Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea: Let’s Take A DEEP Dive Into The Waiver Wire

As we get deeper into the season and injuries continue to strike, we have to be willing to look deep in the waiver wire to find guys who can contribute. Sometimes (OK, often), we are simply not going to find the player who can help us in each stat category. After all, if the players available in free agency were that good, they wouldn’t actually be on the waiver wire.

Here are three players who are performing well right now – let’s see if they can help you. Below, you’ll find one player who is probably available only in shallow leagues (10- to 12-team leagues) and two players who will be available in most leagues, including deep leagues (15-team+ leagues).

For the players below, I’ve included their position eligibility (according to NFBC), as well as their rostership percentages based on various popular sites.

All player stats below are as of the end of day on 5/13/25.

 

Javier Baez, OF/3B/SS, DET 

(CBS 62%, ESPN 43%, Fantrax 71%, NFBC OC 17%, Yahoo 62%) 

In shallow leagues, like most Yahoo, ESPN, and CBS leagues, there’s a decent chance you can find Javy Baez on the waiver wire. Remember him? As a Cubs fan, I have fond memories of Javy – he was fun to watch, and his hustle on the bases made things happen. He was also incredibly frustrating to watch because he would swing at anything. No matter how close to the strike zone, Javy was in swing mode.

When the Cubs let him sign elsewhere, I hated to lose him as a personality on that team, but I understood that Javy’s skillset isn’t one that ages well. Sure enough, he’s been fairly disappointing in Detroit.

But this year, the old Javy has made an appearance. Is his rebirth real? Is he worth rostering? Let’s see.

What he offers:

When Javy is right, he offers power and speed and can be a legitimate 4-category producer. But Javy hasn’t been right for several years. This season, though, maybe? His surface stats say he can contribute at a high level, currently hitting .319 with 5 HR, 20 R, 27 RBI, and 1 SB in 126 PAs. That puts him on a full-season pace of 22-25 HR, 90-95 R, 125-130 RBI, and 4-5 SB. Those are monster numbers that I feel pretty sure he won’t reach. But clearly, he’s performing at a level that should make us want to take a close look at his skills.

The first thing that stands out to me is his K-rate and BB-rate are both roughly the same as what they’ve been for him in Detroit. Surprisingly, his K-rate in Detroit (22.9-24.9%) is notably lower than it was in his Chicago days (as high as 33.6%). He’s a free swinger, yes, but it looks like he’s recognizing that he might not have the bat speed to swing at just everything and is being a bit more selective.

Speaking of bat speed, he does still have it. According to Baseball Savant, his bat speed currently puts him in the 55th percentile – not bad. That’s down a bit from last year (down from 74.8 to 72.2 mph), but it’s still good. His Contact% is also pretty solid (for a free swinger anyway), 72.6% compared to low 60s in his Chicago days. His O-Swing% is well down from last year (38% compared to 42.6%, which was a pretty standard number for his Chicago days as well). So he’s swinging outside the zone less often and is swinging in the zone mostly the same as last year (63% compared to 64.7%). His CSW% is about the same as last year (30.5% compared to last year’s 30.9 and a career rate of 31). That’s bad, but not worse than it’s been.

He still hits the ball fairly hard, with a 36.4% HH%, EV of 87.3 mph, and maxEV of 108.4 mph. This is actually slightly less hard than last year, but comparable.

What you might be hearing me say is: I don’t really know what’s different from last year. He has a bit better plate discipline, but he doesn’t look any more dangerous as a hitter. What this means is a final line of 25 HR, 95 R, and 130 RBI is probably not going to happen. But 15-18 HR is reasonable, as is 60-70 R & RBI. That can be valuable in lots of leagues, depending on roster size.

What he doesn’t offer:

His current AVG of .319 is a mirage. His xBA is .249, which for Javy, is actually pretty good. If he hits .250, he will not be a siphon to your team’s AVG. Do I think he will hit .250? Nah, not really. I would guess closer to .220-.230. Add to that the fact that his current wOBA of .380 is not going to last either – his xwOBA is 90 points lower. If you pick him up, be prepared for your AVG to take the hit.

Long story short:

Is Javy worth the pick-up off the waiver wire? I don’t know. 

Great advice, I know. But Javy is only 32, so maybe there’s still fire in the bat for one more season. I have a bad feeling his renaissance is going to be short-lived, but my eyeball test tells me that Javy believes in himself this year. That has not been the case over the last couple of years in Detroit. And I’ve watched enough of this guy to know that he is an entertainer. When he feels like he is a star, he makes himself a star. That isn’t data-based, so if you’re a fantasy player who goes where the data tells you to go, Javy is probably not your guy. But I’m picking him up just in case the old Javy is still in there somewhere – while keeping my expectations in check.

