MLB FAAB Factor: Top Fantasy Baseball Waiver Targets

This FAAB article is in addition to the AL and NL FAAB articles that run Sunday. Bids are based on a $100 FAAB budget. Throughout the season, this column will have two goals:

1. Identify FAAB targets for fantasy managers in leagues with Thursday FAAB.

2. Offer a preview of FAAB targets ahead of Sunday's columns.

The drought is over! MLB finally has its first no-hitter since September 2024, thanks to Tatsuya Imai, Steven Okert and Alimber Santa of the Houston Astros... because why wouldn't a team with eight injured pitchers be the ones to do it? Of course, we're still waiting for the successor to Blake Snell's complete-game no-no from August 2024, but it's important to celebrate victories when we can, especially since they can be so elusive. Just ask Dustin May, who came close to a no-hitter of his own as recently as Wednesday but lost his bid at history in the eighth inning of a game he would somehow end up taking a loss in. Despite their impressive showings, you won't find Imai or May in this week's article (spoiler alert), but you will find a handful of pitchers who could put together their own no-hit bids if they continue on their current trajectories. That is, unless they run into any of the hitters mentioned after them.

The number in parentheses represents the player's rostership rate in Yahoo leagues.

Starting Pitcher

Ben Brown, Chicago Cubs (42%)

The Cubs' losing streak reached double digits before the team managed a win over the Pirates on Wednesday, but Brown was doing everything he could to prevent it from getting that far during his start Monday. He tallied a quality start while limiting the Buccos to just one run over six innings, fanning seven batters in the process. That marked his longest outing of the season, as well as the third time he's allowed one run or fewer in four appearances since moving into the rotation. The 26-year-old has thrived all season – thanks to the development of a sinker as his third pitch – but has performed slightly better as a starter, posting a 1.89 ERA and 0.95 WHIP alongside a 23:6 K:BB over 19 innings. He's much more likely to pitch deeper into games now that he's had time to build up his workload, making now the best time to pick him up while there's still hope of him being available in your league. FAAB: $7

Cade Cavalli, Washington Nationals (32%)

Cavalli quietly has emerged as the most reliable member of the Nationals' rotation while allowing three runs or fewer in each of his last eight starts. He's done so in at least six innings during each of his last three outings, giving him three straight quality starts (and two wins) with a 2.79 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and a very impressive 24:3 K:BB over 19.1 innings. With a 25.4 percent strikeout rate that is more than seven points better than his mark from last season and a 3.00 FIP that suggests his success is sustainable, there is reason to believe that the 27-year-old righty can be a useful addition to your fantasy roster. He's at least worth a look as a streamer heading into his next start against the Marlins, who have posted just a .683 OPS over their last 10 games. FAAB: $4

 Luis Severino, Athletics (25%)

If you ignore the five-run effort that the Giants put up against Severino on May 16, the 32-year-old would have a 2.03 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 31 innings since April 24. Unfortunately, a world where we're allowed to ignore ugly showings only exists in my dreams, but a 2.92 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with three quality starts in a six-start span isn't bad either. Severino saved his best work yet for his last time on the mound against the Angels, allowing just two earned runs on three hits and no walks while striking out 10 batters across seven innings. His strikeout rate (24.2 percent) isn't quite what it was during his days in the Bronx, but it's still a large improvement over the last three seasons, during which he failed to average more than one K per inning. He'll have the benefit of a full week's rest when he makes his next start Friday against the Yankees, who put up just two earned runs in five innings against the righty when they matched up against each other in April. FAAB: $2

 Stephen Kolek, Kansas City Royals (16%)

