Kenley Jansen Scheduled To Make Four More Spring Appearances

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that closer Kenley Jansen (back) has just enough time to be ready for the start of the regular season on March 28, but there is no margin for any more injury setbacks. "We're running out of time," Cora said. Despite being scratched from his second Grapefruit League appearance […]

Griffin Jax - Fantasy Baseball Closer Draft Values and Sleepers (2024)

BALLER MOVE: Target in drafts ~pick 250 CURRENT ADP: ~440 overall ANALYSIS: With the news breaking that Minnesota's top closer Jhoan Duran will begin the season on the IL, Jax gets an immediate bump in value as he should be the first reliever in line to take over the closer's job while Duran is out. […]

Jhoan Duran To Begin Season On Injured List

Minnesota Twins reliever Jhoan Duran (oblique) will begin the season on the injured list due to a moderate oblique strain, according to president of baseball operations Derek Falvey. The fireballer has endured a rough spring as he sports an 11.57 ERA with four strikeouts and 10 hits allowed across five appearances and 4 2/3 innings […]

Chris Martin May Not Be Ready For Opening Day

The Boston Globe's Peter Abraham writes that right-hander Chris Martin (groin) may not be ready for Opening Day on March 28. Closer Kenley Jansen (back) was scratched from making his second Grapefruit League appearance on Monday, but the team still believes he has a shot to be ready by Opening Day. The 37-year-old Martin threw […]

Yuki Matsui - Fantasy Baseball Closer Outlook (2024)

ANALYSIS: San Diego Padres reliever Yuki Matsui is a 28-year-old relief pitcher signed from Rakuten in the Japan Central League. The lefty has 236 career saves in the JPPL and is now in the rebuilt San Diego bullpen. Last season, Matsui had a career-high 39 saves with a tidy 1.57 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 72 strikeouts in […]

Scott Barlow - Fantasy Baseball Closer Outlook (2024)

ANALYSIS:  The right-hander posted a 4.37 ERA, and 1.40 WHIP, with a 79/34 K/BB ratio and 13 saves last season. He had pitched extremely well during the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Kansas City Royals. His first couple of appearances were marred by Coors and the Dodgers, but his final 21 games yielded this […]

Kenley Jansen Scratched With Lower-Back Tightness

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen (back) has been scratched from the team's Grapefruit League game on Monday versus the Minnesota Twins due to lower-back tightness. However, he could pitch as soon as Tuesday, and the Red Sox still expect that he'll be ready for Opening Day on March 28. Jansen didn't make his spring […]

Auction Draft Targets Under $10: Starting Pitchers - Fantasy Baseball Auction Leagues (2024)

Welcome RotoBallers to our salary cap league strategy article targeting pitchers with an average auction value (AAV) of under $10. In the salary cap draft format, fantasy baseball managers are not bound by the rules and structure of the snake draft. The ability to put your money towards the players you prefer feels liberating. The […]

Yahoo Undervalued and Overvalued Picks - Fantasy Baseball ADP Advantages for Drafts

Welcome RotoBallers to our Yahoo fantasy baseball article about undervalued and overvalued players to draft in Yahoo leagues, based on their ADP and ranking. Average Draft Position (ADP) is often the guiding light for fantasy baseball draft strategy. While every league is different and may have a particularly aggressive or conservative group of owners when […]

JB's Bullpen Method Strategy for 2024: Making FrankenAces Out of Relief Pitchers

Four years ago, our esteemed JB Branson published an article breaking down his favorite fantasy baseball strategy that he’s deployed for over a decade. In his words, the Bullpen Method is a lifestyle that reflects the importance of balance on a fantasy team. Since then he's published this yearly Bullpen Method article, which most recently […]

Jose Leclerc Likely To Be Closer

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Jose Leclerc has a strong possibility of opening the regular season as the team's closer, according to manager Bruce Bochy. The 30-year-old ended last season as the closer and appears in a good spot to keep that role. Last season, Leclerc finished with a 2.68 ERA, 2.14 WHIP, and 67 strikeouts […]

Hunter Harvey - Fantasy Baseball Closer Draft Values and Sleepers (2024)

BALLER MOVE: Target in drafts ~pick 285 CURRENT ADP: ~298 overall ANALYSIS: The Nationals will likely open 2024 with Kyle Finnegan as their closer, but Harvey remains the talent to side with. Remember Harvey’s 10-game window from June 21 to July 14: 9 ⅔ IP, 6 SV, 1 ER, 10:1 K:BB. But then he missed a […]

Robert Stephenson - Fantasy Baseball Closer Draft Values and Sleepers (2024)

BALLER MOVE: Target in drafts ~pick 241 CURRENT ADP: ~256 overall ANALYSIS: The Rays traded for Stephenson to kick off June and promptly unlocked his next form. The 31-year-old started to show more life in June before becoming untouchable in July. His final 28 games saw 26 IP supply a 43:3 K:BB with four earned […]

Jason Adam - Fantasy Baseball Closer Draft Values and Sleepers (2024)

BALLER MOVE: Target in drafts ~pick 271 CURRENT ADP: ~306 overall ANALYSIS:  Pete Fairbanks will open the year as Tampa's primary closer, but Adam should remain fantasy-relevant in leagues that count holds as a high-leverage, late-inning reliever Adam has proven to be a valuable commodity for the Tampa Bay Rays. The 32-year-old righty had four […]

