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4:40AM | 3/23/2012

The Tigers have signed 1B Prince Fielder to a 9-year, $214 contract, which becomes the 4th highest contract in baseball history. He'll be a late first round pick and his value batting next to Miguel Cabrera will be no different than it was batting next to Ryan Braun. Fielder's numbers should be similar to those from a year ago and he remains one of the better power sources in the majors. It will be interesting to see if Prince rekindles his relationship with his father, Cecil, now that he's playing for Cecil's former team.

3:51PM | 1/24/2012

Carlos Pena has signed with the Rays. He should hit close to 30 homers but provide little else. He could be helpful in the RBI category but that depends on the number of AB he receives and where he bats in the lineup. He remains a CI option in most mixed leagues.

3:48PM | 1/24/2012

The Rockies have traded OF Seth Smith to the A's in exchange for pitchers Josh Outman and Guillermo Moscoso. Smith will join the Oakland OF mix and is likely to struggle as a full time player while playing outside of Coors Field. Outman isn't worth drafting, but Moscoso had an excellent season last year and should be a nice late value pick. However, Coors Field is not as friendly to pitchers as the ballpark in Oakland.

1:40PM | 1/16/2012

The Yankees had a busy day, sending C Jesus Montero and P Hector Noesi to the Mariners in exchange for SP's Jose Campos and Michael Pineda. Pineda will be a far more risky pitcher than he was just a day ago. A young pitcher will now face the pressure of winning every time he takes the mound. Seattle was the complete opposite. The ballpark differential will also hurt Pineda this year. Initially ranked the 15th SP for 2012, Pineda will likely find himself a bit lower once everything shakes out. Montero will become the starting catcher for the Mariners but the move hurts him just as much as it hurts Pineda. This was a fantasy disaster as far as trades go but should help both teams at the MLB level.

7:35PM | 1/13/2012

The Yankees have signed SP Hiroki Kuroda. He'll join the rotation and should be a decent bet to win 15 games. We're not huge fans of this move from a fantasy perspective considering the drastic change in ballparks. Draft him as a #4 in 2012.

7:31PM | 1/13/2012

The Cubs continued their winter spree by trading P Andrew Cashner to the Padres for 1B Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo will likely compete and eventually lock down the 1B spot for the Cubs. His fantasy value should be comparable to that of Freddy Freeman a year ago. Cashner may start in the pen and doesn't present much fantasy value for the 2012 season.

3:13PM | 1/6/2012

The Cubs have traded SP Carlos Zambrano to the Marlins for SP Chris Volstad. Zambrano is as erratic as they come, but he'll be slated as the #5 SP in a suddenly deep Miami rotation. He'll join Josh Johnson, Anibal Sanchez, Ricky Nolasco and Mark Buehrle. Volstad will join the newly acquired Travis Wood and have a chance to start fresh. While Volstad offers little fantasy value, Zambrano could become someone who you play matchups with in mixed leagues.

8:01PM | 1/4/2012

The Padres have acquired OF Carlos Quentin from the White Sox in exchange for Simon Castro and Pedro Hernandez. Neither are great prospects but the White Sox are trying to rebuild. Quentin's problem has always been staying healthy and his value will be dependent upon that in 2012 as well. While Petco is not a hitter's ballpark by any means, it doesn't hinder righties as much as you'd think. A healthy, 550 AB season should feature 25-30 HR for Carlos.

1:02PM | 12/31/2011

The Red Sox have acquired RP Andrew Bailey and OF Ryan Sweeney from the A's in exchange for OF Josh Reddick, 3B Miles Head and P Raul Alcantra. Bailey will take over as the Red Sox closer and immediately see a bump in value. Sweeney will be a reserve OF and none of the players acquired by Oakland will be guaranteed a starting gig. Grant Balfour and Brian Fuentes become the favorites to close for the A's.

4:54PM | 12/28/2011

The Cardinals signed OF Carlos Beltran to a two-year deal. Beltran, 35, will play OF and bat in the heart of the lineup, which includes both Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday. While he won't replace Albert Pujols, if he stays healthy, Beltran could hit .300 with an 85-20-85 line. That would be a best-case scenario though.

7:39PM | 12/22/2011

The Washington Nationals have acquired SP Gio Gonzalez from the Oakland A's in exchange for pitchers AJ Cole. Brad Peacock and Tom Milone as well as catcher Derek Norris. Gio's value should remain close to the same. He's leaving a great pitcher's park but also would have had to face tough lineups each time he faced Texas or Anaheim. He should be a lock for 200 K's with the move to the NL. Peacock and Milone become instant sleepers in Oakland, where their opportunity for extended playing time just improved ten fold.

4:00PM | 12/22/2011

The Cubs will acquire SP Travis Wood in exchange for RP Sean Marshall. The deal make sense for both sides. The Reds have acquired Mat Latos and have plans to put Aroldis Chapman into the rotation. The Cubs are looking to build for the future and got a key piece to their rotation for years to come. Marshall will likely set up for the Reds while Wood will slide into the Cubs rotation behind Dempster and Garza. Carlos Zambrano and Casey Coleman could round out the Cubs staff. Wood remains a sleeper heading into 2012 because of his great minor league track record.

