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May23_2025 BHQ Chat
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Ray Murphy
1:04
Hi all,

Happy Memorial Day weekend! Lots of ball to be played this weekend... and apparently lots of questions to be answered first. We'll run through as many as we can in the next hour. Let's get after it...
BBQ
1:07
Happy holiday weekend. AL-only, need power. Waiver wire has Pederson, Elko and Kierstad. Which one is likely to help best in HR, RBI and R rest of season? Thanks.
Ray Murphy
1:07
Yeah, interesting trio. I'm not seeing much life at all out of Kjerstad. Elko has done enough in his first ~10 days that you can at least be sure he's earned a longer look. Pederson, tho... his last31 skills (1.15 Eye, 139 HctX) look fantastic, and suggest he's got a heater coming soon. I think I'd go there first.
Bob
1:10
Do you think Bubba Chandler will be worth holding until the Super Two date passes?
Ray Murphy
1:10
If you've held this long, you're almost there... gotta see it through. Besides the service time considerations, you also have to think about the innings limit for the season (he's only thrown 37 IP in AAA so far) and the "does he have anything left to prove against minor league hitters?" aspect. I think all three points triangulate to him coming soon, maybe very soon. I've found it very hard to find FA pitching in any of my leagues this year, so... I'll gladly be patient and wait for this one.
Joe
1:12
Ray, thanks for taking my question. Please rank ROS for overall offensive performance: Benson CIN, Paredes HOU, Meidroth CWS, Shaw CHC, Caballero TB, Nootbar STL. Thanks
Ray Murphy
1:12
That's a bunch of guys with disparate skill sets. If you're strictly looking for $ value, Caballero's speed gives him a good chance to finish on top of this group. But personally, I think Shaw's really going to hit the ground running on this second tour with the Cubs... I'd chase his upside if choosing from this group.
BHQ Subscriber
1:16
Which catcher would you rather have ROS in a NL 5x5 league: Liam Hicks or Elias Diaz?  Diaz looks to get more playing time but his stats are pretty empty.  Hicks has been pretty good over the last month, albeit with limited ABs.
Ray Murphy
1:16
You're right, that's a funny/intriguing recent stretch from Hicks. Agustin Ramirez has been DHing a lot, mostly because runners are stealing like crazy on him. There might be enough opportunity there for Hicks to out-earn Diaz the rest of the way, even with less PT. Close call.
Keith
1:18
Good move to drop Misner for Santana? Thanks for your insight.
Ray Murphy
1:18
I appreciate brevity in questions, but need to know "which Santana". I'll assume Carlos, in which case yes, I'd drop Misner for Carlos.
Dave
1:19
Hi Ray,  My team is performing well in part from advice from you and others at BBHQ.  Thank you.  I have a great problem -too much starting pitching in a 6x6 mixed rotisserie league.  I can only start six and only have one bench spot.  Please rank them for ROS:  Schwellenbach, Luzardo, Gausman, Lodolo, Weathers, Pfaadt, Jobe, R. Saurez, Buehler and Kershaw.  Your help, as always will be appreciated.
Ray Murphy
1:19
Sorry, I can't rank 11 pitchers for you. And you shouldn't worry about ROS either... use our Matchup Scores and deploy the best ones week-to-week. That's how you extract max value from this surplus.
Stratford Nicos
1:20
Mornin' Ray...What do you feel we might get ros out of Vierling who is expected to come off the IL next week? Is he a rosterable 3Bman in a 12 team mixed? What does his history tell us?
Ray Murphy
1:20
I've always liked him, but I have a couple of worries now: 1. Is he really fully healthy or is power going to suffer for a while, and 2. Given Hinch's usage patterns and the surplus/versatile bats they already have, is MV going to be limited to being a 4-5 days/week guy?
Talisker
1:22
Thanks for doing these! Standard rotis, NL only. We need starting pitching. Please rank the following: Liberatore, Birdsong, Ranger Suarez, Heaney, Kyle Harrison, Matz, Rea.
Ray Murphy
1:22
Birdsong and Liberatore are heads above this group. Ranger is fine. Harrison might be fine. I don't want the others.
Brian K
1:22
Good morning Ray, 5x5 16 team redraft. I’m concerned that Joc Peterson just needs some warmer weather to pick things up. Your thoughts?
Ray Murphy
1:22
Mentioned above, but yeah, his L31 metrics look fantastic. Hold on, the power will come.
sowen246
1:25
Greetings and thanks for taking the time to help us fantasy managers! 10 team mixed 5x5; I have I. Paredes & J. Jung at 3b. Your thoughts on today and ROS? Also have a so far disappointing O. Albies and G. Torres at 2b. Who should I ride ROS? THANKS!