Who is the Phillies Closer? Fantasy Baseball Saves Outlook for 2024

The Philadelphia Phillies are coming off a season in which they lost in the National League Championship Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks. They finished the regular season with a record of 90-72 but were able to make a deep playoff run by defeating the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves in the NL Wild Card and […]

ESPN Undervalued and Overvalued Picks - Fantasy Baseball ADP Advantages for Drafts

Welcome RotoBallers to our ESPN fantasy baseball article about undervalued and overvalued players to draft in ESPN leagues, based on their ADP and ranking. Average Draft Position (ADP) is often the guiding light for fantasy baseball draft strategy. While every league is different and may have a particularly aggressive or conservative group of owners when […]

Cody Bradford Cracks The Rangers' Rotation

Texas Rangers pitcher Cody Bradford will begin the season in the starting rotation, according to general manager Chris Young. Young added that the team isn't likely to add to its staff, seemingly ruling out bringing back left-hander Jordan Montgomery. Bradford made eight starts and appeared in 20 games for the Rangers in the 2023 season, […]

Keynan Middleton To Start The Year On Injured List

St. Louis Cardinals right-handed reliever Keynan Middleton (forearm) has a forearm strain and will be shut down from throwing for at least 10 days. It means that he'll start the 2024 regular season on the injured list. The Cardinals are planning to be without him for at least a couple of weeks into the season […]

Hunter Harvey Continues His Strong Spring

Washington Nationals reliever Hunter Harvey pitched one inning of relief on Friday in a 7-3 Grapefruit League win over the Mets. Harvey has had a nice spring, allowing six hits and two earned runs with a 10:1 K:BB over six and one-third innings pitched (2.84 ERA). The 29-year-old is coming off the best season of […]

Craig Counsell Not Committing To Any Bullpen Roles

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell isn't committing to a specific closer to open his first season with the club in 2024. There are high-leverage arms in Chicago's bullpen, but Counsell isn't ready to give out defined roles this spring among names like Adbert Alzolay, Julian Merryweather, Mark Leiter Jr. and Hector Neris. The best bet […]

David Bednar To Throw A Bullpen On Friday

Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar (lat) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session in camp on Friday. Bednar felt some right-lat tightness at spring training earlier this month, and his mound session on Friday will be his first time throwing since the injury cropped up. The 29-year-old right-hander has yet to debut in a spring […]

Justin Wilson Inks Major-League Deal With Reds

Free-agent reliever Justin Wilson has signed a major-league deal with the Cincinnati Reds after he opted out of his minor-league pact with the Dodgers on Wednesday. The left-hander last saw big-league action with the Reds in the 2022 season, posting a 2.45 ERA in five appearances but was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery that […]

Cardinals Sign Oliver Marmol To Contract Extension

The St. Louis Cardinals signed manager Oliver Marmol to an undisclosed contract extension on Friday. Marmol led the Cardinals to a 93-win season in 2022 but led the team to 91 losses last year. He was getting set to enter the final year of his original three-year deal in 2024, but the skipper will now […]

Robert Stephenson Feeling More Shoulder "Discomfort"

Los Angeles Angels right-handed reliever Robert Stephenson (shoulder) is feeling shoulder "discomfort," according to manager Ron Washington. Stephenson had been feeling good about being ready for Opening Day on March 28, but Washington now concedes that Stephenson may run out of time. The skipper said the team did tests and is now just waiting for […]

Emmanuel Clase Has Rough Inning Of Work

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase allowed a three-run homer to Alan Trejo in one inning against the Colorado Rockies on Thursday in Cactus League action. It was the first bad performance this spring for the 25-year-old and he has now thrown five innings with nine strikeouts. There were some whispers this offseason of a potential […]

Closers and Saves Bullpen Report for Fantasy Baseball - Mid-March Edition

Another week of training in the spring, another week of bullpen news, rumors, and injuries. While things will certainly ramp up as we approach Opening Day, this was anything but a quiet week in bullpens across the league. Before we jump into news and notes, be sure to take a look at our bullpen-by-bullpen break […]

Who is the Tigers Closer? Fantasy Baseball Saves Outlook

The Detroit Tigers will enter the 2024 season with some high hopes. They finished second in a weak AL Central division last year and made some improvements along the pitching staff this offseason. Tarik Skubal is finally fully healthy and looking like a true Cy Young candidate, while the additions of veterans like Kenta Maeda […]

Clay Holmes Still The Yankees' Closer

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed that right-handed reliever Clay Holmes remains the team's closer heading into the 2024 season. The Yankees used Holmes in a variety of high-leverage roles to open last season, including in some save chances, but he was mostly used in the ninth inning in the second half of the […]

Paul Sewald Using A Changeup This Spring

Arizona Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald has added a changeup to his arsenal this spring training. He hasn't thrown a changeup with any kind of regularity since the 2020 season. Upon arriving in Seattle before the 2021 season, he rode his fastball/slider combination into the closer's role for the Mariners. Through four Cactus League appearances, Sewald […]

Brewers Won't Name A Defined Closer To Fill In For Devin Williams

Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams (back) is expected to miss around three months due to stress fractures in his back. General manager Matt Arnold said he would leave the decision up to manager Pat Murphy and his staff as to who will be the team's closer while Williams is sidelined. Abner Uribe, as well as […]