2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 16

After what seemed like an eternity without regular season play, we have finally returned to business as usual from a memorable All-Star break that saw Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Peter Alonso capture the attention of millions around the world and the American League come out on top for the seventh year in a row (and […]

Spencer Turnbull (SP, DET) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 17% of Yahoo! leagues ANALYSIS: After a short stint on the IL that carried over the All-Star break, Tiger right-hander Spencer Turnbull looked a little rusty in his return to the bump. He tossed three innings against the Royals, giving up five runs (four earned) on four […]

Tanner Roark (SP, CIN) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 31% of All Leagues ANALYSIS: Through his first 11 starts, Cincinnati Reds starter Tanner Roark seemed to be having a career resurgence, posting a 3.20 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 56 innings. But all was not shiny under the hood, as he was helped in large […]

Jake Bauers (1B/OF, CLE) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 15% of leagues ANALYSIS: A popular sleeper pick heading into 2019, Indians outfielder and first baseman Jake Bauers never really woke up once the season started, with his ownership cratering as fast as his batting average. Through the first two months of the season, Bauers slashed .217/.307/.339 with only […]

Griffin Canning (SP, LAA) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 37% of All Leagues ANALYSIS: Headed into his last start before the All-Star break, Angels pitcher Griffin Canning was having a fine start to his rookie year; sporting a 3.79 ERA over his first 11 starts while striking out just over a batter per inning. But on […]

Todd Frazier (3B, NYM) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 6% of leagues ANALYSIS: Todd Frazier has long been a streaky hitter both from month-to-month and year-to-year, and thanks to some top-tier work last month, he is back on track to turn in a solid year for the New York Mets. His line for the season currently reads […]

Oscar Mercado (OF, CLE) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 28% of leagues ANALYSIS: Oscar Mercado has hit a bit of a snag in his rookie campaign with the Cleveland Indians, and the deceleration may cause a few hesitant owners (or potential owners) to hit the brakes on his utilization as we enter the ceremonial second half of […]

Carson Kelly (C, ARI) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Two-Catcher Leagues OWNED IN: 7% of leagues ANALYSIS: I'm not just gassing Carson Kelly up because today is his 25th birthday: he has performed so well at the plate lately for the Arizona Diamondbacks that many of the scouts that once named him a top-50 prospect in all of baseball are starting to […]

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 16

With the news that Max Scherzer is heading to the injured list with back issues, many fantasy owners are left combing the waiver wire for a replacement. Obviously, nobody you can pick up for free is going to give you what Mad Max can, but there are plenty of respectable options out there, no matter […]

Christian Walker (1B, ARI) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of leagues ANALYSIS: Before the 2019 season, 28-year old Christian Walker had taken 88 AB across four separate seasons in the MLB, mostly culminating in disappointment. Fast forward 308 AB into this season and the former South Carolina Gamecock has crushed 18 home runs, stolen five bases […]

Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 16

We've passed the All-Star break and fantasy managers can now start analyzing their teams with an eye on categories instead of just adding any random player. This week the primary focus for outfield additions will be to maximize location, location, location. Some might cause a little tingle of concern when you read their name. Don't […]

A.J. Reed (1B, CHW) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 1% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Chicago White Sox have struggled to manufacture offense out of the DH slot this season, and with Yonder Alonso's tenure with the team already over (and his tenure with a new one has already begun), the club has opted to roll the dice […]

Alex Wood (SP/RP, CIN) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: Alex Wood has had a rough road back to the mound after being sidelined with back issues, not having yet made his debut for the Cincinnati Reds after being the prized plunder of their off-season trade with the Dodgers. Though his recent rehab start […]

Miguel Sano (1B/3B, MIN) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 32% of leagues ANALYSIS: After missing the first six weeks of the season, and coming off a year in which he slashed a lowly .199/.281/.398, it's not surprising that Minnesota Twins third baseman Miguel Sano is available in over two-thirds of leagues. But in his first forty games since […]

Alex Dickerson (OF, SF) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 4% of Yahoo! leagues ANALYSIS: After 19 disastrous games with the Padres to start the year, Alex Dickerson was waived and ended up catching on with their NFC West foe to the North, the San Francisco Giants. Dickerson has had considerably more success in the Bay, boasting […]

