Looking for the top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for this week? Fantasy Alarm has you covered with everything you need to win.

Your quest for a fantasy baseball championship continues, and things are getting even more interesting right now as we approach the MLB trade deadline. We’ve already seen Randy Arozarena and Yimi Garcia shipped off to the Seattle Mariners, AJ Puk could be closing in Arizona and two playoff contenders, the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies, just helped each other out with a deal that sends outfielder Austin Hays to the City of Brotherly Love. The deals are coming fast and furious leading up to that July 30 deadline.

 

 

With these deals taking place, there are a lot of things opening up, particularly for your waiver wire work. With every guy who moves to a different team, there’s someone replacing him on the roster. For example, Arozarena’s departure allows the Rays to move some guys around the diamond and offer full-time at-bats to someone like Jonny DeLuca and Richie Palacios. We’ll get to them, as well as several other options to pick up for the upcoming week.

In addition to the recommendations below, always be sure to check in with last week’s waiver wire article to see if anyone slipped through the cracks. You’ll also want to check in with the Two-Start Pitchers/Streaming Starters article as they can provide you with a few hidden gems as well. Leave no stone unturned!

**Please keep in mind, these FAAB bids are a guideline, not the gospel. You should be keeping track of how everyone in your league is bidding, so you understand that if you really need the player, you should raise your bid accordingly.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Catchers

Jacob Stallings, Colorado Rockies

Stallings has never been a big power guy, but he routinely helps you in batting average and OBP, and as a catcher in Colorado, he definitely gets some extra attention. Granted, everyone had a field day against Boston with that 20-run barrage, but even outside of that game, he’s performed well. He’s currently riding a five-game hit streak and is batting .421 (9-for-19) with three doubles, one home run and five RBI over that span. FAAB: 2-4%

Luis Campusano, San Diego Padres

He’s still working his way back from injury and will need a surge if he wants to recapture the starting gig, but so far, he’s made some really nice progress. Over his last four games, he’s batting .417 (5-for-12) with one home run and four RBI. You’re not going to want him yet if you’re in a one-catcher league, but if he does grab that job back, he’ll be worthwhile. Two-catcher leagues, he’s got some early appeal as a second backstop. FAAB: 1-3%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: First Basemen

Juan Yepez, Washington Nationals

There’s not a lot of first base help on the waiver wire right now, so just a reminder that Yepez is owned in fewer than 20-percent of leagues on ESPN and Yahoo, so if you’re looking for a little bit of pop, he’s worth the look. He was in last week’s waiver column and I also wrote about him in my most-recent article in the New York Post, so you can check that out as well. FAAB: 8-10%

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Second Basemen

Richie Palacios, Tampa Bay Rays

The trade of Arozarena has opened up some space in the starting lineup and Palacios is one of the playing-time beneficiaries as Brandon Lowe is now working as the primary DH. He may sit against some of the tougher lefties, but if you’re looking for a little boost in runs scored and stolen bases, he hits in the leadoff spot against righties and has 17 steals on the season in a part-time role. Regular at-bats should boost the overall production. FAAB: 6-8%

Max Schuemann, Oakland Athletics

He hits near the bottom of the order, but Schuemann has proven to be productive as a fantasy role-player for people looking for some steals and some runs scored. He’s being moved around, so middle infield eligibility for sure, and maybe some outfield eligibility on the way, depending on your league rules. He’s riding a five-game hit streak, but even better is that he’s now hit safely in 17 of his last 20 games and is batting .375 with three home runs. 11 RBI, 19 runs scored and five stolen bases. He’s flying well under the radar so he shouldn’t cost you too much. FAAB: 6-8%

Jeff McNeil, New York Mets

McNeil is back from injury and has been seeing pretty close to regular playing time for the Mets here in July. He’s been tearing it up this month, batting .288 with five homers and 14 RBI, so this is bout striking while the iron is hot. We know who McNeil is. No reason to be delusional like the rest of the Mets fans. If you need some help in the middle infield and the first two names aren’t available, here you go. FAAB:3-5%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Third Basemen

Connor Norby, Baltimore Orioles

Here’s another guy I mentioned in my article in the NY Post. With Jorge Mateo landing on the IL, the Orioles brought Norby back up and, according to manager Brandon Hyde, Norby will be seeing regular at-bats. He homered in his first game back and had 16 home runs in 80 games at Triple-A so you know there’s some pop in his bat. Everyone is still waiting on Coby Mayo, who is still a worthwhile stash, but sometimes you have to stop looking for Mr. Right and settle for Mr. Right Now. FAAB: 8-10% 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Shortstops

