The Game Day’s Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Report is a comprehensive rundown of the latest free agent recommendations and related player news that requires analysis. Check-in for all the top Fantasy Baseball players to add and put on your free-agency watch list.
Note: Our Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire bid suggestions are given as a percentage so you can adjust to your league’s FAB settings.
This week’s Cheap Bids & Watch List section includes an actual scouting report from a Major League GM.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Top Pickups
Ronny Mauricio, SS, New York Mets (32% rostered in CBS leagues)
The final arrival of “The Baby Mets” will play in his first MLB series this weekend. Mauricio will likely play some outfield and second base, and the 22-year-old hit .292 with 23 home runs and 24 stolen bases in 116 Triple-A games this season. He should play frequently, considering that the current Mets have been using patchwork pieces in some lineup spots recently.
➕ Ronny Mauricio Free Agent Budget Bid: 17% of your available budget
Find the top MLB player props
Want to bet on some of your favorite Fantasy players? Find our top odds for MLB player prop bets.
Patrick Sandoval, SP, Los Angeles Angels (53%)
In seven of his last eight appearances, Sandoval has not allowed more than two earned runs. He has six-plus strikeouts in three of his past four turns.
➕Patrick Sandoval FAB Bid: 17% of your available budget
Mitch Garver, C, Texas Rangers (47%)
In August, Garver hit .302 with eight home runs and 16 RBI. He is more likely available in one-catcher leagues and can be a solid source of power in the final weeks as he remains in the Texas lineup.
➕Mitch Garver FAB Bid: 16% of your available budget
Jordan Wicks, SP, Chicago Cubs (46%)
Wicks looked good in his first MLB turn last week, allowing one run with nine strikeouts in five innings against Pittsburgh. He struck out just under 10 batters per game in the minors this season.
➕ Jordan Wicks FAB Bid: 14% of your available budget
Darius Vines, SP, Atlanta Braves (10%)
In his MLB debut, Vines delivered an impressive performance at Colorado, allowing two runs in six innings. He might remain in the Atlanta rotation after fashioning a 2.70 ERA with a 9.6 K/9 rate in the minor leagues this season.
➕Darius Vines FAB Bid: 13% of your available budget
Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees (47%)
Many fantasy players have already moved to add New York’s No. 2 prospect, as evidenced by the rostered percentage. Dominguez has significant power and speed promise, but the 20-year-old hit .254 with a 25.6 K rate in 109 Double-A games this season. He may not be an immediate and significant fantasy baseball difference-maker, as Dominguez possibly deals with some ups and downs.
➕Jasson Dominguez FAB Bid: 13% of your available budget
Wilyer Abreu, OF, Boston Red Sox (56%)
Abreu certainly has some power promise. He hit 22 home runs in 86 Triple-A games this season. In his first five games with the big club, the 24-year-old has hit .353 with five RBI in five games.
➕Wilyer Abreu FAB Bid: 13% of your available budget
Parker Meadows, OF, Detroit Tigers (16%)
A top-10 prospect for Detroit, Meadows showed off much power and speed at Triple-A this season, going nearly 20/20 in 113 games. In his first 10 MLB games, he has hit .294 with six RBI.
➕Parker Meadows FAB Bid: 13% of your available budget
Josh Rojas, 2B, Seattle Mariners (29%)
The former Diamondback, who had functioned as a good later-round value pick in the past, has re-emerged since landing in Seattle. In 20 games with the Mariners so far, Rojas has hit .288 with three home runs, 10 RBI, four stolen bases and 16 runs scored.
➕Josh Rojas FAB Bid: 12% of your available budget
Gabriel Moreno, C, Arizona Diamondbacks (34%)
Moreno hit .327 with three home runs and 12 RBI in August. He is a solid addition if you are looking for respectable production late in the season.
➕Gabriel Moreno FAB Bid: 10% of your available budget
Nolan Schanuel, 1B, Los Angeles Angels (30%)
It has been an amazingly fast track to the Majors for the 11th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. He has been hitting in the leadoff spot for the Angels after playing in just 27 minor league games, so proceed with some caution even though he has the potential to draw some walks and provide a decent amount of runs scored.
➕ Nolan Schanuel Free Agent Budget Bid: 9% of your available budget
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Cheap Bids & Watch List
Players below in this week’s Bargain Spotlight are listed in order of preference for overall pickups at pitcher and hitters, but do consider your positional needs as a possible overriding factor when making decisions in these ranges.
Bargain Spotlight - DJ Stewart, OF, New York Mets (9%): Opportunities arose in the New York lineup when the Mets made many moves at the trade deadline, and Stewart has taken advantage of his chances, with nine home runs and 18 RBI in 29 games. He had 16 homers and 41 RBI in 51 minor league games this season.
“There was a lot of history between me and DJ between scouting him in high school and college,” Mets general manager Billy Eppler told The Game Day about the former Florida State star. “He does a lot of the things that we value, as he understands what pitches to swing at and he has a heightened level of plate discipline.”
“He can put the ball in the air and generate that kind of power frequency that we’re looking for, and he just does not really give at-bats away.”
