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 […]

Getting A Grip: Waiver Wire Pickups for Holds (Week 12)

While the holds statistic is hard to determine who will enter the game in the right situation, the sleepers noted today feature some overlooked relief pitchers and some looking to reclaim glory they once had. The more likely their team is to win, the more likely the following players will be eligible to earn the holds that […]

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 […]

Getting A Grip: Waiver Wire Pickups for Holds (Week 11)

  Waiver Wire Sleepers for Holds in Week 11 While the holds statistic is hard to play for since it is difficult to determine if a pitcher will enter the game in the right situation to earn a hold, the players I've featured in today's article include some overlooked players and some who are looking […]

Chad Qualls (RP, HOU) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS:  Qualls is quietly putting together quite the dominant campaign in 2014, and it's going overlooked by 64% of owners in Yahoo! leagues.  Here are the basic facts: Houston has finally settled on Qualls as their closer after a merry-go-round month of April. On the season, Qualls has an elite […]

Jenrry Mejia (RP, NYM) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: Don't let the last two innings scare you - while Mejia gave up 3 ER, he still locked down a save and didn't blow a save in the other appearance. Since taking over the closer role, all Mejia has done is, well....get nasty.  He's thrown 12.1 IP, with a 13:5 […]

MLB Closers and Saves Update for June 4th

Your Latest News from the Back End of the Bullpen We keep a close look on all the closers, saves and bullpen news and analysis twice a week so you can focus on the rest of your fantasy baseball teams.  Find all the information you need on the back end of MLB bullpens right here […]

Sean Doolittle (RP, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add Immediately ANALYSIS: Sean Doolittle is a relief pitcher that for the past few years I expected to take the closer role in Oakland and run away with it. He has the filthy stuff it takes to be the dominant late inning reliever he has shown flashes of, but sometimes seemed to throw a stinker in […]

Zach Britton (RP, BAL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues (if you need saves) ANALYSIS: Zach Britton is in his first season as a reliever and has started off dominating the opposition in such a fashion that he has grown into the Baltimore closer job. In the past he was an underwhelming starting pitcher who lacked the ability to pitch through […]

MLB Closers and Saves update May 27th

Your Latest News from the Back End of the Bullpen We keep a close look on all the closers, saves and bullpen news and analysis twice a week so you can focus on the rest of your fantasy baseball teams.  Find all the information you need on the back end of MLB bullpens right here […]

Getting A Grip: Waiver Wire Pickups for Holds

While the holds statistic is hard to determine and prepare for, since you never know if a player will enter a game in the right situation, the players noted today feature some overlooked sleepers and some just simply looking to reclaim glory they once had. The more likely the team is to win, the more likely these following players […]

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 […]

MLB Closers and Saves Update for May 20th

Your Latest News from the Back End of the Bullpen We keep a close look on all the bullpen news and analysis twice a week so you can focus on the rest of your fantasy baseball team.  Find all the information you need on the back end of bullpens right here at Rotoballer.com, and be […]

Sean Doolittle (RP, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: Jim Johnson has lost his closers job in Oakland, maybe even permanently, and Sean Doolittle looks like the waiver wire pickup. Currently only owned in 31% of Yahoo leagues, he can be considered another one in the list of recent sleepers for leagues that count saves. Even though he's a lefty, […]

Getting A Grip: Waiver Wire Pickups for Holds

Navigating The Holds Category Is Not Always Easy While the holds statistic is hard to determine and prepare for, since you never know if a player will enter a game in the right situation, you will notice that the players featured in this article include some power arms and some pitchers that might seem like […]

Jenrry Mejia (RP, NYM) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues ANALYSIS: Jenrry Mejia picked up his first career save today, and should be added off the waiver wire in most leagues that count saves, becoming yet another in the recent list of saves sleepers for fantasy baseball. When Kyle Farnsworth was recently removed from the role and released, there was speculation […]

Bryan Shaw (RP, CLE) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues (that value saves) ANALYSIS: Bryan Shaw, and not Cody Allen, may just be the new closer for the Indians, making him a waiver wire pickup to consider for leagues that value saves, and adding him to the list of recent saves sleepers. John Axford was removed from the role last week after struggling […]

Zach Britton (RP, BAL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: Zach Britton looks to be the new closer for the Orioles, making him an immediate waiver wire pickup and adding to the list of sleepers for leagues that value saves.  He picked up Baltimore's most recent save on Thursday evening with a scoreless inning, and has been filthy all season […]

MLB Closers and Saves Update for May 13th

Your Latest News from the Back End of the Bullpen We keep a close eye on all the bullpen news and analysis twice a week so you can focus on the rest of your fantasy baseball team.  Find all the information you need on the back end of bullpens right here at Rotoballer.com, and be […]

MLB Closers and Saves Update for May 6th

  Your Latest News from the Back End of the Bullpen We keep a keen on all the bullpens so you can focus on the rest of your team.  Find all the information you need on the back end of bullpens right here at Rotoballer.com, and be sure to check out our up-to-date MLB fantasy […]

Aaron Loup (RP, TOR) - Waiver Wire Analysis

Update (5/3 - after today's game): Loup came in the 7th inning of today's game, and had a disastrous outing giving up 3 ER. Certainly a different tune than what the Blue Jays had said coming into today. The bullpen situation is ugly here, most likely yielding towards a committee going forward until Janssen is back, […]

Blue Jays Bullpen (RP, TOR) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Continue Scouting ANALYSIS: Sergio Santos took the BS, L last night after giving up 3 runs on 2 HR to Pedro Alvarez (tying the game) and Starling Marte (winning the game).  Santos has now allowed 6 ER in his last 2 outings, and has a 10.61 ERA on the year. His magnificent 16.39 K/9 is […]

Relief Pitcher Updates: The Closer Carousel Continues

As we head into the first week of May in the 2014 baseball season, we are seeing changes happening in the late-inning roles across baseball.  Whether due to injuries or failure, we here at Rotoballer will keep you up to date so that you can plan accordingly and adjust your rosters if need be.   Looking […]

5 Setup Men To Own: Waiver Wire Pickups for Holds Leagues

  Setup Men For Holds Leagues The holds statistic leaves us guessing who will enter the game in the right situation, and these players here include a couple former closers and stellar setup men. All of these players are capable of being reliable setup men for their respective teams and players worth considering adding if […]

Mark Melancon (RP, PIT) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: Jason Grilli has be struggling this year, and hit the DL today after blowing a couple of saves. If you're looking for closers off the waiver wire, Mark Melancon may still be available in your league as he will be filling in as the Pirates closer and can be added […]

Joe Smith (RP, LAA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ANALYSIS: Mike Scioscia named Joe Smith the new Angels closer earlier today, making him an immediate waiver wire pickup and one of those short-term sleepers for leagues that value closers and saves. Ernesto Frieri has been removed from the role, after a few disastrous outings and blown saves. He may get […]

5 Setup Men To Own: Waiver Wire Pickups for Holds Leagues

The Hold - Baseball's Unheralded Stat It is very difficult to rely on one pitcher on your roster as the Holds specialist. Unlike the closer there is no such thing as the holder. Specialist relievers that get one batter out or an eighth inning setup man expected to be the final part of the bridge […]