Tyler Fitzgerald, San Francisco Giants

This name was already popping in the Fantasy Alarm Discord, so he is certainly worth mentioning here, especially with the MLB trade deadline looming. Maybe Fitzgerald continues to see regular at-bats. That would be helpful. Since being called up, Fitzgerald has been on-fire with hits in seven-straight games and is batting .330 with six home runs and 11 RBI in that span. That’s other-worldly. Just keep in mind that his strikeout rate was close to 28-percent, so I expect some regression. But again, strike while the iron is hot. FAAB:10-12%

Xavier Edwards, Miami Marlins

We discussed Edwards last week, though I had him among our second basemen. He qualifies for both and we are still very much in on him if he’s available. He is expected to continue seeing full-time at-bats and is batting .474 (9-for-19) with four RBI, five runs scored and three stolen bases over his last six games. FAAB: 6-8%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Outfielders

Jonny DeLuca, Tampa Bay Rays

His name always puts off those Tommy Cutlets vibes, but we’re eyeballing him for his newly-found playing time now that Arozarena was shipped off to Seattle. He has a strong chance to keep the starting left field job and does have a little pop in his bat. He’s struggled early on this season, but now has three hits in his last two games and could be ready to heat up. It would be nice to get him as the ascension starts. FAAB: 6-8%

Matt Vierling, Detroit Tigers

We had been mentioning Vierling in this column early on in the season, but things quieted down in Detroit. But look at whose bat is starting to heat up! He’s hit safely in seven of his last nine games  and has six doubles and one home run in that span. Until we start seeing more outfield help opening up for waivers, this is where you may have to live. FAAB: 5-7%

Victor Robles, Seattle Mariners

This is a temporary fix, so no reason to open the FAAB wallets too wide. Robles will continue to get work while Julio Rodriguez is sidelined. How long that will be is unknown, though we did hear from Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com say that he is going to be re-evaluated on August 1, so he could be out longer if things don’t look right. Robles, in the meantime, has hit safely in seven of his last nine games with three multi-hit performances, one home run and six stolen bases. Yes, six! If you need the speed, use the band-aid. FAAB: 5-7%

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Starting Pitchers

Max Meyer, Miami Marlins

Depending on how he looks Saturday against Milwaukee, the price could be going up. Meyer made three starts back in April and posted a 2.12 ERA with a 0.82 WHIP and 14 strikeouts over 17 innings. His numbers at Triple-A don’t look amazing, but keep in mind that he was being limited and only tossed five innings or more just twice. Pitch counts aren’t the issue and they’ll go back to letting him throw six innings, so if he’s available, it looks like Miami is going to let him wrap up the season in the majors. FAAB: 12-15%

Hayden Birdsong, San Francisco Giants

Another guy you’ll have to watch on Saturday to see if you need to throw a few extra bucks on him, but it does look like Birdsong could stick in the rotation if he performs well. The Giants have a big group all of a sudden now that Robbie Ray, Kyle Harrison are back and Alex Cobb is nearing a return as well. But no one is can’t-miss, so see how the weekend unfolds. Jordan Hicks is expected to get moved back to the bullpen to limit his workload, so if Birdsong continues on his current trajectory, he should see more work. Not that the Rockies batting order is intimidating, but Birdsong only allowing two runs over six innings in Coors Field is something that catches the eye. FAAB: 8-10% 

Tyler Phillips, Philadelphia Phillies

The 26-year-old righthander recovered from his rough start against the A’s and blanked the Pirates in Pittsburgh for six innings. The strikeout rate isn’t head-turning, but with Taijuan Walker and Spencer Turnbull on the IL, he should arrant some extra starts. He’s pitching Saturday against a tough Cleveland lineup, but then he goes on the road to pitcher-friendly Seattle and a very strikeout-prone Mariners team. FAAB: 5-7%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Closers/Relief Pitchers

Chad Green, Toronto Blue Jays

With Yimi Garcia in Seattle and Jordan Romano not due back until maybe early September if he’s lucky, Green is back to being the closer in Toronto. Add him immediate and bid accordingly if you are hurting for saves. FAAB: 15-17%

AJ Puk, Arizona Diamondbacks

It’s not a guarantee that he’s going to get saves, but with the way Paul Sewald has looked lately, Puk could find his way into the mix. Significantly better and more valuable as a reliever, Puk should be a key cog in the Arizona bullpen and is a must-add if your league counts holds. FAAB: 10-12%

Yimi Garcia, Seattle Mariners

He’s kind of in a similar situation to that of Puk, but he’s actually behind a better closer in Andres Munoz. If your league counts holds then add him immediately, but he could see some saves work depending on hos the bullpen is run and how often Muniz needs a breather. FAAB: 8-10%