You probably recognize me from my typical Streamers piece, but I’ve added this waiver wire article to my ledger. I can’t wait to dive into it this season because I have so much to say every week when it comes to fantasy baseball! We have a few days of baseball in the books, which means it’s time to start grinding the waiver wire. This is the most important time of the season to hop on your waiver wire and capitalize on players who might be rostered for the remainder of the season.
Everyone always uses the silly term “League-Winner,” but this is really the best time to pick up those guys. What’s funny is that it’s so early that people don’t even use that phrase yet, but finding a game-changer off the waiver wire for the remainder of the season happens more this week than any other all year. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how the waiver wire plays out this week!
The stats and roster rates below are updated on 3/27. All rostership percentages are on Yahoo.
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
CATCHERS
10/12 Team Adds
Samuel Basallo (BAL, 42% Rostership) – There are some playing time concerns for Basallo with Adley Rutschman playing every day, but Basallo should get plenty of at-bats. He was in the Opening Day lineup right behind Rutschman, batting fifth in this rebuilt order. That’s an optimal spot, and it shows just how much trust Baltimore has in his bat. It’s no surprise since he had a .444 OBP and 1.225 OPS throughout spring training after tallying a .377 OBP and .966 OPS in his last season at Triple-A. The catcher position is as deep as ever, but Basallo should be a must-roster player in a few weeks if he can continue that form. We love the schedule for next week too, facing Kumar Rocker, Jack Leiter, Nathan Eovaldi, Mitch Keller, Carmen Mlodzinski, and Braxton Ashcraft.
QUICK HITS: JT Realmuto (PHI, 24% Rostership), Alejandro Kirk (TOR, 51% Rostership)
Deep League Adds
Francisco Alvarez (NYM, 29% Rostership) – It was shocking to see how deep this position was during draft season because I figured Alvarez would be drafted in every league. The math simply didn’t add up for Alvarez, but it makes him an enticing pickup off the waiver wire. He went 2-for-4 with a home run in his first game of the season and has showcased that type of power throughout his career. Alvarez closed the season with a .361 OBP and .939 OPS across his final 42 games last season. Health has been the only real concern, but Alvarez should play nearly every day since Luis Torrens is the only other catcher on this roster.
QUICK HITS: Ryan Jeffers (MIN, 7% Rostership), Gabriel Moreno (ARI, 19% Rostership), Tyler Stephenson (CIN, 6% Rostership)
INFIELDERS
10/12 Team Adds
Andrew Vaughn (1B, MIL, 48% Rostership) – Why are people still sleeping on Vaughn? This guy was hitting between fourth and sixth after his trade to Milwaukee last season, and he played like an All-Star once he threw on that Brewers uniform. The first baseman had a .375 OBP and .869 OPS in his 64 games with the Brew Crew last season. That’s the pedigree we saw in the minors, and it’ll be difficult to keep Vaughn out of the lineup after the Jackson Chourio injury. The matchups aren’t too shabby this week either, matching up with Tampa Bay and Kansas City.
QUICK HITS: Caleb Durbin (3B, BOS, 38% Rostership), Carlos Correa (3B/SS, HOU, 40% Rostership), Max Muncy (3B, LAD 43% Rostership)
Deep League Adds
Jake Burger (1B, TEX, 15% Rostership) – Burger had some off-field issues last season that clearly affected his numbers, but many people forget that he was a Top 100 pick this time last season. He earned that with some dominance in power in Miami, hitting 63 home runs between 2023 and 2024. That’s why Texas signed him, and the trust circle is clearly back since he hit cleanup in the Rangers’ first game of the season. Burger homered in that opener and could be a sneaky source for pop off the waiver wire in this prominent lineup spot.
QUICK HITS: Colt Keith (DET, 1B/2B/3B, 17% Rostership), Josh Smith (TEX, 1B/3B/SS/OF, 20% Rostership), Caleb Meidroth (CWS, 2B/3B/SS, 6% Rostership)
OUTFIELDERS
10/12 Team Adds
Chase DeLauter (CLE, 37% Rostership) – This rostership percentage will skyrocket after what we saw on Opening Day. In fact, I expect it to be above 50 percent for most of you by the time this is published, but DeLauter looks like the first must-add of the season. Fantasy managers’ eyes opened once he was slotted into the two-hole of Cleveland’s lineup, but those eyes popped out of their sockets once they saw two home runs. We saw that sort of power potential throughout his minor league career, maintaining a .384 OBP and .882 OPS. The injuries were the only thing holding him back at times, but he needs to be added off of every waiver wire after that elite start to the season.
