Hello Razzballers! Welcome back once again to the weekly waiver wire piece. You may have noticed that I’ve switched up the format, and that’s purposeful, not because I lost my mind. But well, I guess I may have lost my mind – we’ve made it through five months of this marathon we call fantasy baseball and are entering our last stretch.
The format is changing from here on out because the bidding process should be shifting in leagues of all sizes. Outside of everyone focusing on those fantasy gridiron teams, you and your leaguemates are likely down to just a handful of FAAB bucks (if you aren’t, well, congrats for winning the September title in your league with some wild spending as you likely hover in the bottom half). My typical bid suggestions I leveraged all season are hogwash now. Plus, the impact this basket of suggested guys is going to have is pretty minimal in the grand scheme of the volume from a rotisserie fantasy baseball season.
In addition, your bids will be very context specific. How many FAAB dollars do you have? Are zero dollar bids allowed? How many dollars your leaguemates have and what roto category/positional needs do they have? Where can you gain roto points for standings and categorical payouts? Anyone at the top of your standings you feel like pestering?
Instead of the old bid range suggestion, I’m switching to placing suggestions in the following categories:
- BREAK THE BANK: These are players you can blow pretty much all of your remaining FAAB dollars on. The upside they offer for the last month outstrips what is available or could be called up throughout September. There are few players left that can outright win a few roto category points, and these are it. Every week from here on out, the chance they can make an impact diminishes greatly as fewer and fewer games remain.
- PLUS BIDS: Guys that will require more than a minimum bid, but the amount is very much determined by the variety of contextual questions I presented. To emphasize again, there aren’t many days left in the season, so err on the side of aggressiveness if you need this player to plug a lineup spot.
- DOLLAR BIDS: Mostly defined for leagues zero-dollar bids. If zero is the minimum bid, this player can be slapped with a dollar bid just to finish ahead of anyone in the league with the basement bid. If in a league with a one dollar minimum, these become two-dollar bids (math!).
- ZERO BIDS: Lowest of the pecking order. This player is worth rostering but is in all likelihood free with a minimum bid for your league structure. Also will include dart throws and minor leaguers that will be hot commodities if word breaks they are being promoted.
For you AL- and NL-Only leaguers out there, sorry, now is the time to drop suggestions because there’s very little chance anyone with regular playing time at the big leagues is unowned. Plus, there aren’t many minor leaguers coming up that are also floating around in those player pools. Sorry for the disappointment, but you signed up for an Only league, you’ve been living with pain, suffering, and disappointment all season already.
And with that outlined, let’s jump into this weekend’s absolute, without a doubt, number one target that will break everyone’s FAAB banks – Jonah Tong (SP, NYM, 52% CBS Rostership). I’m writing this piece Friday afternoon, so when you are reading it, you’ll know how his Friday debut went. I’m guessing it will be outstanding given that the 22-year-old blitzed through two minor league levels this season with a 1.43 ERA, 1.69 FIP, 0.92 WHIP and incredible 29.9% K-BB over 113.2 total frames. This is absolute ace-level stuff, with most project systems calling for him to post a mid-threes ERA and 10 K/9 at the big-league level. The Mets are hoping Tong is the savior to rescue their desperate rotation, and anyone hard up for pitching in your fantasy leagues will be of the same mind. Tong’s 52% roster rate is a bit above what I normally analyze, but he will be available for the first time in formats like NFBC and TGFBI in which minor-leaguers aren’t available until promotion. The nascent Metropolitan is a great target to drop every last FAAB dollar on, as I can pretty much guarantee the bid required to win him will align with the highest remaining max bid in your league, assuming it’s competitive and everyone’s paying attention.
Still need assistance for what moves to make? Now (and honestly, always) is the time to leverage our Streamonator and Hittertron tools for those daily and weekly streaming calls and try to clinch those league titles. Alright, let’s get into the rest of the suggestions!
The stats and roster rates below are updated as of noon central time on 8/29.
As always, if you want advice on specific roster decisions you might have, feel free to leave a comment. You can also find me on BlueSky (@mcouill7.bsky.social).
