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Apr3_2026 BHQ Chat
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Ray Murphy
12:00
Happy Friday, everyone! And Happy Konnor Griffin Day to those who celebrate. We're just about a week into the season, and we have a full weekend of ball on tap. Queue looks full, lets get after it...
Chris
12:04
Hi Ray, thanks for taking my question.
NFBC 15 tm 5x5.
Looking to drop Larnach and Shane Smith. I know early-season trends make it hard to determine who to spend FAAB to pick up, but how would you rank the following: Wiemer, McCutchen, L Hicks, Sanoja, Jose Fernandez (assuming he stays up)? Thanks again.
Ray Murphy
12:04
Sounds like you're falling in the trap of chasing hot weeks. I don't love that approach, you're likely bidding on these guys when they're expensive and about to cool off. I'd rather chase playing time. All that said, Fernandez is interesting if he's going to play. None of the rest do much for me.
Beano
12:05
Hiya Brent! NL 10 team 5x5 I want to activate Rumfield but the only “bad” player I have is m Ozuna $9 - I could likely swing a deal & land Jonah Tong or maybe, with some tinkering, strider. Do I trade Ozuna to activate rumfield or wait a week or two & see how things play out?
Ray Murphy
12:05
I'm not Brent, but... I think we talked about this in the forums already, so you have my opinion. :)
raider34
12:07
Ray looking for minor leaguers that might come up this year that arent on top 100 lists.
Ray Murphy
12:07
I'm definitely not the right person to ask on this. Bring this back around for Brent on Monday. Or use our Org Reports datatable and filter by ETA=2026. Super fun tool, I use it a lot for this kind of stuff.
aaron765
12:08
10 tm NL -only...looking to fill a UT hole..N Gorman power or N Nunez (WAS) speed? For month of April til Chourio is back. Leaning Nunez and the bags. Thanks!
Ray Murphy
12:08
I was worried that Nunez wouldn't play a lot, but so far so good. If he's staying in the lineup regularly, you could have a nice pile of bags by the time Chourio comes back.
Themistocles
12:10
AL only, standard rotis with keepers. QS+W as one category. I have Munoz, Cade Smith, and Bednar as my closers. Starters are Hunter Brown, Logan Gilbert, Cole Ragans, Sonny Gray, and Kyle Bradish. I’ve been offered Bryan Woo and my choice of Tolle/Schultz for Munoz. Should I pull the trigger given Smith’s recent struggles? Thanks as always.
Ray Murphy
12:10
Gotta love the first week, especially for relievers. Looks to me like Smith's "struggles" basically come down to a 35% hit rate and 40% strand rate. Those won't last. I don't think you need three top closers in an AL-only, so I'm fine dealing Munoz. Given your five starters, I'm not sure why you need Woo either, but... in terms of raw value I'd rather have Woo and the prospect.
Broken Bat
12:11
SSS…but concerns looking at Red Sox, Royals, and Rays lineups. Tigers off to cold start with bats but seemingly closer to return to forecasts. Pirates are competitive +. Angels, Rockies, White Sox more of same. Brewers know how to construct a roster. Cubs while not firing on all cylinders are not head and shoulders over Central Division. What first week observations in team construction- performance are your initial thoughts? Happy Easter to all.God Bless.
Ray Murphy
12:11
I basically don't have any. A week doesn't tell us anything. I'm in Boston, the local media is freaking out. It's all silliness this early. We don't know anything yet.
Mugghead
12:13
Hi Ray, need some help in my H2H Points League. Pitching result to this point have not been great. I'm trying to aggressively stream where I can. Any reason why I might regret dropping Severino in favor of Lauer? Severino couldn't throw strikes last time out, but when he did, he was racking up K's. Extra points for QS in this league, btw. Thanks for the time.
Ray Murphy
12:13
I don't think Lauer's ever going to go 6, so no QS for him... just know that going in. He'll probably stick in the rotation for a bit now, though... maybe til Bieber comes back. Severino is too volatile for me. I'd try Lauer.
Fernand gignac
12:14
Hi Ray, which SP would you pick up on waiver this weekend (please order with gap) : Hancock roupp lauer mccullers mlodzinski leahy wrobleski? Do you have a feeling of what will happen with Hancock when miller returns? Thank you for taking my question
Ray Murphy
12:14
Too many to order, sorry. But Hancock looked fantastic last weekend, I'd take a shot at him. Don't worry about when Miller returns, those situations have a way of resolving themselves. Also can't trust how long McCullers will stay healthy, but obviously a very promising outing from him too. I'd be willing to take that shot as well.
