Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers - Closers & Relievers (RP)

A.J. Puk (RP, OAK) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 18)

BALLER MOVE: Add in 15+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 25% of leagues ANALYSIS: A.J. Puk was a project pick for the Oakland A's at 6th overall in the 2016 MLB Draft out of the University of Florida, and at age 27, the 6'7, 248-lb. lefty has definitely turned a corner. In 44.2 IP this season […]

Colin Poche (RP, TB): Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 15+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 3% of leagues ANALYSIS: If you follow my takes, you know I love college lefties from schools like Dallas Baptist, niche relievers, and late-round draft picks. 28-year-old Tampa Bay RP Colin Poche satisfies all of the above criteria. The Columbus, Ohio native was a 14th-round selection […]

Spencer Strider (RP, ATL): Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 15+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 13% of leagues ANALYSIS: 23-year-old Spencer Strider has a killer mustache and is off to an excellent 2022 start out of the Atlanta Braves bullpen, producing a 2.49 ERA; 1.06 WHIP; two holds; and a 1.39 FIP off a 37.7% strikeout rate and zero allowed home […]

Dinelson Lamet (P, SDP) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~320 pick CURRENT ADP: ~350 overall ANALYSIS: Dinelson Lamet is a wildcard for the San Diego Padres and fantasy managers. He was one of the best pitchers in the league in 2020 when he dominated batters to the tune of 2.09 ERA with a 2.48 FIP. Lamet produced a 12.13 K/9 […]

Lucas Sims (RP, CIN) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 190 CURRENT ADP: ~244 overall ANALYSIS: Cincinnati doesn’t owe Sims the job, I know, but his stretch run last year should give him the upper hand. Despite logging zero saves following his August return from an elbow injury, Sims would post a 32/3 K/BB with seven earned runs in just […]

Tyler Wells (RP, BAL) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 350 CURRENT ADP: ~401 overall ANALYSIS: Sure, the 4.11 ERA doesn't look overly impressive. That being said, this is why, especially for relievers, you have to look past the ERA. With a 29% strikeout rate and a 5.4% walk rate, his K-BB numbers were quite impressive, leading to him generating […]

Dylan Floro (RP, MIA) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 45% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Miami Marlins have been wholly committed to relief pitcher Dylan Floro as their closer for more than a month now. No other Marlin has recorded a save since August 14. Since that date, Floro has converted eight of his nine save opportunities […]

Dylan Floro (RP, MIA) - Week 26 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 42% of leagues ANALYSIS: Over the last few years, more and more teams have chosen to spread the wealth when it comes to save opportunities. This is usually a sound strategy for them, but makes life tougher for fantasy managers who are scratching and clawing for every last […]

Nestor Cortes Jr. (SP/RP, NYY) - Week 25 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams ROSTERED IN: 44% of leagues ANALYSIS: New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr. has been one of the team's nicest surprises on the mound this year. The lefty has carved himself a relatively safe role in the team's rotation and he could help fantasy managers - […]

Kyle Finnegan (RP, WAS) - Week 25 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 45% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Washington Nationals haven't been finding themselves in the win column very often lately, but when they have been, reliever Kyle Finnegan has typically been there to close the door. Finnegan has served as the team's primary closer since the trade deadline saw […]

Scott Barlow (RP, KCR) - Week 24 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 45% of leagues ANALYSIS: Who the primary saves option is in Kansas City has been a point of contention for most of the year, but Scott Barlow appears to have taken command of the ninth inning. The 28-year-old has locked down each of the team's last four save chances, […]

A.J. Puk (RP, OAK) - Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 5% of leagues ANALYSIS: Especially with his injury concerns; it always felt like the closer A.J. Puk got to the majors, the further away he actually ended up. For how raw he was coming out of Florida in 2016 as the sixth overall pick, he transitioned […]

Codi Heuer (RP, CHC) - Week 19 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 8% of leagues ANALYSIS: Codi Heuer was part of the White Sox package (along with Nick Madrigal) shipped to the Cubs in exchange for Craig Kimbrel at this year's deadline, and while he has struggled when viewing the season as a whole, a move to the […]

Michael Lorenzen (RP, CIN) - Week 19 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 1% of leagues ANALYSIS: "Mikey Biceps" has only seen 5.2 IP this season in five appearances after a late-July seasonal debut and then a quick IL stint in between, but he couldn't have arrived at a better time for the Cincinnati Reds, who are receiving plenty […]

Mychal Givens (RP, CIN) - Week 19 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 2% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Reds acquired reliever Mychal Givens from Colorado before the deadline for minor league pitchers Case Williams and Noah Davis, and the deal continues to pay dividends with the Reds climbing to 58-51. Givens holds a 2.34 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 3-2 […]