Kolek went the distance during his last trip to the mound, allowing just four hits and a walk during a nine-inning shutout of the Mariners on Saturday. That performance lowered his ERA to 2.77 on the season to go with a 0.85 WHIP through 26 innings. The 29-year-old righty has also fired 15.1 consecutive scoreless innings and tallied three wins and three quality starts in just four appearances this year. He's currently viewed as just a temporary fill-in for the Royals' rotation while Cole Ragans (elbow) and Kris Bubic (elbow) are on the injured list, but Ragans suffered a setback in his recovery Monday, which figures to extend Kolek's shelf life by another couple of starts. Those extra few outings could be beneficial for fantasy managers who have struggled with ratios up to this point, though they will have to prepare for a dip in strikeout production. There's also a chance Kolek could stick around with the big club longer if he continues to succeed, though that's far from guaranteed. FAAB: $1

Find out who to target the rest of the way with RotoWire's MLB Rest of Season Projections!

Relief Pitcher

 Gregory Soto, Pittsburgh Pirates (43%)

Soto has had a couple of rough showings since I last wrote about him two weeks ago, but he remains in place as the Pirates' go-to closer and has picked up saves in each of his last two outings. He's also been a positive ratio contributor this season, posting a 2.13 ERA and 0.79 WHIP through 25.1 innings – not bad for someone who entered the year with a career 4.26 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. If you're worried about Dennis Santana taking away some of Soto's ninth-inning opportunities, don't be. He's seemingly taken himself completely out of contention for the closer role while allowing seven runs (six earned) in his last six outings. FAAB: $5

Catcher

 Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks (35%)

Moreno remains the most consistently productive backstop available in the majority of fantasy leagues after notching a base hit in each of his last three contests and four of his last five. He's added a home run, two RBI, two runs and a steal in that span, helping his counting-stat production while maintaining the profile of a catcher who is most likely to help your batting average – a rare attribute for someone of his position. FAAB: $1

First Baseman

 Spencer Horwitz, Pittsburgh Pirates (11%)

Horwitz has been an instrumental part of the Pirates' offensive success this month, tallying a base hit in 18 of the 22 games he's played since the beginning of May. In that time, the 28-year-old has slashed .333/.419/.556 while adding three homers, 15 RBI and 10 runs scored as well as an 11:9 BB:K. His performance has prompted Pittsburgh to elevate him from the heart of the batting order to the leadoff spot against right-handed starters. The 28-year-old isn't regarded as an elite power hitter but has a career .360 OBP, so the change should better cater to his skill set and increase his productivity. Look for him to begin coming across the plate more often now that he's leading off for one of MLB's highest-scoring offenses. FAAB: $4

 TJ Rumfield, Colorado Rockies (14%)

Rumfield cooled off a bit after starting the season red-hot, but he now appears to be settling back into a groove at the plate. The 26-year-old has slashed .341/.460/.561 with a pair of homers, six RBI and eight runs scored across his last 50 plate appearances, putting his OPS back above .800 for the season. Playing home games at Coors Field has undoubtedly helped him succeed at the major-league level, but his play style has worked for him everywhere, as he's batting .281 at home and .282 on the road. His biggest issue up to this point has instead been handling same-handed pitching, but a .519 OPS against southpaws hasn't stopped Colorado from using him in a near-everyday role at first base. FAAB: $2

Second Baseman

 Chase Meidroth, Chicago White Sox (17%)

Meidroth has begun to heat up at the plate recently, going 11-for-34 (.324) with two home runs, eight RBI and four runs scored across his last eight games. Half of his homers and RBI in that stretch come from the grand slam he hit during Wednesday's win over the Twins – the first of the 24-year-old's young career. Meidroth doesn't profile as a power contributor, but he's already matched his season total in homers from last year despite playing in less than half the number of games (53 vs. 122). He's much more likely to help you out if you need help with your team's batting average or on-base percentage, and he will also have elevated potential for RBI as long as he continues to bat fifth regularly against right-handed starters. FAAB: $2

 Jackson Holliday, Baltimore Orioles (42%)

