X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Week 9 Buy and Sell Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball

By Erik Drost on Flickr [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

All three of last week's buys pitched on Saturday. Clayton Kershaw and Jose Quintana pitched well. Gio Gonzalez...not so much. But hey, if Meat Loaf says two out of three ain't bad, who are we to argue?

Let's take a look at this week's SP buys and sells, dominated by the Central Division of each league.

Editor’s Note: to read about waiver wire options for starting pitchers, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily.

 

Starting Pitcher Buys for Week 9

Danny Salazar, Cleveland Indians

Much like his teammates and previous buys Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco, Salazar has pitched better than his ERA indicates. Much of this is due to the Tribe's continued ineptitude in the field, though Salazar has also struggled a bit with keeping the ball in the park. Still, he's racking up strikeouts, limiting walks, and inducing more ground balls and weak contact than at any point in his young career. There may be some lingering distrust after Salazar failed to live up to the hype last season. Turn this to your advantage if possible.

 

Trevor May, Minnesota Twins 

The book on May has always been big stuff, iffy command. Since coming over to the Twins in the Ben Revere trade, however, May has made significant strides in cutting his walk rate. Given the organization's philosophy, perhaps that's not a big surprise. The rookie has managed to limit free passes without sacrificing too many whiffs, which is why his FIP is a nifty 3.09. His ERA sits two runs higher thanks to the dreaded low strand rate/high BABIP combo. As a flyball pitcher on a team with lousy outfield defense, maybe we shouldn't expect significant regression on the BABIP front. But May is almost certainly waiver wire fodder in your league, and he's pitched well enough to take a flyer on him.

 

James Shields, San Diego Padres

Shields's strikeouts are way up, and his walk rate is relatively close to his excellent career average. Those have kept his ERA well below his FIP, which is typically a sell indicator. So why buy? His HR/FB sits at a ridiculous 22.4%, nearly twice Shields' career mark. Hence the 2.91 xFIP. The big righty can't possibly continue allowing homers at this inflated rate. Granted, a few of those flies will end up turning into baserunners anyway because the Padres' outfield is a travesty, but you can't have everything in life. Trust the track record and the favorable home park here.

 

Starting Pitcher Sells for Week 9

Anthony DeSclafani, Cincinnati Reds

After four straight clunkers, DeSclafani has been solid in his last two turns. If you didn't jump ship already, now's a great time to do so. Though his 3.41 ERA is certainly playable in any format, the rookie simply doesn't miss enough bats to justify his middling walk rate. DeSclafani won't maintain a .257 BABIP forever, and once that regression happens, he'll quickly lose any value he's managed to accrue. Deal him before that happens.

 

A.J. Burnett, Pittsburgh Pirates

After a terrible year in Philadelphia, Burnett took less money to return to the other side of the Keystone State. He's picked up right where he left off in Pittsburgh, riding solid numbers in strikeouts, walks, and grounders to a 5-1 record and 1.81 ERA. There are reasons to be a bit bearish, however, namely the unsustainable strand and homer rates. Burnett should continue to enjoy success in what will likely be his final season, but his value is probably at its peak right now.

 

Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers

Yes, Greinke leads the world in ERA at an absurd 1.48 mark. But other than striking out fewer batters, he's not doing anything differently from last year. Obviously Greinke is awesome, so that's not a bad thing. But the dead ball era ERA can't last unless you believe he'll continue to strand over 90 percent of baserunners or maintain a .220 BABIP. To paraphrase Ned Stark, regression is coming. You almost certainly won't regret holding on to Greinke, but if you need help elsewhere, he's a good candidate on whom to sell high.

 

MLB & Fantasy Baseball Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-12" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="700px"]

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

NFL5 hours ago

Kevin Stefanski, Andrew Berry Likely Returning To Browns In 2025
Deshaun Watson5 hours ago

Likely To Remain With Browns, Could Face Competition
Cedric Tillman5 hours ago

Enters Concussion Protocol
Cedric Tillman7 hours ago

Suffers Head Injury On Thursday Night
Wendell Carter Jr.8 hours ago

Out Against Lakers
Anthony Davis8 hours ago

Available Versus Magic On Thursday
Rui Hachimura8 hours ago

Unavailable Thursday
Carlos Ulberg9 hours ago

Looking To Cement Himself As A Title Contender At UFC Macau
Volkan Oezdemir9 hours ago

Eyes Another Knockout At UFC Macau
Gabriella Fernandes9 hours ago

A Big Underdog At UFC Macau
MMA9 hours ago

Cong Wang Puts Undefeated Record On The Line At UFC Macau
Deiveson Figueiredo9 hours ago

Looks To Extend Win Streak At UFC Macau
Petr Yan9 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Yves Missi9 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
CJ McCollum10 hours ago

Not Likely To Play Friday
Alexander Mattison10 hours ago

Zamir White Miss Practice Again
Brandon Ingram10 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Shohei Ohtani10 hours ago

Named National League MVP In 2024
Aaron Judge10 hours ago

Wins American League MVP Award
Ja'Kobe Walter10 hours ago

Ready To Go Thursday
Donte DiVincenzo10 hours ago

Available Thursday
Mike Conley10 hours ago

Will Not Play Thursday
Jordan Clarkson10 hours ago

Sits Out Thursday's Game
Ausar Thompson11 hours ago

Won't Play On Thursday
Zach Collins11 hours ago

Cleared To Play Thursday
Domantas Sabonis11 hours ago

Gets Through Full Practice
Chris Paul11 hours ago

Good To Go Thursday
Brock Purdy11 hours ago

Limited Again On Thursday
Malik Monk11 hours ago

Making Progress
George Kittle11 hours ago

Limited Again On Thursday
Tre Mann11 hours ago

Good To Go On Thursday
Miles Bridges11 hours ago

Won't Play On Thursday
Vince Williams Jr.11 hours ago

Out At Least A Month
Scottie Barnes11 hours ago

Returning On Thursday
Alex Ovechkin11 hours ago

To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Fractured Fibula
Paul George12 hours ago

