Fantasy Beat – An Evening With Jeff Mans

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

Miguel Cabrera' or find free 'miguel cabrera' pictures via Wylio" href="http://www.wylio.com/credits/flickr/7566054314">With Trevor Ray away, Justin ‘Fensty’ Fensterman called upon Jeff Mans from FantasyAlarm.com to join him on this weeks edition of The Fantasy Beat! Jeff and Justin talk about general fantasy baseball strategy (how to evaluate pitching properly), top performers for the season, and everything else you would generally talk about on a first date.

Shuffle Up: Manny Machado, ahead of schedule

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

Here are your Shuffle Up corners for the month of May. Dig into them, think about them, disagree with them. I'll be back with commentary later tonight.

Normal rules apply, of course. We're trying to project 5x5 value to come; what's happened to this point is an audition, not a mandate. Players at the same price are considered even. Don't worry about the prices in a vacuum - what matters is how the players relate to one another. Your intelligent and respectful disagreement is always welcome.

Please remember the golden rule of shuffling: a player doesn't gain (or lose) 15-20 percent of value simply because he's on your roster.

Courtesy injury ranks are at the bottom. I won't debate those (I'm generally not as

Cabrera homers, plates three to lead Tigers - Miguel Cabrera | DET

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Miguel Cabrera blasted a three run homer, powering the Tigers to a 10-4 victory over the Indians on Friday.

Miguel Cabrera: Sore Back

Source: RotoWire.com MLB

Miguel Cabrera: Cabrera appeared to hurt his back on a ground ball in Wednesday's loss to the Nats, though he remained in the game, the Associated Press reports. "My back was tight, a little sore, my low back," he said. "But no big deal. I was able to play nine innings, so, hopefully tomorrow, it will work out, regular stretch and ready to play." Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

Mostly MLB Notes: James Shields hot start, examining bullpens and prospect talk

Source: Roto Arcade by Dalton Del Don

Leaving a home park that ranked first, second and seventh when it comes to suppressing runs scored over the past three years respectively (according to Park Factors) and a defense that has the highest UZR over that span as well, I was down on James Shields entering 2013. After all, he was just two years removed from a season in which he posted a 5.18 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. But I’ve been dead

Jam it or Cram it: Starting Pitchers-The Little Dab Will Do Ya Edition

Source: Razzball by grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright)

Yahoo's current top 3 fantasy baseball stat leaders are Justin Upton, Miguel Cabrera, and at number one it’s a man named Clay. Clay Buchholz? Miggy, I can see for sure. Upton? In this leftover Cinco de Mayo hangover haze you might convince me. But Clay Buchholz? Number 1? I'd ask the Razzball stat checker but he's passed out at his abacus. Buchholz is 6-0 with a 1.01 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP and 47 K's in 44 innings to start the season. Thursday he was named the AL pitcher of the month. Last Wednesday Buchholz shut down the Blue Jays and sparked a minor Twitter war between the US and our toque wearing neighbors to the north. Some folks in Toronto were calling "shenanigans". While I do appreciate me some good "shenanigans", I am really

Roto Roundup: Dee Gordon, Jose Fernandez, Miguel Cabrera, and Others

Source: Fake Teams by Ray Guilfoyle

I just want to remind everyone that you can post any fantasy questions here in the comments section of the Roto Roundup, so feel free to ask as many questions as you would like.

I didin't get to the Roundup last night, so this one will be short and quick.

Dee Gordon makes an impression in first game

The Dodgers finally called up Dee Gordon from AAA, but it took another injury to Hanley Ramirez for the decision to be made. And after the way he hit last night, the Dodgers look silly for not

Cabrera goes deep twice, Tigers rout Astros - Miguel Cabrera | DET

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Miguel Cabrera hit two homers and tallied six total RBI as the Tigers beat the Astros 17-2 on Saturday.

Cabrera homers twice, Tigers rout Astros 17-2 - Miguel Cabrera | DET

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Miguel Cabrera hit two homers and tallied six total RBI as the Tigers beat the Astros 17-2 on Saturday.

