Blaine Hardy Will Start Saturday

Detroit Tigers pitcher Blaine Hardy will toe the rubber on Saturday, making just his 10th start of the season as the Tigers take on Cleveland. Hardy has bounced between the bullpen and the rotation, but has generally been the man called upon for spot-start situations when one of the regular rotation arms goes down. That's […]

Craig Kimbrel Blows Save Opportunity

Boston Red Sox Craig Kimbrel failed to convert a four-out save chance Friday against the Twins. Because of the bullpen struggles, Kimbrel was forced to come on in the eighth inning, when he is only 8-for-12 in save opportunities. The damage was done in the top of the ninth when he walked two batters and […]

Buy or Sell - Undervalued and Overvalued Players for Week 18

In a relatively active week on the MLB trade market, we now have several impactful moves to digest from a fantasy standpoint. While real-life GMs always assume trades will work in their team's benefit, the reality is that not all players are able to adapt to their new team in a positive way. With more […]

Will Smith (RP, SF) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 38% of leagues ANALYSIS: With Hunter Strickland sidelined by a broken finger sustained while punching a door in anger after a blown save, the San Francisco Giants have tried a number of different relievers in the ninth inning. Most recently, they have been turning to Will Smith to shut […]

Pedro Strop (RP, CHC) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 28% of leagues ANALYSIS: Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Pedro Strop has taken the opportunity to grab the closer's role in Chicago with Brandon Morrow going on the disabled list with a biceps injury. Those that were hoping that Morrow would be off of the disabled list on Saturday were […]

Joakim Soria Activated, Jacob Barnes Optioned to Triple A

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Joakim Soria has been activated for Friday's game against the San Francisco Giants. The newly-acquired righty will bring veteran experience to a fairly young Brewers bullpen. The acquisition of Soria also gives the Brewers another option in the ninth inning. Righty Jacob Barnes has been optioned to Triple A to make […]

Julio Urias Could Join Dodgers Bullpen

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias (shoulder) is a serious candidate to join the Dodgers bullpen down the stretch of the season, according to manager Dave Roberts. Urias has nearly recovered from shoulder surgery and is getting closer to a rehab assignment. Urias was impressive with the Dodgers in 2016 and could end up as […]

Three Teams Showing Interest In Brad Brach

According to MASN's Roch Kubatko, the Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs have shown interest in Baltimore Orioles closer Brad Brach. Brach has pitched to a 4.85 ERA and a 38/19 K/BB ratio this season with 11 saves. Despite struggling in 2018, Brach has proven he could be a dominant bullpen piece, making the […]

Diamondbacks Acquire Eduardo Escobar for Three Prospects

Minnesota Twins infielder Eduardo Escobar is heading to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for three prospects. The Twins are receiving righty pitcher Jhoan Duran and outfielders Ernie De La Trinidad, Gabriel Maciel. All three players are currently at Class-A Kane County. Escobar should continue his solid season in Arizona. He's hitting .274/.338/.514 with 15 home […]

Andrew Kittredge Recalled Friday

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Andrew Kittredge has been recalled to the majors on Friday. Kittredge was sent to Triple-A after Sundays game, but after Jonny Venters was traded to the Atlanta Braves last night there was an open roster spot. Kittredge has had a rough season in the majors with a 7.77 ERA in 22 […]

Tyler Lyons Designated for Assignment

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Tyler Lyons has been designated for assignment on Friday. Lyons posted a 8.64 ERA in 27 appearances with 16 earned runs in 16 innings with the Cards this season. However, Lyons put together two solid seasons with the Cardinals during 2016 and 2017. He's not worth owning in fantasy leagues […]

Brett Cecil to DL, Four Pitchers Recalled

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Brett Cecil (foot) has been placed on the disabled list on Friday. The Cards have recalled pitchers Luke Weaver, Dakota Hudson, Daniel Poncedeleon and Tyler Webb from Triple-A Memphis. Weaver, Hudson, and Poncedeleon are all worth a look in fantasy leagues, while Webb belongs on the waiver wire right now. Cecil […]

Sam Tuivailala Traded to Mariners

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Sam Tuivailala has been traded to the Seattle Mariners on Friday. The Cardinals acquired righty pitcher Seth Elledge in exchange for Tuivailala. Elledge had a 1.17 ERA and nine saves during 31 games in Single A this season. The Cardinals assigned Elledge to Double A. Tuivailala had a 3.69 ERA […]

Red Sox Looking At Cardinals Relievers

The Boston Red Sox have been scouting St. Louis Cardinals relief pitchers, and closer Bud Norris and relievers Brett Cecil and Sam Tuivailala could be of interest. Norris has held lefties to a .495 OPS on the season and will be a free agent after this year. The Cardinals closer would only be setting up […]

Thyago Vieira Recalled on Friday

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Thyago Vieira has been recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Friday. Vieira posted a 5.05 ERA and 50/24 K/BB ratio over 41 innings in Triple A this season. The hard-throwing righty had an ugly ERA, but did manage to save six games for Charlotte, and only allowed two home runs through […]

