FAAB Frenzy and Waivers Wild: Week 7

Every Monday, this column will break down the most popular waiver wire and free agent acquisitions of the weekend.

Fantasy baseball managers know that our game is the ultimate test of grit, grind, tenacity, and patience. Unlike fantasy football, where league titles can be won with minimal in-season activity, fantasy baseball leagues require incessant attention and activity. Particularly when it comes to free agent adds and drops. Real-life baseball managers are constantly adjusting batting orders, players are frequently optioned to and promoted from the Minor Leagues, and injuries occur almost daily. There’s no resting on our laurels. We must always stay vigilant with league news and notes and remain active on the waiver wire if we want to win our leagues.

Every week, I’ll dig into the top adds on the ever-popular Fantrax and in the NFBC Online Championship (OC), a national mid-stakes contest with 240 total leagues of 12 and a six-figure grand prize. Reviewing player adds between the two should provide us with a well-rounded perspective and barometer of the fantasy baseball marketplace.

Week 6 Overview

It was a monster week for Byron Buxton (.345-6-5-7-2) who feasted on Mariners and Blue Jays pitchers and was the only hitter with five home runs. The next two top producers were Cardinals Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson. Both hit .390+ with 2 HR and 11 RBI each. The Cardinals had seven games with some tough opposing starters (PIT, LAD), but the duo was unfazed. That 1-4 for the Cardinals (Wetherholt-Herrera-Burleson-Walker) is quite formidable. The Cardinals offense ranks eighth in ISO (.162) and their 44 homers is tied for fourth-most in the majors behind the three powerhouses, the Yankees, Braves, and Dodgers.

Cardinals rookie Nathan Church did not step up for his new fantasy managers. He went 6-30 (.200) with one run and three runs batted in. Expect better production from him in Week 7 as the Cardinals have seven games and are lined up to face all RHP starters.

Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto had an excellent week as well. He went 7-27 (.259), but four of those hits were home runs, and he tied Walker and Burleson for the most RBI (11) in Week 6. Okamoto has deservedly moved up in the batting order. He was the cleanup hitter behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for most of the week, and hit second on Sunday with George Springer out of the lineup and rookie Yohendrick Pinango earning his first leadoff start.

Guardians rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter was on an absolute heater. He produced 13 hits in 22 at-bats (.592) — nine singles, three doubles, a homer and two walks. Teammate José Ramírez ran cold, going 4-24 with one run and three runs batted in.

No hitter was colder than Rangers Evan Carter (0-18). Cedric Mullins went 1-15 for the Rays and his slash line is now down to .127/.189/.225. He’s an easy drop in all formats (in case you haven’t dropped already) and he won’t play much this week with the Rays slated to face four left-handed starters. On that note, RHH Jonny DeLuca is a sneaky streamer in Week 7.

There were fewer two-start pitchers last week than usual. Of the 24 pitchers who started two games, only Jesús Luzardo and Clay Holmes won twice, a rate of 12.5% for the two-steppers. Phillies reliever Chase Shugart was the only other pitcher to earn two wins last week, and he did so on the same day, in Thursday’s doubleheader. Luzardo led all pitchers with 18 strikeouts, while posting stellar ratios (1.26 ERA, 0.70 WHIP). Cincinnati’s Chase Burns punched out the second most batters (16 in 13 innings) and brought his ERA down to 2.20 through seven starts.

The biggest disaster two-step of the week was Seattle’s Luis Castillo, who allowed a major-league-high 11 earned runs to the Twins and Royals last week. Castillo’s ratios are up to 6.29/1.66 and he’s allowing a career-high barrel rate of 12.4 percent. Castillo’s velocity is on par with last season’s and his peripherals (4.64 xFIP, 4.45 SIERA), high BABIP (.367) and low LOB rate (58.8%) foretell better days ahead, but there’s no harm in cutting him loose for a potential upgrade in 10- and 12-team formats. It’s been very noticeable that Castillo has been steadily declining over the last few seasons. If he continues to struggle, perhaps Bryce Miller or even super-prospect Kade Anderson can take his spot in the rotation eventually.

Seven relievers earned more than one save one week. Royals Lucas Erceg was the only reliever with three. He looked great in his three appearances, allowing just one hit, one walk, four punchouts and did not allow a run. Last week’s waiver darling Ryan Walker blew not one, but two save opportunities last week. RosterResource currently lists the Giants’ bullpen as a four-man committee with Walker, lefty Erik Miller, and righties Caleb Kilian and Keaton Winn. Kilian would be my bet for team saves leader the rest of this season.

Boston’s rookie southpaw Jake Bennett was the top addition in Fantrax leagues. They 25-year-old was drafted by the Washington Nationals in 2022 (Rd 2, Pick 6) out of Oklahoma, where he was the top starter in that Sooners rotation with Cade Horton. Bennett escaped his major league debut with a win and just one run allowed in five innings (1.80 ERA) against the Astros, but the corresponding metrics (5.75 FIP, 10.29 xERA) told a tale of great fortune. Bennett may not last beyond a start in Detroit this week, since Sonny Gray is expected to be activated off the IL later this week. The Red Sox could use five innings from him though, to keep their taxed rotation fresh as the Red Sox have seven games this week.

