Bullpen Report - Emphasize Relievers In the Final Month
If you have fallen behind in the saves category or are in need of some relievers that can help your ratios, this is the perfect time of year for you to strike. Yeah, we had all the early season bullpen changes and the trade deadline which completely mixed things up. But if you are still... Read More
Closers and Saves Report - Week 21 Waiver Wire
Since we last spoke, Closers and Saves Report readers, a former relief pitcher threw a no-hitter in his first major league start. That was pretty cool. Bullpens did things too. Closers came back from injuries, new committees formed, old committees closed as one guy took over, and so on. But that no-hitter though... We also... Read More
The Baller Ranks: Weekly Top 101 Relief Pitcher Rankings
It's the middle of August and the dust has settled from the Trade Deadline's chaos. There are still many fluid bullpens to explore, so let's get right into my top 101 RP Baller Ranks, which are geared towards traditional 5x5 roto leagues with potential mentions for hold candidates and ratio anchors. I decided to leave... Read More
Closers and Saves Report - Week 20 Waiver Wire
Things always seem to settle down a little around this time in the baseball season. The deadline is behind us, so a lot of buyers with previously unsettled bullpens got settled through trades. On the other end of that, a lot of sellers lost their closers but are in full tank/rebuild/evaluate mode so they haven't... Read More
Closers and Saves Report - Week 19 Waiver Wire
Well, that was a wild trade deadline, wasn't it? Some teams that needed to do a lot didn't do much. Some teams that didn't need to do much did the most. And then some teams did exactly what everyone expected. It seemed like a particularly hectic trade deadline day even though several teams started making... Read More
Bullpen Report: Figuring Things Out After Wild Trade Deadline
For weeks leading up to the trade deadline, I wrote about how greatly it would impact bullpens around the league. I tried to project closers that would be traded and setup men that would take over the closer gigs. Well, even I was wrong with how much the trade deadline would impact the reliever position! ... Read More
The Baller Ranks: Weekly Top 101 Relief Pitcher Rankings
Welcome to the final one-third of the season, fellow RotoBallers. August is here and I'm moving my usual publication of this around because the FAAB Sunday after the trade deadline is special. Pitchers are settling into new uniforms and new roles, so let's check in on my top 101 RP Baller Ranks, which are geared... Read More
Closers and Saves Report - Week 18 Waiver Wire
With the trade deadline in just a few hours, much of this article may be irrelevant by the end of the day. But it seems like several teams are trying to get ahead of the deadline and we've already seen some bullpen movement. A team with a solid closer picked up another solid closer. A... Read More
Closers and Saves Report - Week 17 Waiver Wire
The All-Star break is now behind us and the trade deadline is quickly approaching. Let's use a car metaphor: the All-Star break is in the rear view mirror and the trade deadline is a semi coming right at you on a one-lane road as you suddenly realize you are driving the wrong way and there... Read More
Bullpen Report: Gearing Up for the Trade Deadline
With the All-Star game behind us we are now entering the stretch run of the fantasy baseball season. The truth is, the second half is really when leagues are won or lost. Sure, you could have had a great first half, but as my brother likes to quote from his favorite movie - no body... Read More
Closers and Saves Report - Waiver Wire and Trade Deadline Chatter
We here at RotoBaller's Closers and Saves Report believe that there should be something like the Home Run Derby, but for relief pitchers. Not a skills competition, or a strike throwing contest, or a velocity race. Just an actual Home Run Derby, but with relief pitchers. Our money is on Daniel Camarena. With the All-Star... Read More
Closers and Saves Report - Week 16 Waiver Wire
This was a pretty quiet week around the league in terms of bullpens. Based on the way this season has gone, it very well might be the calm before the storm and we're about to see all kinds of changes when teams return from the All-Star Break. Speaking of which, five closers made the American... Read More
Bullpen Report: Struggling Closers, RP to Add Before Trade Deadline
This is a very busy time in the sports world. This week we have the NBA Finals, but more importantly, the Scott Fish Bowl kicking off. Every year that indicates the start of fantasy football draft season and you will see a lot of content on radio shows, podcasts, articles and on Twitter turn from... Read More
Closers and Saves Report - Week 15 Waiver Wire
There's a very important holiday coming up this weekend and you will see fireworks lighting up the sky in celebration: the mid-point of the Major League Baseball season. Some teams have already played their 81st game, but most clubs will reach that number at some point this weekend. After the 2020 season, nothing else can... Read More
The Baller Ranks: Weekly Top 101 Relief Pitcher Rankings
