (October 2024)

Well, the 2024 season is in the rearview mirror, and we are now turning our attention to 2025. Sure, it's only the first day of October when this article is being published, but as dynasty managers know, there's never a bad time to improve your roster for the future. At this point in the year, […]

Shane Baz Strikes Out Seven In Win

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz tossed his third consecutive quality start in Saturday's 7-2 victory over the Red Sox, allowing two earned runs on just three hits and a walk while striking out seven over six innings of work, picking up his fourth win. Baz has looked good since coming off of the […]

MLB DFS: DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (9/29/24) - Today's Top Lineups

Happy Sunday, RotoBallers! Disregarding a make-up doubleheader tomorrow, this is the last day of the MLB regular season. As such, it will also be the weirdest DFS slate possible. Lineup decisions will be largely unpredictable, so stay on your toes today! With all 30 teams included on this slate, there is no shortage of pitching […]

Starts and Sits - All Starting Pitcher Matchups for Fantasy Baseball (September 23 - September 29)

Welcome to the final week of the season, where we all finish with our best decisions thanks to our starting pitcher starts/sits for fantasy baseball Week 27 -- Monday, September 23 through Sunday, September 29. Keep it locked in here as teams shuffle their rotations for playoff assignments. We'll do our best to lay out […]

Junior Caminero Blasts Two-Run Shot As Part Of Three-Hit Day

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero had a huge day at the plate, racking up three hits and three RBI in the Rays' 7-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. Caminero blasted his sixth HR of the season off Red Sox start Kutter Crawford, a two-run shot in the third inning. He […]

Taj Bradley Fans Seven Over Six Shutout Innings

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Taj Bradley tossed six innings of shutout ball in Friday's 2-1 victory over the Red Sox, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out seven on the way to earning his eighth win of the season. It caps off an up-and-down season for the righty, as he had […]

Xavier Edwards Tallies Three Triples, Four RBI

Miami Marlins shortstop Xavier Edwards' speed was on full display in Friday's 15-5 win over the Blue Jays, setting a Marlins franchise record with three triples in a single game. The 25-year-old finished the day 4-for-6 from the plate, with four RBI and two runs scored. It was Edwards' fourth straight multi-hit game, putting an […]

Christopher Morel Sitting Out Against Red Sox

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Christopher Morel and shortstop Taylor Walls are getting the day off on Friday for the series opener against the division-rival Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Richie Palacios is making the start in left field and is hitting seventh, with Jose Caballero returning to shortstop and batting eighth against Red Sox […]

Fantasy Baseball Closers and Saves Waiver Wire Report for Week 28

Here we are, internet friends: the last weekend of the regular season (plus a doubleheader on Monday). We've made it through the year and most leagues are already done and figuring out who never ended up paying dues. Wait, how much was it for first place again? This week was an interesting and exciting one, as […]

MLB DFS: DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (9/27/24) - Today's Top Lineups

The final Friday of the regular season brings 15 games across baseball. There will be no shortage of options with 12 of those games making up the main evening slates on DraftKings and FanDuel. This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 9/27/2024, with the slate starting at […]

Tyler Alexander Shines Thursday

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Tyler Alexander was excellent on Thursday, holding the Detroit Tigers scoreless over five innings in a 4-3 loss. Alexander allowed four hits, didn't walk a batter, and struck out six. It was the best outing of the season for the 30-year-old, who owns a 5.10 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in […]

Case Against Wander Franco Will Go To Trial

A judge in the Dominican Republic ruled on Thursday that the evidence presented against Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco merits a trial, according to multiple reports. Franco is charged with human trafficking, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of a minor. The charges stem from the 23-year-old's relationship with a then-14-year-old girl that started in […]

Yandy Diaz, Jose Caballero Out On Thursday

Tampa Bay Rays infielders Yandy Diaz and Jose Caballero and outfielder Jonny DeLuca are all out of the lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Diaz is on the bench for the third time in the last four days, but it doesn't appear he's dealing with any sort of injury. […]

Top Hitting Fantasy Baseball Prospects Who Should Debut Early in 2025

The 2024 season is winding down, but it's never too early to start thinking about and prepping for the 2025 season. Throughout the 2024 season, I wrote a weekly article on the Top 25 prospects to stash in redraft leagues. Hopefully, that article was useful to many of you who read it each week, helping […]

Jonathan Aranda, Josh Lowe Sitting Against Tigers

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Jonathan Aranda and outfielder Josh Lowe are out of the team's starting lineup on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park with a left-hander on the mound. Brandon Lowe will start at first base and bat second, with Jonny DeLuca manning right field and hitting third for the Rays versus […]