James McArthur: Closers and Saves Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (2024)

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 53% of Leagues ANALYSIS: After a rough start to the season, in which he allowed four runs in his first three appearances, James McArthur has allowed no runs in his last six appearances for the Kansas City Royals. The 27-year-old closer has already made four saves […]

Who Is The Diamondbacks Closer? Fantasy Baseball Saves Outlook

The Arizona Diamondbacks have been one of the biggest surprises of this season. They had a youthful team, so there weren't huge hopes for them, but they have exceeded all expectations and even led the stacked NL West division for a few weeks. Despite the fact that they have taken a step back over the course of the past few weeks, they are still in an excellent position to contend for one of the wild card spots in the National League. Their batters have been exceptional throughout the season, but in this […]

Hunter Strickland (CP/SEA) - Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 18% of Yahoo! leagues ANALYSIS:  Strickland will make a short rehab stint in Rainier, expecting to join the big league club after just one three-game series. He won’t have any issue regaining the closer role, as the Mariners haven’t found much success there. Roenis Elias has […]

EPL Saturday Predictions & Previews

What a week in the EPL. Jamie Vardy breaks the consecutive match goal scoring record, while Arsenal drop points and suffer more injuries. How Arsene Wenger must now regret not adding to his squad in the summer transfer window. It may come back to haunt him, especially if Liverpool continue the scintillating form they have […]

MLS Cup Conference Finals

The 2015 Major League Soccer (MLS) season draws closer to crowning its winner as the conference semifinals are now in the books, leaving us with the final four contenders – two from each conference. The conference finals will be played in the same format as the semifinals with two games deciding the conference winner, and […]

La Liga - The Season So Far

La Liga heads into the International break after seven rounds of matches and, although it is too early to come to any definitive conclusions, there is enough evidence so far to get a glimpse into how the Spanish season is evolving. Here is a concise recap of the more significant events from the first seven […]

English Premier League Predictions - Saturday 3rd October 2015

The latest rounds of EPL fixtures await and beware the dreaded Champions League hangover. Crystal Palace v West Bromwich Albion A terrible loss for West Brom against Everton, who in the space of 30 minutes went from a projected 7th in the league to 15th, will motivate the Baggies and they will be keen to put […]

MLB Podcast on RotoBaller Radio: Injury Updates & Spring Training Standouts

MLB Injury Updates & Spring Training Standouts RotoBaller is very excited about the launch of our very own radio station. You can now find our new shows on BlogTalkRadio live or on demand, and on iTunes under podcasts. Every Wednesday night at 9:30 PM EST, RotoBaller co-founder Real Talk Raph and co-host Anthony Aniano of DraftSmashers Radio […]

Yusmeiro Petit (SP/RP, SF) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target in Late Rounds if Given A Rotation Spot ANALYSIS: As a spot starter and long reliever, Yusmeiro Petit logged 117 innings with a 3.69 ERA in 2014, setting an MLB record for consecutive batters retired in the process. As a result, his name has rightly been tossed around in sleeper conversations. Petit's […]

Edward Mujica (RP, BOS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues (if you need saves) ANALYSIS: With the Red Sox out of contention, Koji Uehara was shut down for the remainder of the season. Edward Mujica has stepped into the closer's role, making him the latest edition to our waiver wire sleepers list for saves. Tonight he nailed down his 4th save […]

Drew Storen (RP, WAS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues Owned in 6% of Fleaflicker, 38% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: Rafael Soriano has been yanked from the closer's role in Washington, and Drew Storen has been pitching admirably as his replacement. Racking up three saves over the last 7 days, Storen is now making his way onto our waiver wire sleepers list […]

Mike Fiers (SP / RP, MIL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues Owned in 71% of Yahoo, 29% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Not to say that Mike Fiers is really a sleeper anymore, seeing as he is owned in almost three out of every four leagues, but he is still under owned, given how he has pitched since returning to Milwaukee's rotation in early August. […]

Eric O'Flaherty (RP, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: With the recent news that stud closer Sean Doolittle hit the DL, Eric O'Flaherty has stepped in as the Oakland closer and has made his way onto our waiver wire sleepers list for saves. Let's be honest here - there is no replacing Doolittle. He has been absolutely filthy this year. But […]

Hector Rondon (RP, CHC) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Most Mixed Leagues ANALYSIS: With 16 saves in 20 opportunities, Hector Rondon has emerged as a legitimate major league closer. The 26-year-old righty has  a 3.30 ERA over 46.1 innings pitched, striking out 49 in the process. He draws a remarkable 49.6% ground ball percentage and as a result, has only given […]

Jake McGee (RP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: Jake McGee is the new Sean Doolittle, and by that I mean he's the new "most dominant closer who also doesn't walk anyone, ever, for real".  Don't believe me?  Consider this: since taking over the closer role for the Rays on June 27th, McGee has pitched 17 innings, during which […]

