The 2024 MLB season has officially begun, and your fantasy baseball waiver wire work now kicks into high gear!

With your fantasy baseball draft in your rearview mirror and your pre-season roster tweaks made, it’s now time to start looking at which player may have been overlooked, how MLB managers are setting their lineups and how you can best maximize your fantasy team’s production. How aggressive on the waiver wire you are largely depends on the size of your league and the players available. 

 

 

 

If you are playing in a 10-team league and the waiver wire is flush with talent, you may not have to be aggressive but if you are playing in a competitive league of 12-to-15 teams, depending on who are waiver targets are, you may need to be aggressive with your FAAB bidding or use that coveted No. 1 waiver priority. Of course, if you are in a competitive league, your waiver wire options are pretty sparse.

What we will do with this column is identify players who may be available on your league’s waiver wire, assess their long-term and/or short-term value and offer suggestions on how much to spend if your league uses a Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB). 

If you find your questions run a little deeper than who should I pick up and how much should I spend on them, you should probably join the Fantasy Alarm Discord and gain access to me and the rest of our analysts. You’ll need the All-Pro subscription for that so be sure to sign up and take advantage of this limited time promo code of LETSWIN.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Catchers

Travis d’Arnaud, Atlanta Braves

The oblique injury suffered by Sean Murphy will put d’Arnaud front-and-center this week for fantasy owners. As of now, Murphy is on the 10-day IL, but given the natire of the injury, he may be out a little longer. We’ve seen d’Arnaud before and know what he’s all about – good power for a catcher with a .250ish batting average if we’re lucky. If you lost Murphy, this makes sense, but be careful not to overspend just yet. FAAB: 10-12%

Jake Rogers, Detroit Tigers

He was in the pre-season waiver wire article, and nothing has changed from that. He’s a 20-homer bat with a middling average to go along with it. He’s not the guy you want for a single-catcher league, but should you require two, he’s a decent option. FAAB: 3-5%

David Fry, Cleveland Guardians

With catcher-eligibility, he becomes an option in leagues where you can make daily roster moves. The 28-year-old will spend time as the right-handed bat of a DH platoon and has shown the ability to get on-base at a fairly respectable clip. FAAB: 1-2%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: First Basemen

LaMonte Wade, San Francisco Giants

Routinely overlooked at the position because he doesn’t have all that much power, lacks speed and doesn’t post a strong batting average. But he has shown solid plate discipline at times and can offer some help in OBP leagues. The power is streaky, and the Giants have some tough upcoming games against the Dodgers and Padres, but if you’re looking for corner infield help this early, desperate times call for desperate measures. FAAB: 4-6%

Carlos Santana, Minnesota Twins

The aging veteran still has some pop in his bat and can be productive in the RBI department given the surrounding Twins lineup. His days as an OBP monster seem to be behind him, so don’t expect him to be anything more than a stop-gap to cover you for early-season injuries. FAAB: 3-5%

Connor Joe, Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates are dealing with a few early-season injuries, so Joe is seeing some work, but don’t mistake him for being a full-time player, even at the DH spot. He hits lefties well, so if your league allows daily roster moves, he could be a plug-and-play for you. FAAB: 1-2%

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Second Basemen

Cavan Biggio, Toronto Blue Jays

The beauty of fantasy baseball is that no matter how much you crap the bed, a strong start to any season gets you some extra looks. He had two hits, including a home run, in his season debut and could see starts against righties early on. Davis Schneider was originally slated to be the Jays starting second baseman, but after a rough spring, it looks like the two will platoon until one of them clearly outplays the other. FAAB: 5-7%

Brendan Rodgers, Colorado Rockies

No one on the Rockies, outside of Nolan Jones, is expected to contribute much this year, but since Rodgers is likely to play every day and gets half his games in Coors Field, he pops up on the radar. If you are dealing with injuries and need a temporary fill-in, the Rockies have a six-game homestand coming up in the first week of April. FAAB: 3-5%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Third Basemen

Jared Triolo, Pittsburgh Pirates

The injury to Ji Hwan Bae has opened up playing time for Triolo and his spring was strong enough for the team to park Liover Peguero in Triple-A and hand the starting job over to the 26-year-old. He’s shown great plate discipline in the minors and, last year, made the jump from Single-A to Triple-A. 