The potential is there for Holliday to become an elite fantasy asset; there's no doubting that. We saw him take a step toward it last season, when he turned in a 17-17 campaign and added 55 RBI and 70 runs. The question is whether the 22-year-old can put it all together in the majors to become great right now. The answer: We don't know... yet. He's played only eight games so far since coming back from hamate surgery and gone 4-for-19 (.211) with a homer, four RBI, four runs and two steals. That said, there isn't a good reason for him to be collecting dust on the waiver wire in so many leagues, even when accounting for his temporary platoon arrangement with Jeremiah Jackson. It may take some patience for it to pay off, but the first sentence is really all that's necessary to consider Holliday a priority target. FAAB: $7

Third Baseman

 Colt Emerson, Seattle Mariners (23%)

The Mariners threw a bag of money at Emerson before he ever took a major-league at-bat, but the 20-year-old infielder has already begun to deliver a positive return on the team's investment. He's reached base in nine of his first 10 games in the big leagues while posting a quality .258/.361/.516 batting line and producing one home run, six RBI and five runs. He has the potential to offer a plus hit tool alongside plus power, and although his upside for steals is limited, he swiped 10 bags in 38 games at Triple-A Tacoma this year before getting the call to the majors. He'll work as Seattle's everyday third baseman until Brendan Donovan (groin) is healthy and is worth a look in the meantime. FAAB: $3

 Curtis Mead, Washington Nationals (7%)

The 25-year-old Australian has seen a significant increase in playing time at third base since Brady House was sent down to Triple-A last week. Mead's done well to make the most of his newfound opportunities, slashing .258/.343/.581 with three homers, five RBI and five runs scored over his last eight games. He's batting second/third in the Nationals' lineup thanks to his .352 OBP, and he's tapped into his raw power enough to hit seven long balls on the season – more than double his total from last year (three) in less than half the games he took to get there (42 vs. 90). With an everyday role seemingly secured and fantasy eligibility at all three bases, Mead could soon begin to receive significant fantasy attention. It might be worth picking him up before then. FAAB: $2

Shortstop

 Brooks Lee, Minnesota Twins (30%)

Lee has been on another tear at the plate recently, going 9-for-30 (.300) with a home run, six RBI and four runs scored over his last eight games. The spike in his production has inspired the Twins to have him bat in the two-hole 10 times in his last 13 starts, creating an obvious increase in his potential to drive in and score runs. The team has also begun using him as its primary third baseman following Royce Lewis' demotion to Triple-A St. Paul, which could set up a promotion for Kaelen Culpepper in the not-too-distant future. Regardless of where Lee plays in the field, he can act as a modest contributor in nearly every major category outside of steals, though he has already matched his career high of three with four months left on the season calendar. FAAB: $2

Outfielder

 Ryan Waldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks (30%)

Since making his MLB debut May 8, Waldschmidt has proven to be a capable hitter at the major-league level, slashing .302/.362/.413 through 19 games and failing to record consecutive games without a base hit. The 23-year-old rookie's power stroke has yet to translate into the big leagues, but he smacked 18 balls over the fence in the minors last season, so it's likely only a matter of time before he notches his first homer with the D-backs. Until then, fantasy managers can reap the rewards of his blazing speed – he already has five steals with Arizona – and look for him to contribute to the scoreboard more often now that he's been elevated to the middle of the order from the nine spot. FAAB: $6

 Dylan Crews, Washington Nationals (35%)

The Nationals recalled Crews from Triple-A on May 19 after he began to turn things around at Rochester, and the plan seems to be to get him regular reps in the outfield so he can have a chance to settle into the big leagues. He's managed just a .628 OPS through his first eight games, but he's reached base safely in all eight and has already gotten his first homer and steal out of the way. He's a true power-speed combo threat with 20-20 or 20-30 potential if things come together for him, but he's also at risk of returning to the minors at some point for more development time if his batting average continues to sit right above the Mendoza Line, as it has throughout his MLB career. FAAB: $2