Giants Reshuffle Bullpen Amid Worst NL Record; Trade Sends Bailey to Guardians
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The best way to describe this week’s list of two-start pitchers is “fool’s gold”. There are several hurlers who have solid fantasy stats that are not supported by their underlying skills, which means that managers who fail to take a deep dive on their options could be burned. In fact, there is no one on this list who is a terrific option this week. Managers may be better off streaming one-start pitchers. On the hitting side, the Mariners are a terrific team to target.
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CBS SportsRobby Snelling, SP, Marlins (67%) – The first start wasn't great, with four walks to just two strikeouts over five innings. I don't really expect that to remain an issue – for the strikeouts, at least. The command has been an issue at times in the minors, but I fully expect Snelling's stuff to play up and miss plenty of bats. Even with the middling first start, Snelling looks like a must-roster pitcher to me. Remember, this is a guy with a career 1.46 ERA and 35% strikeout rate at Triple-A. Don't overreact to one poor start. He should go for upwards of 20% of your FAB budget.
ESPNFree agent pickups: Waldschmidt and Snelling get t... The top players you should consider claiming off the fantasy baseball waiver wire this week.
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The Giants entered the day tied for the worst record in the National League at 15-24. They have tried to shake up the roster this week, calling up slugger Bryce Eldridge from the minors on Monday and trading catcher Patrick Bailey to Cleveland on Saturday. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
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Yahoo SportsGiants (4 at LAD, 3 at ATH)There’s a trend of these teams with seven games facing plenty of right-handed starting pitchers in Week 8. The Giants project to face six right-handed starting pitchers out of seven gams, with Jeffrey Springs as the only lefty on the slate. The Giants called up top prospect Bryce Eldridge, who projects as a strong-side platoon option. Eldridge made loud contact in the minors with a 9-10% barrel rate per plate appearance over the past two seasons. He’ll be a waiver wire target in most formats because of the prospect allure. The Giants need a spark on offense and Eldridge may need to hit his way into consistent playing time.
CBS SportsWhile Vitello certainly hasn't distinguished himself in his first 39 games as an MLB manager, it is not his fault the Giants are near the bottom of the standings. Adames, Matt Chapman, and Rafael Devers have a combined .596 OPS. Ace Logan Webb has a 5.06 ERA. Offseason signings Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle have combined for a 5.60 ERA. Closer Ryan Walker has put 29 runners on base in 15 ⅓ innings. The blame starts with the players, always.
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JJ Bleday, Reds (11% Rostered) The Reds project to face four right-handed starting pitchers out of six games, so Bleday could have mixed playing time. Bleday played against one left-handed starting pitcher last week, though the Reds have only faced two since he was called up. He might play regularly if he continues to hit, which can be especially valuable since he bats second in the lineup. Bleday is probably running hot, but we should ride the wave in deeper formats. He typically struggled with plate discipline, given his 70.9% contact rate in 2025.
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CBS SportsOutfield Bleday's never been much more than a fringe Fantasy option, but we're seeing signs here in the early going that he could be more. To a certain extent, that's because he's been shielded from most lefties and has just been allowed to crush righties so far. But he's also carrying a 3.5 mph average bat speed increase without adding length to his swing, a big deal if he can sustain it. Swing speed isn't everything – you still have to make contact and still have good swing decisions, and those things don't always carry over when hitters are swinging with more effort – but it's been a big deal for Bleday, who is hitting the ball significantly harder while also putting up better plate discipline metrics.
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We had a trade! The Guardians acquired Patrick Bailey from the Giants in exchange for tugboat Matt Wilkinson and the 29th pick in the 2026 First-Year Player Draft. Bo Naylor was optioned to the minors, and we'll likely see Bailey used as the primary catcher in Cleveland. That gives recently promoted Giants prospect Jesus Rodriguez the inside track to run away with the starting job.
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Yahoo SportsRoster changes continued earlier in the week when catcher Patrick Bailey was traded to the Cleveland Guardians for pitcher Matt Wilkinson and the 29th draft pick, following the May 3 promotions of Bryce Eldridge and Jesus Rodriguez.
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The San Francisco Giants reshuffled their bullpen on Sunday, sending former closer Ryan Walker to Triple-A Sacramento after another difficult outing in Saturday night’s 13-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The move comes as San Francisco continue searching for stability amid a month-plus stretch of inconsistency.
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CBS SportsIn a surprise move Sunday, the Giants optioned Ryan Walker to the minors, hoping he could use the time there to get back on track. Though he's the team leader in saves this season with three, he wasn't consistently used as the closer, with his last save coming on April 22. His seven earned runs in his past four appearances likely sealed his fate.
AP SportsThe move with Walker was one of several made before the Giants played a series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Right-hander Gregory Santos also was optioned to Sacramento, while lefty Sam Hentges was activated from his rehabilitation assignment and righty Dylan Smith was called up from Triple-A.
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01 Yahoo Sports If it feels like teams have been struggling to hit, that aligns with the data, especially on a few surprising teams. In recent seasons, the Pirates, Rockies and White Sox were common teams found with a wRC+ below 90 or 95, which usually provides a cutoff for the bottom 10 teams in wRC+. The surprising teams with a wRC+ below 95 in 2026 include the Phillies, Padres, Reds, Red Sox and Mets. Meanwhile, the Pirates, Mariners, Nationals and Cardinals rank inside the top 10 in wRC+.
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02 CBS Sports FBT NL 5/11 This was a huge weekend for Fantasy Baseball. We saw some big-name prospect debuts, some big-name injury returns, and of course, some big-name injury departures. We'll get to everything you need to know about from this weekend's action in today's newsletter, but first: Let's get those lineups set for Week 8:
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03 AP Sports He allowed seven runs and nine hits with four walks in 3 1/3 innings over his past four appearances with two blown saves. He allowed two runs, while retiring only two batters, in a 13-3 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday night to raise his ERA on the season to 6.46 and lead to the demotion to the minors.
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