Welcome to the Waiver Wire Picks, our daily fantasy baseball article that looks at the best players 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. We’ll also look at the most-added players in fantasy baseball across the major sites and tell you which players to add and which to leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Trent Grisham (NYY) – OF (Yahoo – 46%)
Grisham seemed little more than a throw-in when the Yankees traded for Soto in the winter of ’23, and now he’s not only their leadoff hitter, but his 13.6% BB rate ranks 13th among qualified hitters. Granted, that might not interest you if you’re in a league that doesn’t value walks. But I have a thing for batters who make sound swing decisions; they tend to be pretty good. Grisham’s .230/ .332/ .419 slash line isn’t glamorous, and admittedly, it isn’t all that different from his career totals. However, according to the PLV machine, he’s making contact at nearly 5% above expectation, which is doubly impressive when you consider that he’s not swinging at anything outside of the zone (100th percentile chase rate, 115 oDV). Putting all the pieces together, his 126 Process (runs added per pitch) suggests that last year’s Grisham, who banged a career-best 34 home runs, wasn’t a mirage. Neither was that home run against Yamamoto on Sunday. This guy can mash, and everything under the hood suggests that his roster rate ought to be significantly higher. And, call me old-fashioned, but I think nicknames are important; the Big Sleep might be one of the best I’ve heard in a long time. Hard to beat Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.
Grant Taylor (CWS) – SP/RP (Yahoo – 24%)
Taylor pocketed his fifth save Sunday against the Jays. The 24-year-old righty out of LSU owns a 2.74 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 24.8% K-BB% across 49.1 IP. We have to give Sean Newcomb some credit too; he has been very effective converting three of four save opportunities. Seranthony Domínguez is there, too, although he hasn’t earned a save since mid-June. Regardless, Taylor is just nasty. His 96th percentile extension, 95th percentile fastball velocity, and two filthy breakers have vexed hitters thus far, and lead me to think that it wouldn’t be too surprising to see him earn more closing opportunities in the final two months.
Lane Thomas (KC) – OF (Yahoo – 9%)
Thomas doesn’t carry breakout potential as a 30-year-old veteran, but he has been surprisingly productive, slashing .240/ .340/ .417 while hitting cleanup for the banged-up Royals. He entered last night’s game against the Giants with multi-hit performances in three of his last four games, including two home runs. Judging by his career 101 wRC+, this is simply a case of a JAG in the middle of a hot stretch. Still, those in deep five OF leagues should give him a long look, especially considering he is someone who can steal bases (32 with the Nats three years ago).
Ty France (SD) – 1B (Yahoo – 6%)
France lifted two big flies during Sunday’s 19-2 demolition of the Royals. Like Thomas, France has been around a while. Regardless, the 32-year-old righty has given the Padres some much-needed thump, slashing .275/ .335/ .537 with 14 home runs and a 138 wRC+ through this past weekend’s series against the Royals. France has whiffed a bit; according to PLV, his contact added is about three ticks below expectations. However, his 121 Process is pretty darn good. His career splits are encouraging, too (114 wRC+ vs. LHP and 111 wRC+ vs. RHP) and suggest that you shouldn’t worry too much about him falling into a platoon any time soon (he hit cleanup against Elder last night and hit his 15th home run). If you happened to have lost Kurtz recently, you might want to grab France.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Ronel Blanco battled back from last June’s Tommy John surgery and made his season debut last night against the Marlins. He racked up eight strikeouts, but finished one out shy of qualifying for the win while allowing four earned runs on two hits, both of which left the yard, and three walks. The 33-year-old righty was pretty darn good two years ago, posting a 2.80 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 167.1 IP, but you’re probably safe taking the wait-and-see approach.
Austin Riley’s rostership rose a few points after he went yard twice during Sunday’s 9-5 win over the Rangers. You’re welcome; I finally cut bait on him in a shallow league Saturday night. Kidding aside, Riley’s decline at 29 is baffling, to say the least; he has a 93 wRC+ over his last 845 PAs. I think he should probably be rostered in most leagues, simply because there aren’t many good third basemen. I wouldn’t completely discount a potential turnaround. But his 101 Process grade doesn’t exactly scream buy-low, and his whiff issues (-5.5% contact added) haven’t dissipated. His slot in the order will be telling; he hit cleanup last night, after having hit no higher than sixth just once since July 1st.