Mostly MLB Notes: Buying Matt Cain and examining what’s wrong with Eric Hosmer

Source: Roto Arcade by Dalton Del Don

Matt Cain entered this season having allowed 129 homers over 1,536.2 innings (0.76 HR/9). This year, he’s already served up nine home runs over 34.2 innings. Put differently, he’s allowed the same amount of long balls this month as he did all of the 2011 season, which spanned 221.2 innings. Cain has never had a season in which his HR/FB% was higher than 8.4. That number currently sits at 19.1% in 2013. While some could view this as regression hitting hard, Cain’s previous sample was too big to be written off as a fluke, and it’s worth pointing out just two of his six starts this year have come at home. Cain’s fastball velocity is down slightly in the early going (about 0.5 mph less compared to last

Draft Day Challenge, April 18

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

Daily baseball is all the rage in the fantasy sports world, so I will be covering the game a couple of times a week here at BaseballGuys.com. To that end, I’ve partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers, that’s you, the chance to play the game on a daily basis. On Tuesday and Thursday’s here at the site, every week, I’ll be giving you some insight

Shuffle Up: Michael Cuddyer gets his groove back

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

Today's ranking assignment takes us down on the corner, the first basemen and the third basemen. Settle in, settlers.

What you'll see below are prices for most of the Yahoo-eligible cornermen going forward. There are a few rules here: if you're in the minors or on the DL, you don't make this list. Too variable in worth, league to league. If you're catcher-eligible, you don't make the list – everyone's probably going to use you at catcher anyway. Don't obsess over the actual dollar amounts – what matters is how the players relate to one another. When players are at the same number, they're considered even.

The games to this point are merely an audition. We're trying to figure out who's worth the

Gallardo The New Coxswain Of The Brew Crew

Source: Razzball by grey@razzball.com (Grey Albright)

Yesterday, Yovani Gallardo was arrested for a DUI. So that explains why his pitches are all over the place! He blew a 0.22. That's six-plus runs better than his ERA. Gallardo's mugshot looks like a still from a PSA. "More than 79% of Americans feel the most significant social problem facing America is the physical absence of a decent 1st baseman." "I'm Yovani, and our 1st baseman is Alex Gonzalez some days. Other days, it's Yuniesky Betancourt. Please stop this needless crime against run support." I wonder if he was driving home from the Miller Brewery tour, because it's awesome, but, man, you should not

Over/Under: Is this the year Fowler finally keeps pace?

Source: Roto Arcade by Brad Evans

Fantasy is a speculative game. Predict the future, and you look like a genius. Don't, and you're painfully human. Gazing into the crystal ball, here's our view on 10 intriguing over/unders.

Dexter Fowler, out to a scorching start launching four homers in just under 40 at-bats, combined HRs/SBs on season 37.5

Scott – I have a handful of Fowler shares this year, so my heart wants to push this number up. But UNDER is the logical call; I don't want to bet on the come when it's not warranted. Road games are generally an issue for the Rockies (the ball simply doesn't break as much in the mile-high air), and Fowler's never learned the craft of base stealing (a shame given his raw

Roto Roundup: Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Cano, All Astros and Others

Source: Fake Teams by Ray Guilfoyle

Tuesday brought fantasy owners with a collection of bad news and some good news on the injury front. The news on Jered Weaver and Jason Motte was not good, but there was some good involving Chase Headley and Hanley Ramirez.

Miguel Cabrera is still the best hitter in baseball

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera had a big day at the plate on Tuesday afternoon, going 4-5 with a HR, 3 runs

Clever Ball: Roto Arcade’s 2013 MLB Predictions

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

Predictions are silly. Predictions are fun.

Today we collect the Yahoo! Five (Funston, Behrens, Evans, Del Don, Pianowski) and we invite Michael Salfino to sit in. It's Crystal Ball time, 2013 MLB season. We've seen the future, and this all works out reasonably well.

Share your predictions in the comments, and Happy Opening Day, gamers.

Brandon Funston, Lead Singer

NL Playoffs
Washington
Atlanta
St. Louis
Cincinnati
San Francisco

AL Playoffs
Toronto
Detroit
Kansas City
LA Angels
Oakland

World Series – Washington over Toronto

NL

Roto Roundup: Braun, Mesoraco, Hughes and Others

Source: Fake Teams by Ray Guilfoyle

I am going to try a new format with the Roto Roundup this year, so here is my first shot at the new and improved Roto Roundup.