5:22PM | 12/21/2011

The Reds acquired SP Mat Latos from the Padres in exchange for 1B Yonder Alonso, SP Edinson Volquez and C Yasmani Grandal. Latos will step in an be the team's #1 starter, although Johnny Cueto may get the nod on Opening Day. No matter how good Latos is, a move away from PETCO and into Great American Ballpark has to hinder his stats. He's still a great #2 heading into 2012 though. Alonso will battle Jesus Guzman for the starting 1B gig. Guzman can play other positions, if need be. Grandal will become the catcher of the future, but Nick Hundley will remain the catcher of the present. Volquez slides into a young Padres rotation and remains the biggest beneficiary in this deal from a fantasy perspective. Of course, staying healthy will go a long way.

4:01PM | 12/17/2011

SS Jimmy Rollins has re-signed with the Phillies. He's been on a steady decline for years and shouldn't be taken ahead of players like Tulowitski, Reyes, Hanley Ramirez, Asdrubal Cabrera or Starlin Castro.

3:57PM | 12/17/2011

The Rockies have agreed to sign Michael Cuddyer. He'll find a way to get 500 AB but shouldn't come at the cost of Carlos Gonzalez or Dexter Fowler. Seth Smith loses out here, which is unfortunate. Cuddyer could play all over the field though and it will depend on who is healthy and who isn't. Expect about 20 HR or so but he won't be helpful in the R, SB, AVG department.

3:55PM | 12/17/2011

The Twins have signed OF Josh Willingham. If he can hit 25 HR in Oakland, we can certainly expect much of the same in Minnesota. Although Target Field is also a pitcher's park, Willingham has good power and is capable of contributing in the HR and RBI categories.

3:50PM | 12/17/2011

The Red Sox have acquired RP Mark Melancon from the Astros in exchange for SS Jed Lowrie and SP Kyle Weiland. Melancon will lose his value because he isn't likely to closer. Lyon will possibly take over as closer in Houston again but we know he isn't a great bet for sustained success. Lowrie will become the every day SS for the Astros and have immediate sleeper value. Weiland may not start the year in the rotation but is someone to keep an eye on later in the year.

3:52PM | 12/14/2011

COL SP Kevin Slowey agreed to a one-year deal on Monday. Once an intruiging sleeper for the Twins, Slowey has a second lease on life in the NL. Coors Field won't help things but he's someone to keep an eye on in NL-only leagues and might be a worthy risk in deeper mixed leagues.

8:50PM | 12/12/2011

The Pirates have acquired 3B Casey McGehee from the Brewers in exchange for RP Jose Veras. A nice move by the Pirates, who are hoping for some kind of rebound. McGehee was a flash in the pan from our perspective but is an upgrade at either 1B or 3B for the Pirates. As of now, Mat Gamel will be the starting 1B for the Brewers on Opening Day.

8:04PM | 12/12/2011

3B Aramis Ramirez will move to yet another NL Central team. After starting his career as a Pirate, Aramis was a Cub for several seasons and will be a Brewer in 2012. He'll have a good shot at making a comeback season with Fielder no longer in the picture and Braun suspended for 50 games. He should bat cleanup and will be a top 3B on draft day. Just remember, he's not the model of health and players like Ryan Zimmerman and Pablo Sandoval may be safer bets.

5:57PM | 12/12/2011

Rafael Furcal has re-signed with the Cardinals. The SS will be a nice mixed league MI so long as he could stay healthy. It's hard to bet on that though, but batting first or second in the Cardinals lineup would make him a worthwhile gamble.

4:23PM | 12/10/2011

The Cubs acquired 3B Ian Stewart from the Rockies. Stewart has great potential but has never lived up to it. He could be this year's version of Alex Gordon though. Take a flier on him considering the weakness of the position coupled with the change of scenery. It wouldn't surprise us if he hit 25 HR one of these years.

4:21PM | 12/10/2011

The Rockies acquired OF Tyler Colvin from the Cubs. Colvin will compete for an OF spot in Colorado, where there is already a surplus. After hitting 20 HR two years ago, Colvin was a disappointment in 2011. He'll be someone worth drafting towards the back end of NL only drafts.

4:20PM | 12/10/2011

SP CJ Wilson has joined Albert Pujols and will be an Angel in 2012. If anything, he'll improve by pitching half of his games in Anaheim instead of Arlington. He's the AL's version of Ryan Dempster, so believe it or not, he's going to be a solid #3 in your rotation, albeit at a fraction of the cost.

4:19PM | 12/10/2011

The Diamondbacks have acquired Oakland SP Trevor Cahill and RP Craig Breslow in exchange for top prospect Jarrod Parker and Collin Cowgill. Cowgill will compete for a 1B/OF spot and Parker could join the rotation in place of Cahill if he has a good spring and stays healthy. Breslow should join the back end of the Arizona bullpen and Cahill will join Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson, forming a very strong rotation.

6:09PM | 12/9/2011

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1:59PM | 10/8/2011

Thank you to our loyal FP baseball followers. We'll be back in March with draft prep and our famous "Our Boys."

1:58PM | 10/8/2011

WAS C Wilson Ramos is having a September to remember. He's batting .350 and hit his 14th HR un less than 400 AB. He's someone who came highly touted and could be a low-end #1 or high-end #2 catcher in 2012.

8:37PM | 9/21/2011

ARI Wade Miley picked up another win for the streaking Diamondbacks as he beat the Pirates. Miley allowed two earned runs over five innings and struck out three batters. He's mirroring Joe Saunders, who may be mentoring him anyway. He'll be someone to consider late in next year's drafts, assuming he lands a spot in the rotation.

8:35PM | 9/21/2011