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FAAB & Waiver Wire Report (Week 11)

In the article, I cover the players using CBS’s (about 40% or less initial roster rate) and Yahoo’s ADD/DROP rates. Both hosting sites have the option for daily and weekly waiver wire adds. CBS uses a weekly change while Yahoo looks at the last 24 hours. Yahoo is a great snapshot of right now, while CBS ensures hot targets from early in the week aren’t missed. The players are ordered for redraft leagues by my rest-of-season preference, grouped by starters, relievers, and hitters.

Thanks for putting up with a limited list last week with my son at the state track meet. He performed as expected and it was great to see my family who came to see him.

Batters

Addison Barger: Over the past week, he’s batting .300/.364/.900 with 4 HR.

Trevor Larnach: Solid, steady approach by hitting .260/.324/.430 with 10 HR and 2 SB.

Matt Wallner: Just four starts in six games since returning from the IL. Over that time frame, he’s batting .235/.381/.588 with 2 HR.

Wenceel Pérez: Off the IL with eight starts in nine games. So far 25-year-old is batting .323/.364/.710 with 3 HR. Add now to see if a breakout is occurring.

Ryan Ritter: In AAA, the 24-year-old hit .305/.413/.635 with 16 HR and 3 SB. With Colorado inflated Steamer600 projections, he could be worth a dart throw.

Ronny Mauricio: The 24-year-old was batting .323/.384/.508 with 3 HR and 6 SB in AAA. Since being recalled, he has 12 PA where pitchers are not throwing him fastballs (37% seen). It’s tough to know how long he’ll start. I ranked him high on upside, but he might get demoted in a week when Vientos returns.

Willi Castro: El Fuego. Over the past week, he’s batting .385/.500/.885 with 4 HR and 1 SB. He was unrosterable until that point, so the hope is that he keeps the production going.

Abraham Toro: Started in nine of the last 10 games while batting .319/.333/.514 with 3 HR (career .249 BABIP, .339 BABIP in ’25).

Carlos Santana: Boring but steady (.256/.358/.389, 7 HR).

Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Started 13 straight at shortstop while batting .303/.348/.383 with 1 HR and 9 SB.

Giancarlo Stanton: Stanton is supposed to return in a week or so. I expect him to be fantasy irrelevant due to low production when he plays. If my team were searching for power, I would add Wallner instead.

Parker Meadows: Strong-side platoon bat with an .800 OPS and 1 SB since returning from the IL.

Jesús Sánchez: Continues to sit against lefties but batting fine otherwise (.265/.353/.391, 4 HR, 6 HR).

Mike Tauchman: Likely a platoon, but he’s leading off for the White Sox while batting .321/.435/.554 with 2 HR.

Thairo Estrada: Batting second since coming off the IL. No stolen bases or home runs so far, but hitting .273 AVG.

Andrew Benintendi: He starts every game and not much else (6 HR, .246 AVG).

Ernie Clement: So far, he is batting .281/.322/.395 with 3 HR and 2 SB. Clement’s playing time may take a hit with Andrés Giménez off the IL.

Jo Adell: Compared to previous seasons, few steals (2 SB) and ratio-killing batting average (.210). He is only providing home runs (9 HR).

Josh Bell: Struggling to get hits (.186 AVG, .189 BABIP) but does have 9 HR.

Tyler Freeman: Started four straight games while providing some batting average (.291 AVG) and stolen bases (4 SB) in 63 PA.

Jacob Melton: Four straight starts since being promoted. An .423 OPS so far after in the majors (.880 OPS in AAA). He is struggling with groundballs (90% GB%, -21 LA) and contact (35% K%).

Cole Young: So far, MLB pitchers are eating him up with a 40% K% and .153 OPS. They are doing it with 57% fastballs.

Denzel Clarke: Starting in centerfield but struggling to make contact (56% K%, .217 AVG). A .500 is the only thing keeping him in the majors. Additionally, he’s dealing with a shoulder injury.

Dominic Smith: Two starts at first base for the Giants with a career .717 OPS

Jorge Mateo: Only five starts in the last 10 days while batting .180 with 14 SB.

Hyeseong Kim 김혜성: Unrosterable with just four starts in the last 14 games.

Catchers

Dillon Dingler: Solid (6 HR, .293 AVG) while maintaining a hold on the job.

