Roto Riteup: March 4, 2019

Baseball is back! The Roto Riteup is back! Insane baseball related GIFs are back!

Tanner Anderson vs. John Cleese (Ministry of Silly Walks), Leg Lift/Mechanics.

h/t @sung_minkim https://t.co/AjCXCTlEas pic.twitter.com/5KfdwSIaQU

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 4, 2019

On the Agenda:
1. Rumors!
2. Various News and Notes
3. The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational

Rumors!
According to Pete Kerzel of MASN, the Nationals are unlikely to go over the luxury tax limit sign Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel has been recently been linked to Washington, but the Nationals have less than $5 million under the limit for 2019 and do not want to incur the penalties that go along with breaching that threshold. Kimbrel is coming off of a great season, but has yet to find the long term deal that he has been seeking. Minnesota and Atlanta have been involved in persistent rumors and may be better options for his contract demands.

Various News and Notes
Clayton Kershaw played catch without incident on Sunday. Kershaw suffered a setback last week when he experienced a shoulder strength issue during a long toss session. So far he has been ok since, but the recent health issues and this concern has made his ADP plummet. He is obviously a gamble heading into 2019, but one that has enormous upside if he can stay on the mound.

Andrew Heaney is dealing with inflammation in his left elbow and has had his next spring start pushed back. The Angels don’t appear overly concerned and have not scheduled an MRI for the lefty, but this is alarming considering he is just a season removed from Tommy John Surgery. Heaney is expected to have a long toss session on Sunday and could throw a bullpen early next week.

According to John Heyman of MLB Network, Sal Perez is expected to undergo Tommy John Surgery and miss the entire 2019 season. This is a devastating blow to the Royals and early drafters. With Perez done, Cam Gallagher is next man up for the Royals, but it would not be surprising to see them acquire a more proven backstop like free agent Martin Maldonado or even Tyler Flowers, who has been rumored to be on the trade block.

Carlos Gomez signed a minor league contract with the Mets. Gomez is returning to the Mets after a down year in Tampa. He is unlikely to get many plate appearances in New York, but could make the roster a reserve.

The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational
Over the course of the last week, 315 fantasy baseball analysts have started drafting in slow drafts on NFBC. You can follow a lot of the action including links to all the draft boards, ADP, and projections here.