CATCHERS
10/12 Team Adds
PLUS BIDS: Ryan Jeffers (MIN, 44% CBS Rostership), Kyle Teel (CHW, 35% CBS Rostership)
DOLLAR BIDS: Dillon Dingler (DET, 34% CBS Rostership), Gabriel Moreno (ARI, 33% CBS Rostership)
ZERO BIDS: Sean Murphy (ATL, 31% CBS Rostership), Carlos Narvaez (BOS, 25% CBS Rostership)
15 Team Adds
PLUS BIDS:
Edgar Quero (CHW, 11% CBS Rostership) – Ah, welcome back, old friend. As the White Sox have kicked into full “let the kids play” mode (Andrew Benintendi and Mike Tauchman are the only bats older than 26 getting regular time), Quero has settled into an everyday DH role on the Southside. While he’s been a so-so designated hitter in August with a .290/.323/.371 (94 wRC+) slash line, one homer, and nine RBI in 18 games this month, that’s a viable catcher option for fantasy. If in a deep league and searching for a Francisco Alvarez or Tyler Stephenson injury replacement, Quero is a great option thanks to his steady playing time and average-forward bat.
DOLLAR BIDS: Liam Hicks (C/1B, MIA, 6% CBS Rostership), Adrian Del Castillo (ARI, 6% CBS Rostership)
ZERO BIDS: Patrick Bailey (SFG, 7% CBS Rostership), Freddy Fermin (SDP, 4% CBS Rostership)
INFIELDERS
10/12 Team Adds
PLUS BIDS:
Warming Bernabel (1B/3B, COL, 33% CBS Rostership) – Oh, I know this 23-year-old is 0-for-19 over the last week, morphing into Freezing Bernabel (fantasy baseball dad joke!). But this is all about the Rockies upcoming September schedule… surprise, surprise. It would be pretty easy to pre-plan when I will lose my mind over Rockies bats throughout a baseball season just by looking at their annual schedule. See those two blocks of purple in September? Yep, that’s a pair of solid all home game weeks in Coors Field, aka the last gasp for desperate fantasy players to catch some lightning in a bottle. For weekly leagues, this presents a great opportunity throughout September to start Bernabel and his other (upcoming) teammates during the first week at home, stash on the bench for the second week, start again the third week, and then immediately cut them loose before that last week on the road at Seattle and San Fran.
Carson Williams (SS, TBR, 37% CBS Rostership) – The Rockies aren’t the only squad with a nifty schedule next week, as the Rays host seven games in their minor-league Airbnb park basking in moist Florida air. Williams has looked great to start his career, batting .316 with a homer, a steal, and five RBI through his first five games. However, his inability to avoid punchouts has already reared its head with a 30.0% K-rate. The 22-year-old will always struggle in the batting average category, but if in need of all the other roto categories, here’s a great opportunity to make up some ground while Williams fills in (and maybe overtakes?) for the injured Ha-Seong Kim.
OTHER PLUS BIDS: Kyle Manzardo (1B, CLE, 43% CBS Rostership), Tyler Freeman (2B/OF, COL, 32% CBS Rostership), Jake Cronenworth (1B/2B, SDP, 32% CBS Rostership)
DOLLAR BIDS: Otto Lopez (2B/SS, MIA, 50% CBS Rostership), Nathaniel Lowe (1B, BOS, 41% CBS Rostership), Brett Baty (2B/3B, NYM, 39% CBS Rostership), Andres Gimenez (2B, TOR, 34% CBS Rostership)
ZERO BIDS: Kristian Campbell (2B/OF, BOS, 41% CBS Rostership), Brooks Lee (2B/3B/SS, MIN, 39% CBS Rostership), Jeff McNeil (2B/OF, NYM, 38% CBS Rostership), Caleb Durbin (2B/3B, MIL, 34% CBS Rostership), JJ Wetherholt (SS, STL, 28% CBS Rostership), Kevin McGonigle (SS, DET, 20% CBS Rostership)
15 Team Adds
PLUS BIDS:
Kyle Karros (3B, COL, 11% CBS Rostership) – I am who I am who I am. And honestly, Karros might be the superior pickup to Bernabel anyways, as he’s rosterable in shallower leagues when at home. Karros has found a nice little groove over the last three Rockies’ series, slashing .269/.345/.385 (95 wRC+) with a homer over 29 plate appearances. The best part is that six of the eight games he appeared in during that stretch were on the road. Sure, his contact-oriented approach waned during that time with a 31.0% K-rate, but he was up against the likes of arms from the Dodgers, Astros, and Pirates – including Paul Skenes and a rising Braxton Ashcraft (stay tuned later, friends). Outside of Tong and another reliever below, Karros comes the closest to a Break The Bank bid for me.
