2025 Fantasy Baseball: Roster Churning

Roster management is a vital skill in fantasy baseball, but I often struggle with failing to actively churn my roster. Each year, I cling to a young player or two with early-season potential, and by keeping them on my bench without production, I miss out on valuable waiver wire opportunities. Top fantasy managers excel at roster churning, avoiding emotional attachments to bench players. They assess a player’s skills and understand replacement value, occasionally dropping someone who later shines—sometimes even reacquiring them due to their keen awareness of the player pool.

The baseball season is a long grind, yet maximizing opportunities from week one is critical. I’m always surprised by how many teams take zeros from pitchers early on, often because they didn’t plan ahead or study rotations before drafting. In tight leagues, a single win or a few strikeouts can determine victory or defeat.

In 12-team leagues, I view the free-agent pool as an extension of my bench with the right roster setup. Outfielders and corner infielders are plentiful, and while back-end pitching is deep, it’s risky. I aim to maximize at-bats while constantly seeking pitching upgrades—carrying mediocre or injured players tends to be a burden.

Once the season begins, I evaluate my bench weekly, checking stats to see where I stand on at-bats and pitching goals. Week one is tricky to judge, but I need to assess the depth of my starting rotation. Draft mistakes can doom a team early, forcing me to live with my choices and hope my instincts are right. Dropping a breakout free agent is a nightmare, so I take a cautious approach to some cuts.

Injuries or lost playing time open the door for waiver wire pickups each week. Some players shine briefly, while others become key contributors. Look at Danny Santana in 2019 (.283, 81 runs, 28 HRs, 81 RBIs, 21 SBs) or Adolis Garcia in 2021 (.243, 77 runs, 31 HRs, 90 RBIs, 16 SBs)—both transformed teams from the free-agent pool. Brandon Drury (.263, 87 runs, 28 HRs, 87 RBIs, 2 SBs) did the same in 2022. Even last year, Jurickson Profar (.280, 94 runs, 24 HRs, 85 RBIs, 10 SBs) was a smash free-agent pick out of the gate.

I’ve been too picky in the past, as evidenced by my decision to pass on Ryan Howard in 2005 due to concerns over his batting average—he hit .288 with 22 home runs in 312 at-bats. I can’t ignore talent or dismiss any at-bat upgrade; even short-term hot streaks can turn into full-season runs.

Evaluating players and situations is more straightforward when my team is rolling, but when I’m trailing, desperation can lead to errors—such as benching a slow-starting star who eventually explodes or cutting an underperformer too soon. When churning, I target upside players worth holding, though sometimes I take a zero to preserve a spot. It’s a gamble, and I have to ride out slumps, hoping for a turnaround.

This year, I plan to reserve one bench spot for a double-start pitcher and another for the week’s hot hitter. League formats vary, and what works in one may flop in another. The player pool guides decisions, but balancing patience and churning is key—every manager must find that sweet spot to chase a title.