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.

It feels like just a few weeks ago we were doing our best to overanalyze spring training and take guesses at who would outperform their season projections, but here we are now flipping the calendar to July and preparing for a weekend full of fireworks and celebration. The new month also means preparing for a very important stretch in the fantasy baseball season, and what better way to commemorate the Fourth of July than by adding a few sparks to your roster from the waiver wire? Let's take a look at some of the top candidates:

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

Starting Pitcher

 Troy Melton, Detroit Tigers (45%)

Melton earned a nod last week after stringing together three consecutive wins, and although he took a loss immediately after that article came out (despite a strong individual performance), he finds himself back on this list after keeping the Yankees off the scoreboard for 6.1 innings Wednesday while striking out a season-high seven batters and allowing just three men to reach base. Now sporting a sparkling 2.05 ERA and 0.80 WHIP through 44 innings, he has plenty of momentum working in his favor heading into his final start of the first half, which is lined up to come next week against an Athletics lineup that's managed just a .637 OPS across its last 10 games. I have little doubt at this point that the 25-year-old has pitched his way into a permanent spot in Detroit's rotation, so I would suggest picking him up wherever he's available. FAAB: $10

 Jake Bennett, Boston Red Sox (19%)

After struggling during his first two starts in the big leagues, Bennett got another chance to prove himself in Boston by replacing Brayan Bello in the rotation back on June 10. He's fared much better during his second stint in the majors, turning in a 2.78 ERA and 0.88 WHIP with 21 strikeouts in 22.2 innings over four starts. A 55.2 percent groundball rate has been the biggest key to his recent success, though his 5.4 percent walk rate and a 39.1 percent chase rate haven't been hurting him either. With Garrett Crochet (shoulder) set to remain out through the All-Star break and Connelly Early (elbow) now on the IL as well, Bennett doesn't seem to be at risk of losing his rotation spot anytime soon. Look for the 25-year-old southpaw to continue finding success as he gets more comfortable facing big-league hitters. FAAB: $3

 David Peterson, Chicago Cubs (11%)

It's been said that "one man's trash is another man's treasure," and that might just be the perfect way to describe Peterson's move from New York to Chicago. The 30-year-old's tenure with the Mets ended on a sour note last week after he'd amassed a 6.09 ERA and 1.65 WHIP through 68 innings. The Cubs, depleted by injuries and desperate for rotation depth, took him in and immediately gave him a start against Milwaukee, during which he gave up just two runs on five hits and no walks across 5.2 innings – his longest start of the season. Peterson has often been the victim of bad luck this season, as evidenced by his 3.93 FIP, but now that he has the defensively skilled middle-infield tandem of Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson behind him to work off his 51.5 percent groundball rate, I wouldn't be surprised if Peterson continues to find success in Wrigleyville. FAAB: $1

Slade Cecconi, Cleveland Guardians (15%)

Cecconi owned a 5.25 ERA and 1.49 WHIP at the beginning of June. Since then, he's allowed just six runs in 28.2 innings across five starts to bring his ERA all the way down to a more respectable 4.18 while also lowering his WHIP to 1.36 on the year. It's worth pointing out that he did so while making two starts against the Yankees and one against the Brewers, both of whom rank among the 10 highest-scoring teams in baseball. His 18.1 percent strikeout rate leaves something to be desired, but he does a better job than most pitchers of keeping the ball on the ground and doesn't give up a ton of hard contact. FAAB: $1

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

Relief Pitcher

 Jimmy Herget, Colorado Rockies (3%)

Herget spent more than a month on the injured list with a shoulder injury before returning to Colorado's bullpen June 17. Since his activation, he's given up just one unearned run in five innings while picking up two saves and two holds in six appearances. That's easily enough to put the 32-year-old in the running to take over as the Rockies' closer, especially when you consider that Antonio Senzatela coughed up four earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning during his last appearance. Herget has been fairly consistent to the tune of a 2.76 ERA and 1.20 WHIP since joining the Rockies in 2025. I'm not sure there's anyone else in the organization capable of beating those numbers, so I'd expect him to claim the closing job with relative ease as long as his performance holds. FAAB: $1

Catcher

 Kyle Teel, Chicago White Sox (19%)

After missing the first three months of the season due to hamstring and knee injuries, Teel was activated for his season debut June 22 and has since gone 6-for-26 (.231) with a homer, six RBI and four runs scored through his first seven games. The plan seems to be for the lefty-hitting Teel to work in the strong side of a platoon behind the plate with switch hitter Drew Romo. Seeing as though Teel slashed .290/.388/.448 in 245 plate appearances against righties last season, I would expect him to thrive in this arrangement and also generate a healthy amount of runs and RBI while batting third/fourth in a strong White Sox lineup. FAAB: $4

 Jonah Heim, Athletics (2%)

Heim has started each of the Athletics' last seven games, and in that span he's gone 7-for-27 (.259) with a pair of homers, six RBI and five runs scored. His hot streak has helped push his OPS to .801 on the season – nearly a 200-point improvement over the mark he turned in with the Rangers last year. Most of his recent starts have come as the designated hitter, and with Brent Rooker now headed for season-ending knee surgery, Heim is well-positioned to remain the team's primary DH for the remainder of the season. The switch hitter's .583 OPS against right-handers is still something to be wary of, but his increased role and recent performance tip the scales in favor of a low-risk bid. FAAB: $1

First Baseman

 Jacob Gonzalez, Chicago White Sox (6%)

