Paul Sporer’s Baseball Chat – April 8th, 2026

Paul Sporer: Thanks for coming out, y’all!!

No Kings: Ragans

Paul Sporer: I knoooowwww, I’m so bummed. Blasted by a J-Ram liner and out in less than an inning 😭

River Ryan: Am I stuck in AAA? Too many options in the LAD rotation

Paul Sporer: Give it time, he’ll get his opportunity!

The Batman: I just want to note how weird it is that Bobby Witt has a .354 OBP and leads the league in steals and has somehow scored ONCE. April baseball! So bewildering!

Paul Sporer: The quirky weird statlines are definitely an April feature!

Too Early to Panic?: Would you drop either Sheehan or Early for Robbie Ray?

Paul Sporer: Probably not, but I’m surprised Ray is available! I wanna keep those 2 young arms, anyone else you could cut?

Suggestions: Hi Paul, thanks for doing these chats. What podcasts would you recommend listening to throughout the season/which ones do you listen to? I already listen to Sleeper and the Bust, Bubba and the Bloom, Rotowire, On the Corner, and Rates and Barrels.

Paul Sporer: Honestly, that’s a great group!! The CBS pod runs daily and is a great way to stay up on all the goings-on of the day-to-day so I would add that to the mix. Tons of other great ones, too, I don’t wanna not include someone as any sort of slight, but there’s also only so many hours in the day.

Fant’sy Feast: Hey Paul, thanks as always for doing these! It’s a big help to get a 2nd opinion sometimes (one that’s not from Dr ElAttrache). Which side do you want in a H2H league? (12tm w/ QS and K/9 instead of W and Ks): Bibee and Sheehan or deGrom and Bubba

Paul Sporer: Ooh, interesting pairings here. Definitely feels like 1st/4th (deGrom/Bubba) for 2nd/3rd combo. QS hurts Sheehan/Bubba, but then K/9 brings ’em back. I think in a H2H lg, I want a more stable week-to-week floor so I lean toward the Bibee/Sheehan combo. I worry about Bubba’s consistency and I’m not sure deGrom can carry the load on his own against the other 2

The Batman: In a 12 team OC team that has Seiya coming back this week, I want to cut an extra offensive player for a pitcher to stream. Who is the cut: Cole Young or Kyle Isbel? I have good balance offensively and depth at both positions.

Paul Sporer: Gotta be Isbel. Just do OF-for-OF

Look At This Sotograph: Feeling good about Taj and Cantillo so far. What’s their outlook this year? Also trying out Joe Boyle.

Paul Sporer: I put Taj in my Bold Predictions so the upside is extreme IMO – https://fantasy.fangraphs.com/paul-sporers-2026-bold-predictions/  Cantillo has a high ceiling, too, but he can’t fully reach it until he figures out more consistent control. So I think he’ll be a solid, but inconsistent mid-rotation type of guy this year

2-out walk: Early thoughts on Randy Vazquez?

Paul Sporer: It at least has my attention because there are some real skills behind it so far – 24% K, 16% SwStr, 15% K-BB. Last year’s sub-4.00 ERA always felt super fraudulent bc it came w/a 5% K-BB, but this definitely has more juice. He’s done enough to run his next 2 v. COL & SEA and then possibly even the 2-step after that despite it being at COL/at ARI

Kel: Thoughts on Heliot Ramos? Think he will come around or cut bait for someone like Paredes, House or Adolis?

Paul Sporer: Need lg context on questions, y’all, that drives so much of the answer

Pete: If you could trade one and keep one between R. Ray and T. Bradley, would would it be?

Paul Sporer: Ray’s almost certainly get more in the market bc it’s only 3 starts for Taj right now

Guest: Friedl or Wallner in a 5 cat, 12-team OBP league?

Paul Sporer: Do you need the SB or HR more? If so, that can be the easy decider, but in a vacuum, I lean Wallner

PJ: when will managers learn to just let a starter finish a game? Arrrgghhhh

Paul Sporer: What really gets me is that he called the pen before he even reached the damn foul line. How does an ace like Sandy not even get a convo???? Brutal move by Clayton and I’m glad karma cooked ’em and they lost. I know it’s petty, but I was SO annoyed by that

Guest: whither Manzardo

Paul Sporer: Nah, this is who he is and players like him – you can burn & churn if you want bc he was cheap, but this isn’t uncharacteristic of his player type.

Jimmy: Who is the Marlins closer by the end of the year?

Paul Sporer: Why wouldn’t it be Fairbanks?

MJ: Brenton Doyle droppable? 14 team dynasty league. Kept him for cheap in league, 57% owned in yahoo. Too early to give up on the awful ABs?

Paul Sporer: Too early for me. It’s been rough, but also a .211 BABIP. I’m inclined to run another home stand or two before moving off him

Straw: Conner Griffin, Jordan Walker, or Jac Caglianone. Who put up the best fantasy season at year’s end?

Paul Sporer: Probably Griffin. His game changing speed really helps on that front. I really want to believe in Walker’s changes. Too early to take any sort of win on him, but definitely looking better so far! He’d be second for me

Look At This Sotograph: Muncy The Younger’s Savant sliders have a lot of red…until you get down to the K & whiff stuff. Is can he be productive this year, or is a 35% K rate a bridge too far?