The team seems pretty confident in him, so if looking for depth at the hot corner, he’s worth a look. He’ll also add second base eligibility soon enough, so he adds to your roster flexibility. FAAB: 6-8%

J.D. Davis, Oakland Athletics

Two home runs in his first game will certainly pique the curiosity of fantasy owners, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves here. The surrounding lineup is bleh and we are all-too-familiar with what kind of player Davis is. But 15-18 homers with a decent OBP shouldn’t be ignored, especially if you’re looking to fill a gap in either a daily roster move league or if you are dealing with an early injury to someone like Royce Lewis. FAAB: 6-8%

Willi Castro, Minnesota Twins

Speaking of Lewis, with him on the shelf nursing a quad injury, Castro is getting some added time at third base and could continue until we finally get the MRI results on Lewis’ quad. It’s a mid-level average and/or OBP, but let’s not forget that he swiped 33 bases last season, so if looking for a little speed-burst, he can help. FAAB: 5-7%

Trey Lipscomb, Washington Nationals

We don’t have a lot to go on here, but the Nationals had Lipscomb skip Triple-A as they needed someone to fill the gap with Nick Senzel on the 10-day IL. He’s got plus-speed to go with his mid-level power, so maybe if you go after Castro and miss, Lipscomb could be a short-term stop-gap for you with a splash of speed. FAAB: 2-4%

Oswaldo Cabrera, New York Yankees

Even with Jon Berti on the roster, Cabrera has received the starts at third base while DJ LeMahieu sits on the injured list and he’s been off to a decent start. It’s difficult to see this lasting beyond LeMahieu’s IL stint and Berti is likely to get mixed in, but if you’re desperate… FAAB: 2-4%

Brett Baty, New York Mets

I’m just not ready to dismiss Baty who received all sorts of hype during his promotion last year. Did he perform well? No. Has he done anything this season through a couple of games? No. But if you have the space on your bench just to give him a few games and see if anything develops, why not? FAAB: 1-2%

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Shortstops

Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres

Hard to imagine he’s still on waivers, but I play in a 12-teamer with short benches, so Merrill is still sitting out on the waiver wire. He’s got the starting centerfield job in San Diego and will add outfield-eligibility soon enough. Shortstop is a deep position, but if you can sneak him in as your middle infielder, he’s developing into quite a player. FAAB: 12-15%

Jose Caballero, Tampa Bay Rays

He qualifies at second base as well but he’s playing every day at shortstop for the Rays and offers a solid speed game should you be looking to add some speed. He’s a little rough on the batting average, but his OBP numbers have been great throughout his time in the minors, as well as over the 280 plate appearances he saw in the big-leagues last season. FAAB: 8-10%

Tim Anderson, Miami Marlins

The hope is that he moves up in the batting order, but he’s been batting seventh so far, so it could take him a little time to get going. But let’s not forget that he posted a .300 average for four-straight seasons and has informed the team and media that he has moved past some of the personal issues that plagued him over the last two seasons. If you need a middle-infielder, he’s certainly worth a look as a bargain-add. FAAB: 5-7%

Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona Diamondbacks

List him as a contingency pick and do it for a buck. He doesn’t offer anything more than regular at-bats right now, but at-bats mean opportunity and with the way the DBacks are looking right now, you could certainly do worse for the bid dollar he’d cost you. FAAB: 1%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Outfielders

Mitch Haniger, Seattle Mariners

He still strikes out too much, but Haniger does have some pop in his bat and is playing regularly for the Mariners. It’s too early to find any real unearthed gems in the outfield, so if you need the help, you’re better off with a veteran who sees regular playing time. Just don’t expect him to come close to the 39 homers he popped back in 2021. FAAB: 8-10%

Jurickson Profar, San Diego Padres

So long as he’s seeing regular at-bats, there’s going to be some value. He’s got 15-20 home run power and is capable of stealing a base or two. There’s no real reason to spend up for him as everyone, including the Padres, view him as a stop-gap on their roster for now. But if he’s playing and you need a body, here you go. FAAB: 6-8%

Henry Davis, Pittsburgh Pirates

If you play in a two-catcher league, Davis makes for a solid stash. Right now, he only qualifies in the outfield and doesn’t really hold much value there. But he’s getting in his work behind the plate, especially with Yasmani Grandal hurt, and should qualify as a catcher very soon. FAAB: 6-8%

Michael Conforto, San Francisco Giants

The health and power have both diminished over the last few seasons, but as a fourth or fifth outfielder, there is some appeal. We like him more in OBP leagues than average leagues, but he makes for a solid play with some power-upside. FAAB: 5-7%

Alek Thomas, Arizona Diamondbacks

He’s playing regularly in centerfield and though he hits near the bottom of the lineup, Thomas is going to have some value should he maintain his hold on the starting job. Minimal power and minimal speed but can serve as a stop-gap should you miss out on better outfielders. FAAB: 4-6%

Nick Martini, Cincinnati Reds

I’m going to include Martini here because if I don’t, the newbies to fantasy baseball are going to get all bent out of shape because he hit two home runs on Opening Day. But let’s not fool ourselves, people. 