Kevin Pillar (OF, SF) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 19% of leagues ANALYSIS: It isn't really surprising that Kevin Pillar remains unrostered in the vast majority of fantasy leagues. After all, 30-year-old outfielders with a career .696 OPS and current .275 OBP aren't exactly in high demand. If that weren't enough, he also plays half of his […]

Roberto Perez (C, CLE) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 24% of leagues ANALYSIS: There may be no stronger argument for the juiced ball than the fact that Roberto Perez has 16 home runs and a .527 slugging percentage. Entering the season, the 30-year-old backstop had just 21 homers and a .340 SLG. Due to this lack […]

Jaime Barria (SP, LAA) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 1% of Yahoo! leagues ANALYSIS: A quick glance at Jaime Barria's 5.20 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 1.23 HR/9 - not to mention the fact that he's currently in Triple-A - and most would assume he's a player you can skip right on by on the waiver wire. […]

Brett Gardner (OF, NYY) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 27% of leagues ANALYSIS: Expected to serve as the Yankees' fourth outfielder this season, Brett Gardner has instead been a fixture in the lineup due to a cavalcade of injuries to other Yankee outfielders. The latest malady for Giancarlo Stanton figures to keep Gardner playing every day for […]

Jeimer Candelario (3B, DET) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% of Yahoo! leagues ANALYSIS: It's been an admittedly tough season for Tigers third baseman Jeimer Candelario. Coming off a disappointing second half in 2018, Candelario got off to an ice cold start in 2019, which resulted in him facing two separate stints in Triple-A Toledo. He […]

Diego Castillo (SP/RP, TB) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of leagues ANALYSIS: While the Rays are almost certain to continue mixing and matching in the late innings, Jose Alvarado's oblique strain opens up more opportunities for Diego Castillo. Activated from the injured list himself earlier this week, the 25-year-old had been excellent for most of the season, […]

Nick Ahmed (SS, AZ) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 6% of Yahoo! leagues ANALYSIS: The only reason I can think that Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed is only owned in 6% of leagues is that he's boring. His .262/.311/.429 slash line admittedly doesn't jump off the page, but he does have nine home runs, six stolen bases, […]

Closers and Saves Report - All-Star Break Edition

The All-Star Game happened, and it was fun. But then came Wednesday, the only day of the season with NO BASEBALL. It was awful, but we all made it, we survived. Thursday featured just one game, but then we're back to normal on Friday for the second half. There are plenty of teams still in […]

Digger Deeper: AL-Only Waiver Wire Report for Week 15

very week in baseball, a significant player will hit the disabled list, slip into a slump, or get traded out of a good spot. How fantasy owners adapt to these situations can make or break the season as a whole. One lousy add might not hurt the long-term standing of a team, but failing to […]

Digging Deeper: NL-Only Waiver Report for Week 15

Every week in baseball, a significant player will hit the disabled list, slip into a slump, or get traded out of a good spot. How fantasy owners adapt to these situations can make or break the season as a whole. One lousy add might not hurt the long-term standing of a team, but failing to […]

Catcher Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 15

As we patiently wait through the All-Star Break, you may have already found a dependable catcher that you roll with week-in and week-out, but as we know, backstops are the most volatile position in fantasy baseball. With that being said, we should always be aware of the landscape of the position just in case a […]

1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 15

By the time you read this, the All-Star break will be underway. June and July tend to be the leanest months on the waiver wire, as most teams are still trying to win and fantasy football has yet to lure away any of the also-rans. Rest assured, however, that there are still players available who […]

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 15

Just like that, we have reached the 2019 MLB All-Star Break. After virtually every day since the start of late-March has been jam-packed with baseball, ranging in time from the early morning in another country to late night on the west coast, we're going to once again have to wrap our brains around going a […]

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 15

The All-Star Break is nearly upon us. Being right in the thick of things as we are, this is possibly the most challenging time of year to be seeking help on the waiver wire. Fortunately, you've come to the right place for assistance. A reminder before we begin: This column focuses on players who are […]