Ryan Braun is STILL the #1 Pick

I regularly listen to the SiriusXM Fantasy channel on my drive in to work and on my way home. Some fantasy owners call into the show are afraid to draft Ryan Braun #1 overall this season. The reason: he could be suspended. They call in asking who they should take with the #1 pick as they don't want to risk the #1 pick on a player who might get suspended. My response to this is: Miguel Cabrera has the same chance of being suspended as Braun does. Take Braun #1 overall. I experienced this in my NL only draft last week as well. For me, Braun is still the #1

Empty Wallet: The All-Avoid Team, 2013

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

The good cops have had their say, the optimistic spins are already out there. Today I'm here to play bad cop, throw some red ink around. Let's get ready for the Anti-Value team, the names to avoid.

There's a sneaky industry secret when it comes to target and avoid lists; the second group generally gets the short end of the stick. It's common for many a fantasy pundit to

Fantasy Baseball: All-Value team, 2013

Source: Roto Arcade by Brandon Funston

They say timing is everything. That might be giving "timing" a little bit too much credit. But at least in the case of fantasy baseball drafts, it's spot on. When 2013 comes to an end, you can count on this page to be top-heavy with players that not only had successful fantasy campaigns, but were also afterthoughts on draft day. With that in mind, here's an All-Value team for 2013 - again, it's all about the timing (ADP).

First Base - Chris Davis, Baltimore (Yahoo! ADP 160, Y! '12 rank 89): Players that can hit 30 home

Final Update - 2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Top 250

Source: Fantasy Football Toolbox

1 Mike Trout OF, 2 Ryan Braun OF, 3 Miguel Cabrera 3B, 4 Robinson Cano 2B, 5 Andrew McCutchen OF, 6 Matt Kemp OF

Fantasy Beat – Cleaning the Glass & Rounding the Bases

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

Justin Fensterman and Trevor Ray start off talking about some NBA players that could see some increased minutes because they are playing on teams that are out of it. They also talk some general Free Agents to pickup for your playoff stretch. It’s now time for Trevor to quit complaining about NBA because he gets to talk some fantasy baseball. The guys discuss some key draft strategies people need to pay attention to.

NBA: Gerald Henderson, Wesley Johnson, Isaiah Thomas, Tiago

Reactions to the 2013 Tout Wars AL-only draft

Source: Fake Teams by Ray Guilfoyle

The Tout Wars AL-only experts league draft took place on Saturday morning in New York City, and I have some thoughts on the draft results, including the best and worst auction values.

1. Tiger third baseman Miguel Cabrera was the most expensive player auctioned, as he went for $43 to ESPN's Matthew Berry. I am surprised he didn't go for a few dollars more, but it is rare to see a player auctioned for more than $40-45 in these experts leagues.

2. Mike Trout was the second most expensive hitter drafted as he was auctioned at $40 by defending champion Larry Schecter. Schecter spend $110 of

What’s In My Wallet, 2013: Up Goes Todd Frazier

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

The first thing to know about this exercise is that it's mostly out of context. I'm in a bunch of leagues every year (too many, really, but it's a labor of love) and they come from all angles. Mixed leagues. Mono leagues. Keeper leagues (well, one). Redraft leagues. Drafts and auctions, with the player-penetration level constantly changing.

At this time of year I like to look back (though I'm not done drafting) and see what players I've landed more than once. Repeated ownership generally means I like a player, at least more than my opponents do - but it's obviously a lot more complicated than that. And sometimes I find myself missing on players I actually do like a lot because of circumstances I can't really control (I only have

Injuries & Accusations

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

The 2013 major league baseball season is about to begin, so now is a great time to touch on two topics that are in the news on a daily basis – injured players and those that might be guilty of PED use.

WORKING WITH THE INJURY BUG

Corey Hart.

Fantasy Baseball Round Table: If Miguel Cabrera is No. 1, who's No. 2?

Source: KFFL.com MLB

The benevolent Lord Zola - OK, the selfish Lord Zola - asks the court about a "hypothetical" at the No. 2 pick.

A Guide Through the First Five* Rounds

Source: Fake Teams by AnthonyCalanni

My name is Anthony Calanni and I will be your tour guide today. I am going to rank my top 60 players and place them in the position that I believe they should be drafted at. I broke the rankings up into five rounds of 12. These rankings apply to both rotisserie and head to head formats.

Mock Round 1
1. Mike Trout
2. Ryan Braun
3. Miguel Cabrera
4. Matt Kemp
5. Robinson Cano
6. Albert

A Guide Through the First Three Rounds

Source: Fake Teams by AnthonyCalanni

My name is Anthony Calanni and I will be your tour guide today. I am going to rank my top 36 players and place them in the position that I believe they should be drafted at. I broke the rankings up into three rounds of 12.