David Fry: He’d be the easy #1 if he were going to play more. For now, the plan is for him to be the short side of a DH platoon.

Kyle Teel: He was hitting great in AAA (.295/.394/.492, 8 HR, 7 SB), but the playing time will be up in the air with two catchers already on the MLB team.

Carlos Narváez: Starting most games and hitting (.284/.359/.451, 5 SB)

Alejandro Kirk: Continues to be a source of batting average (.304 AVG) and nothing else.

Hitting Prospects

Colby Thomas: In AAA, the 24-year-old is batting .302/.365/.566 with 14 HR and 2 SB in 260 PA.

Brady House: In AAA, the 22-year-old is batting .300/.353/.526 with 12 HR and 0 SB in 252 PA.

CBS Hitter Rostership Rates
Name Previous Roster% Current Roster% Change
Giancarlo Stanton DH  NYY 37% 39% 2%
Trevor Larnach DH  MIN 35% 42% 7%
Matt Wallner RF  MIN 31% 39% 8%
Parker Meadows CF  DET 28% 43% 15%
Willi Castro 2B  MIN 26% 37% 11%
Hye Seong Kim 2B  LAD 26% 29% 3%
Carlos Santana 1B  CLE 24% 33% 9%
Alejandro Kirk C  TOR 23% 27% 4%
Carlos Narvaez C  BOS 23% 24% 1%
Isiah Kiner-Falefa SS  PIT 21% 23% 2%
Dillon Dingler C  DET 19% 26% 7%
Jesus Sanchez RF  MIA 17% 24% 7%
Andrew Benintendi LF  CHW 17% 19% 2%
Addison Barger 3B  TOR 15% 50% 35%
Kyle Teel C  CHW 15% 24% 9%
Thairo Estrada 2B  COL 15% 17% 2%
Cole Young 2B  SEA 14% 19% 5%
Ronny Mauricio 3B  NYM 13% 26% 13%
Jo Adell CF  LAA 12% 15% 3%
Brady House SS  WAS 11% 13% 2%
Ernie Clement 3B  TOR 10% 24% 14%
Josh Bell DH  WAS 8% 11% 3%
Denzel Clarke CF  ATH 8% 9% 1%
Colby Thomas OF  ATH 7% 9% 2%
David Fry DH  CLE 5% 7% 2%
Jacob Melton LF  HOU 4% 9% 5%
Wenceel Perez RF  DET 3% 7% 4%
Mike Tauchman RF  CHW 2% 7% 5%
Abraham Toro 1B  BOS 2% 5% 3%
Ryan Ritter SS  COL 2% 5% 3%
Tyler Freeman RF  COL 2% 3% 1%
Jorge Mateo SS  BAL 1% 4% 3%
Dominic Smith 1B  SF 0% 1% 1%

 

Starting Pitchers

Mick Abel: A must add in all leagues, even with just the possibility of a few more starts. So far, he hasn’t shown any weakness.

Landen Roupp: I’m a little surprised Roupp was still this lowly rostered with his stats (3.18 ERA, 3.63 xFIP, 1.38 WHIP, 8.8 K/9).

Ben Casparius: The 26-year-old righty has been great this year, moving between starting and relieving (2.54 ERA, 2.83 xFIP, 0.90 WHIP, 10.2 K/9). With an injury to Tony Gonsolin, it seems like Casparius will join the rotation next week.

Colton Gordon: A .370 BABIP inflated his ERA to 5.11 while his ERA estimators have him as a 3.50 ERA talent. His 91 mph fastball is suspect, but his 21% K%-BB% ranks 29th of 97 starts with at least 20 IP.

Sawyer Gipson-Long: He got hit around in his debut with 5 H and 3 ER in 3 IP. Both STUPH models were in love with him (70 botOvr, 112 Pitching+), especially the cutter. Roster to see if the grades hold up.

Kyle Harrison: Day-to-day with an elbow injury. The 23-year-old has a 2.5 mph increase in fastball velocity and a 4.5% SwStr% increase. His ERA estimators are in the mid-to-high 3.00’s.

Charlie Morton: Over his last five games, he has a 1.64 ERA (3.01 xFIP), 9.8 K/9, and 2.1 BB/9. All the improvement was from not walking as many batters. Before this stretch, he had a 6.3 BB/9 and 9.38 ERA (5.39 xFIP).

