Welcome to the Waiver Wire Picks, our daily fantasy baseball article that looks at the best players in baseball that you should be adding to your rosters. We’ll look at the players that are likely to be available in most leagues, as well as some deep league waiver wire options, and we’ll also look at the most added players in fantasy baseball across the major sites, and let you know which players to add and which players you can leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Cristian Javier (HOU) SP (31% rostered on Yahoo)
If you were like me, you might have said uh-oh when you saw Javier threw only 50 pitches last Sunday against the Orioles. And his velocity was down. Gasps. But everything is OK; it was just an illness that’ll pass, and he is scheduled to start again this weekend in Baltimore. In the meantime, the half-start, or whatever you’d like to call it, has allowed managers another chance to scoop up the guy who posted a 3.57 ERA and 1.12 WHIP over his first three seasons (466.1 IP). But, hey, aren’t you cherry-picking? Shush! Be quiet, you! Fine, I confess, he was awful in 2023; his ERA climbed to 4.56, and his K-BB plummeted to 5.4% before being undone by TJ last year. Still, I mention Javier’s peak to illustrate that he could be someone who could swing leagues down the stretch. He’s done it before.
Zebby Matthews (MIN) SP (19% rostered on Yahoo)
I mentioned Zebby last week, and, sure enough, the Tigers chewed him up and spat him out Saturday. Zebby’s 5.06 ERA and 1.44 WHIP have sent his roster rate plummeting. He also cleared five innings in five of his ten starts. Low walks and whiffs are what we are looking for, in which case, Zebby’s 22.8% K-BB% suggests better results ahead, and so does his 5.18 PLV. An upcoming start this Friday against the White Sox seems like an ideal spot for him to right the ship and illustrate why he showed up on more than a few breakout lists.
Drake Baldwin (ATL) C (25% rostered on Yahoo)
Jeremy Heist featured Samuel Basallo in Monday’s column, so let’s bang the drum again for another rookie catcher. Baldwin has been just about the best thing to come out of Atlanta this season; after last night’s game-winning single, the 23-year-old lefty is slashing .278/.344/.455 with 13 home runs in 317 PAs. His 124 wRC+ would rank third among qualified catchers. And, yep, PLV loves him too (116 Process+). The only drawback is that he has lost some at-bats vs. LHP with Marcell Ozuna having resumed everyday DH duties. However, Baldwin has performed well against LHP (136 wRC in 60 PA), so I wouldn’t be shocked if this becomes less of a strict platoon down the stretch, especially with Sean Murphy fading a bit. Why not get him more at-bats so he can grab the RoY?
Colson Montgomery (CWS) 3B/SS (30% rostered on Yahoo)
Montgomery missed last night’s game against the Braves due to soreness in his left side. Hopefully, that doesn’t cost the 23-year-old rookie much time because he has showcased electric power, hitting 10 home runs in only 145 PAs. Strikeouts (88 Contact Ability+) and swing decisions (91 DV+) could cause him to bottom out. On that note, look elsewhere if you can’t sacrifice batting average; he’s hitting just .220. Still, he needs to be on the radar because few, if any, middle infielders on the wire can match his home run upside, his 130 Power+ being roughly two standard deviations above league average.
Noelvi Marte (CIN) 3B/OF (36% rostered on Yahoo)
Noelvi Marte was one of baseball’s exciting prospects before being derailed by a PED suspension last season. However, he has made due on his prospect pedigree this year, hitting .299 with a 127 wRC+ and seven steals across 217 PAs. He is on a 10-game hit streak and blasted his tenth longball last night. Pfft, please, I could hit one off The Professor. Hey, it still counts!
Giancarlo Stanton (NYY) OF (45% rostered on Yahoo)
Just a friendly reminder for shallow-leaguers. Stanton returned to the Yankee lineup last night after three days off and hit two more ding dongs. I don’t think anyone imagined we were gonna see vintage Stanton before the season began, and in the outfield no less. Yet, here we are. He is hitting .306 with a 1.005 OPS. Yes, those are career-highs.
Trent Grisham (NYY) OF (20% rostered on Yahoo)
I promise, I’m not being a homer with another Yankee. Hey, look, at least I’m not writing up Ben Rice again. (Haha, he’s alive!!) Grisham was the only Yankee to go hitless last night, but he’s done a lot of good things to solidify himself as their leadoff man against RHP, including a .351 OBP backed by a 99th percentile chase rate and a career-high 21 home runs. His PLV metrics (124 DV+, 110 Power+, 119 Process+) indicate someone who should be on more rosters. He should provide a good source of runs with some pop.
Emmet Sheehan (LAD) SP (27% rostered on Yahoo)
Sheehan was ticketed for a pretty solid line last night at Coors Field, but Eric Karros’ son Kyle tagged him for a two-run shot with two down in the sixth. Nonetheless, he racked up seven strikeouts on 15 whiffs (91 pitches; 49 swings). Sheehan had another bumpy start last Tuesday against the Angels, leaving him available in many leagues. However, he has shown good bat-missing ability (25.3% K rate), and he’s just now getting stretched out with two consecutive starts of over 90 pitches. With the Dodgers on a six-man rotation, he is tentatively scheduled to get the Reds next Monday, so now seems like a decent time to jump aboard. He is 56th on The List.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
My condolences if you burnt a move on Bryce Elder. That’s eight earned runs on nine hits and two walks. Against the White Sox. Ouch.