Out At Least Two Games
Aaron Gordon12 hours ago

Availability In Question For Friday
Zach Hyman12 hours ago

Expected To Miss 4-7 Days
Kent Johnson12 hours ago

Back For Blue Jackets Thursday
Yaroslav Askarov12 hours ago

Makes Sharks Debut Thursday
Jalen Hurts12 hours ago

Practices In Full On Thursday
Mikael Granlund12 hours ago

Good To Go Thursday
Alexandar Georgiev12 hours ago

Returns To Action Versus Capitals
TB12 hours ago

Nicholas Paul Will Miss Thursday's Game
Frederik Andersen12 hours ago

To Miss 8-12 Weeks
Jake Ferguson12 hours ago

Still Not Practicing
Sam LaPorta12 hours ago

Looking Good For A Week 12 Return
Sam Darnold13 hours ago

Upgrades To Full Participation, On Track To Play
Isiah Pacheco13 hours ago

Remains Limited On Thursday
D'Andre Swift13 hours ago

Upgrades To Limited Participant On Thursday
CeeDee Lamb13 hours ago

Sidelined During Thursday's Practice
Ladd McConkey13 hours ago

Does Not Practice On Thursday
Mike Evans13 hours ago

Logs Full Practice On Thursday
DeVonta Smith14 hours ago

Misses Another Practice
Cody Bellinger15 hours ago

Cubs Looking To Trade Cody Bellinger?
Brandin Cooks15 hours ago

Preparing To Play In Week 12
CeeDee Lamb15 hours ago

Not Seen At Thursday's Practice
15 hours ago

Blake Snell Has Met With Red Sox, Dodgers
Aaron Rodgers16 hours ago

Jets Owner Suggested Benching Aaron Rodgers
Mike Evans18 hours ago

Practicing Again On Thursday
Chandler Stephenson19 hours ago

Registers Three Assists Versus Predators
Jason Robertson19 hours ago

Totals Three Points In Wednesday's Win
Nils Lundkvist19 hours ago

Exits Early With A Lower-Body Injury
Matthew Knies19 hours ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury
Mikael Granlund19 hours ago

Exits Late With Injury Wednesday
Patrik Laine19 hours ago

Returns To Practice
Chris Sale1 day ago

Wins National League Cy Young Award
Tarik Skubal1 day ago

Wins 2024 American League Cy Young Award
Austin Eckroat1 day ago

Heads To The RSM Classic After Win
Harris English1 day ago

Finding Form Heading To The RSM Classic
Ben Griffin1 day ago

Continues Playing Well Heading To The RSM Classic
Denny McCarthy1 day ago

Returns to The RSM Classic
Seth Jones1 day ago

Expected To Miss Four Weeks
Max Domi1 day ago

Placed On Injured Reserve
Connor Ingram1 day ago

Out Day-To-Day With An Upper-Body Injury
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen1 day ago

Returns To Action Versus Kings
Alex Tuch2 days ago

Available Wednesday
Tage Thompson2 days ago

Remains Out On Wednesday
Jordan Eberle2 days ago

To Remain Out On Wednesday
Ludvig Aberg2 days ago

Looks To Defend RSM Classic Title
Si Woo Kim2 days ago

An Intriguing Option At RSM Classic
Maverick McNealy2 days ago

In Solid Form Ahead Of RSM Classic
Eric Cole2 days ago

Chasing First Tour Victory At RSM Classic
2 days ago

Guardians' Stephen Vogt Named AL Manager Of The Year
Milwaukee Brewers2 days ago

Pat Murphy Named NL Manager Of The Year
2 days ago

Nick Pivetta Declines Boston's Qualifying Offer
Jose Siri2 days ago

Mets Acquire Jose Siri From The Rays
3 days ago

Phillies To Meet With Juan Soto
3 days ago

Luis Severino Rejects Qualifying Offer From Mets
3 days ago

Willy Adames Declines Brewers Qualifying Offer
3 days ago

Teoscar Hernandez Declines Qualifying Offer From Dodgers
3 days ago

Juan Soto Declines Yankees' Qualifying Offer
Luis Gil3 days ago

Wins AL Rookie Of The Year Award
Paul Skenes3 days ago

Named 2024 NL Rookie Of The Year
Brady Singer4 days ago

Reds, Royals Discussing Jonathan India, Brady Singer
4 days ago

Sean Manaea To Reject Mets' Qualifying Offer
4 days ago

Braves Have Interest In Walker Buehler
4 days ago

Astros Interested In Willy Adames
Charles Oliveira4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Chandler4 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 309
Karine Silva4 days ago

Suffers Her First UFC Loss
Viviane Araujo4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Mauricio Ruffy4 days ago

Extends His Win Streak To Six
James Llontop5 days ago

Loses Clear-Cut Decision In Thrilling Fight At UFC 309
Paul Craig5 days ago

Loses Decision At UFC 309
Bo Nickal5 days ago

Remains Undefeated With Lackluster Performance At UFC 309
Stipe Miocic5 days ago

Retires After UFC 309 Loss
Jon Jones5 days ago

Gets TKO Win At UFC 309 To Defend Heavyweight Title

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP