The 2025 MLB season is approaching its halfway point, and by this point, a lot has happened. The hype has settled, injuries have taken a toll, we’ve seen several breakout players, and MLB Trade Rumors are heating up.
If you have an ongoing pool, it’s time to assess the progress and make decisions that can help you come out on top at the end of the season. Lots of opportunities for climbing up your pool table are still available, so the most important thing is to come up with a few strategies. In this guide, we’ll share some helpful tips you can use to dominate the second half of the league.
Examine Your Team’s Strengths and Weaknesses
One of the main things to do during any midseason is a careful analysis of your team. Start by checking your roster performance in each category, then find out where you are strong and where you’re a bit behind. Are you winning in home runs but battling on a stolen basis? Is your pitching staff racking up strikeouts but plagued by a high ERA?
Learning your team’s profile will help you make future decisions. For example, if you are consistently losing saves, you might need to reconsider and try other pitching stats like strikeouts. But if you are just a few steals away from flipping that category most weeks, you can focus on getting a speed-focused player.
Doing this kind of audit will also help you identify any players that are no longer bringing the output you expected from them.
Exploit Waiver Wire Opportunities
The waiver wire is a chance for improvement as the season progresses. Pay attention to players who are getting more playing time due to performance issues of starters or injuries. Hot streaks can also be a good sign of a player ready to break out.
Don’t hesitate to drop low-performing players and create room for potential contributors. You can also stream pitchers based on matchups in deeper leagues, but be sure to find those facing teams with high strikeout rates or low offensive production.
Target Buy-Low and Sell-High Candidates
You can also take advantage of the midseason and explore trades. Find underperforming players relative to their draft position but have a chance to turn things around. In most cases, you can acquire these “buy-low” candidates for less than their true value.
Same way, find players in your roster who’ve really grown in value but you don’t expect much from them in the coming weeks. “Selling high” will help you create more value you can use to improve your squad. However, this doesn’t mean you trade away your best players, so assess the chances of lower returns first, or simply players who are less likely maintain their level of performance.
Adjust Your Strategy Based on League Standings
Your approach should also be influenced by your position in the league standings. If you’re comfortably in a playoff spot, you might focus on acquiring players with high upside who could be difference-makers in the playoffs. If you’re in the bubble, you may need to take more risks to climb into a playoff position.
If you’re far out of contention, consider becoming a “spoiler” by acquiring players who can disrupt the playoff hopes of other teams. This is important as it will give you a chance to experiment with different strategies and evaluate players for the following season.
Manage Player Injuries Proactively
Injuries are an inevitable part of fantasy baseball, so you need to closely follow injury news and have a plan to replace injured players. Don’t make last-minute replacements. Instead, be proactive and find potential fill-ins before they are needed. Use injured list (IL) spots strategically. If you have a player expected to return soon, hide them on the IL to free up a roster spot for a player who can contribute immediately.
Stay Active, Stay Engaged
Finally, and crucially, stay involved. This is the part of the season where many managers check out. Don’t be that person. Staying active on the waiver wire, following trade news, and checking in on your weekly matchups can make all the difference.
Even if you’re not in first place now, a few smart midseason moves could be what pushes you to the top when it matters most.