OTHER PLUS BIDS: Tyler Locklear (1B, ARI, 12% CBS Rostership)
DOLLAR BIDS: Christian Moore (2B, LAA, 17% CBS Rostership), Blaze Alexander (2B/3B/SS, ARI, 14% CBS Rostership), Nolan Gorman (2B/3B, STL, 13% CBS Rostership), Sal Stewart (2B/3B, CIN, 12% CBS Rostership), Jared Triolo (1B/2B/3B/SS, PIT, 11% CBS Rostership), Ryan Ritter (2B/SS, COL, 3% CBS Rostership)
ZERO BIDS: Joey Ortiz (3B/SS, MIL, 19% CBS Rostership), Dylan Moore (2B/3B/SS/OF, TEX, 17% CBS Rostership), Conor Norby (3B, MIA, 17% CBS Rostership), Chase Meidroth (2B/SS, CHW, 14% CBS Rostership), Kody Clemens (1B/2B/OF, MIN, 8% CBS Rostership), Casey Schmitt (1B/2B/3B, SFG, 7% CBS Rostership)
OUTFIELDERS
10/12 Team Adds
PLUS BIDS:
Austin Hays (CIN, 39% CBS Rostership) – Hays has snapped out of his recent cold spell with a .320 average, homer (breaking a 32-game homerless stretch), two steals, nine RBI, and five runs scored over his last 14 games. The MLB schedule makers must have been in a giddy mood when putting together the matchups for the first week of September, because just like Colorado and Tampa, Cincy also has a full slate of home games (two three-game series with the Blue Jays and Mets). It’s the only reason the icy Miguel Andujar is hanging around here.
OTHER PLUS BIDS: Colton Cowser (BAL, 45% CBS Rostership), Mickey Moniak (COL, 40% CBS Rostership), Miguel Andujar (3B/OF, CIN, 39% CBS Rostership), Matt Wallner (MIN, 25% CBS Rostership)
DOLLAR BIDS: Daulton Varsho (TOR, 47% CBS Rostership), Dylan Beavers (BAL, 38% CBS Rostership)
ZERO BIDS: Mike Yastrzemski (KCR, 35% CBS Rostership), Jesus Sanchez (HOU, 25% CBS Rostership)
15 Team Adds
PLUS BIDS: Wenceel Perez (DET, 17% CBS Rostership)
DOLLAR BIDS: Harrison Bader (PHI, 16% CBS Rostership), Tommy Pham (PIT, 10% CBS Rostership), Nathan Lukes (TOR, 9% CBS Rostership), Jeremiah Jackson (SS/OF, BAL, 8% CBS Rostership) Joc Pederson (DH, TEX, 7% CBS Rostership), Alek Thomas (ARI, 6% CBS Rostership)
ZERO BIDS: Andrew Benintendi (CHW, 18% CBS Rostership), Jordan Walker (STL, 17% CBS Rostership), Jake Mangum (TBR, 17% CBS Rostership), Luis Matos (SFG, 7% CBS Rostership), Mike Tauchman (CHW, 5% CBS Rostership), Daylen Lile (WSN, 4% CBS Rostership)
STARTING PITCHERS
10/12 Team Adds
PLUS BIDS:
Braxton Ashcraft (PIT, 21% CBS Rostership) – Since entering the Pittsburgh rotation on Aug. 9, Ashcraft has been an ace, firing a 1.42 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 24.3% K-BB over 19 frames. Don’t forget that this 25-year-old was once among the hottest arms in the system before Paul Skenes and Bubba Chandler showed up, so it’s not surprising to see him ascending to this form. And this isn’t just some luck-fueled run, Ashcraft has been great all season – look at this Statcast page dripping in red (although, admittedly it folds in his work as a reliever). And the arsenal holds up in Stuff+ as well, it’s only a 105 overall but his four-pitch mix is buoyed by a nasty curveball (134 Stuff+) and heavy sinker (117 Stuff+). Ashcraft’s upcoming start next week is at home against the vaunted Dodgers, but that might keep the bid price a touch lower. Given how he’s pitched of late, I’m still tempted to start the righty in PNC Park against the reigning World Series winners where I have him.