We're onto July, meaning it's the second half of the season and our time to gripe about the All-Star Game selections. Pitchers are still adjusting to life with sticky checks and all we can do is put on a brave face. Hit the All-Star break in stride with my top 101 RP Baller Ranks, which... Read More
Bullpen Report: Closer Carousel Keeps Churning
Chasing saves can seem maddening this season. Not only are more and more bullpens getting away from having one traditional closer and are embracing having multiple options see save chances. but some bullpens (I'm looking at you Cincinnati and Kansas City) have been nearly impossible to trust. Just when it looks like they are starting... Read More
Bullpen Report: Grab Setup Men Before Trade Deadline
The deeper we get into the season, the more valuable relievers become. They can help you maintain your ratios, rather than streaming risky starting pitchers. Also, saves is an entire category, so grabbing a pitcher that is next in line for saves is never a bad idea. Especially this time of year. First, we have... Read More
Closers and Saves Report - Week 14 Waiver Wire
So it's not a super common expression, but sometimes, when a pitcher makes a hitter look really bad (usually on a breaking ball), you'll hear announcers say he "undressed him" with the pitch. Well, here's the thing: this week, we've had actual pitchers undress on the field. Manfred League Baseball began enforcing the sticky stuff rules this... Read More
The Baller Ranks: Weekly Top 101 Relief Pitcher Rankings
With the final week of June upon us, we are all crossing the season's 50% checkpoint. As we all know, that means it's the perfect time to change rules for pitchers...sigh. Manfred shenanigans aside, we push on with my top 101 RP Baller Ranks are geared towards traditional 5x5 roto leagues with some mentions for... Read More
Bullpen Report: New Closers and Elite Ratio Relievers
MLB is cracking down on sticky substances used by pitchers starting next week. If you are a fan of baseball or fantasy baseball, you have heard this topic discussed pretty much nonstop the last couple of weeks. We have seen spin rates decline for pitchers, especially for starting pitchers, which is going to lead to... Read More
The Baller Ranks: Weekly Top 101 Relief Pitcher Rankings
We are days away from the official start of summer, and that means baseball's halfway mark approaches! Bullpens remain volatile monsters and the trade deadline draws closer so be sure you have the closer heirs on the roster and/or watch list. In the meantime, my top 101 RP Baller Ranks are geared towards traditional 5x5... Read More
Closers and Saves Report - Week 13 Waiver Wire
Quite a sticky situation in baseball this week, huh? That's just in reference to some of the bullpen issues, why, what did you think I meant? As usual, some committees shuffled around, some injuries created new committees, and some healed players ended committees. The word of the day is committee. There's only one division in... Read More
Closers and Saves Report - Week 12 Waiver Wire
With another week of injuries, committees, and blown saves behind us, fantasy managers are starting to see more and more how important having a good bullpen can be. Having the right relievers on a fantasy roster can make up for a somewhat subpar starting rotation, and ensuring you knock all pitching categories out of the... Read More
The Baller Ranks: Weekly Top 101 Relief Pitcher Rankings
June is heating up and with it, the craziness that is bullpen management. Stay vigilant with your budget and note other people's remaining funds. By now, you should be able to ascertain the market price for new closers and how your league is trending. As always, let me help guide the way! My top 101... Read More
Bullpen Report: Finding Elite Ratio and Strikeout Relievers
Sticky stuff is all the rage in the baseball world right now. Will we see pitchers suddenly losing strikeouts due to a reduce in spin rate? Will ERAs suddenly shoot up leading to more offense? Will that early round ace you drafted suddenly turn into a pumpkin? These are all the questions that fantasy baseball... Read More
The Baller Ranks: Weekly Top 101 Relief Pitcher Rankings
We've got the insanity of April and May behind us, with June's summer heat coming down to bring some long homers and shake up those volatile bullpens. Please be honest with yourself regarding how strong those FAAB bids for closer candidates need to be. Don't overlook those arms with elite ratios and high-leverage innings! This... Read More
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... Read More
Bullpen Report: Breaking Down May Leaders to Find Ratio Gems
We are officially two months into the MLB season. That’s right, we are roughly one-third of the way through the fantasy baseball season. This was about all the baseball we got in 2020, so be happy that we have four more months to go! Every week I break down the bullpens of all 30 MLB... Read More
Bullpen Report: Finding Relievers to Help Your Fantasy Team
Memorial Day Weekend is here! Hopefully, you hit the beach or a BBQ, have a burger or hot dog and an adult beverage of your choosing and just enjoy the three-day weekend. For you baseball fanatics, it’s also a significant date on the baseball calendar. It is typically the time of year where MLB teams... Read More