Mock Round 1

1. Mike Trout

2. Ryan Braun

3. Miguel Cabrera

4. Matt Kemp

5.

2013 SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio – Experts Draft

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

miguel cabrera' pictures via Wylio" href="http://www.wylio.com/credits/flickr/8487929044">

I just keep doing fantasy baseball drafts don’t I? Seems like every time I wake up I get my bowl of cereal, my Red Bull (sometimes there is vodka in it), answer a plethora of tweets and emails, and then I end up being in a draft of some kind. Which draft am I talking about in this article? It’s the SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio draft, populated by the genius minds of the network. How did my team turn out? Before I get to that, here are the rules.

12 team mixed

Fantasy Baseball 2013: Third Base primer

Source: Roto Arcade by Andy Behrens

It seems highly doubtful that you'll be able to screw up this position, no matter how poorly you draft. Go ahead and try. Can't be done. Third base is uncommonly deep in 2013 — so deep, in fact, that the players we've slotted ninth and tenth in our preseason ranks, Chase Headley and Aramis Ramirez, both finished among the overall top-25 last season.

This position is so stacked that no one in the fantasy community even seems to care that we've lost Alex Rodriguez indefinitely — possibly for the entire season. We've buried A-Rod in the desert with Troy Glaus, Hank Blalock and Andy Marte. Thanks for the

Mostly MLB Notes: Dan Haren bouncing back, avoiding Mark Trumbo and Ryan Zimmerman over Evan Longoria

Source: Roto Arcade by Dalton Del Don

Battling through hip and back injuries, Dan Haren posted a 4.33 ERA last season that was his worst since 2004 - his second year in the league. His average fastball velocity dropped to a career low 88.5 mph, and lingering questions regarding his health left him without many suitors during the offseason when he was a free agent. Ultimately, he signed with the Nationals on a one-year, $13 million deal. While not cheap, it was a bit surprising someone with his track record couldn’t fetch a multi-year deal, but he passed his physical and will have every incentive to prove he’s healthy in 2013. Haren is just one season removed from posting a 5.8:1 K:BB ratio (which was second best in baseball) with a 1.02 WHIP,

2013 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Top 250

Source: Fantasy Football Toolbox

1 Mike Trout OF, 2 Ryan Braun OF, 3 Miguel Cabrera 3B, 4 Robinson Cano 2B, 5 Andrew McCutchen OF, 6 Matt Kemp OF

K-BAD – 2013: Part III, BBGuys Team

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

The fellas over over at KFFL.com have a fantasy baseball league nicknamed K-BAD, for Baseball Analysis Draft, and for the 5th straight year I’m honored to have been asked to participate (the proceeding link takes you to an analysis by every participant on the league). In Part III of this three part review I’ll break down how my squad turned out.

C:

Fantasy Rant: The three managers who can ruin any auction, and who should just be banned indefinitely

Source: Roto Arcade by Andy Behrens

Eventually, as we get deeper into draft season, the Roto Arcade team will get around to publishing the usual lists of do's and don'ts for fantasy auctions. And it will be an awesome list, loaded with wickedly insightful tips like, "Don't leave dollars on the table" and "Don't overpay for career years" — stuff you couldn't possibly figure out on your own.

But today, we have a different objective. Today, we're simply discussing behavioral issues.

Before we give you advice to help dominate at the auction table, we first need to ensure that you aren't the chucklehead who destroys the auction for everyone else.

[Baseball 2013 from Yahoo! Fantasy Sports:

K-BAD – 2013: Part I, Rounds 1-14

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

Miguel Cabrera' or find free 'miguel cabrera' pictures via Wylio" href="http://www.wylio.com/credits/flickr/7565490358"> For the fifth straight year I was invited to play in an expert’s league by the folks over at KFFL.com (you can click on the link to see how everyone else in the draft evaluated their own selections). Nicknamed K-BAD, for Baseball Analysis Draft, the league pits 11 of the top minds in the game against one flunky (that would be your truly). I thought I would give my analysis

Fantasy Rant: The three managers who can ruin any auction, and who should just be banned indefinitely

Source: Roto Arcade by Andy Behrens

Eventually, as we get deeper into draft season, the Roto Arcade team will get around to publishing the usual lists of do's and don'ts for fantasy auctions. And it will be an awesome list, loaded with wickedly insightful tips like, "Don't leave dollars on the table" and "Don't overpay for career years" — stuff you couldn't possibly figure out on your own.