Ryan Yarbrough: The magical 88-mph fastball keeps it going with the career-high 8.7 K/9.

Adrian Houser: While the 1.48 ERA will regress upward, the regression points to him being average ( 3.62 xFIP, 6.9 K/9, 0.98 WHIP). His fastball is up about 2 mph.

Edward Cabrera: The walks are at a career-low 3.8 BB/9, and he still has a 1.47 WHIP. With the 9.6 K/9, he’s a 4.00 ERA talent. His WHIP is a major drag in roto leagues.

Chad Patrick: He has suppressed home runs so far (0.7 HR/9), but even with expected regression, he should be near 4.00 ERA talent.

Chris Paddack: I’m not sure the .245 BABIP will hold, and everything points to him being a low-4.00 ERA pitcher. Streaming option.

Cade Povich: A .338 BABIP has inflated his 5.11 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. Even with some downward regression to each, he’s at best a 4.00 ERA talent.

Stephen Kolek. Almost an identical twin to Paddack. My only issue would be if Kolek gets demoted once Darvish comes off the IL.

David Festa: Tons of strikeouts (11.3 K/9) but nothing else (5.40 ERA, 3.8 BB/9, 1.50 WHIP, 1.6 HR/9, .357 BABIP). He’s always gotten hit around with a career 1.3 HR/9 and .327 BABIP. I want him to be better, but it hasn’t happened yet.

Luis L. Ortiz: The 4.6 BB/9 leading to 1.40 WHIP. The WHIP does as much ratio damage as a 4.93 ERA. Better in a points league.

Ryne Nelson: He got lit up on Saturday with 7 ER, 3 K, and 4 BB in 3 IP. Even with the blowup, he remains a streaming option.

Bryce Elder: The positive part of his game is generating ground balls (51%). Every other aspect is below average, making him a below-average arm.

Bailey Falter: Among the 80 qualified starters, his 5.3 K/9 is the third lowest. Once his 0.8 HR/9 regresses to his career 1.3 HR, his ERA will jump a point or more.

Landon Knack: In AAA and not worth holding for a later date.

Miles Mikolas: A 0.6 HR/9 (with a lower GB%) is suppressing his ERA. A solid 5.00 ERA talent.

Paul Blackburn: Even though he had 0 ER in his first 2025 start, he’s moving to the bullpen.

CBS Starting Pitcher Rostership Rates
Name Previous Roster% Current Roster% Change
Landen Roupp SP  SF 39% 47% 8%
Luis Ortiz SP  CLE 34% 43% 9%
Mick Abel SP  PHI 33% 62% 29%
Chris Paddack SP  MIN 30% 38% 8%
Stephen Kolek SP  SD 28% 30% 2%
Miles Mikolas SP  STL 25% 28% 3%
Edward Cabrera SP  MIA 22% 34% 12%
Charlie Morton SP  BAL 20% 27% 7%
Ben Casparius RP  LAD 20% 23% 3%
Ryan Yarbrough RP  NYY 19% 48% 29%
Bailey Falter SP  PIT 19% 27% 8%
Chad Patrick SP  MIL 17% 30% 13%
Kyle Harrison RP  SF 16% 18% 2%
Ryne Nelson RP  ARI 13% 15% 2%
David Festa SP  MIN 12% 15% 3%
Cade Povich SP  BAL 11% 12% 1%
Bryce Elder SP  ATL 10% 13% 3%
Adrian Houser SP  CHW 7% 9% 2%
Sawyer Gipson-Long SP  DET 6% 19% 13%
Landon Knack SP  LAD 6% 8% 2%
Colton Gordon SP HOU 4% 5% 1%
Paul Blackburn SP  NYM 2% 4% 2%

 

Relievers

David Bednar: Good reliever who is the closer.

Robert Garcia: Average reliever who is the closer.

Calvin Faucher: Average reliever who is the closer.

Tommy Kahnle: Average reliever who is sharing the closer duties.

Kirby Yates: Good reliever whose role is unknown. He could be sharing the closer duties or a few steps away from closing.

Zach Agnos: Below-average reliever who is the closer.

Randy Rodriguez: Great reliever who is the backup closer.

Alex Vesia: Good reliever who is a backup closer.

Abner Uribe: Good reliever who is the backup closer.