Jacob
12:16
Hey Ray!  I am in a 10-team NL only roto league, and in order to save money on pitching I went with several high risk (though hopefully high upside) guys.  So far I have a bloated ERA and WHIP, so how much patience should I have with Sproat, Mlodzinksi, and Pfaadt?
Ray Murphy
12:16
0 BB/8 K from Mlod was pretty good. I'd probably want to play matchups/slow roll these guys a little bit if your rules allow, just until you have a better idea what you have here.
Buff
12:17
NL only 11 team standard roto. Worth picking up Keaton Winn as a possible saves option? Caleb Killian?
Ray Murphy
12:17
Last night's game seemed like a pretty clear announcement that Vitiello is going to do some unorthodox things. If you mean Winn as a "saves option" as in "could get 8-10 situationally", then sure. But it's starting to look like nobody will be "the guy" there.
rockford
12:19
NL only, obp league.  I am fairly new to NL.  Gallen or MKelly?  Sanoja or ESosa?  IHapp or Oneil Cruz?
Ray Murphy
12:19
Gallen over Kelly. Don't think much of either IF. Cruz is death in OBP leagues, so give me Happ.
Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show
12:21
Ottoneu league, using Fangraphs' Points Scoring, (IP-7.4; K-2.0; Hit-negative 2.6; BB and HBP- negative 3.0; HR- negative 2.3).  Please rank the following free agent Starters available - Lance McCullers, Jr., Landen Roupp, Michael Soroka, and Taj Bradley.  Thanks for the help!
Ray Murphy
12:21
Two nice starts from Taj with the velocity up, I'm pretty excited about him. He'd be my choice here. The others still only have one start, so even though they were good, much easier to discount for now. I guess I'd try McCullers second and hope he gives you a few more starts before something breaks.
Guest
12:22
Luis Arraez has batted 4th the last two games.  Is this why you don't hire a college guy to manage or is it more a statement of how sad the Giants line up is?
Ray Murphy
12:22
He's clearly got some unorthodox ideas, and the willingness to put them into practice. I don't much care about lineup position, though.
Guest
12:23
Does MLB have guidelines on how frequently clubs must update injury status?  I know it's only been a couple of weeks, but it feels like forever waiting on updates on guys like Musgrove and Kim.
Ray Murphy
12:23
What you can conclude from the lack of updates is that they're both a good ways away. Once they start progressing through the milestones they need to hit to return, the updates will come faster.
rockford
12:26
NL only (OBP league) draft tomorrow.  BHQ custom draft guide has KGriffin just above Bogaerts and just below Dansby S. ...as 9th NL SS.  That is how I should draft him?  Or is all this hype pushing him up?
Ray Murphy
12:26
This might be the case where the hype train is right, or even not loud enough. Read our Callup Report today.

"The easy comp here is Bobby Witt Jr., or Mike Trout playing SS, and the tiny distribution of players who make their major league debut before the age of 20 are filled with Hall of Famers. Yes, the hyperbole is astronomical here but everything in Griffin's profile says it's for real."

I would comfortably take him above Bogaerts and Swanson tomorrow. Sure, he may not deliver on the above right away, but the ceiling is enormous compared to a Bogaerts/Swanson. Plus its way more fun. :)
Bones
12:28
Brady House, Cam Smith, Colt Keith are all off to hot starts. Which is the most sustainable this year?
Ray Murphy
12:28
House is still striking out too much, so pump the brakes there. Smith is too, but at least he's also walking. Keith's hit tool was always supposed to be his strength, and he's got the most big-league time behind him. I'm on board with him taking a nice step this year.
Paulie
12:30
Cade Cavalli passes the eye test and physically looks like an ace on the mound. Underlying metrics arent perfect, but i watched his last start and was impressed. Can he perform like an SP3 ROS?
Ray Murphy
12:30
I didn't get to see that start, but I know Brent is a big fan of the stuff/presence as well. I guess my concern is that he's still inefficient, both in terms of walks and ball%. And they're going to manage his workload, all of which means short outings... and a terrible bullpen behind him. Tough to hit an SP3 ceiling with those headwinds.
Hesh
12:30
Taj Bradley looks like his game has matured from previous years. That + velo uptick has me more excited than i should be. Can we see the promised land on the horizon after these first two starts?
Ray Murphy
12:30
Mentioned him above, but yeah, I'm pretty darn excited about him.
Silvio
12:31
Brent Rooker out here just swinging at anything and everything. Whats your take on one of the “safer” early round sluggers coming out of the gate looking like this?
Ray Murphy
12:31
It's one week, he hasn't had an AB in Sacramento yet. He'll be fine.
Christopher
12:33
pick a MI to roster ROS in a h2h categories League; Correa, Arraez, Keith, Bogaerts, Durbin, Torres
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