Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Picks: 4/16

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 

 

Byron Buxton (MIN) OF (39% Rostered on Yahoo!)

Buxton has been mired by injuries most of his career, having played 100 games just twice. However, he’s worthy of a roster spot whenever he’s healthy, and that’s the case right now. Few hitters possess his power (90th percentile bat speed) and speed capabilities (99th percentile sprint speed). In 2022, he hit a career-best 28 home runs in just 92 games. Sure, his .200 batting average is an eye-sore, but his 54.3% hard-hit rate (89th percentile) suggests better days ahead, as does his career .243 average. He hasn’t stolen ten bases since 2019. However, last night, he stole his fourth of the year and scored from third on an infield hit by Ty France. He’s feeling frisky, and I’m excited to see where this goes.

Sean Murphy (ATL), C (43% rostered on Yahoo!)

Murphy has gone yard four times since his season debut on April 8th. He was awful last year, but he’s also just two years removed from swatting a career-best 21 home runs and .366 wOBA/130 wRC+. He hit cleanup last night with Marcell Ozuna out with a hip injury; Drake Baldwin caught and hit sixth. Given what Muprhy’s shown in the not-too-distant past, and what looks like a regular role in a good Atlanta lineup, he’s worth a long look for managers lacking a top-ten catcher.

 

Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players 

 

Michael Busch leads the way after taking Dylan Cease deep Monday for his third home run in as many games. Mitch Steinberg detailed Busch in Tuesday’s article. His roster percentage lagged a bit because he tailed off last year with a .705 OPS in the second half. His .310 batting average won’t hold thanks to his below-average contact ability (82 last year, according to PLV). Still, his power ranked quite well last year (119), and that’s probably what you’re most concerned about at first base. The only stick in the mud is that he sits against LHP, so you’ll have to have some roster flexibility.

An awful start at Yankee Stadium torpedoed Merrill Kelly’s ERA. However, he righted the ship during his following outing against Baltimore. You know what to expect with Kelly. He’ll toss a ton of innings and give you a good shot at a W/QS, but with limited K upside. The big appeal was the impending game against the Marlins.

Jonathan Aranda is hitting .413 with a 1.242 OPS through his first 54 PAs. Not bad. He most recently sat this past Sunday (4/13) against Chris Sale and Yusei Kikuchi last Wednesday (4/9), so it’s probably best to view him as a platoon bat for now, at least. However, his position flexibility (11 games at 1B; four games at 2B; two games at 3B) and bright-red statcast page are hard to ignore. Kevin O’Brien detailed Aranda this past offseason, as one of the hitters whom PLV adored. His 20% K rate might rise a tick, considering he posted a 32.6% K rate last year in Triple-A. Still, Aranda has some legit staying power and is a priority add.

Jeffrey Springs allowed three earned runs on seven hits and two walks across six frames during his last outing against the Padres. His sensational 2022 is looking more and more like a mirage. Still, the impending draw against the White Sox made him a popular add.

Lefty-hitting outfielder Kameron Misner blasted home runs against RHP Tanner Houck and LHP Brennan Bernardino on Monday. He’s more of a speculative/deep league add given he’s probably in a platoon, at least for now. Last year, he showed off power and speed with 17 home runs and 30 stolen bases across 519 PA with Triple-A Durham. However, he also hit .248 with a 29.6% K rate.

Not pictured at sixth is Tyler Mahle (33% rostered on Yahoo!). He pitched well last Wednesday, holding the Cubs to one run over seven innings. He was even better last night, blanking the Angels across six innings while striking out nine (39% whiff rate; 34% CSW). His roster percentage should continue to climb, and it’s hard to argue against it.

 

 

Kyren Paris, Tyler Soderstrom, and Kris Bubic have been mainstays the past week. Nick Lodolo’s roster rate is slowly but surely climbing, following his success in his first three outings. He’s a must-add if he happens to be on your wire, despite the mediocre start last night against the Mariners.

Geraldo Perdomo gained steam this past week as the fill-in for Ketel Marte and is hitting .321 with a .949 OPS through 74 PA. He entered the season hitting .235 with 14 home runs and 34 stolen bases across 1,420 career PAs. He has hit three home runs thus far, one being a cheapie at Yankee Stadium. Maybe this is a breakout, but I’m not convinced, considering his career numbers and 14th percentile bat speed. Perdomo has some short-term value as the two-hole hitter for the D’Backs in points leagues, but this might not be too exciting for those searching for categorical upside.

Streaming Pitchers

Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streaming article.

JP Sears (A’s), SP (12% rostered on Yahoo!)