Reed Garrett: Good reliever who is the backup closer.

Ronny Henriquez: Good reliever who is a couple of steps away from closing.

Craig Kimbrel: Designated for assignment by the Braves.

CBS Relief Pitcher Rostership Rates
Name Previous Roster% Current Roster% Change
Tommy Kahnle RP  DET 36% 39% 3%
David Bednar RP  PIT 34% 38% 4%
Kirby Yates RP  LAD 29% 30% 1%
Robert Garcia RP  TEX 20% 27% 7%
Abner Uribe RP  MIL 20% 23% 3%
Alex Vesia RP  LAD 15% 16% 1%
Randy Rodriguez RP  SF 13% 21% 8%
Reed Garrett RP  NYM 10% 14% 4%
Calvin Faucher RP  MIA 8% 11% 3%
Ronny Henriquez RP  MIA 8% 11% 3%
Adrian Houser SP  CHW 7% 9% 2%
Zach Agnos RP  COL 6% 7% 1%
Craig Kimbrel RP  ATL 1% 6% 5%

Lineup Analysis (6/7/25)

Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

American League

Angels

• Second and third base aren’t set with Kevin Newman (.451 OPS), Chris Taylor (.325 OPS), Luis Rengifo (.507), and Scott Kingery (.472) splitting time over the last three games. Read the rest of this entry »


Mining the News (6/5/25)

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

American League

Astros

• Jacob Melton will not play every game, and when he does, it’ll be against righties.

“We’re taking it a little slow with the groin. We were playing [Jacob Melton] four days a week in the minor leagues and it kind of fits here,” Brown told the team’s pregame radio show.

“He’s probably going to come up here and face right-handers, gives us that left-hand bat we’ve been looking for. We don’t have to play him here every day, but we’re gradually going to break him in and see what he can do.”

Read the rest of this entry »


ERA Equivalent WHIP (or Why Yusei Kikuchi is Unrosterable)

Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Every week, I look through my rostered pitchers noting the worst ones and churn them out next week. This week, the Yusei Kikuchi stood out. Someone with a 3.06 ERA and his ERA estimators around 4.50. It was his ERA estimators throwing red flags, but I have other pitchers worse. It was his 1.52 WHIP, third worst among qualified starters behind Kyle Freeland (1.63) and Jack Kochanowicz (1.56). With WHIP being its own Roto category, it has as much weight as ERA but ERA is the mentioned multiple times more often than WHIP. I’m just going to create a simple WHIP to ERA conversion to put both on the same scale.

To get the conversion equation, I used the overall rankings for the NFBC’s Main Event (15 team) and Online Championship (12 team). With them, I ranked the WHIP and ERA values separately. I removed the the first and last 10% of values because the change for them isn’t linear.

With the tails removed and plotted the best remaining WHIP with the best remaining ERA. I did that for each one. Here are the plotted results.

The correlation is nearly perfect, so the correlation equations can be used to convert a WHIP to an ERA equivalent. Here is conversion table.

Equivalent ERA Value for a Given WHIP
WHIP ME Eqiv ERA OC Eqiv ERA
0.70 0.48 0.52
0.80 1.09 1.12
0.90 1.70 1.72
1.00 2.31 2.33
1.10 2.92 2.93
1.20 3.53 3.53
1.30 4.14 4.13
1.40 4.75 4.73
1.50 5.36 5.33
1.60 5.97 5.94
1.70 6.58 6.54
1.80 7.19 7.14
1.90 7.80 7.74
2.00 8.41 8.34

The results for the two league types are close so I’ll only use the Main Event information going forward. Besides the above table, I have created a public Google Sheet (copy by going to File -> Make a Copy) where a WHIP can be entered and an equivalent ERA is spit out.

Kikuchi’s 1.52 WHIP would be equivalent to a ~5.50 ERA. No one is starting/rostering a pitcher with a 5.50 ERA this deep into the season. The high WHIP can’t be ignored and I’m likely to move on where I can find decent options.

Besides Kikuchi, Here are the qualified pitchers who have a WHIP that does as much ratio damage as a 4.50 or worse ERA.

