Ian Kennedy Records 20th Save

Kansas City Royals closer Ian Kennedy threw a clean inning against the Indians on Sunday to lock down his 20th save of the season. Kennedy's first season as a reliever has been a stunning success, saving a career that looked like it was headed for infamy. Kennedy hasn't been the most dominant reliever of the […]

Chris Martin (RP, TEX) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 9% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Texas Rangers pitcher Chris Martin earned his fourth save of the season this past Friday with Shawn Kelley (biceps) on the Injured List. He appears to be the top candidate for saves in Texas while Kelley remains sidelined. However, Martin himself was unavailable due to […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the Monday, July 29th edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox. Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss […]

Will Smith Earns Ugly Save Sunday

San Francisco Giants closer Will Smith escaped with his 26th save of the season in Sunday's 7-6 game against the Padres. Smith came on to pitch the ninth inning up by three and proceeded to allow a single and a two-run home run before getting the third out. He also struck out a batter. Despite […]

Jose Leclerc Blows Save

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Jose Leclerc allowed two runs in a third of an inning to blow a save vs the A's on Sunday. Leclerc faced six batters Sunday and allowed five to reach base including Khris Davis who drew a walk-off walk to end the game. Leclerc couldn't find the strike zone as he […]

Mychal Givens Takes Loss Sunday

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Mychal Givens fell to 1-5 in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Angels. Givens entered the game with one out and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth and the game tied. After working the count full, Givens allowed a walk-off home run to Matt Thaiss to lose the game. Givens […]

Cal Quantrill Picks Up Another Win

San Diego pitcher Cal Quantrill has been shuffled around all year, with the Padres using him in a variety of roles. Quantrill has been used as both a traditional starter and the following starter, also being used as an opening pitcher as well. Coming off his best performance of the year, following Adrian Morejon against […]

Brad Peacock is Making Progress

Houston Astros pitcher Brad Peacock (shoulder) felt good after throwing a bullpen session on Sunday. The team will likely have Peacock throw a few more sessions before advancing him to the next stage in his rehab program. If everything goes well, Peacock could return by the middle of August. It's unclear whether or not he'll […]

Nick Mariano's Waiver Picks - Get 'Em While They're Hot (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. The end of July means the final two months of the season are upon us, which rewards those who persist in their pursuit of greatness and punishes those who shirk their duties for fantasy football. Patience is a virtue, and that virtue pays dividends […]

Sergio Romo Acquired by Twins

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Sergio Romo has been traded to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for first baseman Lewin Diaz. Romo, righty Chris Vallimont, and a player to be named later are headed to Minnesota for Diaz. Romo has a 3.58 ERA with 17 saves this season, so he could be an interesting weapon for […]

Nick Anderson Named as Closer in Miami

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Nick Anderson will take over the closer role following the trade of reliever Sergio Romo. Anderson has a 4.04 ERA with 66 strikeouts over 42 1/3 innings with one save. There is a chance that Anderson gets dealt at the trade deadline, but we'll see what happens. Anderson won't get a […]

Greg Holland Removed from Closer Role

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Greg Holland has been removed from the closer role, according to manager Torey Lovullo. The team has not announced who is going to take over in that role. Lovullo added that this is a temporary move, so Holland could be back in as closer before the season is over. Yoan Lopez, […]

Points Leagues Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 18

Welcome to the RotoBaller waiver wire column that skews towards points league. Yes, there is positive correlation to standard 5x5 scoring but in our format, specific categories matter less and the accumulation of total stats is the ultimate objective. We’ve hurdled the Midsummer Classic and turning towards home for fantasy baseball season. While some league […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the Sunday, July 28th edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox. Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss […]

Vince Velasquez (SP/RP, PHI) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 8% of leagues ANALYSIS: There is still the chance that the Philadelphia Phillies make a move for a starting pitcher (probably a back-end rotation member), but if they decide to roll the dice with their current cast of characters in an attempt for the postseason, Vince Velasquez stands […]

Cal Quantrill (SP/RP, SD) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 6% of leagues ANALYSIS: He has jumped back a bit between rotation and bullpen action, but 24-year-old highly regarded arm Cal Quantrill has been absolutely shut-down for the San Diego Padres in recent outings. The former Stanford Cardinal has turned in a respectable body of work through his […]

The Cut List (Week 18) - Time to Let Go?

