Major League Baseball

MLB Quick Hits: Big Papi takes the field

Published Apr. 6, 2015 5:45 a.m. ET

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John Halpin

Last week, I bought Padres closer Joaquin Benoit for $12 in an NL-only auction. Later in the proceedings, I snatched up San Diego setup men Brandon Maurer and Kevin Quackenbush. Clearly, I'd have this team's saves covered.

Or, maybe not. On Sunday, the Padres acquired Craig Kimbrel from the Braves, turning Benoit into a setup guy and Maurer/Quackenbush into minor leaguers. Ryan Fowler reviewed the fantasy impact of this deal on Sunday night, and I'll add two notes: I prefer Jason Grilli to Jim Johnson as the Braves' short-term closer, and noticed that team prez John Hart mentioned Juan Jaime as a possible closer down the line. Jaime throws gas, and whiffed 81 batters while walking 45 (!!!) in 53 1/3 innings between the minors and majors last season. Jaime's minor-league track record is littered with examples of horrible control, so don't get too excited. He's a longshot to close in 2015.

In other news ...

The Red Sox play in Philadelphia to start the season, which means they lose the DH. But fear not, David Ortiz owners. Your hero will play first base today, with Mike Napoli sitting on the bench.

The Cardinals stole four bases in their season-opening win over the Cubs. This game story notes that the Cardinals are making good on their offseason promise to run more, and uses the word "aggressive" five times. If you own Jason Heyward or Kolten Wong, this is a good sign.

As expected, the D-backs sent Yasmany Tomas to the minors, where he'll spend most of his time as an outfielder. They also released OF Cody Ross.

Yankees ace/ticking time bomb Masahiro Tanaka says that we shouldn't expect him to throw as hard this season. Oh, OK. That's not cause for worry or anything.

In other Yankee news, manager Joe Girardi suggested Friday that Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller might share save opportunities. While this is certainly possible, I don't buy it. Your fantasy play here is to approach a panicked Betances owner, and try to buy low.

Per the Boston Herald, Red Sox closer Koji Uehara is scheduled to throw in a simulated game on Thursday, and could come off the DL as soon as next Monday.

Ubaldo Jimenez will begin the season as the Orioles' fifth starter, with Kevin Gausman in the bullpen. The bet here is that Gausman will be in the rotation by May 1.

Orioles' reminder: Chris Davis finishes his suspension today, and should be in the lineup on Tuesday.

In Rockies' news, OF Carlos Gonzalez will bat second today, while rookie righty Eddie Butler has earned a rotation slot and will start on Wednesday. Would you like to bet on a young Rockies' starter? No? Me neither.

Our streaming starter selections in this blog will take on a slightly different format this season, as we'll use DraftKings salaries as well as FOXSports.com ownership percentages to make and quantify selections. If you want a cheap pitcher today, try Miami's Henderson Alvarez, who is owned in just 41.5 percent of FOXSports.com leagues, and carries a $6,200 DK salary, which ranks him 25th among starters. Alvarez gets a start in pitcher-friendly Marlins Park against the awful Braves, and if there's a team that can assist his low-strikeout issues, the Braves are it.

One more pitcher recommendation: Rays SP Chris Archer is tied for 16th among starters on DraftKings with a salary of $7,600 today. He faces an Orioles' lineup that will be without J.J. Hardy, Matt Wieters and the aforementioned Chris Davis. Bet on Archer for a strong outing.

See you back here tomorrow morning. Enjoy Opening Day!

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