Tyler Danish Recalled From Triple-A

Chicago White Sox pitcher Tyler Danish has been recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Friday. Danish has posted a 3.06 ERA with a 46/26 K/BB in 29 appearances and thrown 64.2 innings this season in Triple A. Chris Volstad has been designated for assignment to make room for Danish on the 25-man roster. Volstad has posted […]

Eddie Butler Heads to Texas in Cole Hamels Deal

Chicago Cubs pitcher Eddie Butler is heading to Arlington as part of the Cole Hamels trade with the Texas Rangers. Butler recently returned from the 60-day DL, but can pitch in both the rotation and bullpen. The Rangers also receive righty pitcher Rollie Lacy and a player to be named later. Hamels officially heads to […]

Cardinals Expected to Release Greg Holland

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Greg Holland is likely going to become a free agent on Friday, according to Jon Morosi. The three-time All-Star signed a one-year $14 million deal with the Cardinals over the offseason. Holland has posted a 7.92 ERA with 22 walks in 25 innings and 32 appearances. There is a decent […]

Teams Interested In Ryan Pressly

Almost every contenter is interested in Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Ryan Pressly, according to sources. He's making $1.6 million this year and is under team control through the 2019 season. He also has the second highest spin rate in the majors with 69 strikeouts, 19 walks and a 3.40 ERA over 47 2/3 innings. Pressly […]

Brad Boxberger Blows Fifth Save

Arizona Diamondbacks closer Brad Boxberger (1-4) blew his fifth save of the season on Thursday, giving up three runs on two hits and one walk over one-third of an inning against the Cubs. Boxberger was tasked with protecting a 6-4 lead in the ninth and proceeded to give up a two-run home run to Javier […]

Fernando Rodney Toils His Way To 22nd Save Thursday

Minnesota Twins closer Fernando Rodney secured his 22nd save of the season on Thursday, but it did not come easy. The veteran entered the ninth inning to protect a 2-1 Twins lead against the powerhouse Boston Red Sox, and instantly found himself in danger. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts led off the inning with a single. First […]

Zach Britton Pitches Perfect Eighth In Yankees Debut

New York Yankees setup man Zach Britton made his debut in pinstripes on Thursday against the Kansas City Royals. Coming into the eighth inning of a 7-2 game, Britton induced two groundouts — Britton's devastating sinker almost always results in ground ball outs — along with his first strikeout as a Yankee. Britton definitely lost […]

Holds Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds for Week 18

While holds are even tougher to predict than saves, the players we’ll highlight today include some elite setup men to target off the waiver wire in Week 18. One-inning middle relievers are the constant sources for holds and specialists can manage to secure a hold even with one out. However, while specialists can get many […]

Week 18 Waiver Wire: H2H Category Streamers

I like to consider myself a pioneer of the streaming approach. I won a league about seven years ago completely ignoring saves and just stacking up the starts each week. While streaming is undoubtedly more directly associated with pitching, there's plenty of value in streaming for offense as well. Maybe you have a stacked roster […]

Austin Pruitt Earns Rare Save Thursday

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Austin Pruitt earned the save Thursday versus Baltimore. He finished the final 1 1/3 innings of the 4-3 victory. It was only his second save of the season.Pruitt struck out three of the four batters he faced, which is likely a gratifying result after fighting his way back from another stint […]

Rays Trade Jonny Venters To Atlanta

The Tampa Bay Rays traded reliever Jonny Venters to the Atlanta Braves Thursday. It is unknown what his new role will be with the Braves but that will go a long way towards determining what his value will be going forward. If he is a late inning setup man, then he will have value in […]

Rangers Could Be Close To Trading Keone Kela

The Texas Rangers could be close to trading closer Keone Kela, as teams in touch with them get a sense that he could be moved soon, according to sources. Kela doesn't become a free agent until after the 2020 season, so the Rangers could get a nice return of prospects for him. He sports a […]

Addison Reed To Start Rehab Assignment Friday

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Addison Reed (elbow) will start his rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester on Friday. He's also slated to pitch on Sunday. Reed has struggled in a setup role for the Twins this year and has a bloated 4.83 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 8.1 K/9 in 41 innings. Hopefully the mechanical tweaks he's […]

Domingo German Reportedly Left Game With Bicep Tendonitis

New York Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German had to leave Thursday's Triple-A game, and early reports indicate the reason was bicep tendonitis in his arm. The injury hasn't been confirmed, but it's being reported as an initial diagnosis. If confirmed, it'll be a big blow to the Yankees pitching depth, as German has been able […]

Red Sox Looking Into Blake Parker, Justin Anderson

The Boston Red Sox already acquired starter Nathan Eovaldi from the Tampa Bay Rays, and it seems like they've turned their attention to the Los Angeles Angels. Specifically, the Angels bullpen. It was previously reported that teams were looking into Angels closer Blake Parker, and it seems the Red Sox are one of them. Parker […]