Joakim Soria (RP, ARI) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 32% of leagues ANALYSIS: Though he's a prime candidate to be dealt ahead of next weekend's trade deadline, Joakim Soria is the clear top dog in the Arizona bullpen right now. That makes it surprising to see him languishing on the waiver wire in over two-thirds of leagues […]

Kyle Funkhouser (RP, DET) - Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 1% of leagues ANALYSIS: Sometimes all you need is a little bit more time. You might struggle at Triple-A, you might struggle when you reach the majors, but for some guys everything just clicks around their late-20s, and that seems to be the case for former […]

Heath Hembree (RP, CIN) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 44% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Reds have used a variety of relievers in the ninth inning this year, as expected, but it's unlikely many anticipated Heath Hembree being one of them. The veteran has six saves on the season, nailing down five of the team's last six opportunities headed […]

Paul Sewald (RP, SEA) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 16% of leagues ANALYSIS: Paul Sewald had known only misery in his previous four MLB seasons, all of which came with the Mets, but now that he's had a change of scenery to Seattle, the 31-year-old Las Vegas native seems to have finally found his big […]

Amir Garrett (RP, CIN) - Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 40% of leagues ANALYSIS: It has been far from a banner year for Amir Garrett, but there have been enough struggles and injuries throughout the Cincinnati bullpen for him to be the main high-leverage go-to arm while Lucas Sims and Tejay Antone are on the IL. […]

Erick Fedde (SP/RP, WSH) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 22% of leagues ANALYSIS: With eleven starts in eleven appearances, Erick Fedde might be poised to shed eligibility as a reliever, but with his biggest problem as a pitcher being solved this season, his name is officially on the radar. In 55.1 IP this year he […]

Pete Fairbanks (RP, TB) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 32% of leagues ANALYSIS: Pete Fairbanks was an instrumental component of the Rays' ingenious 2020 bullpen that helped bring another pennant back to Tampa Bay, and at the age of 27, the 6'6, 225-lb. Mizzou alumnus is getting better in all of the right ways. While […]

Sammy Long (RP, SF) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 5% of leagues ANALYSIS: Sammy Long isn't the typical reliever to qualify for the weekly ranks of worthwhile additions, but the numbers suggest he packs much more promise than you would initially think. The 25-year-old lefty out of Sacramento State has started his MLB career with […]

Lucas Sims (RP, CIN) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 45% of leagues ANALYSIS: It took a couple months, but there appears to be a clear #1 option for saves in Cincinnati. Lucas Sims has locked down each of the Reds' last five opportunities, and while his full-season ratios (5.01 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) aren't great, he also has 36 […]

Paul Fry (RP, BAL) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 19% of leagues ANALYSIS: At 28, Paul Fry has already been a seasoned resident for the Baltimore Orioles over the last four seasons, and since his hiccup year in 2019 he has steadily improved over time, and he has started 2021 looking flat-out dominant. The alumnus […]

Points League Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 11

We'll be doing this roundup of point league happenings every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll make sure to highlight where players are the […]

Ryan Yarbrough (SP/RP, TB) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 35% of leagues ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Ryan Yarbrough made modern Rays history on Thursday. Facing the New York Yankees, he pitched nine innings and allowed six hits, no walks and two earned runs while striking out six. It was the first complete game of […]

J.P. Feyereisen (RP, TB) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 47% of leagues ANALYSIS: Alright, yes. We know. He's a Rays reliever. So how much faith can you have that J.P. Feyereisen will continue to see save opportunities going forward? The answer to that question is a loaded one, so let's just go off of the facts we […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 11 Waiver Wire

Sometimes, it's nice to take a break, kick your feet up, and just have a relatively quiet bullpen week. This was one of those weeks, and only the second one this season that didn't have some kind of huge news from at least one team's bullpen. There were still blown saves, confusing committees, and injuries […]

Scott Barlow (RP, KCR) - Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 13% of leagues ANALYSIS: With Josh Staumont on the injured list, the Royals' closer role is once again up for grabs. While the team's only save opportunity since Staumont suffered a knee sprain was granted to veteran Greg Holland, Scott Barlow has been Kansas City's best reliever in […]

J.P. Feyereisen (RP, TBR) - Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 43% of leagues ANALYSIS: Time is running out for fantasy managers to add the Rays' J.P. Feyereisen as his rostered rate has rocketed upward in the last couple of days. That'll happen when a pitcher is handed each of his team's last three save opportunities. He remains available on […]

Points League Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 10

We'll be doing this roundup of point league happenings every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll make sure to highlight where players are the […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 10 Waiver Wire

