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.

I know it's only June, but I think we need to talk about handing out multiple NL Cy Young Awards this year. Giving it to just one person would be simply unfair. The last two winners, Paul Skenes and Chris Sale, are both on their way to having great seasons, but chances are they wouldn't even be finalists if the season ended right now. Shohei Ohtani decided to be even more of a cheat code and turn in a 0.74 ERA through 10 starts. Jacob Misiorowski has made throwing 103 mph look effortless while leading MLB with 108 strikeouts in just 71 frames. Cristopher Sanchez just had the fifth-longest scoreless streak in MLB history at 50.2 innings. How could you possibly reward just one of those performances (assuming they all remain dominant through September)? Fortunately, that's not for you or me to decide. Instead, we get to pick and choose who to add to our fantasy teams while also having the luxury of deciding on as many (or few) players as we wish. Life like this sure is sweet, isn't it?

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

Starting Pitcher

 Troy Melton, Detroit Tigers (24%)

Melton missed the first couple months of the campaign while recovering from an elbow strain, but he made his season debut in late May and has received regular opportunities in the rotation while the Tigers have five starting pitchers on the injured list – one of them being the reigning back-to-back AL Cy Young winner. All Melton has done in his three outings is put up a 1.74 ERA and 0.87 WHIP while notching a pair of wins and quality starts. Who even needs Tarik Skubal, right? Well... every team, probably, but that doesn't change the fact that Melton has helped make life without an ace easier to stomach in Detroit. The 26-year-old righty has just nine strikeouts in 20.2 innings, which is a bit concerning, but he posted a 10.6 K/9 across his minor-league career, so I'm willing to bet his rates will bounce back at some point. FAAB: $5

 Walbert Urena, Los Angeles Angels (34%)

Urena has been on quite the run since the beginning of May, putting up a 2.08 ERA and 1.08 WHIP while striking out 35 batters in 39 innings across his last seven starts – four of which were of the quality variety. He's never been someone who is going to rack up a ton of strikeouts (though a 21.1 percent K rate isn't awful), and control has been a notable issue up to this point (5.1 BB/9). That said, he's still limiting hard contact and generating whiffs consistently thanks to his plus changeup and a fastball that flirts with triple digits. All those walks might catch up to him eventually, but he's been getting positive results for long enough to make him worth picking up if your ratios aren't where you want them to be. FAAB: $2

 Brayan Bello, Boston Red Sox (10%)

The good news is that the Red Sox have seemingly discovered the secret to fixing Bello: Use him as a bulk reliever. He's followed an opener in four of his last five appearances and has been dominant during those outings, pitching to a 0.71 ERA and 0.91 WHIP alongside a 22:3 K:BB over 25.1 innings. The bad news is that Boston would rather Bello not work as a bulk reliever, which is concerning since he gave up seven earned runs in just five innings during his last appearance as a traditional starter in the midst of his incredible run out of the bullpen. That doesn't change the fact that he's thrown 12 consecutive frames without allowing an earned run heading into his start Thursday against Baltimore, but I'd say it gives a reason to be less aggressive when bidding for him. FAAB: $1

Relief Pitcher

 Yoendrys Gomez, Minnesota Twins (9%)

Less than a month after arriving in Minnesota from Tampa Bay, Gomez has already earned the trust of manager Derek Shelton to handle the ninth inning and has converted all three of the save opportunities he's gotten so far with the team. He boasts a 0.71 ERA and 0.79 WHIP with a 16:4 K:BB in 12.2 frames following his change of scenery and is likely to continue working in high-leverage spots as long as his performance holds. FAAB: $3

Catcher

 Jimmy Crooks, St. Louis Cardinals (1%)

Crooks returned to the big leagues last Friday after slashing .262/.412/.567 with 13 homers, 29 RBI and 35 runs scored through 39 games at Triple-A Memphis. He's gone 3-for-9 with a double and an RBI in three games since joining the big club. Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages both remain in the Cardinals' catcher room even after Crooks' promotion, but manager Oliver Marmol has stated that the 24-year-old prospect will receive the majority of playing time behind the plate going forward. He offers enough upside as a hitter to be worthy of fantasy consideration – more so as a power option – though he struggled during his cup of coffee in the majors last season and could need some time to settle in offensively. (And in case you were wondering, Crooks does, in fact, use "Jimmy Cooks" by Drake and 21 Savage as his walk-up song. That's gotta count for something.) FAAB: $1

First Baseman

 Bryce Eldridge, San Francisco Giants (9%)

Eldridge has been showing a lot of promise as of late, stringing together a six-game hitting streak and slashing .357/.429/.595 with a homer, four RBI and eight runs scored over his last 13 games. His bat heating up has directly led to an uptick in playing time, as the Giants have been much more willing to keep the 21-year-old in the lineup against left-handed starters. We're still waiting for the power he showed off in the minors to pay dividends in the majors, but a 93.7-mph average exit velocity and 58.7 percent hard-hit rate suggest that it's only a matter of time before the long balls start to pile up. In the meantime, I would recommend adding him while his demand is still relatively low. FAAB: $4

 Paul Goldschmidt, New York Yankees (7%)

It seemed like Father Time was beginning to catch up to Goldschmidt last season, but the 38-year-old veteran won't be going down without a fight. He's recorded a hit in each of his last eight games, going 12-for-36 with a pair of homers, nine RBI and six runs in that span, elevating his OPS to .893 for the season – easily the highest mark he's reached since his MVP campaign in 2022. He also needs just three more round-trippers to match his home run total from 2025 (10) despite having played 110 fewer games this year compared to last. He could be at risk of losing playing time whenever Jasson Dominguez (shoulder) and/or Giancarlo Stanton (calf) return from the injured list, but hot bats have a tendency to find their way into lineups more often than not. FAAB: $1