Qualified Starters with an Equivalent ERA Value Over 4.50
Name ERA WHIP equivalent ERA NFBC Main Event Roster%
Kyle Freeland 5.72 1.63 6.15 4%
Jack Kochanowicz 5.34 1.56 5.72 4%
Yusei Kikuchi 3.06 1.52 5.48 98%
José Soriano 3.41 1.51 5.42 98%
Randy Vásquez 3.99 1.47 5.18 42%
Gavin Williams 3.79 1.45 5.05 100%
Luis L. Ortiz 4.40 1.43 4.93 91%
Max Meyer 4.73 1.42 4.87 100%
Sean Burke 4.20 1.42 4.87 28%
Jonathan Cannon 4.66 1.40 4.75 21%
Michael Lorenzen 4.33 1.40 4.75 98%
Zac Gallen 5.54 1.40 4.75 100%
Dean Kremer 4.70 1.39 4.69 81%
Jeffrey Springs 4.72 1.38 4.63 97%
Shane Baz 4.92 1.38 4.63 100%
Andre Pallante 4.23 1.36 4.50 86%
Chris Bassitt 3.80 1.36 4.50 97%

Gavin Williams and José Soriano have been devastating managers’ in the WHIP category but it doesn’t seem as bad with sub-4.00 ERA.

WHIP is probably one of the most misunderstood categories and hopefully I made it easier to understand an expectable value.


Sunday Night Waiver Wire & FAAB Chat

7:29
Jeff Zimmerman: Welcome

7:31
Jeff Zimmerman: Here are the winning bids from the two 15-team Tout Wars leagues.

7:31
Jeff Zimmerman:

7:34
qane: Thanks for helping many of us get ahead of Meadows coming up. With him coming off the IL tomorrow, I need to deal with Adolis. Any reason to think he’ll come back to be a viable OF option? Where would you put him on your waiver list this morning? Thanks.

7:34
Jeff Zimmerman: I’m holding for a week to see what happens

7:34
Eye in the Sky: Hey, Jeff–how did your son run @ States?

Read the rest of this entry »


Lineup Analysis (6/1/25)

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

American League

Angels

Chris Taylor (.408 OPS) started three straight games in the outfield. Read the rest of this entry »


FAAB & Waiver Wire Report (Week 10)

In the article, I cover the players using CBS’s (about 40% or less initial roster rate) and Yahoo’s ADD/DROP rates. Both hosting sites have the option for daily and weekly waiver wire adds. CBS uses a weekly change while Yahoo looks at the last 24 hours. Yahoo is a great snapshot of right now while CBS ensures hot targets from early in the week aren’t missed. The players are ordered for redraft leagues by my rest-of-season preference, grouped by starters, relievers, and hitters. Read the rest of this entry »


Mining the News (5/30/25)

American League

Astros

Jake Meyers spent the offseason reworking his swing. Read the rest of this entry »


Big Kid Adds (Week 9)

Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Note: Sorry for missing last week. Life just got in the way.

Batters

Marcelo Mayer (9): While one of the top prospects in the game (ranked 31st overall here at FanGraphs, 15 at Baseball America), I think Mayer is a good prospect and could help some fantasy teams.  He doesn’t project to be a difference-maker.

First, here are the batters with similar Steamer600 projections.

Now, Mayer was a top prospect, so maybe he should only be compared to other top prospects. To start the season, Baseball America gave him a ranking of 15 overall. Knowing Mayer posted an .818 OPS in AAA over 193 PA, I found historical comps using the following variables.
  • Between 100 and 300 PA in AAA
  • An >= .800 OPS in AAA
  • Baseball America preseason rank from 6 to 25
Here are the results:
Marcelo Mayer Comps Using AAA Stats and Baseball America’s Top-100 Ranking
Name Age Season PA Rank PA OPS AVG HR SB
Andy LaRoche 22 2006 19 115 .677 .226 1 2
Buster Posey 22 2009 7 443 .862 .305 18 0
Desmond Jennings 22 2009 6 24 .625 .190 0 2
Mike Moustakas 21 2010 9 365 .675 .263 5 2
George Springer 23 2013 18 345 .804 .231 20 5
Jorge Soler 22 2014 12 404 .723 .262 10 3
Keibert Ruiz 22 2021 11 433 .673 .251 7 6
Brendan Rodgers 22 2019 23 21 .238 .095 0 0
Nick Senzel 23 2018 10 414 .742 .256 12 14
Gabriel Moreno 22 2022 12 380 .747 .284 7 6
Noelvi Marte 21 2023 23 242 .549 .210 4 9
Francisco Alvarez 20 2022 9 423 .721 .209 25 2
Pete Crow-Armstrong 21 2023 18 410 .670 .237 10 27
Coby Mayo 21 2023 25 46 .293 .098 0 0
Average 21.7 14.4 290 .643 .223 8.5 5.6
Median 22 12 373 .676 .234 7 2.5
HR/600 SB/600
17.6 11.5
In AAA, between 100 and 300 PA and >= 800 OPS
A Baseball America preseason rank from 6 to 25 (Mayer = 15)

The numbers are close, with some better in one and the other.