But today, we have a different objective. Today, we're simply discussing behavioral issues.

Before we give you advice to help dominate at the auction table, we first need to ensure that you aren't the chucklehead who destroys the auction for everyone else.

[Baseball 2013 from Yahoo! Fantasy Sports:

Fantasy baseball 2013 draft preview: Third base primer

Source: SI.com

Fantasy baseball can giveth, and fantasy baseball can taketh away. But last season it was unusually kind, giving us third base eligibility for Miguel Cabrera. The result? A Triple Crown season, unheard of in the fantasy era at any position.

Pressing Questions: The San Francisco Giants

Source: Roto Arcade by Dalton Del Don

The Giants improbably won their second World Series over the past three years in 2012, once again riding strong pitching and terrific defense in the postseason. They did so despite being down 2-0 against the Reds while heading to play the next three games in Cincinnati and then down 3-1 against the Cardinals in the NLCS, only to outscore their opponents 36-7 over the next seven games – all wins. San Francisco became champs while hitting by far the fewest home runs in major league baseball, although that had plenty to do with AT&T Park, which had the lowest HR Park Factor (0.522) of any stadium since 2002.

The Giants somehow won the World Series despite Tim Lincecum finishing with a 5.18 ERA,

Player Profile: David Ortiz

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

Last season David Ortiz of the Red Sox had a better batting average than Robinson Cano (.318 to .313). Ortiz had more homers than

2013 LABR Experts Mixed League Draft Results

Source: Fake Teams by Ray Guilfoyle

It's earlier than I expected, but the first experts league draft is in the books, with the LABR Experts Mixed League draft completed this evening. Click on the link below to see all of the draft results:

LABR Experts Mixed League Draft Results

The draft consisted of 15 of the top fantasy experts in the business, including Paul Sporer, from Baseball Prospectus and PaulSporer.com, who recently wrote a guest post here at Fake Teams a few weeks ago.

Here are the first round picks:

1. Miguel Cabrera

2. Mike

Fantasy Baseball 2013 Head-to-Head Points League Rankings: Top 25 Starters

Source: Fake Teams by Alex Kantecki

Last week at Fake Teams, I wrapped up a two-week stretch ranking the top hitters in head-to-head points leagues for 2013. If you're reading this, I haven't totally scared you from rotisserie's evil twin. Maybe you're thinking of joining a head-to-head league. Or maybe you just like rankings a lot -- I know I do.

I previously mentioned that Miguel Cabrera won the points title among hitters, but the overall points winner (hitter or pitcher) was R.A. Dickey, who knuckleball danced his was to 613 points, 16 points better than Cabrera. In fact, the top-five pitchers (Dickey,

2013 Rankings: Third Basemen

Source: Fantasy Baseball 365

The hot corner is a bit top heavy, but sprinkled in the middle are some hitters that are flawed but bring a carrying fantasy stat to the table. There are also some young players that have breakout potential beyond the upper tier. 

Rank First Name Last

Fantasy Baseball 2013: AL-Only Top 12 Hitters

Source: Fake Teams by Ray Guilfoyle

Yesterday, I ranked my Top 12 NL-Only hitters for 2013, so it only makes sense that today I publish my AL-only Top 12 hitters. I have to say that the NL-only Top 12 was a much easier list to put together. I had a little difficulty picking hitters 10-12, but there were at least 4-5 hitters I considered as my 11th and 12th hitters. With the AL-only Top 12, I started having trouble around pick 8.

Let's take a look at my Top 12 AL-only hitters for 2013:

1. Miguel Cabrera, DET

2. Mike Trout, LAA

3. Robinson Cano,

Yoenis Cespedes: A.L.Only Greatness

Source: Fake Teams by brad dengler

My three favorite American League stories from the 2012 season were Miguel Cabrera's Triple Crown, Mike Trout's debut, and the introduction of Yoenis Cespedes to baseball in the United States. Coming into the 2012 season, all fantasy owners could hang their hat on regarding Cespedes was conjecture. How would he handle major league pitching? Would the power and speed we hoped for, materialize? Unlike Mike Trout, owners did not have a minor league career to evaluate. But going into 2013, owners have a good idea of the power/speed/average combination Mr. Cespedes should provide in 2013.

In 2012 fantasy owners drafted Yoenis and hoped for the

Spin Doctors: Who’s No. 1, Mike Trout or Miguel Cabrera?