Ray Murphy
1:25
3Bs are basically a tie by projections. I might favor Jung just in case he's got a level in him we haven't seen yet. Of course, that means he needs to stay healthy, which is no guarantee.

2B... as bad as Albies has been, I think there is a soft-factors case to be made that Acuna's return is going to ignite that entire lineup, which has basically been dormant since he got hurt last year.
Beano
1:26
Hi Ray! NL 10 team 5x5.  What are your thoughts on Canario? Pittsburgh seems willing to give him a long least
Ray Murphy
1:26
He wasn't registering for me at all until Stephen Nickrand mentioned him in a Batters Buyers Guide earlier this week. Now I'm at least a little interested. But that "some power with a lot of swing/miss" isn't my favorite space to fish in.
Beano
1:28
NL 10 team 5x5 — L Mey or Randy Rodriguez?
Ray Murphy
1:28
I think someone asked this last week. I'd take Rodriguez unless your primary motivation is proximity to saves.
rockfish
1:29
Thanks for doing this Ray!   NL only, obp league.  Tell me Chourio's obp is going to repeat to .310 by end of season?
Ray Murphy
1:29
Boy I hope so, he was my #1 overall pick in my sim rookie draft this past winter. Looks like the ct% is trending up week-over-week, hopefully the bb%/OBP follows next. I'm not terribly worried about him yet.
dubykoff
1:30
Hi Ray. In a 12-team mixed 5X5 H2H OBP league, I had to cut Bryan Reynolds or Matt Shaw to activate Tommy Edman off the IL. I opted to cut Reynolds, who is showing signs of life lately, largely because of the Pirates' inferior lineup and the extra steals I expect from Shaw. I expect their OBP's to be similar, and I'm hoping that even batting ninth in a very good Cubs lineup Shaw will compile some pretty good run and rbi totals. Does this make sense, or should I have stuck with the more established player in Reynolds?
Ray Murphy
1:30
Would definitely not have cut Shaw. My choice would have been between Reynolds and Edman. I've got no problem with how you handled it.
rockford
1:33
NL only, obp league.... BReynolds and JBell on my team.  Any optimism for either?  double ugh so far.
Ray Murphy
1:33
I got away from Bell a few weeks ago, haven't looked back. As noted in previous question, does seem like there's some sign of a pulse from Reynolds.
Lou
1:35
Greetings, Ray. Ben Brown owner in NL dynasty league. He really seems destined for leverage work out of the pen unless he develops a third (and 4th) pitch. Throwing nothing but 4-seamers (60%) and knuckle curves (40%) is not enough to navigate through MLB lineups as a SP. Tell me I'm wrong. I'd love to be, because the Cubs provide major run support.
Ray Murphy
1:35
Pitch mix aside, the skills are much better than the results right now. PD and I talked about him on HQRadio today. Great time to buy on him, I think.
rocky
1:37
I picked up AChafin with hopes he might replace JFerrer and garner me some Holds.  Wishful thinking I presume?
Ray Murphy
1:37
Probably would have held Ferrer. He pitches a lot and is pretty good, seems like he has settled down after a blowup a few weeks ago. Chafin's skills (7 BB/7 K) scream "done" to me. Go back to Ferrer.
Rich K
1:38
Has Will Warren turned a corner? His last three starts have been great, with 26 strikeouts and just 3 walks in 18 innings. Just a blip, or real growth from a 25 year-old SP? Relatedly, please rank Warren, Flaherty, Bassitt, and Rasmussen ROS in a 5X5 H2H mixed league. Thanks!
Ray Murphy
1:38
I'll do you on better: 34 K vs. 6 BB in 23 IP for month of May. Yeah, I'd say that's turning a corner. I'll take him over anyone else you listed there.
racer x
1:40
NL only.  Should I drop ERod to pick up MBurrows?
Ray Murphy
1:40
No problem dropping ERod, but Burrows doesn't move the needle for me. Bad team, not an elite prospect, not durable, maybe not in rotation for long... what are you chasing there?
Tundra
1:42
With Acuna returning I have an extra good OF and would like to trade one of them for a closer.  A trade target has Iglesias, Weaver, J. Martinez and Vest.  Iglesias has the best projections, but his performance is worrisome.  Weaver has been great but will he hold off D. Williams?  Martinez coming off injury.  What say you?
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