Jenrry Mejia (RP, NYM) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues ANALYSIS: Jenrry Mejia picked up his first career save today, and should be added off the waiver wire in most leagues that count saves, becoming yet another in the recent list of saves sleepers for fantasy baseball. When Kyle Farnsworth was recently removed from the role and released, there was speculation […]

Bryan Shaw (RP, CLE) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues (that value saves) ANALYSIS: Bryan Shaw, and not Cody Allen, may just be the new closer for the Indians, making him a waiver wire pickup to consider for leagues that value saves, and adding him to the list of recent saves sleepers. John Axford was removed from the role last week after struggling […]

Zach Britton (RP, BAL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: Zach Britton looks to be the new closer for the Orioles, making him an immediate waiver wire pickup and adding to the list of sleepers for leagues that value saves.  He picked up Baltimore's most recent save on Thursday evening with a scoreless inning, and has been filthy all season […]

MLB Closers and Saves Update for May 13th

Your Latest News from the Back End of the Bullpen We keep a close eye on all the bullpen news and analysis twice a week so you can focus on the rest of your fantasy baseball team.  Find all the information you need on the back end of bullpens right here at Rotoballer.com, and be […]

MLB Closers and Saves Update for May 6th

  Your Latest News from the Back End of the Bullpen We keep a keen on all the bullpens so you can focus on the rest of your team.  Find all the information you need on the back end of bullpens right here at Rotoballer.com, and be sure to check out our up-to-date MLB fantasy […]

Aaron Loup (RP, TOR) - Waiver Wire Analysis

Update (5/3 - after today's game): Loup came in the 7th inning of today's game, and had a disastrous outing giving up 3 ER. Certainly a different tune than what the Blue Jays had said coming into today. The bullpen situation is ugly here, most likely yielding towards a committee going forward until Janssen is back, […]

Blue Jays Bullpen (RP, TOR) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Continue Scouting ANALYSIS: Sergio Santos took the BS, L last night after giving up 3 runs on 2 HR to Pedro Alvarez (tying the game) and Starling Marte (winning the game).  Santos has now allowed 6 ER in his last 2 outings, and has a 10.61 ERA on the year. His magnificent 16.39 K/9 is […]

Relief Pitcher Updates: The Closer Carousel Continues

As we head into the first week of May in the 2014 baseball season, we are seeing changes happening in the late-inning roles across baseball.  Whether due to injuries or failure, we here at Rotoballer will keep you up to date so that you can plan accordingly and adjust your rosters if need be.   Looking […]

5 Setup Men To Own: Waiver Wire Pickups for Holds Leagues

  Setup Men For Holds Leagues The holds statistic leaves us guessing who will enter the game in the right situation, and these players here include a couple former closers and stellar setup men. All of these players are capable of being reliable setup men for their respective teams and players worth considering adding if […]

Mark Melancon (RP, PIT) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: Jason Grilli has be struggling this year, and hit the DL today after blowing a couple of saves. If you're looking for closers off the waiver wire, Mark Melancon may still be available in your league as he will be filling in as the Pirates closer and can be added […]

Joe Smith (RP, LAA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: Mike Scioscia named Joe Smith the new Angels closer earlier today, making him an immediate waiver wire pickup and one of those short-term sleepers for leagues that value closers and saves. Ernesto Frieri has been removed from the role, after a few disastrous outings and blown saves. He may get […]

5 Setup Men To Own: Waiver Wire Pickups for Holds Leagues

The Hold - Baseball's Unheralded Stat It is very difficult to rely on one pitcher on your roster as the Holds specialist. Unlike the closer there is no such thing as the holder. Specialist relievers that get one batter out or an eighth inning setup man expected to be the final part of the bridge […]

Kyle Farnsworth (RP, NYM) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: Earlier today the Mets announced that Jose Valverde is being removed from the closers role, after a few brutal outings, and Kyle Farnsworth will be replacing him. This makes Farnsworth a waiver wire pickup, and one of those sleepers who can provide sneaky saves for your team. The Mets aren't as horrible (yet) […]

Pedro Strop (RP, CHC) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues ANALYSIS: Pedro Strop will very likely be the new closer for the Cubs, at some point, after the demotion of Jose Veras. For now however, he seems to be splitting time with Hector Rondon. Both Rondon and Strop have a save each, since the removal of Veras, although Rondon's save has […]

Hector Rondon (RP, CHC) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues ANALYSIS: Cubs manager Rick Renteria has stated that he will use a committee of Pedro Strop, Blake Parker, and Hector Rondon to close after the removal of Jose Veras. Although Rondon is pitching the best of the bunch, you get the feeling that Strop is next in line. Since Veras’ demotion, […]

