Welcome to Waiver Wire Picks, our daily fantasy baseball article that looks at the best available 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
Jared Jones, RHP (PIT) — 27% Rostership
Jared Jones is back to balling and you need to pick him up while you still can. The 24-year-old was shaking off some rust to start the year, but it’s been a night and day difference between his first and last four starts:
| ERA | FIP | K-BB% | BAA | WHIP | |
| First 4 starts: | 6.23 | 5.20 | 15.4% | .306 | 1.62 |
| Last 4 starts: | 2.55 | 2.31 | 24.2% | .115 | 0.68 |
Jones’ four-seamer is still electric, posting a .155 BAA and 27% whiff rate as his lead offering while casually sitting 99+ mph. His curveball (35% whiff rate) has seen a major increase in effectiveness since the injury, and his slider (.196 xBA, 37% whiff rate) is better than ever.
Kyle Karros, 3B (COL) — 27% Rostership
Karros has burst onto the scene this month, slashing .317/.417/.707 with the 15th-best wRC+ (188) and four home runs through just 11 games. The 23-year-old owns a 110 wRC+ over the course of the entire season, limits strikeouts well (if you are in a points league), has a knack for drawing walks, and has consistently demonstrated that he can make quality contact. He hits against both hands and there isn’t much of a home/road split difference in his production. This is a sneaky good add.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Taj Bradley has found his footing with Minnesota and I’m all-in on this add. He’s posted a 3.67 ERA/3.78 xERA with an 18.4% K-BB rate and a career-best .218 BAA. The WHIP (1.22) is still a tad high due to a walk rate approaching 10%, but it’s also tied for the lowest of his career. He’s making progress, dropping the WHIP to 0.88 over his last four starts. I love this add.
Robert Gasser is coming off easily his best performance of the season, tossing 7.2 innings against the Cardinals on July 7. He’s posted a 2.52 ERA/3.17 xERA over his last four starts and rarely walks batters. He may not be the sexiest play, but if you need innings, he could be an interesting add.
Esmerlyn Valdez is a must-add. This is a dynamic hitter who has slashed .311/.370/.722 with a 188 wRC+ over his first 100 major league plate appearances. The swing-and-miss is quite concerning, but if you’re playing for categories, that shouldn’t be a problem. Valdez also launched 10 homers over those 100 PAs…
Trevor McDonald has been better than his numbers on paper appear, turning in a 3.98 FIP — nearly 1.5 runs below his actual ERA. The K-BB% does concern me, however. This is a cautious add if you’re desperate for arms.
I’d shy away from the likes of JR Ritchie and Zach Thornton.
Streaming Pitchers
Our guy Nick Pollack does a fantastic job at highlighting and ranking starting pitcher streaming options… check out his list here!
Payton Tolle, LHP (BOS) — 63% Rostership
Tolle is somehow rostered at under a 75% clip and that’s unacceptable. He’s borderline “aces gonna ace” material. The 23-year-old has posted a 3.14 ERA/3.37 FIP and 1.07 WHIP this season and everything indicates there is more on the way. His fastball triangle is unstoppable.
Ian Seymour, LHP (TB) — 58% Rostership
Seymour has looked really good lately, going at least five innings in four consecutive appearances while posting dynamic results over that span:
| ERA | FIP | K-BB% | BAA | WHIP | SwStr% |
| 2.74 | 2.49 | 33.3% | .179 | 0.74 | 14% |
Joey Cantillo, LHP (CLE) — 55% Rostership
Another lefty? Yep! Cantillo has doubled his curveball usage rate over the last two months and it’s been a big reason why he’s been so effective, turning in a 1.55 ERA and 19% K-BB rate over his last five starts. The curveball itself? Fantastic — a .151 xBA, .287 xwOBA, and 42% whiff rate as Cantillo’s lead offering this month.