Jake Petricka (RP, CWS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: With the recent news that Zach Putnam has been placed on the DL earlier today, some more clarity has has been shed onto the White Sox bullpen situation. Jake Petricka should now have the opportunity to handle the closer duties all to himself, at least in the short term, making him […]

Neftali Feliz (RP, TEX) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add Immediately ANALYSIS: The closer carousel continues as Joakim Soria has been shipped to the Tigers to either close or setup for incumbent Joe Nathan, opening a spot at the backend of the Texas Rangers bullpen. Enter Neftali Feliz, who should walk right into that open spot and run with it all the way to the […]

Zach Putnam (RP, CHW) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: It's clear the ChiSox have settled on Zach Putnam as their closer after notching back-to-back saves on July 18th and 19th.  If you own Petricka, you can safely cut him loose now, because despite Ventura's public statements that the closer role will be shared, it's looking more likely that Putnam […]

Joaquin Benoit (RP, SD) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add Immediately ANALYSIS: By now you've surely heard the most recent closer carousel news. Huston Street has been sent 90 minutes north and is closing for the Los Angeles Angels, and Joaquin Benoit has inherited the Padres 9th inning duties.  Benoit proved last year he can handle the closing reigns, racking up 24 saves for […]

Jake McGee (RP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE:  Add in Most Leagues ANALYSIS: The Tampa Bay Ray's bullpen has been manned by a number of relievers, but none have been as successful as Jake McGee. McGee seems to have been the closer in waiting for a couple of seasons, and now he's getting more of an opportunity, with 3 saves in […]

Brad Boxberger (RP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Continue Scouting ANALYSIS: Brad Boxberger has been one of the Rays' more dominant relief pitchers in 2014. He's having a breakout season, pitching to a 2.87 ERA with a.93 WHIP and an impressive 48:12 K:BB ratio in just 31.1 IP. His filthy strikeout stuff is well suited to the closer role, but Boxberger, with just […]

Zach Putnam (RP, CWS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues (that value saves) ANALYSIS: With the news that Ronald Belisario was officially removed from the closer's role, Zach Putnam becomes the most recent addition to our list of saves sleepers to target off the waiver wire. While it hasn't been officially stated that Putnam is the new team closer, he looks like the favorite and is […]

Santiago Casilla (RP, SF) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: With the recent news that the struggling Sergio Romo has been removed from the closer's role, Santiago Casilla becomes an immediate addition to our waiver wire sleepers list for saves. Bruce Bochy stated that Casilla and Jeremy Affeldt would form a committee, but we prefer Casilla is the better option […]

Joe Smith (RP, LAA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: Since he came up in 2007, Smith has been a very reliable middle relief option for every team he has played on. In each of his final three seasons in Cleveland before signing with the Angels in 2014, he had a sub-3.00 ERA with 60+ IP. This year, he […]

Mark Melancon (RP, PIT) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add Immediately ANALYSIS: Racking up saves is 50% opportunity and 50% talent. Mark Melancon has always had the talent, and he's about to get his 2nd 2014 opportunity. After racking up 10 saves while Grilli landed on the DL, Melancon had been relegated to setup duties. All he did over his last 10 outings was throw 9.1 […]

Jake McGee (RP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS:  Jake McGee is the de facto closer for the Rays.  He was favored to get the gig after Balfour's demotion, and while some may have forgotten because it took a week for the Rays to offer McGee a save opportunity, he is now a waiver wire option that should be added immediately. He has […]

Neil Ramirez (RP, CHC) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues (that value saves) ANALYSIS: Neil Ramirez is the latest Cubs reliever to rack up some saves, immediately making him a viable waiver wire pickup and another in the list of saves sleepers for fantasy baseball. This afternoon Ramirez nailed down the save for the Cubs, his second in 3 days as […]

Hector Rondon (RP, CHI) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Mixed Leagues, Must Own in NL-Only Leagues ANALYSIS: What's with the lack of fantasy baseball love for Hector Rondon? You would think that the assigned closer for the Chicago Cubs, with very good pitching ratios thus far in 2014, should be more than 47% owned in Yahoo leagues right? […]

Jake McGee / Juan Carlos Oviedo (RP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues ANALYSIS: Grant Balfour is out as the closer in TB, for now. He says his fastball has been improving, and if that's the case we will not be surprised to see Balfour reclaim the closer gig in a matter of weeks.  Joe Maddon is intensely loyal to his players - could […]

Ronald Belisario (RP, CWS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues (that value saves) ANALYSIS: After picking up the save last night, the White Sox officially announced today that Ronald Belisario will act as their closer and should be grabbed off the waiver wire for all leagues that value saves. He becomes yet another one in the recent string of saves sleepers […]