I felt more confident about our bats last week than about our arms, and that proved to be the right call. I had a feeling that might be the case with our streamers because there are weeks when it’s difficult to find waiver-wire pitchers in good spots. That’s the nature of fantasy baseball and picking streamers, so I look forward to getting back on track this week. I feel much more confident about this group of pitching streamers, so let’s take a look at the favorable matchups and then dive into those arms!
Favorable Team Matchups
8 Games
Milwaukee Brewers (at STL, at PIT)
St. Louis Cardinals (vs. MIL, vs. ATL)
7 Games
New York Mets (vs. KC, vs. BOS)
New York Yankees (at TB, at WAS)
San Diego Padres (vs. ARI, vs. TOR)
San Francisco Giants (vs. TOR, vs. COL)
6 Games
Baltimore Orioles (vs. CHC, vs. KC)
Chicago Cubs (at BAL, at CIN)
Chicago White Sox (vs. BOS, vs. ATH)
Houston Astros (at WAS, at TEX)
Los Angeles Dodgers (vs. COL, vs. ARI)
Minnesota Twins (vs. CLE, vs. LAA)
Texas Rangers (vs. LAA, vs. HOU)
Pitching Streamers
Jeffrey Springs, ATH (at DET, at CWS)
It’s funny how we always recommend Rockies bats at home and then A’s pitchers on the road. It shows just how valuable ballparks can be for these streamers, especially when these A’s pitchers get outside of Sacramento. While it’s been a struggle for Springs this season, this southpaw has been solid throughout his career. He posted a 3.26 ERA and 1.14 WHIP from 2021 to 2025 and has been much better on the road. In fact, Springs has a 3.69 ERA and 1.15 WHIP on the road over the last two seasons. That makes him enticing here because he has two decent matchups in two pitchers’ parks. The Motor City Kitties rank 19th in wOBA, 20th in runs scored and 22nd in K rate while the White Sox sit 26th in K rate.
Streamonator Valuation: $-8.9
Joey Cantillo, CLE (at MIN, at MIA)
Cantillo has been a regular as one of our streamers over recent years. What’s nice about this lefty is that we’ve seen him change his repertoire in recent weeks, and it’s completely changed his game. Cantillo has been throwing cutters and curves more recently, and it’s led to this lefty compiling a 1.88 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 9.8 K/9 rate across his last four starts. It’s not like he needed to change that much either, because Cantillo had a 3.21 ERA and 1.26 WHIP last season. It’s hard to believe he’s still so widely available with averages like those, and he’ll surely be rostered in every league after this two-start week. He had a 3.46 ERA and 13.2 K/9 rate in 13 innings against the Twins last year and matches up with a Miami team that ranks 27th in xwOBA.
Streamonator Valuation: $-36.3
Brandon Young, BAL (vs. KC)
I had my eye on Young throughout the offseason after a gem against the Astros last year, and it looks like this righty might be breaking out. He threw eight one-hit innings in that masterpiece at the end of last season and has looked similar recently. Young has allowed three runs or fewer in all but one start this season en route to a 3.11 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. His recent form is even more impressive, registering a 2.32 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across his last seven starts. The stuff is there for this guy to be a stud, and we love this home matchup with Kansas City. The Royals rank 21st in wOBA and 23rd in runs scored, with Young posting a 2.90 ERA at home this year.
Streamonator Valuation: $1.4
Eric Lauer, LAD (vs. COL)
Lauer has been a solid southpaw over recent years, and it’s no surprise that he’s succeeding in LA. This team always gets the best out of their arms, and it’s led to Lauer posting a 2.88 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across his last six starts. He’s also allowed three runs or fewer in nine of 11 starts this season. That’s the form we saw in Toronto last year, with Lauer amassing a 3.18 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. The best part about this is the home matchup against Colorado, with the Rockies ranked 25th in xwOBA while posting some of the worst road averages over recent years. When Lauer faced them a few weeks ago, he allowed one run across six stupendous innings. That’s why he’s likely to be a -250 favorite as well!
Streamonator Valuation: $16.8
Taj Bradley, MIN (vs. CLE)
Bradley was always a talented pitcher in his time with Tampa, and it’s nice to see him have a bounce-back season in Minnesota. This righty has a 3.86 ERA and 1.29 WHIP this year, but has been even better than those averages would indicate. A four-homer shelling against his former team really bloated those numbers, with Bradley posting a 2.65 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 11.6 K/9 rate over his last three starts. He also had a 2.77 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 rate through his first nine starts, so he’s clearly found something pitching for the Twinkies. We love to recommend streamers against Cleveland right now, too, with the Guardians ranked 26th in runs scored and 28th in xwOBA while playing without two of their best bats. There’s also a chance he faces the Angels at the end of the week, who have the worst K rate against right-handers.
Streamonator Valuation: $24.6
Hitting Streamers
Andrew Vaughn, MIL (at STL, at PIT)
My eyes always perk up when I see an eight-game week. That’s a rarity in fantasy baseball, and it’s always one of our key targets when recommending hitting streamers. What’s funny is that Vaughn was already one of my top options before seeing that schedule. This guy had an .846 OPS in 64 games after his trade to Milwaukee last year and has been even better this season. He has a .426 OBP and .954 OPS through 45 games this year. It’s wild to see numbers like that on the waiver wire, especially since he’s hitting in the heart of one of the best lineups in baseball. Having eight games is the icing on the cake, particularly since five of them are against a subpar St. Louis staff that sits 26th in xwOBA.
Bryce Eldridge, SF (vs. TOR, vs. COL)
This 6’7″ freak had some high aspirations coming out of Triple-A, and he looks the part. Eldridge had a .445 OBP and .963 OPS at Triple-A before his call-up this year and has provided a .364 OBP and .828 OPS in 44 games with the Giants. He has struggled a bit over recent weeks, but the profile is there for Eldridge to be one of their best San Fran bats over the next decade. Some matchups with Toronto and Colorado might be the way to get him back on track. The Blue Jays aren’t bad, but the Rockies rank last in ERA, WHIP and xwOBA. It’s strange to see fantasy managers sleep on a prospect like this, but let’s take advantage of it as one of our streamers.
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Nasim Nunez (WAS)
It’s bizarre to see the league leader in steals sit on so many waiver wires, but it’s because Nunez provides nothing else. He leads the league with 32 steals and is always a threat for a few every week.
Esteury Ruiz (MIA)
Ruiz had 67 steals a few years ago and has recorded eight steals across his last 21 outings.
Saves Specialists
Caleb Kilian (SF)
This Giants pen has been a nightmare, but Kilian has collected the last two saves for San Fran.
Rico Garcia (BAL)
With Ryan Helsley back on the IL, Garcia could be the first option for saves in Baltimore. He has a 2.52 ERA and 0.84 WHIP while recording four saves, filling in for Helsley earlier in the season.
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions! Also, feel free to check out my Waiver Wire article from yesterday!
