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
Drake Baldwin (ATL) – C (Yahoo!: 20%)
If you’ve kept up with this column, then I’m sure you’re well aware of how great Iván Herrera has been and hopefully managed to get him on your team. If you missed out on him but still need a stellar catcher, look no further than Baldwin. Sean Murphy’s hold on Atlanta’s starting job was assumed to be ironclad, but things may have changed.
Baldwin has slashed .357/.400/.583 with five home runs in just under 30 games. He holds a 173 wRC+, third amongst catchers (>50 PA) behind only Herrera and Carson Kelly. His average exit velocity sits at 93.5 mph, and his K% rate at 15.6%, both a hair better than Herrera’s numbers. More significant than his performance is his playing time situation. In the Braves’ previous eight games, Baldwin has started five times to Murphy’s three — and had his first back-to-back starts since Murphy’s return from the IL. It’s early days, but things look to be swinging Baldwin’s way. His foot is in the door, and he’s poised to swing it wide open. Playing time has been the big concern for him with Murphy in the way, but Baldwin may have arrived early. He might not be the consolation prize for missing out on Herrera. Now that he has the starting job, Baldwin could be the real prize.
Jackson Jobe (DET) – SP (Yahoo!: 42%)
As a top-10 prospect, there were high expectations for Jobe going into the season. He hasn’t quite delivered with a 4.12 ERA, but things may be turning around. He earned the win and a quality start against the Blue Jays, notching five strikeouts in six innings, giving up two earned runs along the way. It’s a matter of time before he gets going, and he has a great schedule to help him continue to settle in. He had a sub-3.00 ERA in his previous two years in the minors, and he’ll be just as good in the majors before long. His roster percentage has fallen off a cliff, and he’s looking like the perfect buy-low candidate.
Matt Shaw (CHC) – 2B, 3B, SS (Yahoo!: 29%)
It’s the rookie parade in the priority adds today. Shaw had a poor start to his MLB career and was sent back to Triple-A for a month to get his head on straight. He demolished the minors like he always has, with six homers in 24 games with a .970 OPS. His head is on straight now, as he went 2-for-4 with a double in his return to big league action.
The difficult thing with these elite prospects is timing. It’s a safe bet that he’ll be a great player someday. He hit 21 home runs and stole 31 bases in 121 games in the minors last year with an .867 OPS. Will he match that in the majors this week, this month, or even this season? There’s no way to know until it happens, and by then, guys like this are rostered by someone willing to take the risk. My philosophy is to be the manager who takes the risk on as many of these rookies as possible. Maybe he sits on your bench and hits .172 again, or maybe he hits the ground running. I believe he’s more likely to do the latter, and he’s an add in all league sizes.
Will Benson (CIN) – OF (Yahoo!: 34%)
Benson made his season debut on May 10 and has been on a ridiculous heater. He has five home runs in 10 games with a 1.358 OPS and insane 259 wRC+. He’s coming off a poor 2024 campaign with a wRC+ of 75. His major league career has been up-and-down, and there are concerns in his profile, but he’s hitting the ball so hard that he’s worth the risk. His 94.9 mph average exit velocity (in a small sample) would be the seventh highest in the MLB, just behind Rafael Devers. You can’t completely ignore the 27.3 K%, but he’s mashing the ball hard enough that it works. He averaged .276 in 2023 with an even higher K%. If he maintains this power surge, he could be in for a monster year.
Yahoo! and ESPN Most Added Players
Yahoo!
Ben Brown tops this list as a popular streamer against the Marlins. He got roughed up by the fish, giving up six earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched. He’s had okay results this year, but this should serve as a good reminder of why two-pitch pitchers aren’t to be trusted. Will Benson was discussed above. Logan Henderson was a priority add in Friday’s Waiver Wire Picks from Matt LaMarca. He had an amazing first start, and he matches up with the struggling Orioles today. I’m in on him in every league size. José Soriano is someone I keep wanting to love, but he can’t quite get it together. He was a popular streamer against the Athletics, hence his place on this list. He earned the win and a quality start, lasting six innings with three earned runs and four strikeouts. I love his arsenal, but he’s not an add outside of deep leagues based on what we’ve seen so far. Jordan Romano is the heir-apparent for the closing job in Philly following José Alvarado’s suspension. He started the year off slow, but he’s looked good for a few weeks — now that he has the job, he’s worth adding everywhere.
ESPN
Merrill Kelly tops this last after his seven-inning, 11-strikeout gem against the Rockies. It was Colorado, so I’m not as impressed as I might be, but Kelly is a solid pitcher who will get the win and quality start more often than not. AJ Smith-Shawver has been impressive but has had some heavy help from his schedule. I’d want to see more before going after him in shallow leagues, but he’s worth a flier in 12-teamers or deeper. Heliot Ramos is a surprising name to see here — he’s been dominant this season and should be rostered everywhere. Hunter Goodman has been one of the few bright spots in the Rockies’ offense and plays every day with good positional eligibility to boot. Logan Henderson was discussed in the Yahoo! section above.
Streaming Pitchers
Check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings for breakdowns and recommendations for every start.
Logan Evans (SEA) – SP (Yahoo!: 3%)
A stopgap starter for Seattle, Evans has a 2.57 ERA in four starts on the year. He matches up against the White Sox tomorrow, and I’d trust the Mariners to get him the run support for a win.
Speculative Adds
Sawyer Gipson-Long (DET) – SP (Yahoo!: 1%)
Gipson-Long is ramping up in Single-A after Tommy John surgery early last year and hip surgery last summer. He made his major league debut in 2023, starting four games and garnering a 2.70 ERA and 11.7 K/9. He looks just as good in his rehab starts, with a 1.29 ERA in seven innings. He should be ramped up by early June, but keep an eye on him until then. He’s a serious talent, but fell through the cracks with his short debut and long rehab. He might not have a rotation spot waiting for him in the big leagues, but I imagine he will be the next man up if any injuries crop up. Gipson-Long could be a serious impact player when he returns, and he’s on virtually every waiver wire. I’m stashing him everywhere before the hype train picks up steam.
Deep League Players to Watch
Check out Ben Rosener’s Deep League Waiver Wire column every Thursday and Saturday for more Deep League picks.
Michael Soroka (WSN) – SP (Yahoo!: 5%)
The results for Soroka look worse than they should. He’s had bad luck and been left in games too long while still coming back from injury, but things are starting to click. He earned the win, notched eight strikeouts, and was one out shy of a quality start against the Orioles in his last start. He gets a lot of strikeouts and doesn’t issue many walks, and his underlying stats point to better days ahead for him across the board. He’s under-rostered for how good he’s looked, even if the box scores aren’t there yet.
