We are now in the post-All-Star break part of the season, and I always feel things get most interesting now. Teams are going to have to make some pretty major decisions within the next few weeks, especially with the trade deadline coming up.
Throughout the season, this column is designed to help guide those in Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) leagues make the best choices in who to target on the waiver wire. Specifically, we’re focusing on players who are between 20-25% rostered in most 12-team leagues and/or 25-50% rostered in 15-teamers. Every league is different, so we won’t be labeling player bids with any sort of recommended dollar amount but instead will use a four-tier investment rating system, ranging from a minimal spend to a potential difference-maker (or LEAGUE-WINNER, if you will).
Let’s dig in!
Investment Rating System
SEVEN GAMES: TOR, TBR, CLE, DET, KCR, MIN, ATL, STL, ARI, SDP
Batters
Outfielders
Tristan Peters (OF, $$$): 9% rostered on Yahoo
He hit a cycle. He was an All-Star. He’s probably still available in your leagues. Peters doesn’t have the most impressive batted ball profile, but there’s little doubt the former Savannah Banana and Manitoba product has been raking. How much longer can he be dominant before fantasy managers decide he’d be an upgrade over their bench outfielder?
Heriberto Hernández (OF, $$): 8% rostered on Yahoo
With the injury to Owen Caissie, the Marlins have been playing Heriberto Hernández in the outfield and as their DH. He has a surprisingly solid ceiling, with great power and exit velocities and decent discipline. He won’t be the best for your ratios, as the batting average is pretty rough, which can be attributed to a high flyball rate and a fair bit of strikeouts. Still, he has some power and has also been more aggressive on the basepaths, all while playing in a lineup that has really put it together recently.
Tim Tawa (1B, 2B, OF $$): 3% rostered on Yahoo
Tawa is one of the more popular adds this week in fantasy baseball, as the Diamondbacks are having him patrol center field and he’s crushing it. Literally, as he has three home runs in the last four games at the time of writing. Tawa has some really solid bat speed and has shown to be aggressive on the bases, which could make him a sneaky power/speed threat.
Joshua Baez (OF, $): 15% rostered on Yahoo
I covered Joshua Baez earlier in the season in this article, as he was showing some incredible flashes of power and speed in the minor leagues. Strikeouts may be a problem, but it seems like the Cardinals are going to fit him in their lineup in the back half of the season. He’s possibly the best stash option, and plenty of managers are in that stage where they’re weighing their options of whether to bring him in now. I would say go for it.
Charlie Condon (OF, 1B, $): 8% rostered on Yahoo
I spoke about Condon last week, but I still feel he should be on your radar. The Rockies’ #2-ranked prospect has been absolutely mashing of late, and it seems clear he may get a call-up by season’s end. He’s slashing .288/.412/.579 in Triple-A Albuquerque and has seen a major surge in his numbers in recent weeks. The Rockies probably won’t want to burn a year of service time, so we may not see him until late in the season, but in deep leagues, he could be a difference-maker once he’s called up. He has a great offensive toolkit and will be playing home games at Coors Field after all.
Infielders
Curtis Mead (1B, 2B, 3B, $$$$): 39% rostered on Yahoo
It’s another Curtis Mead hot streak, and with several of these coming this season, maybe it’s time to consider him a difference-maker. The Nationals’ lineup has been awesome this year, despite their horrific pitching. He routinely hits high in the lineup, and he’s the type of player who routinely stuffs the stat sheet, especially in the home runs, runs, and RBI departments. His ratios aren’t amazing, but he’s a productive bat who I can’t see many managers dropping from here on out, barring a total collapse.
Tommy White (3B $$): 6% rostered on Yahoo
Tommy White is one of the Athletics‘ top prospects, and with injuries to Nick Kurtz and Zack Gelof, he looks to be seeing some extended time in the Athletics‘ lineup. White is a contact-heavy bat who doesn’t walk or strike out often and has some pop, which he has flashed here and there in the minor leagues. This is a great opportunity for him, as while it’s true he will likely continue to hit at the back of the lineup, he’s playing in an environment that is brutal for pitchers. He might be worth a speculative bid to see what he can do.
Catchers/UT
Ezequiel Duran (1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF – $$): 46% rostered on Yahoo
Ezequiel Duran is quietly having a career year, becoming one of the most valuable (if not the most valuable) players on the Texas Rangers. I didn’t bother putting him in the outfield or infield section of this article, as he’s the ultimate utilityman and he can help you in five different positions, which can be very valuable in deep leagues with few options available to fill said positions. The underlying numbers aren’t amazing, but he’s using the whole field to get hits, and his legs help him get runs and a few stolen bases here and there.
Harry Ford (C – $$): 31% rostered on Yahoo
What a season debut for Harry Ford, who homered, walked, and drove in three in a complete routing of the Athletics. Ford was at one point considered to be one of the best catching prospects, but he’s struggled a bit in the minor leagues and was traded to the Nationals last offseason. Now, he’s up with the big league club and immediately hit his first career home run, which is hopefully a sign of good things to come.
Pitchers
Starting Pitchers
Troy Melton (SP, RP – $$$$): 66% rostered on Yahoo
You may have missed the boat on acquiring Melton, as he is now 66% rostered. He’s been seeing his whiff rate climb as of late, going from a solid ratio starter with limited strikeout potential to a player who has a 24% K rate. He’s had 33 whiffs across his last two starts, which is seriously impressive for any pitcher. He’s quickly approaching the Top 30, with a solid arsenal that is missing bats left and right and glistening ratios.
Shane Baz (SP – $$): 53% rostered on Yahoo
Baz was a popular breakout candidate going into 2026, as he entered a new situation in Baltimore away from Steinbrenner Field, which he struggled in last season. Unfortunately, it’s been more of the same for Baz this season, as he’s struggled to put together a consistent string of strong starts despite some high-potential stuff. His curveball is awesome, and his fastball has good velocity; it’s just about consistently finding command. He had nine strikeouts in less than five innings his last time up, but got BABIP’d like crazy. He should see positive regression if he continues to strike out batters and not give out free passes to first base either.
Kade Anderson (SP – $$): 15% rostered on Yahoo
While the Mariners do have a pretty stacked rotation, they need a lefty. If they don’t acquire one at the trade deadline, Kade Anderson could fill that void. He’s an excellent prospect who was drafted third overall for a reason, and he’s been dominant in Double-A this season. Could he be the next Trey Yesavage? He’d likely start in the bullpen, unless the Mariners make a move to unload Luis Castillo.
Relief Pitchers
Mason Montgomery (RP – $$): 3% rostered on Yahoo
It’s always felt like Mason Montgomery was destined to become a great closer in the major leagues, even with the hiccups he’s shown. He was inconsistent last year for the Rays, which led to him becoming a throw-in piece of the Brandon Lowe trade. He recently picked up a save and has been really good lately, despite also having hiccups this year. He has incredible stuff, and if he can execute consistently, he can truly be one of the best options for saves in the major leagues.
Jacob Webb (RP – $$): 8% rostered on Yahoo
Webb has been serving as the interim closer for the Cubs with the injury to Daniel Palencia, and his fastball/changeup mix is pretty great. They are doing a bit of a committee thing in Chicago, but it seems like Webb is most likely to get the highest leverage spots. Pick him up if you can; he’s a solid option to get saves, and he shouldn’t hurt your ratios in the process.