Pitchers
- Javier Assad, P, Chicago Cubs (46%): He has allowed six runs in his last four starts, covering 25.1 innings of work. The Cubs did need Assad to step forward with Marcus Stroman (ribs) on the IL, but he is not much of a strikeout pitcher and his 2.96 ERA has a 4.57 xFIP behind it.
- Jose Quintana, SP, New York Mets (31%): Here is a notable Mets offseason acquisition that has actually remained with the team and performed pretty well. Quintana has allowed more than three earned runs in just one of eight starts.
- Griffin Canning, P, Los Angeles Angels (39%): After allowing one run and striking out nine in five innings on Aug. 27, Canning appears set to stick in the Angels’ rotation for the rest of the season.
- Tanner Scott, RP, Miami Marlins (37%): Miami apparently has a new closer, as Scott earned the save on Thursday. David Robertson has been removed from the position, and Scott has not allowed a run in his last 10 appearances. Read more about the Marlins’ situation in the fantasy baseball closer report.
- Matt Manning, SP, Detroit Tigers (32%): Manning has allowed one run in his last four starts, but he does not notch many strikeouts and can be susceptible to occasional blowup outings.
Hitters
- Davis Schneider, 2B, Toronto Blue Jays (32%): Injuries have pushed the versatile Schneider back into a key role for the Jays. In August, he hit .426 with six homers and 14 RBI.
- Hunter Goodman, 1B, Colorado Rockies (15%): He is off to a good start in the Majors after displaying much power promise in the minors. Goodman has two extra-base hits and three RBI in his first four games with the Rockies.
- Ceddanne Rafaela, OF, Boston Red Sox (20%): Boston’s No. 3 prospect displayed impressive power and speed in the minors this season, but he may not have a path to consistent enough playing time.
- Austin Wells, C, New York Yankees (9%): The Yankees’ No. 8 prospect should get at least decent playing time this month. Wells hit 17 home runs in 96 games in the minor leagues this season, but he had a .240 BA.
- J.P. Crawford, SS, Seattle Mariners (51%): Over the past 30 days, Crawford has hit .300 with a .442 OBP, three homers and 17 runs scored.
- Luis Rengifo, 2B, Los Angeles Angels (39%): Rengifo can be inconsistent, but he hit .327 with four home runs, 13 RBI, and 13 runs scored in August.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Tips And Strategies
Stay Ahead of the Pack
We will provide forward-looking Fantasy Baseball waiver wire recommendations every week in this space. It’s always best to add possible minor league call-ups, new closers, and potential new MLB starters ahead of the rest of your league whenever possible.
An aggressive approach to who may be the next hot pickup can save FAB dollars. Keep a close watch on player news, possible promotions in the near future, and lineup or rotation changes, and you won’t have to spend top dollar in a free-agent bidding battle.
Balance the Budget
Often throughout the season, especially earlier on, you will see some players in your league spend large amounts of their FAB budgets on one player. These large bids are frequently for young players and top prospects.
Yet we have seen many new major leaguers struggle early in their careers, and some are even sent down after a short stint in MLB. Always remember that an FAB budget must last for a whole season and is needed in case of injuries or when guys on your current roster lose playing time.
Take the Longer View
Resist the urge to jump on hot streaks with aggressive bids on less-proven players. It is possible that as soon as a guy who is on a tear is added, he may cool off and not regain that form for a while.
Advanced statistics can always help tell us if a hot player is overachieving or is truly for real. The advanced numbers can also reveal if a slumping player should not be cut yet.
It is harder to be patient in Head-to-Head Fantasy Baseball than in Rotisserie formats. Baseball is a game of peaks and valleys, though, and your most proven players will often get back on track, and cutting them too soon can turn out to be a regrettable move.
Always Have Contingency Plans
You will always go into the weekly bidding process with an eye on the top players desired. Yet there should always be contingent bids listed for every player, and the list of contingent bids can go up to five or six players at a time to assure that a quality player is acquired to fill a need.
To avoid a situation where you may end up with a lineup hole, always list at least a few contingent bids as alternatives to the top players targeted. Also, check that you have properly separated the bid groups before finalizing your waiver requests for the week.
Never Make Assumptions
Do not assume that you won’t be able to land a player because so many others in the league will be after him. Always make sure to put a bid on a highly desired player, even if your FAB budget is limited.
Many fantasy players will be surprised to see a top waiver target land on their roster when they didn’t expect to end up with the winning bid. Never pass on an opportunity to bid on any player, assuming you will be outbid.
Know Your League and Team
Make sure to always stay on top of the bidding tendencies in your league. Carefully reviewing the waiver wire reports every week will help you properly budget for waiver pickups.
Also, it is best to re-assess team needs every week before bidding on players. Don’t spend too much for that prime first-base pickup if there is no room for him in your lineup and he may not even get off the bench.
Be Aware of Positional Trends and Needs
Monitoring the free-agent list every week can provide a good picture of positional scarcity. As the season wears on, quality starting pitching will become more scarce.
Depending on the size of your league, there may not be room on a roster for some desired players. In a 10-team league, some players simply cannot fit on the roster, and in a 15-teamer, you can always take a flier on a dollar player that could turn out to be a quality contributor.