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

Now that the Super Bowl result is in the books (no one left to beat, Joe Flacco), the roto public turns an eye to pitchers, catchers, and the rest of the fantasy baseball carnival. The top of the ranking board is always a hot-button topic, and today, in this forum, Brandon Funston and Scott Pianowski have a difference of opinion on how they'd kick off a draft. Share your thoughts (and Ryan Braun sympathizing) in the comments.

B-Fun leads off: Last season, Miguel Cabrera became the first player in 45 years to win a Triple Crown. That's a first place finish in the AL in three of the five categories in our roto racket. But despite his rare trifecta, and the fact that Mike

Fantasy Baseball 2013 AL- Only Rankings: Third Base

Source: Fake Teams by smokeymcpots

Miguel Cabrera - Yea they make crowns for baseball. Top overall fantasy pick for me.

Adrian Beltre - He carried many a fantasy team down the stretch last year by going all donkey kong and slugging over .700. No Hamilton may hurt a little but I don't expect it to.

Evan Longoria - Hamstrings be damned. Frustrating that he keeps getting dinged up. Is a fantasy monster when he stays on the pitch.

Brett Lawrie - Hype is there and his WAR

Pressing Questions: The Detroit Tigers

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

The 2012 Tigers were supposed to be a good-hit, bad-field bunch that contended for the AL Pennant. The last target came to pass, even if the path getting there didn't take the expected shape.

In spite of Miguel Cabrera's Triple Crown season (and controversial MVP), Detroit finished a mere 11th in the majors in runs (726), dropping 61 from the previous year. And don't blame it on the home yard, as Comerica Park played slightly favorable for offense in 2012. The full-season loss of Victor Martinez obviously didn't help, though the addition of Prince Fielder countered that nicely.

The Motown defense turned out to be problematic in spots, passable in others: while

Pressing Questions: The New York Mets

Source: Roto Arcade by Dalton Del Don

The Mets actually had a winning record at the All-Star break (46-40) last season but ultimately finished 74-88 and in fourth place in the NL East. The offense, pitching and defense were all middling to poor, and an already strong division got even tougher, as the Nationals and Braves might both be among the best teams in all of baseball in 2013 after adding more pieces during the offseason. New York locked up David Wright long-term, signing him to a new eight-year contract extension, but otherwise this is a franchise in rebuild mode, so patience is going to be required, especially playing in the NL East. Still, there are some really interesting young arms on this roster, so the future could eventually be

Pressing Questions: Los Angeles Angels

Source: Roto Arcade by Brandon Funston

This week, we continue our usual series of MLB fantasy previews, wherein we consider 5-6 key questions surrounding each team. Baseball is coming, gamers. Pitchers and catchers report next month. Fantasy owners report immediately...

For the second consecutive year, the Angels landed the offseason's biggest free agent prize. In signing slugger Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols, the team has committed over $220 million over the next five years. Clearly the Angels were undeterred by the Vernon wells experience – who'll make nearly $50 million over the next two seasons while riding the pine. Like their geographical neighbors, the Dodgers, money

Pressing Questions: The Los Angeles Dodgers

Source: Roto Arcade by Dalton Del Don

After Frank McCourt sold the Dodgers for a record setting $2 billion – by far the most ever for a sports franchise, and when it comes to MLB, the next highest was $845 million in 2009 for the Cubs – to a group led by Magic Johnson (and former baseball executive Stan Kasten and the Guggenheim Partners), Los Angeles became hyper aggressive, taking on payroll as if money wasn’t an object. It started in June, when the team signed Cuban prospect Yasiel Puig to a $42 million contract, which was $6 million more than was given to Yoenis Cespedes, who was almost unanimously regarded as the better player by most scouts. But that was just the beginning, as the Dodgers then traded for Hanley

Breakfast Table: Breakfast of Champions

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

For the last decade or so, Michael Salfino and Scott Pianowski have been putting together an email exchange centered around (but not limited to) the NFL. You might enjoy listening to them haggle. You might prefer a swift kick into the stomach. The Table isn't for everyone; we hope some of you enjoy it.

From: Michael Salfino
Date: Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 12:22 AM
Subject: Breakfast of Champions
To: scott pianowski

That was one helluva interesting weekend of football. And now we get to do it all over again on Sunday, but just twice.

Before getting to the championship games and predictions, we should close the book on Week 19. Who is the biggest goat in Denver: John