He’s a 33-year-old journeyman who has never done anything to distinguish himself as a decent fantasy option. Sure, the home ballpark is great, and he could see some extra at-bats with the Reds dealing with early injuries, but let’s not get crazy here, people. FAAB: 2-4%

Will Benson, Cincinnati Reds

Now this is a Reds outfielder I have interest in picking up off waivers. With the injuries we’ve seen for Cincinnati, Benson is locking down regular at-bats in left field and actually offers some speed. He moves up and down in the batting order, so it will be tough to see some early consistency, but he’s the guys, not Martini, who is worth your time in fantasy. FAAB: 6-8%

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Starting Pitchers

Garrett Crochet, Chicago White Sox

Get him now and squeeze every inning out of him while you can. After missing the entire 2022 season following Tommy John surgery, Crochet threw just 12.2 innings last year and this season he’s already thrown six. 

There was a time when he was once compared to Chris Sale, so there is talent, as we saw in his Opening Day start, but this is a short-term, sell-high acquisition, so don’t go overboard with your bidding. If you miss out on him, it’s not going to be a big deal. FAAB: 10-12%

Kutter Crawford, Boston Red Sox

I wrote him up in the pre-season waiver wire article, but in case you don’t have time to clock back, here’s what I wrote, and my opinion has not changed at all -- Though the strikeout rate has dipped a bit this spring, Crawford is dazzling with his command right now. 

He showed a lot of potential last season and really built on his 2022 debut with a lower walk rate, improved K/9 and xERA and FIP that showed how well he was actually pitching. Might be a struggle to squeeze some wins out of this team, but he should help in the other categories. FAAB: 8-10%

Frankie Montas Jr., Cincinnati Reds

Montas had a strong debut on Opening Day and is coming off a really nice spring, though he did get roughed up a but in his final tune-up. Still, that was shaken off and he did a solid job against the Nationals. 

He’s missed a lot of time due to injuries, but he’s fully healthy now and looking to recapture what we once saw from him back in his Oakland days. You know he’ll see run support, so while the home park is troubling, he could prove to be a strong, early-season addition. FAAB: 8-10%

Gavin Stone, Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers have a number of starters hoping to return sooner than later, but until we see Clayton Kershaw or Walker Buehler, Stone will hold down the fifth-starter’s job for the best team in baseball. He may have struggled in a few appearances last year, but his K-rate in the minors was rock-solid and he should be able to deliver you a few quality-starts in the short run. FAAB: 6-8%

Jose Quintana, New York Mets

I am not a big believer in Quintana, but after a solid Opening Day performance against the Brewers and looking at his numbers over the last two season (injuries aside), I can say that he isn’t the worst option in the world and using Quintana here at the start of the season when hitters are still working on their timing, he can provide some value. 

I view him much like Crochet in that I would add him for a couple of soft starts and then try to trade him with a focus on what he’s done in recent seasons. FAAB: 5-7%

Emerson Hancock, Seattle Mariners

This is worth a one-dollar flyer in my mind. Hancock is going to be the fifth starter for the Mariners while Bryan Woo is on the IL, and he could provide you with a few decent starts to get your season going. He’s not a big strikeout guy, but he’s not going to hurt your ratios and should be able to chew up some early innings. He’s best for deeper mixed leagues and AL-only, so don’t go nuts here. FAAB: 1%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Closers/Relief Pitchers

Kevin Ginkel, Arizona Diamondbacks

He’s closing for the Diamondbacks while Paul Sewald is out. That’s value for those chasing saves. FAAB: 10-15% depending on how desperate you are for saves.

Griffin Jax, Minnesota Twins

He’s the Twins version of Ginkel while Jhoan Duran is out. FAAB 10-15% depending on how desperate you are for saves.

Abner Uribe/Joel Payamps, Milwaukee Brewers

Uribe is the guy I want more, but Payamps should still be mixed in while Devin Williams is out. Keep an eye on things in Milwaukee but start with Uribe and set a lower-budget contingency pick on Payamps. FAAB: 10-15% for Uribe and 8-10% for Payamps

Jason Foley, Detroit Tigers

He got the first save for the Tigers, but is expected to share the job with Alex Lange, at least until one separates himself from the other. Manager A.J. Hinch will play the early matchups, so keep your bidding in check. FAAB: 8-10%

For more closer talk, check out Joe Gallina’s Closer Grid and Weekly Bullpen Report.