5 Setup Men To Own: Waiver Wire Pickups for Holds Leagues

While the holds statistic is hard to determine who will enter the game in the right situation, the players noticed today feature a couple former closers and stellar setup men. All of these players are capable of being reliable setup men for their respective teams and players worth considering adding if your league counts holds. […]

Closer City: Closers and Saves Update for Week 3 of Fantasy Baseball

  A Closer Tried Called Quest First off I would like to dedicate this article to one of most underrated rap groups ever, A Tribe Called Quest.  As a youngsta, wanting to be a gangsta, I used to listen to almost every gangsta rap cassette tape available.  Yeah, notice I said cassette tapes which means […]

Luke Gregerson (RP, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues ANALYSIS: The Athletics announced yesterday that Jim Johnson has been removed from the closers role, as his early season struggles have caused concern.  At this point Oakland is saying they will use a closer by committee to replace him, but we are here chasing saves so let's take a look at the […]

5 Setup Men: Waiver Wire Pickups for Holds Leagues

The Holds statistic is a very difficult statistic to rely on. Specialist relievers who get one batter out can earn a hold, and so can an eighth inning setup man expected to be the final part of the bridge to a win. There are a lot of different relievers that will earn holds for a […]

Jonathan Broxton (RP, CIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues ANALYSIS: Jonathan Broxton was not a name I even expected to mention this MLB season. But with the early injury to incumbent closer Chapman, and the floundering of Hoover, Broxton will take over the closer duties once he is activated from the DL tomorrow. Broxton throws hard and gets a lot of […]

Shawn Kelley (RP, NYY) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add Immediately in All Leagues ANALYSIS: The Yankees places their closer David Robertson on the DL today, and Shawn Kelley got the save against the Orioles. If Kelley is available in your league, he should be picked up off the waiver wire immediately. He looks to be the fill-in closer for the Yankees and will get the […]

Francisco Rodriguez (RP, MIL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add Immediately in All Leagues ANALYSIS: Francisco Rodriguez, and not projected closer Jim Henderson, got the save today for the Milwaukee Brewers. This comes as a bit of a surprise, as K-Rod was expected to operate as the setup man for the Brewers in 2014. But saves are saves, so if you have room on your team […]

Matt Lindstrom (RP, CWS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add Immediately in All Leagues ANALYSIS: The big closer news today is that White Sox manager Robin Ventura has decided to go with Matt Lindstrom as the team's closer over Nate Jones. If you play in a league that counts saves, and Lindstrom is still available, stop what you're doing now and go pick […]

Fantasy Baseball Closers and Saves: Week 1 Updates

MLB Closers & Saves: Week 1 Updates Before the season gets into full swing on Monday, I’d like to briefly examine the updated closer news or perhaps give you a closer recap around the league.  There has been a decent amount of news, injuries and updates that need to be mentioned before the season gets […]

Sergio Santos (RP, TOR) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add Immediately in All Leagues ANALYSIS: With the news released today that closer Casey Janssen will start the season on the DL, Toronto's GM Billy Anthopoulos confirmed that Sergio Santos will fill-in as the team's closer until Janssen returns. Steve Delabar may get some looks as well, but keep in mind that Santos was a former closer and racked up 30 […]

Shawn Kelley: Holds Sleeper for 2014 Fantasy Baseball

Reliever Poised to Leap Forward: Shawn Kelley With the retirement of Mariano Rivera, and the eighth-inning setup man David Robertson moving into the pressured role as heir to the greatest closer of all-time, someone will need to move into the eighth-inning setup role. While the role could be open to anyone who will step up […]

Cody Allen (RP, CLE) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues or Holds Leagues ANALYSIS: The Cleveland reliever Cody Allen is coming off of a very productive 2013 season, in which he boasted a sub 2.50 ERA and an impressive 11 strikeouts per nine innings. Those numbers have future closer written all over them, but for the time being he will be […]

Top 10 for Holds: 2014 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Top Ten in Holds for 2014 If a starting pitcher can pitch well enough to maintain a lead, the middle relievers will be given the responsibility of keeping the lead. The hold is a deceptive statistic. It can be obtained any time after the starting pitcher has exited the game as long as they exited […]

J.J. Hoover: Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

After browsing some of the spring training box scores and taking into account the overall makeup of the roster for the Cincinnati Reds, I had narrowed it down to two players that could emerge as potential fantasy baseball sleepers in 2014. Outfielder Roger Bernadina and infielder Chris Nelson were those players, and while I still […]

J.J. Hoover (RP, CIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues ANALYSIS: The Reds bullpen is a mess right now, and there is no locked in closer slated to start the season. With Aroldis Chapman's recent injury, there is an opening for someone to step up and grab the closer's role. Jonathan Broxton and Sean Marshall are also dealing with their own […]