Sean Burke has been an absolute stud this season, boasting a 2.72 ERA (3.75 SIERA), 1.01 WHIP, 5.1% BB, and a 4.3% BRL over nearly 40 innings. He posted a season-high eight punchouts against the Padres on Saturday. His next two starts should be at home against the Mariners and the Royals. He doesn’t have dominant stuff, but he’s certainly on the radar for all formats 12-team and higher. Nick Martinez (Rays) and Janson Junk (Marlins) were two of the most popular two-start pitchers added this weekend. Both have outperformed their peripherals so far this season. Junk has plus control and lines up for two home starts against the Phillies and Nationals. Martinez’s matchups don’t look too awful (vs. TOR, at BOS) considering how poor those offenses have been performing lately.

Not certain why Tyler Phillips was scooped up in 12% of leagues, but that probably includes some leagues that use holds. With Pete Fairbanks on IL, Phillips earned a save on Tuesday, but then pitched three scoreless innings (5th-7th innings) on Sunday in a start where Chris Paddack served up seven runs in 2.2. Marlins manager Clayton McCullough will continue to rely on Phillips in the most important spots, which won’t often be save opportunities. Phillips has been their best reliever (1.27 ERA, 22 K in 21.1 IP), but it doesn’t look that great under the hood — a 12.9% walk rate, 1.36 WHIP, and 4.44 xFIP.

Casey Schmitt was among the most popular hitters added as he’s been one of the only reliable hitters for the Giants lately. Schmitt sports a 15.7% barrel rate and a fine slash (.308/.354/.519) and has earned the coveted three-hole spot in manager Tony Vitello’s offense. Carlos Cortes should see more playing time this week with the Athletics slated to face five right-handed starters this week.

Another week of building up confidence of fantasy managers and their real-life ones for relievers Jack Perkins and Jacob Latz. This week’s average winning bid was significantly higher than last week’s when I scooped up Latz for $3 in several of my NFBC OC leagues. I spoke kindly of Perkins in last week’s column, and he has yet to betray my trust, though he had a light workload last week (2 G, 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 SV). Lefty Hogan Harris is the only semi-reliable reliever in that bullpen right now. Latz is a lefty, but continues to dazzle and could take the ninth-inning gig for himself, if he hasn’t already.

Logan Henderson, Christian Scott, and Cade Cavalli were the most popular starting pitcher acquisitions on Sunday. With Brandon Woodruff hitting the IL, Henderson was called up for Sunday’s start and pitched well, striking out eight and walking none, though he took the loss, giving up two runs in the fifth before punching out the side in the sixth. Henderson has a tough date with the Yankees this week, so make sure you’re not starting him over a comparable starter with a better matchup just because you want the boys on your roster to give him a proper greeting. Do what you believe is optimal for your fantasy squad. A healthy Henderson could easily stick around in this rotation even when Woodruff and Quinn Priester return. Brandon Sproat is probably the next man out, and though Chad Patrick has been solid, it’s possible he also gets the boot if he runs into the Regression Monster over the next two weeks.

Scott lines up for a start against the Rockies at Coors Field. This is another case where we don’t have to force a tough-on-paper start just because we have a shiny new roto toy. If you have Cavalli, you must roll him out there for his two starts (vs. MIN, at MIA), because if not this week, why even roster him? Aaron Nola was already rostered in 85% of OCs, but was scooped up on the remaining teams despite his YTD struggles because a two-start week of Marlins (away) and Rockies (home) is too juicy. If he can’t hack it, feel free to give him the boot.

Rico Garcia looks like the lone man standing atop the Orioles bullpen, at least for now, or until he gets pummeled. That’s exactly what happened this weekend to the other two temp-closer candidates in Ryan Helsley’s stead. When Helsley hit the IL last week, the market speculated on a possible three-man committee with Garcia, Anthony Nunez and veteran Andrew Kittredge, who recently came off the IL himself. Nunez got lit up on Saturday (3 ER, 2 BB) and Kittredge got brutally torched (7 H, 7 R in 0.1 IP) on Sunday. Garcia has been excellent in relief this season (14.2 IP – 16:4 K:BB – 1 H – 1 ER), but doesn’t have much closing experience. Which means new Garcia bag-holders (gross term, by the way) will likely be devasted when veteran Yennier Cano earns the bulk of save chances over the next two weeks. Isn’t that how the closer chaos has been flowing this season?

Cleveland’s top prospect Travis Bazzana should be in the majors to stay. He’s a rookie hitter — there will be ups and downs — but the 23-year-old first overall pick from 2024 should be able to weather the storms and have a respectable first season. He has already scored three runs, drove in two, and swiped two bases in his first five games.

Nice to see Mark Vientos crush two dingers on Sunday before heading to Denver for a three-game series where his squad will face Rockies starters Tomoyuki Sugano, Michael Lorenzen and Jose Quintana. I’ve been steadfastly holding and expect the fruits of my patience to blossom, at least for a short period of time before his next, inevitable slump.

Drop of the Week

It doesn’t feel great to drop a top 100 ADP hitter, but that’s what needs to be done with Agustín Ramírez. It’s not wise to stash a third catcher on rosters with shallow benches, and so we bid adieu to Gus, at least for now. Let’s be sure to track his journey in Triple-A, because Ramírez and Joe Mack could be swapped for one another again in a few weeks. Let’s hope that Ramírez is motivated by the demotion, not demoralized by it. Unless, of course, you’re a Mack bag-holder (ok, I promise I won’t ever type that again).