Opening Day will be upon us in less than 24 hours! The usual Waiver Wire column will drop every Thursday and Sunday. However, it’s worth touching on some players we may have overlooked in our drafts. Don’t take this as scripture. I’m more inclined to grab the pitchers listed below than I am to claim the hitters. Why? Because I firmly believe in streaming pitchers and finding saves on the waiver wire, and there are still saves available on waivers as we near Opening Day. Additionally, I like to just see how my roster plays out without making too many moves before the season starts. That’s just my prerogative though. At the very least, put these players on your radar. Whether it’s more playing time, or an impending breakout, we could see ownership spike a little bit.

Hitters To Monitor

C.J. Cron (1B – COL) – This is a no-brainer and it’s likely he isn’t available in your deeper leagues, but I’d be an idiot if I didn’t at least mention him. He’s playing in Coors and as of Wednesday morning he was still available in about 30-40% of ESPN and CBS leagues. Most projections have him in line with 25 home runs and that’s his floor. He could very well exceed 30, which we saw him do in a pitcher-friendly park like Tropicana Field and he could’ve done it with the Twins in 2019 where he missed 37 games. He’s in too good of a situation to be sitting on waivers. He’s probably the one offensive player in this article I’m actively looking to add everywhere.

Andrew Vaughn (1B/OF – CHW) – I’m including outfield eligibility because there’s a very good chance he gets it. With Eloy Jiménez sidelined for the next four-to-five months, Vaughn has been getting more practice in the outfield. That’s pretty good news for Chicago’s top prospect, and the 14th-ranked prospect over all according to MLB.com. There are some caveats we need to be aware of: he was drafted less than two years ago, he’s never played above High-A ball, and it’s still a position he’s getting used to. There could very well be struggles out of the gate, but the pedigree is there for him, as well as opportunity. He looked good at the dish in spring training so we’ll see how it carries over. He turns 23 on Saturday so let’s wish the best for the birthday boy.

Taylor Trammell (OF - SEA) – Trammell has made the Opening Day roster and after being a fairly popular prospect the past few seasons, he finally gets an opportunity after spending last season at the alternate sites for San Diego and Seattle. Kyle Lewis has been dealing with a bruise on his knee and this may open the door for Trammell to get some starts if Lewis remains sidelined. That means absolutely nothing for Trammell’s long-term prospects this season. However, Trammell touted a .302/.388/.627 slash line this spring and if given enough playing time he could possibly produce double-digit dingers and steals. Again, take it with a grain of salt because he does need the production from spring training to carry over.

Jonathan India (INF – CIN) – While he doesn’t have the power pedigree Vaughn or Taylor possess, India’s getting opportunities at second base to start the year and we could see the position eligibility grow as the season progresses. The power isn’t elite, but he’s helped a bit by a home ballpark that caters to hitters in the summer. India showed great plate discipline in the minors and he has flashed speed on the base path. Is he a must add? No, but if you’re looking for steals on the waiver wire he’s worth keeping an eye on if he can keep up a respectable batting average. And even if that wanes, his ability to draw walks will still put him on base.

Starting Pitchers

Freddy Peralta (MIL) – Peralta has been named to the Brewers rotation as their fifth starter. He only made one start for the team last season, but he looked very strong in spring training. Across 8.1 innings of work he struck out 15 and yielded only three walks. If he sticks in the rotation, the knack for racking up strikeouts will be worthwhile in any format.

Brady Singer (KC) – You have to take the good with the bad with Singer next week. He’s a two-start pitcher in the extended Week 1 schedule and he gets the Rangers first before a tough bout against the White Sox next week. If you’re in a daily league, you’re salivating over the first matchup. If you’re in a weekly matchup you have to weigh the pro’s and con’s of getting a great first matchup against Texas followed by a risky bout against Chicago. It’s early. If it bites you in the rear, so be it. It’s Week 1 and you have the rest of the season to bounce back. A bad outing against the White Sox won’t be the end all be all, but maybe he comes out hot to start the year. He’s definitely a guy we need to look at and stream.

Framber Valdez (HOU) – ESPN players are jumping ship on Valdez as his ownership has dropped 16.4% in the last week and he’s now available in about 35% of leagues over there. It’s been ruled that he won’t need surgery so his season isn’t over by any means. It sounds like the fracture is healing just fine and we saw how he emerged as a must-start option one year ago. He had some rough outings, but there were more positives than negatives. It all comes down to his timeline, which we don’t have yet. But the fact his season is not over is a best-case scenario.

Nathan Eovaldi (BOS) – If you want a streamer for Opening Day, you can probably gamble on this guy. He did not look very good in spring training. But we have to temper expectations with what we get in those games. He’s drawing the Orioles on Opening Day so the matchup is still fine. I’d much rather target Brady Singer as a streamer this week or maybe even Logan Webb. But as far as matchups go, he gets the O’s on a platter. And if he screws the pooch on Thursday maybe we shun him for a few weeks.

Closer Carousel

There are some great closers in solid situations still available in a healthy amount of leagues. Whether most fantasy players are punting saves or just don’t think there will be enough opportunities for these guys, they remain widely available. Jordan Romano should be at the top of everyone’s Waiver Wire wish list for saves, but when the news of Kirby Yates ’ injury broke, most people “in the know” flocked to grab Romano. With that said, if he’s not available then take a look at these players.

Jake McGee (SF) - McGee posted some awesome numbers with an absurd 14.61 K/9 in just over 20 innings of work in 2020. He got free of Coors Field and it showed as he posted some phenomenal numbers. He got his ring and now goes up the West coast to San Francisco and the pitcher-friendly confines of Oracle Park. He’s a solid candidate to get at least 20 saves, but dare I say he sniffs 30? He’s probably only available in more shallow formats, but he’ll aid with ratio stats and saves as long as he stays healthy.

Daniel Bard (COL) -  Bard’s ownership is creeping up, but he was a player I was actively targeting in drafts after reading Colby Conway’s player profile on Bard as part of the MLB Draft Guide. Colby breaks down plenty of arguments for him, but what stood out to me is the lack of quality competition in that bullpen. There aren’t too many guys that can get in the way of Bard getting saves aside from maybe Mychal Givens . Even Bud Black has already said he projects Givens as more of a set-up reliever this year anyway. Does Bard carry risk? Certainly. But he’ll offer a strikeout per inning and potentially get you 20 saves this year. That’s not awful for a third or fourth reliever that you can find on waivers. If the walks return from his days in Boston and his age shows (he’s 35), then cut him loose as it’s no guarantee he has a lengthy leash.

Anthony Bass (MIA) – Here’s another gem from our player profile series courtesy of Greg Jewett. It looks as if the closer job is Bass’ to lose. That doesn’t mean he’s free and clear of Yimi García , but Bass has experience in the role and if he records at least five saves with the Fish this season it’ll be third straight season he recorded at least five saves with a different team. Does he offer the strikeout upside of McGee or Bard? Certainly not. But the job looks like it’s his and even if they go with a committee he can still probably find you 13-16 saves this year.