Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Bryan Shaw was signed to be the critical guy who got the big outs in tight situations, but that hasn't worked out, so he's instead been moved to a much less stressful role that gives him big leads or losing scores. That's kind of worked. Shaw has posted a phenomenal 0.95 ERA in 19 innings this season, and as long as an owner looks no deeper than that, he seems like a stud. A peek under the hood makes many cringe, though. Shaw is striking out a hilarious 3.32 hitte[...]

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Bryan Shaw was on the fortunate end of a blown save by the Braves on Saturday as Colorado posted a five-run ninth inning to win in a comeback. Shaw threw two flawless innings when the team was trailing by one run, and a big showing by the big bats landed him his first win of the season. Shaw was originally signed by Colorado last year to work in high-leverage situations, but he struggled mightily and has been relegated to less pressure-filled appearances now. The[...]

The East and Central have already been covered, so let's head out west. It's time to see what's going on in the bullpens of the National League West division.There are still too many significant relief pitchers on the free agent market to believe that any bullpen is "set" for Opening Day, but there are a few NL West bullpens who at least have their closers set. Meanwhile, there are a pair of bullpens who seem ready to go into spring training with a full-on battle for the ninth inning. [...]

For fantasy baseball owners the trading deadline is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, the hope is that players move into better spots on better teams, or at the very least, do not move to worse spots. On the other hand, trades lead to changes, and changes are not always good for players. Closers move to set-up roles, and backups move into starting roles quicker at this points in the season than any other time.  As baseball fans it is exciting, but as owners, perhaps not so much. So then[...]

News broke on July 19 that Padres closer Brad Hand will be moving to the shores of Lake Erie and donning the home blue of the Cleveland baseball club. In a move that many predicted, but that no one actually saw happening, the Cleveland bullpen adds not only the lefty but also another useful piece in Adam Cimber. In a weird, deja vu move the Cleveland front office has now once again traded a top prospect for a reliever, and a lefty reliever at that.   The news is significant in that a top 15 [...]

The Colorado Rockies activated relief pitcher Bryan Shaw from the disabled list on [...]

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Bryan Shaw was a high-priced free agent brought in to act as a high-pressure reliever who could hold on to a tight lead and deliver it to the closer. Instead, after a dreadful start to the season that eventually ended up sending him to the disabled list for a strained calf, manager Bud Black told reporters that Shaw will likely return in less pressure-filled situations. that plans sounds safer, but with basically the entire bullpen in shambles, expect it to chang[...]

Today and every Tuesday moving forward throughout the 2018 MLB season, we will take a deep dive into some of the lesser-owned relief pitchers on the market that are worth keeping tabs on. This can be a good tool for those in deeper holds leagues, although any pitcher in a position to make a move on their respective team's closer job will get priority. Below are my relief pitchers to target for Week 15 of the fantasy baseball season. Let's get to it.   Under-the-Radar Relievers to[...]

Colorado rockies relief pitcher Bryan Shaw continued his rehab at Triple-A on Sunday as he works his way back from his calf injury. Shaw pitched one inning for the Isotopes and allowed one hit while walking one. It's an improvement over his first rehab appearance when he gave up a pair of runs as well. Shaw was brought in as a high-priced shutdown reliever for late innings, but so far, he's been a train wreck. If he can right the ship, he could still prove useful in Holds leagues.

Every week in baseball, a significant player will hit the disabled list, slip into a slump, or get traded out of a good spot. How fantasy owners adapt to these situations can make or break the season as a whole. One lousy add might not hurt the long-term standing of a team, but failing to take advantage of breakouts or impact bats before others sure can. The primary challenge of playing in an NL or AL-only league is often the lack of options regarding adding and subtracting players when neede[...]