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
Nick Kurtz (OAK), 1B (35% rostered on Yahoo!)
Kurtz leads the minors with seven homers in 20 games at Triple-A with a 1.040 OPS. He was drafted fourth overall last year, demolished Single-A and Double-A in 12 games, crushed it in the spring, and now he’s breezed through Triple-A and earned the call to the majors. He brings huge raw power and a strong hit tool to back it up. He’s a no-doubt priority add in every league.
His 26.8 K% in Triple-A is a touch higher than we’d like, but the power will easily make up for that. He’s never struck out above 20% of the time at any previous level, from college through the minors, so it’s a safe bet that he’ll adjust as he sees more MLB pitching. His 10.3% walk rate should come up too as he adjusts. Even with his career-worst K/BB% at Triple-A this season, he’s batting .321, so it’s not like he’s overmatched at the plate. He won’t contribute anything meaningful in terms of steals (one steal in 32 minor league games), but he’ll produce in every other category, batting in the heart of a strong Athletics lineup.
Kurtz won’t be on the waiver wire long, so get him while you can.
Pavin Smith (ARI), 1B (26% rostered on Yahoo!)
I have a unique perspective on any player who played for the Diamondbacks in 2022. We had a friend join the league who had absolutely zero interest in baseball, and he wanted his team to consist of every player on the worst real-life team. The Giants and Dodgers fans in the league decreed that the Diamondbacks would be the weakest team that year, and the Kansas City Gokus were born. I volunteered to manage this superteam. Every day, I would wait for Arizona to publish their lineup, ensure each starting batter was correct, check the bullpen usage to maximize (or often minimize) pitcher points, and send the mighty Gokus off to battle. I can’t see Smith without seeing him right there alongside legends of the game like Seth Beer and Cooper Hummel.
Smith ended 2022 with exactly 0.0 fWAR and a wRC+ of 87 — not too bad for the 74-88 D-Backs. But 2025 Smith is a different animal. He had a great stretch in 2024 with a 142 wRC+ in 60 games, and it looks like he’s unlocked something going into 2025. He’s swinging like a lunatic and smoking the ball every which way until Friday. He’s striking out at a poor 30% clip, but also walking at an elite (95th percentile) 16.7% rate. His 22.9 Barrel% is 99th percentile, and he’s gone from a low power, low average bat, into a 1.176 OPS, 220 wRC+ slugger.
Smith is in a strict platoon, which might help explain his lowly 26% roster percentage. I highlighted Michael Busch here last week, and right away, I had to go and evangelize for another platoon bat. I think Smith has a better chance than Busch to break the platoon; he’s never been particularly terrible against lefties, but even if he doesn’t, he’ll be a great contributor. Though the 2025 Diamondbacks can’t hold a candle to the Kansas City Gokus when it comes to spirit, they are scorching hot and will rack up runs and RBIs for Smith.
Noelvi Marte (CIN), 3B (5% rostered on Yahoo!)
Marte was suspended for PEDs at the start of last season and returned looking terrible. He has a great prospect pedigree, good power, plenty of speed, and a respectable hit tool. But his performance in the second half of 2024 cast doubt on whether it was all a PED-fueled mirage. He got the call back to the Reds earlier this month and played a handful of games coming off the bench. He got his big break Sunday in Cincinnati’s rout of Baltimore, going 5-for-7 with seven RBIs, two doubles, and a home run. Yesterday, he added his second stolen base of the season and another two hits, including a double.
It’s early and it’s risky, but if Marte is pulling a Fernando Tatis Jr. and showing that he never really needed the PEDs, you could be getting a 20/20 or better guy available in just about every league. He looked good at Triple-A to start the year with an OPS of .860 and wRC+ of 132, albeit with zero home runs in 10 games. I’m planning to wait and see on him in my 10-team leagues, but rolling the dice in 12-team and up.
Yahoo! and ESPN Most Added Players
Kurtz gets a whole write-up above. Austin Hays was a target in Jeremy Heist’s Waiver Wire Picks yesterday and has already shot up 20% in ownership, so get him while you can. He has a much better park factor, and it’s already paying dividends.
Quinn Priester and Max Meyer were streaming adds for Monday’s games. Priester stumbled against the Giants, lasting only four innings, giving up two earned runs and notching four strikeouts. Meyer dazzled, going six scoreless against the Reds and punching out 14. Meyer is already 60% rostered, and that figure will skyrocket after tonight’s performance. Priester can be left on the wire for now.
Andrew Abbott had a Meyer-esque night on Sunday against the Orioles, going six IP, giving up one earned run, and tallying 11 Ks. I’m intrigued but not sold — even after the great start. I struggle trusting a fastball at 91.2 mph, especially when he throws it 47% of the time.
Tyler Mahle just keeps going, blanking the Dodgers over seven innings and striking out four along the way. I mentioned Mahle as a streaming target two weeks ago, and I did not expect him to go on this run. I’m still not seeing an ace here, but it’s hard to argue with the results. Dylan Moore was a target in Ryan Clark’s Waiver Wire Picks article on Saturday, and he remains a great utility add despite the sub-optimal home ballpark.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is a top 5o player or close to it in every league, he should be rostered everywhere. Carson Kelly ran away with the starting catcher job in Chicago after putting up an absurd 1.502 OPS — Aaron Judge holds a wimpy 1.202 OPS in comparison. Spencer Torkelson has burned me before, but I’m ready to get hurt again. He has seven homers on the year already and a 1.029 OPS. All of these players are good adds, but PCA is an absolute must if he’s still available.
Streaming Pitchers
Check out Nick Pollack’s Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings for write-ups about every pitching start. Here are my picks for the next few days:
José Soriano (LAA), SP (44% rostered on Yahoo!)
Soriano is my streaming pick for today. He’s been a target for me all year, and I’m still on board after his loss to the Rangers last week. He was one out away from a three-run quality start at Globe Life Field, where the Rangers are 10-3 on the year. The Pirates in Anaheim should be a much smoother ride (it feels like there should be a Pirates of the Caribbean joke here).
Andrew Heaney (PIT), SP (27% rostered on Yahoo!)
Heaney is fresh off a 7.1 inning shutout against the Nationals, and he has a real pearl of a matchup against the Angels, who have taken a steep drop after ramping up to start the year.
Deep League Players to Watch
As always, check out Ben Rosener’s Deep League Waiver Wire articles every Thursday and Saturday for more deep league picks.
Kyle Stowers (MIA), OF (8% rostered on Yahoo!)
It looked like Stowers was cooling off after a hot start to the year, but he just went and blasted a three-run homer coming in as a pinch-hitter. He’s got great barrel and walk rates, and he gets the most out of his middling power.
Dane Myers (MIA), OF (1% rostered on Yahoo!)
Myers has tons of runway with Griffin Conine on the 60-day IL. He’s making the most of it, slashing .333/.349/.452 with one home run in 15 games. He doesn’t have great plate discipline or contact rates, but he’s hitting the ball hard anyway.
