We can never stop looking to improve our teams, and each FAAB cycle gives us a chance to do just that. As we look towards setting lineups for another week, let’s first dig into some MLB waiver wire additions to make those roster decisions a little more difficult from the standpoint of team depth. Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and bid away. 

 

 

Top Waiver Wire Hitters

 

1B; FAAB Bid: 2%

Entering action on Friday, just five of Rowdy Tellez’s 37 at bats came against left-handed pitching, but there’s nothing wrong with targeting the powerful first baseman on the strong side of a platoon. Tellez generally bats either fourth or fifth and he has already gone deep three times this season while driving in eight runs and hitting .270. With a .324 ISO, Tellez’s power has been on display and with a 16.7%-barrel rate he certainly is hitting the ball well. 

 

 

C; FAAB Bid: 1%

Filling the catcher spot is never easy, and at least for the next month or so while Danny Jansen is sidelined, Zack Collins can help with that. It was a good sign that Toronto felt confident enough in him for Collins to bat cleanup against Boston on Thursday and it also helps that the left-handed hitter is part of the strong-side platoon. Collins is hitting .333 with two home runs and four RBI in 25 plate appearances through action on Thursday, and being part of a strong Blue Jays’ lineup also helps. 

 

 

3B; FAAB Bid: 2-3%

Defense has not been Alec Bohm’s strong suit to begin the season, but if he continues to hit, the Phillies will have to find a place for him in their lineup. To be honest, it shouldn’t be all that hard and this could be a point of following the hot hand, but it wasn’t that long ago that Bohm was a top prospect. In 29 plate appearances prior to Friday’s game, Bohm was hitting .476 with a .238 ISO, and it was interesting to note that he had a strikeout rate of just 3.4%. Bohm hit his first home run of the season this week in Coors Field to along with seven RBI overall and a strong 12.5%-barrel rate and 50% hard hit rate. 

 

 

SS; FAAB Bid: 2-3%

The Mariners are committed to J.P. Crawford both based on the contract extension that he received and the fact that his most popular spot in the batting order this season has been fifth (eight games). The knock-on Crawford is going to be that he doesn’t have much power or speed (just one stolen base and one home run so far), but he does have a .178 ISO to this point so there is something there. More importantly, he is hitting .333 with just a 3.5% strikeout rate while walking 14% of the time which truly makes him an asset in OBP leagues. By nature of his place in the batting order, Crawford will continue to drive in runs and scoring them shouldn’t be a problem either which makes him a fine three category contributor if you need to fill a hole. 

 

 

SS; FAAB Bid: 2%

Kyle Farmer appears to be settled in atop the order for Cincinnati, and even if it is by default, things have been working as he had a four-game hit streak prior to going hitless on Wednesday. In 13 games, entering action on Friday, Farmer is hitting .289 with six RBI and four runs scored. While you aren’t going to get anything spectacular here, there is value in steady production that won’t hurt along with regular playing time. 

 

 

 

Top Waiver Wire Pitchers

 

SP; FAAB Bid: 3%

After all this time, Jordan Hicks is not only healthy and pitching well, but he is in the St. Louis starting rotation. Due to off days early this season, the right-hander got off to slow start from an innings perspective so that’s why he was limited to just 46 pitches on Thursday. Hicks made it through three innings of work against the Marlins allowing two hits and two walks while striking out three. In seven innings so far this season, Hicks has eight strikeouts and a 1.50 ERA (2.50 FIP). The right-hander is slated to make two starts this week, against the Mets and Diamondbacks, and even as he still works on his stamina, Hicks is worth a close look both for the upcoming week and for beyond. 

 

 

SP; FAAB Bid: 1%

There is often value in being a FAAB cycle too early on a player, and could apply to Cristian Javier. It’s quite obvious how bad Jake Odorizzi has been to start the season and with Lance McCullers not slated to return for at least another month, there is a clear need for rotation help in Houston. Through 8.1 innings so far this season, including 3.2 innings of relief for Odorizzi on Thursday, Javier has yet to allow a run this season while striking out 12 batters. The talent is there, and the preference is always to bet on that, but now we just need the opportunity once again. 

 

 

SP; FAAB Bid: 1%

Michael Pineda got off a late start to the season and his first outing of the season on Thursday took me by surprise. The right-hander held the Yankees scoreless for five innings as he allowed just three hits and managed not to walk a batter. It is a bit concerning that Pineda only struck out two batters, but we have to adjust to the new norm for the right-hander as there is still enough of a track record for him to be a solid option. Pineda’s next start comes against Minnesota and he should be able to navigate it relatively well. 

 

 

RP; FAAB Bid: 3%

After picking up saves in back-to-back outings, Josh Staumont dropped down in the pecking order and got the hold on Wednesday while Scott Barlow recorded his first save of the season. Entering the season, the understanding was that Barlow would be the closer for Kansas City, but Staumont proceeded to grab saves in consecutive games. We now have to assume a time share situation with the Royals playing the match-up game which puts Staumont firmly in play. If we want to take the approach of going after the talent, the right-hander should be on our radar as those weren’t his last saves of the season. With eight strikeouts through six innings, along with a 3.00 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, Staumont can be an asset even if he isn’t recording saves. 

 

 

RP; FAAB Bid: 2%

The Pirates aren’t going to win many games which means save opportunities are going to be few and far between. It goes without saying that we need to chase all the saves we can get, and Chris Stratton picked up the save against the Cubs on Thursday so it caught our attention. Through 4.1 innings so far this season, Stratton has a 4.15 ERA (1.23 FIP) and four strikeouts (no walks) after having success out of the bullpen last season with a 3.63 ERA. 


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