 

Brett Baty, 2B/3B, NYM 

(CBS 19%, ESPN 3.7%, Fantrax 38%, NFBC OC 92%, Yahoo 8%) 

While Javy Baez’s roster % is going up fairly quickly the last couple of weeks, Brett Baty is barely rostered in most leagues. 

Baty came into the league with quite the prospect buzz, and his early numbers for a half season in 2023 were promising. Then he proceeded to fall flat on his face. Though he began the 2024 season as the Mets’ starting 3B, he soon lost that spot to Mark Vientos and spent most of that season in the minors. His start to 2025 wasn’t terribly promising either: by his last game in April, he was hitting .204 over the course of 58 PAs and had piled up massive numbers of 1 HR, 4 R, 4 RBI, and 1 SB. But something is happening in May: in 17 May PAs, he is hitting .353 with 4 HR, 4 R, and 7 RBI. In May alone, he’s increased his OPS by nearly 200 points and his xwOBA by 60 points.

He could just be on a heater (which would actually extend back to April 13th, so over his last 42 PAs). If it’s just a heater, ride the lightning if you can. But is he worth giving real roster consideration?

What he offers:

Baty hits the ball hard. His 44% HH%, 14% Barrel%, EV of 90.3 mph, and maxEV of 113.9 mph are all well above average. While he hits the ball on the ground at too high a percentage to be a massive power source, when he hits it in the air, it can go a long way.

Since he has come back from injury, Baty is getting nearly every PA against RHP since he returned from the IL. Playing time is looking up.

What he doesn’t offer:

His plate discipline isn’t great: his walk-rate of 4% is bad, and so is his K-rate of 29.3%. The two numbers together, oof.

But… over the last 42 PAs, he’s struck out 8 times, for a K-rate of 19%. Most of his K% damage came over his first 30+ PAs (14 Ks in 33 PAs = a 42.4% K%). So he seems to be settling in. Still, Ks can – and probably will – be a problem for him, but I sure do like the change he’s made recently.

He doesn’t bat against LHP, but then, judging from his .000 AVG and .143 OBP against them this season, that may be a good thing. 

Long story short:

Based on his prospect profile and his much better-looking plate approach since mid-April, I’m interested in what Baty might be starting up. His roster % is so low currently that you probably don’t have to rush out to get him, but I’d watch him. His NFBC OC roster % is at 92%. OCs (Online Championships) are high dollar entries ($350 for the cheapest of the OCs), and there are plenty of top-tier fantasy players in those leagues. If 92% of all OC leagues have someone who wants Baty on a team, that should get our attention. It certainly does mine.

 

Nick Allen, SS, ATL 

(CBS 2%, ESPN .4%, Fantrax 8%, NFBC OC 0%, Yahoo 1%) 

You might be asking, “Who is Nick Allen?” Fair question. Allen has been in the majors since 2022 and playing in relative obscurity with the team formerly known as the Oakland Athletics. While Allen isn’t going to blow anyone away with his mad skills, he does have some things to offer.

What he offers:

First, as the starting SS for the Atlanta Braves (supplanting Orlando Arcia), he offers the opportunity to score a ton of runs for an offense that I expect to be very good this year.

In his Oakland days, he put together half seasons’ worth of PAs in both 2022 and 2023, performing at a level that over a full season would pace at around 10 HR, 60 R, 40 RBI, and 10 SB. Those numbers aren’t exactly jaw-dropping, but in deep leagues, they have value.

He also has solid plate discipline: his Contact% and Z-Contact% are in the 80s, and while he swings at more pitches out of the zone than I would like (25.3%), his K% usually ends up around 20%. His fielding range puts him in the 100th percentile. So his plate discipline + his defensive range = he’s going to play.

What he doesn’t offer:

He doesn’t hit the ball hard at all, so 8-10 HRs is as good as it will get. And his AVG is usually nothing impressive. You’re not picking this guy up to carry your offense.

Long story short:

Although Nick Allen isn’t all that fast (27.1 ft/s according to Savant), he finds ways to steal bases. He’s currently on a pace that over a full season would leave him with 25-30 SB. Not bad. If Atlanta’s offense wakes up, as I think it will, then Allen is likely good for 60-70 R. That also has value. Clearly, Allen is an option for you only if you are in a deep (like really deep) league and need someone who will accrue playing time and just chip away at stats. But if you play in 15-team leagues or larger, I’d probably be taking a close look.

 

That’s the list for this week. I hope at least one of these guys can fill a need for fantasy players in search of middle infield help. Next week, I’ll be back with an updated SS top-20 list. Until then. – ADHamley