OTHER PLUS BIDS: Shane Smith (CHW, 34% CBS Rostership), Luis Morales (ATH, 24% CBS Rostership), Ian Seymour (TBR, 22% CBS Rostership), Payton Tolle (BOS, 22% CBS Rostership)
DOLLAR BIDS: Parker Messick (CLE, 42% CBS Rostership), Justin Verlander (SFG, 37% CBS Rostership), Taijuan Walker (PHI, 25% CBS Rostership, Ryan Bergert (KCR, 23% CBS Rostership)
ZERO BIDS: Slade Cecconi (CLE, 37% CBS Rostership), Michael McGreevy (STL, 34% CBS Rostership), Cade Cavalli (WSN, 29% CBS Rostership)
15 Team Adds
PLUS BIDS:
Tyler Wells (BAL, 3% CBS Rostership) – Wells is wrapping his rehab from Tommy John with a stellar 2.49 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 25.1 innings across Double- and Triple-A. His 2024 numbers were rough, but I’ll give him a pass since he eventually went under the knife for his bum elbow. If Wells can pitch anywhere close to his 3.64 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 8.9 K/9 in 2023 when he was sharper, the 6’8” righty is going to boost deep league pitching staffs because, woof, the other options below are beyond rough. Having the Rays, Reds, and Rockies all host a week of games at home wiped out the streaming options in a hurry.
OTHER PLUS BIDS: Mike Burrows (PIT, 15% CBS Rostership)
DOLLAR BIDS: Robby Snelling (MIA, 19% CBS Rostership), Yoendrys Gomez (CHW, 6% CBS Rostership)
ZERO BIDS: Davis Martin (CHW, 12% CBS Rostership), Javier Assad (CHC, 6% CBS Rostership), JR Ritchie (ATL, 4% CBS Rostership)
RELIEVERS
10/12 Team Adds
BREAK THE BANK:
Abner Uribe (MIL, 46 % CBS Rostership) – Here’s our other “all in” bid target of the weekend. Milwaukee closer Trevor Megill landed on the IL this week with a strained flexor in his right elbow, and I wouldn’t count on him bouncing back before the end of September. Uribe has been the Brewers’ best reliever and was waiting in the wings to take over for the 83-win club. Look for the electric righty to continue in the same vein he’s produced all season – a 1.71 ERA, 2.85 FIP, 1.06 WHIP and 30.8% K-rate – but now with **insert jazz hands with sparkles** saves.
PLUS BIDS: Dennis Santana (PIT, 44% CBS Rostership), Ryan Walker (SFG, 44% CBS Rostership), Calvin Faucher (MIA, 24% CBS Rostership)
DOLLAR BIDS: JoJo Romero (STL, 36% CBS Rostership), Jose Ferrer (WSN, 33% CBS Rostership)
ZERO BIDS: Ronny Henriquez (MIA, 35% CBS Rostership)
15 Team Adds
PLUS BIDS: Justin Topa (MIN, 15% CBS Rostership), Keegan Akin (BAL, 11% CBS Rostership), Riley O’Brien (STL, 7% CBS Rostership)
DOLLAR BIDS: Grant Taylor (CHW, 13% CBS Rostership), Phil Maton (TEX, 13% CBS Rostership), Shawn Armstrong (TEX, 9% CBS Rostership), Andrew Saalfrank (ARI, 5% CBS Rostership), Jordan Leasure (CHW, 4% CBS Rostership), Sean Newcomb (ATH, 4% CBS Rostership), Hogan Harris (ATH, 2% CBS Rostership)
ZERO BIDS: Nick Mears (MIL, 2% CBS Rostership), Jalen Beeks (ARI, 1% CBS Rostership)
Braxton Ashcraft over Luis Gil ROS / in dynasty ?!
ROS – def Ashcraft (that 6 BB/9 will catch up to Gil)
Dynasty is tough, but given Ashcraft’s recent run, tough to see how Pittsburgh doesn’t give him a rotation spot in ‘26. So I’ll nudge Ashcraft ahead for now, but it’s not by much.
H2H – tied in wins and QS. Down one in losses. Please hold your nose and pick one:
Verlander home vs O’s / Sugano
Sugano at Giants /Verlander
Bibee home vs Mariners/B Miller
B Miller at Cleve / Bibee
Verlander. And hold on to your butt.
In desperate need of ratios and crossing my fingers for wins. Would you prioritize Bradish @ SD or Sheehan @ PIT?
If truly looking only at ratios, it’s Bradish. Our Streamonator has Sheehan being more valuable overall because of his chance at the win.
The only “break the bank” is Uribe, right? Text implies there’s another one.
btw, I’m assessing Taijuan Walker much higher. I hope you’re correct.
Yeah, the other is Uribe.
The bidding for Walker will be very league dependent. Mostly it’s a scarcity thing rostership-wise. Lots of guys in Walker’s value range, and you never know when he’ll implode.
He starts with this weekend’s absolute, without a doubt, number one target that will break everyone’s FAAB banks – Jonah Tong.