Marcelo Mayer Estimated Production
System HR SB AVG OPS
BA Rank & AAA 17.6 11.5 .234 .643
Steamer600 14 7 .245 .693
Average 15.8 9.3 .240 .668

Some 2024 hitters who posted similar results were Jake Cronenworth (17 HR, 5 SB, .241 AVG), Jonathan India (15, 13, .248), and Matt Vierling (16, 6, .257). Vierling (next profile) was added with an average bid of $18.1.

Mayer seems like a reasonable add, just not for the $200+.

Matt Vierling (7): Two starts in three games since coming off the IL. There is no way to know how this add will play out. Vierling could still be hurt. He may not play enough to be fantasy relevant. Or he could have a career year. These managers rostered him now and will evaluate him next week.

Mike Tauchman (7): Platoon bat with just six starts this season (28 PA, .784 OPS). Over his career, he has a 10 HR and 11 SB pace over 162 games. It’s not clear if he’ll he’s good enough to demand full-time at-bats.

Matt Wallner (6): If a team needed power, they might have focused to add Wallner, who has 30 HR in 647 career PA. A 25 HR power source doesn’t just appear on the wire, so Wallner needed to be targeted. The only issue could be if he plays every game with the team getting “healthy”.

Andrew Benintendi (6): He has been a solid accumulator when healthy with 5 HR.

Evan Carter (6): I’m not sure about why Carter was added. He only starts against lefties. He’s been horrible the past two seasons (.616 OPS). He can’t stay healthy. Managers must be dreaming of a continuation of .412 BABIP from 2023.

Robert Hassell III (6): After hitting .288/.337/.405 with 9 SB in AAA, he’s now hitting .143/.143/.143 with 1 SB in four straight starts in centerfield batting seventh or ninth. Pitchers might have his number by not throwing him many fastballs (40% seen) and 29% K% (19% in AAA). Monitor to see if he can handle major league pitching.

Kody Clemens (5): Great since joining the Twins by hitting .327/.411/.714 with 4 HR in 57. A couple of factors hold down his value. First, he doesn’t face lefties, so he needs to be actively managed. Second, once his .429 BABIP normalizes, his batting average could tank with his 30% K%.

Abraham Toro (5): Strong-side platoon bat with six righties on the schedule this week. Acceptable so far by batting .262/.262/.548 with 3 HR.

Angel Martínez (5): Eight starts in the last 10 games while hitting .271/.294/.388 with 2 HR and 4 SB on the season. One issue will be his playing time with Lane Thomas off the IL.

Lenyn Sosa (5): A fine bench bat (4 HR, .277 AVG) for these deeper formats.

Starters

Jacob Lopez (7): This is Lopez’s third promotion to the majors, where he has a combined 3.93 ERA (5.46 xFIP), 1.36 WHIP (4.2 BB/9), and 8.1 K/9. Lopez has two major issues that could cause him to struggle in the majors. First, he walks too many batters with his 39.5% Ball%, pointing to a 4.6 BB/9. His 1.57 WHIP is doing as much damage as a 5.93 ERA.

It’s tough to find many positives. A 91-mph fastball already puts him behind the eight ball. Both of our STUPH models grade his pitches below average. BotERA values him as a 5.51 ERA talent. I’m unable to see the demand.

Ryan Yarbrough (7): Since moving to the rotation, the 33-year-old has a 2.25 ERA (3.56 xFIP), 0.85 WHIP, and 8.6 K/9. One adjustment points to his success, he added a plus slider (18% SwStr%, 22% usage, 119 Stuff+). Add now and see if the results continue.