Paul Sporer: Yes it is. Anything north of 30% and even 30% itself is just so brutal. The best of best power guys can live w/a 30% if they’re pilin up the HRs, but it’s unlikely that Muncy will do enough to make a 30%+ K rate not crush his line

Dave: Hey Paul!  Thanks for the chat- it’s super early, but how close are you to buying a Jordan Walker breakout?  His BABIP is a little high…

Paul Sporer: BABIP is up, but not crazy at .333. You can maintain something like that when you’re beating the absolute piss outta the ball like he is right now. The 31% HR/FB is the real outlier as only a 1-2 guys are up there in a given year

Deep League SBs: Who would you pick up in a deep 5×5 roto league where I really need some more steals: Jacob Young or Brandon Lockridge?

Paul Sporer: Young’s PT Is a lot more bankable long-term. Lockridge’s PT dries up the moment Chourio returns. Maybe the real move is Locker now and then move onto Young when Chourio’s back?

PJ: When you start 1-for-19 and then go on the IL with a legit injury…am i overreacting that it’s the harbinger of a brutal season for barger?

Paul Sporer: I don’t know who that’s referencing

Max: Are you Ballesteros fan? Not much playing time so far.

Paul Sporer: 4 lefties in their L5 and he’s a pure platoon

Paul Sporer: He started the first 5 vR, then sat 5 straight which included those 4 lefties and then back in the lineup yesterday and likely today w/righty Boyle on the bump

Mr. Burrito: I might have to whack one of these: Bubba C., Kyle Harrison or Shane Baz? Who goes?

Paul Sporer: Gotta be Chandler in that trio

Hank Scorpio: Hey Paul, thanks for the chat as always. I decided to buy an early bird ticket on the Didier Fuentes train in my 12 tm 6×6 QS, and dropped Ryne Nelson. Loved seeing your advice to hold in the pitcher chart for today (whoops). I have a droppable player on my roster, should I circle back on Ryne, or look to Wacha, Liberatore, Lowder, Detmers instead?

Paul Sporer: I do like circling back on Ryne as I think he can get on track once the schedule relents a bit and I’d likely cut Wacha w/at NYY on tap after this week’s CHW start (if you can hold through that one, do so as I don’t mind streaming v. CHW even w/more HR power in the lineup this yr)

PJ: Barger…right at the end of the Q

Paul Sporer: I think I glossed over it bc it wasn’t capitalized, my b!

Paul Sporer: The injury sucks and makes a cut less crazy in 12s and lower for sure, but I’m still holding for now in my 15s

CroneZone: What’s Tatis’s problem?

Paul Sporer: Stopppp

Kevin: Would you hold McClanahan in a 9-team roto league with a starts limit? I don’t think the Rays will let him go 5 enough to get any wins. I’d use the spot to stream and/or for a bench bat.

Paul Sporer: No, as much as I love him as a pitcher, he’s a cut in that format for the reason you lay out w/the sub-5 IP outings

No Kings: Bradish not stepping up after losing Ragans

Paul Sporer: And now a bunt hit!!!!

Rick: Would you rather roster Schanuel or Rumfield in an OBP league?

Paul Sporer: I like Rumfield! Better power profile and the great park support (despite how poorly Coors has played so far)

O: Are you higher on Cam Smith or Jordan Walker to keep up their early production? I picked up both, but now I’m sitting on 5 OFs (3 OF slots) with Schwarbs blocking my UTIL slot, so I might have to cut one of them for an extra arm.

Paul Sporer: Smith with the SBs is more dynamic so I have a slight lean toward him despite my long-documented love of Walker (which I wasn’t super loud about this year, admittedly, I’ll admit I was starting to lose faith)

CroneZone: Seriously tho, is Tatis getting BABIP’ed, or what’s the fricking issue?

Paul Sporer: I wasn’t trying to be a dick, it’s just that it’s 11 gms so I just don’t care what is it bc I trust he’ll come out of it

Paul Sporer: For Tatis specifically, yes he is running just a .276 BABIP despite tattooing the ball. He’ll almost assuredly be fine, but even if not, we’re not even starting to worry until Memorial Day on a superstar like him

Carl: Where is your belief level for Garrett Mitchell? He’s doing some interesting stuff when making contact, but his whiff% and k% are sky high. Could he be a 20/20 guy with low average?

Paul Sporer: Yes, he def can get the fantasy juice despite all the whiffs. It does make him a big AVG risk which paired w/his dodgy health track record can make him a frustrating guy to roster. It’s so funny that he has a .615 BABIP but is only hitting .333 bc he also has a 40% K rate!!

O: Tatis feels like the kind of guy who doesn’t like playing in the cold, tiny sample size but look at the home/away splits so far!

Paul Sporer: And I’ll give mercy to ANY player who hates the cold, as a fellow cold hater (I’m built like Triston McKenzie, the cold doesn’t treat us kindly)

Paul Sporer: Pardon the immediate 2pm (or even 1:59 as it were) dip out, but Char just woke up from a nap and barfed, lol. She’s OK, it was just some bile, but I gotta go clean that up and take care of her! Thanks for coming out, back same time next week! Well sorta, same time… technically starts at 1pm CT, I was few mins late today

CroneZone: Hope Char is OK

Paul Sporer: Thank you! I promise she’s good. It happens from time to time bc she loves licking the ground and collecting hairballs lol