Bryce Elder got the job done last night, holding the Padres to two earned runs on five hits and a walk across six innings, while earning his sixth win. He should get the Orioles next at Camden Yards, and I wouldn’t be too excited by that; he hasn’t given us much of a reason to consider him as anything more than a streamer over the past month or so.
The Orioles roughed up Payton Tolle a bit last night for four earned runs on eight hits and a walk across five and two-thirds innings. Still, he illustrated his electric talent with nine strikeouts (16 whiffs on 57 swings). The 23-year-old is 25th on The List. The only question is how far do the Red Sox push him? He has tossed 89.2 innings, about 20 innings short of last year’s total.
Kyle Leahy held the Angels to one earned run on three hits, a solo shot to Jo Adell. He could be usable this weekend, when the Red Birds host the Reds, but his not being unranked on The List is all you need to know; he’s an okay streamer at best.
Jack Flaherty has flashed some strikeout ability at times, but didn’t have it last night against the Cubs; he gave up three earned runs, including two home runs, while getting only 12 outs. He’s 76th on The List and will get a more favorable draw this weekend at home against the Royals.
Nick Martinez outdueled Cease at the Rogers Centre last night, holding the Jays to one earned run on six hits, without a walk or strikeout. The 35-year-old changeup artist has somewhat stunningly become a muster-roster player with a 2.64 ERA and 1.13 WHIP through 109 innings. Just don’t expect any strikeouts.
The Pirates roughed up Ryan Weathers last night for five earned runs on seven hits and two walks. Still, he racked up 20 whiffs on 50 swings. His 4.47 ERA and 1.29 WHIP aren’t ideal, but his 20.3% K-BB% is too good to give up on. He’s 53rd on The List and should get a chance to rebound this weekend at The Bank against the Phillies.
Speculative Players to Add
Noah Schultz (CWS) – SP (Yahoo – 10%)
Schultz owns a 5.60 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and a 7.7% K-BB through 11 starts. That’s not what you want. But he’s just a few months removed from being one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, with a 29.5% K-BB across six games (five starts) with Triple-A Charlotte. He concluded the first half with a somewhat quiet performance against the A’s, during which he didn’t walk a batter. Let’s see if that’s a step in the right direction.
Luke Weaver (NYM) – SP/RP (Yahoo – 15%)
The Mets will be sellers at the deadline, and Weaver seems like a prime trade candidate. He owns a 2.03 ERA and 0.87 WHIP across 40 IP this season, and his pitch quality metrics are good, too (5.16 PLV/2.37 PLA). There’s at least a chance he ends up closing games for a contending team. …maybe the Cubs? Who knows.
Andrew Vaughn (MIL) – 1B (Yahoo – 23%)
You might remember that this guy had a pretty fun renaissance in Milwaukee last year. He has been quite productive this season in limited action (137 wRC+). Sal Frelick heading to the IL on Sunday may have afforded him a runway; he hit sixth last night and popped a home run against Freddy Peralta. His 120 Process indicates we might see his name more often in the not-too-distant future.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streamers article.
Today:
Brandon Sproat (MIL) – SP (Yahoo – 17%) vs NYM
I like chasing streamers with breakout potential. We’ve already discussed Schultz, who will face Texas in Arlington today, so let’s go with Sproat. We’ve seen him tease us before with good stuff; maybe he can put the pieces together at home against a Met team that’s playing out the string. Did I mention that I’m also a sucker for revenge narratives?
Tomorrow:
Gage Jump (A’s) – SP (Yahoo – 28%) at ARI
Jump has demonstrated the volatility typical of rookie pitchers, but this looks like a pretty good spot; he will be away from his awful home park, and the Snakes have been awful (90 wRC+). Just pitch around Marte, ok?
Deep League Players to Watch
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer (A’s) – 3B, SS (Yahoo – 6%)
A 3rd round pick out of Rutgers two summers ago, Kuroda-Grauer has been a mainstay in the A’s lineup since his promotion on June 29th. He entered last night’s game hitting .404 and banged his first home run: a solo shot off Snakes’ rookie left-hander Mitch Bratt. He hit .323 across two levels combined this season with a microscopic 5.8% BB rate and 7.9% K rate. I have a hunch he likes to swing early and often. Don’t expect much power, but he can steal bases (15 this year in the minors on 19 attempts).