Sears contended with a tough Mets lineup his last time out, and only went four innings. However, his previous two turns netted QS. The lefty doesn’t typically move the needle with punchouts (19.7% career K rate), but he’s never had a problem throwing strikes (6.9% career BB rate) and gets the White Sox on Thursday.

Andrew Heaney (PIT), SP (20% rostered on Yahoo!)

Elly De La Cruz’s grand slam spoiled Heaney’s last outing against the Reds in Cincinnati. However, he still logged six innings with six Ks. Heaney has teased us plenty of times. Remember his brilliant stint with the Dodgers two years ago? We saw another glimmer this past Sunday with ten Ks against the Yankees. Heaney carries blow-up risk, given his well-known proclivity for dingers. But a home matchup against the Nationals seems like a reasonable spot. At the very least, he’ll have the platoon advantage against two of their best bats, James Wood and Nate Lowe. He’ll also have a decent chance at a Win given the struggles of his counterpart, Trevor Williams, who was just torched by the Marlins.

Speculative Adds 

Nolan Schanuel (LAA), 1B (12% rostered on Yahoo!)

Questionable power hindered Schanuel’s prospect profile before the Angels selected him 11th overall two summers ago out of Florida Atlantic University. Sure enough, he went yard just 13 times across 607 PA with a .315 wOBA last season. He’s started well this year, hitting .298 with two home runs and a .372 wOBA through 63 PA. I’m skeptical that anything has changed all that much, considering his hard-hit rate of 25% is not what you want. Still, he’s proficient at making contact and has added some bat speed, going from 65.2 to 68.2; that’s still not good, but at least it’s an improvement.

Nick Kurtz (A’s), 1B (19% rostered on Yahoo!)

Brent Rooker made his second start in the OF last night, and this time, Lawrence Butler was in the lineup. Meanwhile, last year’s fourth overall pick is hitting .367 with seven home runs, a .503 wOBA, and a 194 wRC+ over 67 PA with Triple-A Las Vegas. You never want to get too excited about a prospect, but Kurtz’s hype is warranted.

Will Warren (NYY), SP (9% rostered on Yahoo!)

Warren performed well this spring, earning a spot in the Yankee rotation while becoming a last-round dart in some leagues. His first two turns were nothing to write home about. However, he proved the third time’s a charm with a terrific outing at home against the Giants, striking out six while earning a 35% CSW, good for a King Cole. As Nick mentioned in his roundup, the key seems to have been his four-seamer flashing an improved height-adjusted approach angle (HAVAA) and more induced vertical break (iVB). It might not stick. But if it does, it could unlock Warren’s breakout. He gets the Rays this Thursday.

Christopher Morel (TB), 2B, 3B, OF (27% Rostered on Yahoo!)

Morel has hit 4th or 5th every night for the Rays since April 6th and has been productive, hitting .292 with a .787 OPS. You might remember his rampage two years ago when he became the first Cub to swat nine dingers through their first 12 games of a season. However, he couldn’t find his way off the interstate last year, hitting .196 across 611 PA with the Cubs and Rays. Last night’s hat trick highlighted Morel’s weakness; he’s striking out at a 36% clip thus far. Still, his 90th percentile bat speed and historic feat a couple of years ago demonstrate his upside. If he can curtail the strikeouts, his bat hitting at George M. Steinbrenner Field (same dimensions as Yankee Stadium) could yield quite a few dingers.

 

Deep League Players to Watch 

 

Edward Cabrera (MIA), SP (5% rostered on Yahoo!)

Cabrera’s 2025 debut wasn’t too exciting on the surface; he allowed two earned runs on four hits and three walks to the Nationals while striking out five across five and two-thirds innings. He’s long been a mercurial talent, interchanging bouts of wildness with eye-popping strikeouts induced by one of the nastiest changeups in baseball. However, he utilized his slider a little more in his debut; that could be a strategy that might help him quell same-handed batters more regularly. It could be a mirage. Still, Cabrera possesses great K upside and is at least worth putting on your watchlist on the slim chance the pieces come together.

Adael Amador (COL), 2B (1% rostered on Yahoo!)

The Rockies have struck out 29% as a team through the first 16 games; the Red Sox are second-worst at 25.7%. Their struggles prompted them to recall Amador, one of their top prospects. The switch-hitting second baseman swiped 35 bases last year across 100 games with Double-A Hartford, but hit just .230 with a .336 wOBA and 111 wRC+. Still, his ability to make contact has been his calling card as a prospect, and he was hitting .275 with an 8.7% K rate with Triple-A Albuquerque before being promoted.

For more deep leaguers, check Ben Rosener’s Deep League Waiver Wire column every Thursday and Saturday.