If you have some wiggle room with your roster, go ahead and find a back-end starting pitcher this week.
Your bench is likely loaded with players that other teams don’t deem as necessary to pick up on the waiver wire, so this week gives you a solid opportunity to pick up another start from a pitcher.
And for some of you currently mired in the underdog role, another pitcher can go a long way in possibly making a dramatic comeback.
Here’s two options to consider before the waiver wire period is complete.
Robbie Ray, Arizona
Ray had a hard-luck year last season, netting a 3.52 ERA to go along with only five wins in 23 starts.
That ERA is a good indication that Ray could be in for a much better year this season. Ray earned the No. 5 spot in the Diamondbacks’ rotation thanks to a solid spring. He registered 20 strikeouts in 18 innings.
The opposition batted only .224 in the spring and Ray mustered a 3.50 ERA.
His matchup isn’t easy Friday against a Cubs team that tallied nine runs on Opening Day. That’s OK if you believe he should continue to keep his ERA down and have more opportunities to win games.
I’m banking on a better Ray this season and that should show in the season’s opening week.
Colin Rea, San Diego
Normally I would steer clear of anyone in a Padres uniform this season. I’ll back off that approach, but if you grab Rea, there’s no reason to keep him next week.
He’s a simple pick up and dump in one waiver wire period.
According to MLB.com, Rea has put on some bulk this season, improving his fastball. He maxed out last season at 93 MPH with his fastball. In the spring, he was consistently hitting 93 and 94 MPH. That might be one of the most worthless stats ever discussed or could be an actual thing, making Rea a decent weapon for your fantasy baseball team.
It has to be of some worth, right? Oh, and Rea went for seven scoreless innings in his final start in 2015 against the Colorado Rockies, the team he’s squaring off against on Friday.
He’s young, so his stats don’t tell much of a story. He started six games last season, and obviously finished much better than he started. He did manage 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings last season, so if that continues, he would be a decent option.