What a disappointing week for pitching. Not a single no-hitter? That's not very 2021 of you. So there weren't any no-hitters this week, but there were some bullpen changes, with a new committee forming and an old committee getting even more confusing. A couple of injuries have complicated things around the league as well. With […]

Josh Staumont (RP, KC) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 46% of leagues ANALYSIS: Despite the early season questions, there's been no doubt who the closer is for the Kansas City Royals over the past month. Josh Staumont has recorded five saves since April 24. No other Royal has earned a save over that stretch. While Staumont […]

Points League Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 9

We'll be doing this roundup of point league happenings every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll make sure to highlight where players are the […]

Shane McClanahan (SP/RP, TB) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 33% of leagues ANALYSIS: Rookie Shane McClanahan has started off his MLB career to the tune of some fantastic results out of the Tampa Bay rotation. The 24-year-old lefty has thrown 22.1 innings over the course of five starts, so far netting a 4.03 ERA and […]

Josh Staumont (RP, KCR) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 48% of leagues ANALYSIS: On May 1, the Royals routed the Twins by a score of 11-3, giving them a division-leading 16-9 record. They didn't win again until May 14, losing 11 straight before taking the first game of a doubleheader against the White Sox. This run of futility […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 9 Waiver Wire

Two more no-hitters were thrown in the American League this week, making bullpen and closer news very much secondary in the pitching world. But it's only a matter of time until we see a team turn a bullpen game into a no-hitter, right? A couple of bullpen games have turned into shutouts already, so it […]

Michael Fulmer (SP/RP, DET) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 29% of leagues ANALYSIS: A new closer has arisen in Detroit - or so it seems. Michael Fulmer has seen a surprising and strange resurgence this season. He began the year in long relief, then moved to the starting rotation and now, he appears to be the […]

Michael Fulmer (SP/RP, DET) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: Though Michael Fulmer never lived up to the promise he showed early in his career as a starter, a move to the bullpen has made him an appealing option for fantasy managers. The 28-year-old has solid ratios overall (3.34 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 8.5 K/9) but they're […]

Points League Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 8

We'll be doing this roundup of point league happenings every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll make sure to highlight where players are the […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 8 Waiver Wire

The first few weeks of this baseball season (and even a couple of weeks leading up to Opening Day) were absolutely littered with bullpen news and notes. It seemed like almost every single day, some team was tinkering with its bullpen, or some closer was getting hurt, or some previously well-established closer was slumping while […]

Shane McClanahan (SP/RP, TB) - Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 30% of leagues ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Rays rookie pitcher Shane McClanahan has been extremely impressive over his first three MLB starts. Unfortunately, they've been brief, and there's little reason to believe that trend will end anytime soon. Still, McClanahan is someone who could provide a good amount of […]

Luis Patiño (RP, TBR) - Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 15% of leagues ANALYSIS: Much like teammate Shane McClanahan, Luis Patiño is a highly-regarded young arm whose nontraditional usage clouds his rest of season outlook. Just as with McClanahan, however, it's worth betting on the skills and letting the role sort itself out. Patiño was the centerpiece of the […]

Points League Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 7

We'll be doing this roundup of point league happenings every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll make sure to highlight where players are the […]

Cole Irvin (SP/RP, OAK) - Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 43% of leagues ANALYSIS: One of the most popular adds on the Yahoo platform in the last few days, Cole Irvin has allowed just four runs in his last four starts. The 27-year-old lacks high-end velocity, but has plus command of a five-pitch arsenal. He leans heavily on […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 7 Waiver Wire

As we enter the second month of the baseball season, there have already been plenty of surprises. The NL East is...bad, actually? The AL Central might actually have more than one playoff team? The Yankees are terrible? Wait no, they're good again? The Red Sox are for real? Are the Dodgers okay? What in the […]

Jameson Taillon (SP, NYY) - Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 46% of leagues ANALYSIS: It's not every day that we recommend adding a pitcher with a 5.24 ERA in all formats, but Jameson Taillon has been better than that mark would suggest. In his debut season with the Yankees following the second Tommy John surgery of his career, the […]

Jake Diekman (RP, OAK) - Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 36% of leagues ANALYSIS: The growing trend in MLB toward the use of closer committees is a frustrating development for fantasy managers in traditional 5x5 leagues. While relievers who work in innings other than the ninth can still provide plenty of value via excellent ratios and high strikeout […]

Shane McClanahan (RP, TBR) - Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: Though he's only eligible as a reliever at the moment, Shane McClanahan is scheduled to start two games this week, including Tuesday night against the Angels. The lefthander celebrated his 24th birthday a day late with an attention-grabbing major league debut last Thursday. Though […]