Welcome to the last Cut List before the July 31 trade deadline. Emphasis on dead, because there has still been little action on the trade front. The next week should be pretty fun if things heat up. For now, however, players are on the team they're on, and judgments should be made accordingly. Stats are […]

Nick Anderson (RP, MIA) - Closer and Saves Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 6% of leagues ANALYSIS: If you're a hungry little saves vulture like me, you've been stashing Nick Anderson for a week already, in anticipation of a Sergio Romo trade. Anderson should be the closer in Miami now, though we'll have to wait for him to be used in […]

Oakland Trades for Reliever Jake Diekman

Less a splash and more of a sneaky splish, the Oakland A's waded into the trade waters on Saturday, sending minor-leaguers Ismael Aquino and Dairon Blanco to the Royals in exchange for left-handed reliever, Jake Diekman. In Diekman, the Athletics make a classic Oakland move, shoring up their bullpen with the eight-year veteran and his […]

Kyle Barraclough Optioned to Minors

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Kyle Barraclough has been optioned to Triple-A Harrisburg on Saturday. He gave up a three-run home run to Justin Turner on Friday, and it sounds like the Nats have seen enough to make a move. Barraclough has allowed eight home runs over 25 2/3 innings this season. He has a horrendous […]

Pirates Asking for Big Return on Felipe Vazquez

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Felipe Vazquez is likely to be moved before the upcoming trade deadline. The Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly shown interest in Vazquez, but the Pirates price is not cheap. Pittsburgh is reportedly asking for two of the Dodgers' four top prospects in return for the dominant lefty reliever. Starting pitcher Dustin […]

Matt Grace to Serve As Opener Saturday

Washington Nationals pitcher Matt Grace will serve as the opener for Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Joe Ross was scheduled to draw the start, but manager Dave Martinez has made a late change. Grace has a 6.23 ERA over 44 appearances this season. It's unclear why Ross isn't starting, so possibly he comes […]

Buy or Sell: Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 18

Today's piece covers a set of players who either should not be available on waivers or will return back there soon. Most of the earlier editions of this recurring buy or sell article have included several universally owned players whose values have been manipulated enough by early-season performances. Unfortunately, as we get deeper into the year, the […]

H2H Category Streamers - Week 18 Waiver Wire

There are plenty of strategies that fantasy managers explore in hopes of getting an advantage over their opponent. Heavy lineup, heavy starting pitchers, no catcher, all (or mostly) reliever staff, no reliever staff, etc. Even if you play a balanced lineup, injuries can cause holes. A few weeks without a key player won’t kill a […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the Saturday, July 27th edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox. Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss […]

Josh Hader Records 23rd Save Friday

Milwaukee Brewers closer Josh Hader allowed one hit and struck out two in his 23rd save Friday against the Cubs. Hader has been mostly lights out this season with a 2.17 ERA and 0.70 WHIP and 93 strikeouts in just 49 2/3 innings. Hader remains a high end closer option for all leagues.

Carlos Martinez Picks Up His 10th Save on Friday

St. Louis Cardinals closer Carlos Martinez picked up his 10th save of the season on Friday, tossing a scoreless ninth inning. He allowed a hit and notched a strikeout. He needed just 12 pitches, lowering his ERA to 3.62. He went through a little rough patch lately, but he's been solid overall in the closer's […]

Cubs Acquire Derek Holland

The Chicago Cubs have acquired veteran pitcher Derek Holland from the San Francisco Giants for cash considerations. Holland has struggled this season as both a starter and reliever and was designated for assignment by the Giants last week. Holland has fared well versus lefties and that has been an issue for the Cubs bullpen this […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the Friday, July 26th edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox. Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 17 Waiver Wire

The trade deadline is coming up on Wednesday, and...nothing has really happened yet. With so many teams in contention (and so many rebuilding teams unwilling to trade young players), many reporters are saying this has been the quietest build up to the trade deadline they can ever remember. This season, there is only one deadline […]