Kyle Harrison (6): Harrison was a tough call on whether to add him or not on Sunday. It seems that he’ll get a start against the Marlins but possibly head back to the bullpen once Verlander comes off the IL. Between starting and relieving, the 23-year-old has a 3.86 ERA (3.05 xFIP), 1.07 WHIP, and 10.6 K/9. His four-seamer and curve have greater than a 16% SwStr%. A worthwhile addition.

Randy Vásquez (6): Going into this FAAB period, here is how struggled with adding Vásquez.

Jeff Zimmerman (@jeffwzimmerman.bsky.social) 2025-05-25T21:18:34.863Z

On Monday, he had his first start with the following stats: 3 ER, 6 H, 5 K, 1 BB, and no Win in 6.1 IP. Acceptable, but the hope was for the Win.

Mick Abel (5): Abel’s debut was great (6 IP, 9 K, 0 BB, and 0 ER), but he was demoted right after the start. I love the upside, but it’s unknown how long he’ll stay in the minors, especially with Andrew Painter finishing his rehab.

Mike Burrows (5): After pitching to a 2.51 ERA (3.81 xFIP), 1.05 WHIP, and 11.4 K/9 in AAA, the 25-year-old struggled in his debut, allowing 4 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, and just 3 K in 5 IP. He attacked batters with a 94.5 mph fastball and three secondaries.

Keider Montero (5): Like Vásquez, Montero was a suspect talent (5.28 ERA, 4.80 xFIP, 6.2 K/9, 1.57 WHIP), but was scheduled for two winnable starts (vs SF, at KC). The gamble paid off so far with a Win in 5 IP with o ER, 3 K and 2 BB in the first start. His changeup was the only successful secondary.

Relievers

Daniel Palencia (11): Now the Cubs’ closer with three straight Saves to go along with his 9.2 K/9 and 1.93 ERA. Must add in all Save leagues.

Ronny Henriquez (8): Possibly elite closer with a 12.4 K/9 and 1.78 ERA (3.60 xFIP). It’d be nice to see the 4.6 BB/9 come down, but he’s now got the role.

Robert Garcia (7): With Luke Jackson struggling (5.17 ERA), Garcia got the team’s last Save and could move into the closer’s role.

Ben Casparius (7): The 26-year-old righty has been elite this season with a 2.94 ERA (2.87 xFIP), 0.98 WHIP, and 10.2 K/9. While he’s not in the Dodgers’ rotation, he could if more injuries happen. Right, the game’s best long reliever.

Jorge López (6): With Kyle Finnegan on the IL, López (6.00 ERA, 4.29 xFIP, 1.21 WHIP, 6.0 K/9) is the default closer in Washington.

Players Added in NFBC High Stakes Leagues
Name Leagues Added High Winning Bid Low Winning Bid
Daniel Palencia 11 106 43
Marcelo Mayer 9 279 38
Ronny Henriquez 8 54 5
Matt Vierling 7 38 2
Robert Garcia 7 30 7
Ryan Yarbrough 7 27 3
Jacob Lopez 7 18 2
Ben Casparius 7 15 3
Mike Tauchman 7 11 4
Matt Wallner 6 146 14
Andrew Benintendi 6 59 1
Kyle Harrison 6 44 6
Evan Carter 6 37 4
Jorge Lopez 6 24 4
Robert Hassell III 6 22 2
Randy Vasquez 6 21 1
Mick Abel 5 71 4
Mike Burrows 5 32 14
Kody Clemens 5 28 5
Abraham Toro 5 23 2
Angel Martinez 5 20 2
Lenyn Sosa 5 16 5
Keider Montero 5 9 1
Edward Cabrera 4 51 25
Carlos Narvaez 4 38 10
Caleb Durbin 4 37 17
Stephen Kolek 4 34 1
Tommy Kahnle 4 30 12
Charlie Morton 4 23 5
Joshua Palacios 4 11 2
Jake Bauers 4 5 5

Sunday Night Waiver Wire & FAAB Chat

7:31
Jeff Zimmerman: Welcome

7:31
Jeff Zimmerman: Here the winning bids in the two 15-team Tout Wars leagues.

7:31
Jeff Zimmerman:

7:31
Joe14: Vientos has really disappointed lately . Drop for Matt Wallner ?  12T Roto

7:32
Jeff Zimmerman: I could see it

7:32
Bob: Now that Cam Smith is playing regularly and hitting do you see him as a breakout candidate?

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