Second Baseman

 Chase Meidroth, Chicago White Sox (32%)

Meidroth is still just as hot as he was when I profiled him last week, collecting a base hit in 13 of his last 15 games and going 18-for-60 (.300) with two homers, 10 RBI and nine runs during that stretch. He remains a viable option if you're chasing batting average or OBP, and batting fifth in a White Sox lineup that boasts an .801 OPS across its last 10 games can't hurt his potential for counting stats, either. The bad news is that his rostership rate has nearly doubled over the past seven days, so you might need to shell out a bit more of your FAAB budget if you want to go after him. FAAB: $3

 Vaughn Grissom, Los Angeles Angels (3%)

Grissom has been a factory for RBI over the past week-plus, driving in 14 runs while scoring seven himself and going 12-for-36 across his last nine games. Interestingly enough, his sudden surge in production lines up perfectly with the Angels' decision to begin having him bat third or fourth in the order on a regular basis. The 25-year-old has struggled with consistency this season (.579 OPS in May), so there's no telling how long his hot streak will last, but a 10.7 percent strikeout rate suggests he'll continue to make contact regularly, and a 90.9-mph AEV will make it easier for good things to happen when he does. He's also picked up eligibility at first base this season and is just two starts away from logging his 10th appearance at the hot corner, which would further add to his versatility/value. FAAB: $2

Third Baseman

 Colt Emerson, Seattle Mariners (26%)

We're another week into the Colt Emerson era in Seattle, and the highly touted prospect has now begun to flex his muscles a bit as he settles into the big leagues, smacking two homers in his last five games. He hasn't looked overmatched at the plate since making the jump from Triple-A and is slashing .255/.333/.549 with eight RBI, seven runs and eight extra-base hits through his first 57 plate appearances. It'll take a few years for him to reach his full potential, but you can probably already trust him to maintain a healthy batting average and help put runs on the board... even while he's hitting at the bottom of the Mariners' order. FAAB: $3

Shortstop

Jorge Mateo, Atlanta Braves (21%)

Mateo posted just a .483 OPS in 83 plate appearances with the Orioles last season, but he was who Atlanta turned to at shortstop after Ha-Seong Kim went 4-for-42 in his first dozen games back from the IL. Mateo has done quite well at the plate since taking over for Kim, going 7-for-22 (.318) with a pair of homers, five RBI, five runs scored and a steal in six games. If he continues to hit well and draw regular starts with Atlanta, fantasy managers will be able to take advantage of the 30-year-old's blazing speed and make up ground in the steals column. FAAB: $2

Outfielder

 Noelvi Marte, Cincinnati Reds (33%)

At long last, he's returned. Marte was sent down to Triple-A in mid-April to readjust after posting a .332 OPS in his first 11 games with the Reds this season. It's safe to say his stint at Louisville was successful, as he slashed .369/.409/.575 with eight homers, 27 RBI, 31 runs and nine steals across 176 plate appearances with the Bats. It's unclear exactly how often the 24-year-old will get a chance to start in Cincinnati's outfield, but the upside he possesses as a power/speed threat makes him worth picking up before we get a clear answer to that question. Finally, it's worth noting that Marte still has eligibility at third base from last season, adding some all-important versatility to sweeten the deal. FAAB: $4

 Jake McCarthy, Colorado Rockies (17%)

The latest beneficiary of the Coors Field Effect, McCarthy is enjoying a bounce-back campaign during his first season with the Rockies, posting a .794 OPS through his first 173 plate appearances – more than 200 points higher than his mark from 2025. He's been swinging an especially hot stick as of late, going 13-for-40 (.325) with two home runs and seven RBI across his last 10 games, and it's worth noting that seven of those games were played during road trips. The Rockies have also been using the 28-year-old as their leadoff hitter against righties since May 20, which has allowed him to come across the plate 11 times in just 14 games since moving up the order. Assuming he continues to bat leadoff and reach base at a decent clip, McCarthy should be a quality source for steals. FAAB: $3

 Jung Hoo Lee, San Francisco Giants (16%)

Lee was enjoying a five-game hitting streak when he landed on the injured list in mid-May due to back spasms. He's been nearly impossible to retire since coming back from the IL, batting .625 with three RBI and five runs in his last six contests, extending his hitting streak to 11. Now batting .310 with a .779 OPS and a 10.6 percent strikeout rate for the season, Lee looks to be a very reliable option if you're looking for an everyday player to stabilize your team's batting average. That said, he probably won't give you any more than 10 home runs or steals in a season, and his potential for runs has taken a hit now that he's seemingly been moved out of the leadoff spot in favor of Casey Schmitt. FAAB: $2

Check out where all the players on your fantasy baseball team fit into RotoWire's MLB Cheat Sheet!

Designated Hitter

Joc Pederson, Texas Rangers (9%)

The DH section makes a rare appearance this week to allow for the inclusion of Pederson, who has been so productive recently that it's actually worth your time to consider picking up a player who doesn't have any eligibility at a defensive position. The 34-year-old slugger seemed like a lost cause while sitting at a .662 OPS on May 18, but he's since slashed .340/.421/.760(!) with five homers, 10 total extra-base hits, 13 RBI and 10 runs scored in 57 plate appearances across his last 15 games. If your team is lacking in power, I'm not sure there's a better option for you sitting on waivers right now than Pederson. FAAB: $3