Lenyn Sosa has been a solid regular for the White Sox, hitting .274 with 17 home runs and a 106 wRC+ over 411 PAs. His power is legit (113 Power+). However, his swing decisions might catch up to him; his 60 DV+ is really rough.
Chad Patrick started yesterday’s matinee against the Cubbies and surrendered three earned runs on five hits and two walks. He has been a serviceable streamer with a 3.52 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, but, yeah, nothing exciting.
José Caballero has started four consecutive games for the Yankees, hitting ninth while swiping four bases. He is up to 34 on the year, but he is also a career .227 hitter with an 88 wRC+. Of course, about an hour after I wrote that, he homered off Shane Baz. Ah, yes, revenge. A dish best served cold.
The Rockies thrashed E-Rod at home two starts ago, but he redeemed himself last Thursday with a gem at Coors Field. He entered last night’s game against the Guardians toting a 5.64 ERA, which would be third-worst among qualified SPs. Still, he has a career ERA of 4.30, so he can be a decent streamer when he’s clicking. He’ll either face the Reds this Sunday (that might work) or the Brewers in Milwaukee on Monday (no thanks).
Atlanta’s seventh-best prospect per MLB.com, Hurston Waldrep was terrific last Friday, holding the Guardians scoreless across six innings with seven punchouts. Waldrep looked like a two-pitch fastball splitter pitcher with fringe command last year, the kind that you don’t really want to chase. However, he has showcased a much deeper arsenal this time around and is worth going after in most leagues. He’s 66th on The List, and he’ll face the White Sox on Wednesday. Now let’s hope for a better outcome than Strider got. Yikes.
Jacob Lopez is 63% rostered on Yahoo! and that number should probably be higher, given his 20.4% K-BB through 15 starts; that would rank 11th among qualified SPs. He’s 55th on The List.
The Mets’ third-best prospect per MLB.com, Nolan McLean posted a 2.78 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 16.2% K-BB across 16 games (13 starts) with Triple-A Syracuse before his debut last Saturday. Spoiler alert: it went very well. I’ll admit, walks could be a nuisance considering his work in the minors. Still, Nick adores him, and that’s good enough for me. He’s 43rd on The List.
As a Yankee fan, I’ll always have a spot for Miguel Andujar. The Dú can do! Alas, he hasn’t found much success since finishing second in the AL RoY voting in 2018. He has made some noise with the Reds lately as their cleanup hitter. I get wanting to chase it, but I can’t endorse it. He entered the year hitting .254 with 16 home runs and an 81 wRC+ over 825 PAs since his magical run in 2018. Like the late great Gordon Lightfoot beautifully sang, I don’t know we went wrong, but the feeling is gone, and I just can’t get it back.
Speaking of Canada’s finest. 30-year-old jack-of-all-trades Ernie Clement has been an important piece for the Jays, hitting .281 with a 100 wRC+ while playing all over the diamond. There are probably more exciting guys on your wire based on his career totals, but he is playing every day in a good lineup, so there’s that.
Speculative Adds
Shawn Armstrong (TEX) RP (7% rostered on Yahoo)
Phil Maton has had a couple of bad outings. Armstrong, meanwhile, nailed the Rangers’ latest save, getting the final four outs in Sunday’s 10-4 win over the Jays in Toronto. This feels a little like a whack-a-mole, but if you’ve got an open roster spot, Armstrong is worth adding. He has pitched well this year with a 2.60 ERA and 0.81 WHIP over 55.1 IP.
Grant Taylor (CWS) SP/RP (6% rostered on Yahoo)
Taylor hasn’t picked up a save since the 10th. He had pitched two nights in a row, so I’m guessing he wasn’t available last night when the Sox tried and failed to seal a 10-9 win over Atlanta; Tyler Alexander, who has one save, was charged with the tying and go-ahead run in the eighth. Saves or not, Taylor is simply a ridiculous talent who should be on more radars. Yes, I know he has a 4.50 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, but his pitch quality metrics are sublime. He’ll be a name, you’ll see.
Riley O’Brien (STL) RP (3% rostered on Yahoo)
O’Brien closed the Cards’ 7-4 win over Miami last night and seems to have nudged ahead of Jojo Romero, who pitched the eighth. O’Brien has a 1.56 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across 34.2 IP. However, his 10.9% BB rate is a little higher than you’d like.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streaming article.
Justin Verlander (SF), SP (22% rostered on Yahoo)
We saw vintage Verlander his last time out, as he blanked the Rays across seven innings with eight punchouts; he allowed just two hits and didn’t walk anyone. Alas, Verlander has been more meh than good with a 4.23 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and 12.6% K-BB. But that start is enough to make me feel OK, not great, about rolling the dice. The Padres are a stiffer test, but he will at least have the platoon advantage over their three top hitters: Machado, Tatís, and Laureano.
Full disclosure: PL Bot likes Joe Boyle (8% rostered on Yahoo!) versus the Cards. But I can’t go there just yet; he has good stuff, but he also threw just 50 pitches his last start, and he has been wildly inefficient.
Deep League Players to Watch
Brett Baty (NYM) 2B, 3B (4% rostered on Yahoo)
Baty launched his 14th home run in last night’s 8-1 Mets win over the Nats. The recent results have been pretty good; he entered last night hitting .345 with a 173 wRC+ across 32 PAs in August. His PLV metrics are very decent, too, including a 107 Contact Ability+, 107 Power+, and 110 Process+.
For more deep leaguers, check Ben Rosener’s Deep League Waiver Wire column every Thursday and Saturday.
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