QUICK HITS: Giancarlo Stanton (NYY, 51% Rostership), Adolis Garcia (PHI, 53% Rostership), TJ Friedl (CIN, 27% Rostership)
Deep League Adds
Tyler O’Neill (BAL, 4% Rostership) – After scanning through the waiver wires in preparation for this piece, I was shocked to see that O’Neill was only rostered in four percent of leagues. This is a guy who was a must-roster player in every league just two years ago. It’s easy to see why because O’Neill had 31 dingers across 113 games in 2023 with the Red Sox. He also had 34 dingers and 15 steals just two years prior, and there’s no doubt that power potential is still there when seeing this guy shirtless. He hit sixth in the O’s first game, and he should be in their lineup every day as long as he remains healthy.
QUICK HITS: Jorge Soler (LAA, 4% Rostership), Matt Wallner (MIN, 7% Rostership), Ryan O’Hearn (PIT, 17% Rostership)
STARTING PITCHERS
10/12 Team Adds
Kodai Senga (NYM, 55% Rostership) – Senga is one of my most-rostered players this season, and it’s bizarre to see him at just 55 percent. He needs to be snagged off of every waiver wire because he finished spring training with a 1.86 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 10.6 K/9 rate. The forkball was forking up some batters, and that’s what we saw in his rookie season when Senga had a 2.98 ERA and 1.22 WHIP just two years ago. It’s hard to believe people gave up on him after an injury-riddled 2024-25 season, but this might be your last opportunity to add him since he matches up with a subpar St. Louis lineup next week.
Cody Ponce (TOR, 39% Rostership) – I honestly don’t know much about Ponce, but this is one of those spots where you can’t fade the matchups. This righty has a two-start week and matches up with the Rockies and White Sox. Both of those teams were bottom-five in runs scored, OBP and wOBA last season. There might not be a better two-start schedule all season. Ponce carries some elite form into the regular season, too, tallying a 0.66 ERA across 13.2 spring training innings.
QUICK HITS: Roki Sasaki (LAD, 46% Rostership), Will Warren (NYY, 49% Rostership), Clay Holmes (NYM, 31% Rostership), Chris Bassitt (BAL, 30% Rostership)
Deep League Adds
Shane Smith (CWS, 4% Rostership) – There’s a handful of teams that fantasy managers avoid on the waiver wire, and the White Sox are one of them. It’s easy to see why when looking at their roster, but Smith was their All-Star for a reason. He had a 3.81 ERA and 1.20 WHIP across 29 starts in a stellar rookie campaign. Chicago threw him to the wolves in a matchup with the Brewers in his debut, but matching up with Miami could get him right back on track. The Marlins finished 17th in wOBA last season and are inevitably due for some negative regression given the lackluster talent in that lineup.
QUICK HITS: Zach Eflin (BAL, 12% Rostership), Jameson Taillon (CHC, 15% Rostership), Rhett Lowder (CIN, 5% Rostership), Reynaldo Lopez (ATL, 18% Rostership), Max Scherzer (TOR, 11% Rostership)
RELIEVERS
10/12 Team Adds
Paul Sewald (ARI, 31% Rostership) – This is one of the most important times to scrounge the waiver wire for closers because you could stumble into a 30-save guy. Sewald is a decent bet to be one of those waiver-wire gems because he’s in line to be the Diamondbacks’ closer. That’s a solid team to be closing games for, and we saw Sewald perform as an elite closer in the past. He accumulated 81 saves between 2021 and 2024, accruing a 3.18 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in that span. That’s why Arizona said he’ll get the first chance for saves, and a clean opening month could have him in line to keep this job all season.
QUICK HITS: Bryan Abreu (HOU, 68% Rostership), Seranthony Dominguez (CWS, 53% Rostership)
Deep League Adds
Ryne Stanek (STL, 1% Rostership) – This one came out of nowhere, but nobody really knew who was going to close games for the Cards. Early money was on Riley O’Brien or Jojo Romero, but Stanek got the opportunity in their first game of the season. A veteran like this getting that chance makes him a speculative add in every league, especially since Stanek has some closing experience in the past. His numbers aren’t necessarily pretty, but if you know how SAGNOF works, we really don’t care as long as he racks up those saves.
QUICK HITS: Victor Vodnik (COL, 8% Rostership), Lucas Erceg (KC, 7% Rostership)
SOLDS league. Jax 4+ ERA from 2025 might not be a mirage. Looks like the new norm. 2 blown saves in two shots. Clevinger moves to the top of the food chain?