Gonzalez's MLB career got off to a strong start after he was called up from Triple-A at the end of May, but things quickly took a turn when he went 0-for-25 during a brutal 10-game stretch. Momentum seems to be swinging back in the 24-year-old's favor, however, as he's gone 11-for-26 (.423) with a home run, 12 RBI, six runs and a 3:4 BB:K in his last seven contests. His playing time could take a hit once Munetaka Murakami (hamstring) returns from the IL, but Gonzalez has experience at every infield position and therefore has multiple extra avenues to remain in the starting nine, which could become a priority for the White Sox if the 24-year-old's bat remains hot. FAAB: $1

Second Baseman

 Tommy Edman, Los Angeles Dodgers (20%)

Edman spent the first few months of the season on the injured list while on the mend from offseason ankle surgery, and he's now desperate to make up for lost time. Since making his season debut June 17, the switch-hitting utility man has slashed .366/.435/.537 with a homer, eight RBI and three runs scored through 46 plate appearances. Of course, that's not a very large sample size to go off of, but it's still a significant leap in production from the .672 OPS he posted across his first two seasons wearing Dodger blue. He should continue to start nearly every day while bouncing between second and third base and left field, and although he's buried in the bottom half of Los Angeles' batting order, there really isn't a spot in this lineup where someone won't have elevated potential for producing runs. FAAB: $3

Third Baseman

 Caleb Durbin, Boston Red Sox (40%)

It took Durbin a while to adjust to life with the Red Sox (maybe it was because of all that time spent in the Yankees organization), but he's been a completely different hitter as of late. He's notched a base hit in 12 of his last 14 games, and he's slashing .315/.354/.584 with six homers, 14 RBI, 16 runs and five steals across 96 plate appearances if you zoom out to look at his performance since the start of June. Injuries to Marcelo Mayer (forearm), Isiah Kiner-Falefa (forearm), Nick Sogard (oblique) and Trevor Story (abdomen) have helped to take the pressure off Durbin to keep his spot in the lineup, but something tells me he won't have to worry about competition much now that he's rediscovered his swing. Look for him to maintain a respectable batting average while he uses his plus speed to swipe a few bags. FAAB: $3

 Denzer Guzman, Los Angeles Angels (4%)

Guzman mashed a home run in three consecutive games during Father's Day weekend, and although he hasn't displayed the same level of power since then, he's remained a consistent source of production in the Angels' offense. The 22-year-old has notched a hit in each of his last four games and boasts a .311/.373/.508 slash line with 12 RBI and seven runs scored across his last 16 contests. Now that he's batting second in the order while starting nearly every day for the Halos, there is no reason to allow a bat that's been as productive as his to go to waste on the waiver wire. FAAB: $2

Shortstop

 Javier Sanoja, Miami Marlins (11%)

Sanoja's bat has quickly gotten white-hot over the past week, as he's registered a trio of three-hit performances in his last five games while adding a home run, nine RBI, five runs and a pair of steals in that time. The competition for playing time in the infield became less intense when the Marlins sent Graham Pauley down to Triple-A Jacksonville, so Sanoja should have little trouble claiming a spot in the starting lineup on a regular basis. With fantasy eligibility at three infield positions and as an outfielder, the 23-year-old utility man can plug nearly any hole on your roster and help stabilize your team's ratios while doing so. FAAB: $2

Outfielder

 Esmerlyn Valdez, Pittsburgh Pirates (37%)

If you thought Guzman's three-game homer streak was good, then you're sure to be a fan of Valdez, who swatted a ball over the fence in four consecutive games this past week. He failed to extend the streak to five Tuesday, but his hitting streak remains alive and well at six games, and he's gone 14-for-29 (.483) while posting a 1.580 OPS across his last nine contests. Firework shows are nothing new for the 22-year-old rookie, as he's surpassed the 20-homer mark in each of the past two seasons in the minors and went yard 13 times in 56 games at Triple-A Indianapolis this year. With a 92.3-mph AEV and strong plate discipline, Valdez should continue to supply the Pirates' lineup with a jolt of power, though strikeout issues (33.9 percent K rate) could come back to haunt him eventually. FAAB: $4

 Owen Caissie, Miami Marlins (10%)

Another outfielder who caught on fire to finish June, Caissie has collected a base knock in 11 of his last 13 games while slashing .389/.439/.778 with four home runs, 11 RBI and nine runs scored in that span. He's struck out at a 29.3 percent clip during his hot streak, which isn't exactly elite, but it is a considerable improvement on the 38.9 percent strikeout rate he owns for the season. If he can continue to keep that number down, the increased contact combined with his 91.5-mph AEV could translate into a sustainable uptick in production. FAAB: $2

 Sal Frelick, Milwaukee Brewers (9%)

His OPS still sits at just .664 for the season, but Frelick quietly enjoyed a very nice month of June while slashing .348/.416/.464 with 13 RBI, eight runs scored and two steals across 25 games. Unlike the other two outfielders mentioned above, Frelick should absolutely not be relied upon as a source of power – he hasn't hit a home run in more than two months. His value instead lies in his elite vision and discipline at the plate, as well as plus speed that will allow him to swipe a bag whenever he reaches base, which he's done quite frequently throughout his MLB career. It also doesn't hurt that he plays for a Brewers team that scored the most runs in the majors in June (162), so he has more potential to contribute to counting stats than another player who bats sixth/seventh typically would. FAAB: $2