10 Team Leagues
Ramón Laureano OF OAK; FAAB Bid: 10-12% - So there is always depth at outfield, but it cannot be stressed how good Ramón Laureano is and it’s a shame he’s still available in shallow leagues. Since June 30th Laureano has five home runs, with 13 runs and 13 RBI. In 143 career games he has 23 home runs, 84 runs scored, 70 RBI, and 19 stolen bases. He could easily be a 20/20 player each year. He’s available in about one-third of Yahoo leagues and half of ESPN leagues. You may not need another outfielder, but he boasts power and speed and can help your team.
Sonny Gray SP CIN; FAAB Bid: 15% - Gray is having a great year. Sure, he might be appearing in the waiver article again on short notice, but he’s proving to be legit. His 3.40 ERA stands up to a 3.25 FIP and 3.45 xFIP and he’s averaging over a strikeout per inning. He has four straight quality starts and all five of his wins have come in his last ten starts. He’s really bounced back from a rough go with the Yankees, but perhaps in the smaller market (and the Great American Smallpark) there is less pressure for him and he’s doing very well.
Andrelton Simmons SS LAA; FAAB Bid: 3-5% - Simmons isn’t the sexiest name on waivers, but he might be the best option for any middle infield vacancies you have. Over his last 35 plate appearances he has ten hits, two of which are home runs, and two stolen bases. On the year he has eight swipes in 60 games. He’s a viable option in points leagues where he’s only striking out 8.8% of the time. There are some guys listed below you should prioritize over Simmons, but again, Simmons is a pretty good add if you’re in need of a shortstop or middle infield depth.
12 Team Leagues
Garrett Cooper 1B, OF MIA; FAAB Bid: 10% - As is a general theme with the Waiver Wire article, we love to target guys on a bit of a hot streak. It’s hard to argue that anyone has been hotter than Cooper lately with three home runs since returning from the All-Star Break with six hits in his last 18 plate appearances to go with six runs scored and six RBI. Even going back to the game before the Break, he also hit a home run there as well, so he has four ding dongs in his last five games. Cooper’s actually having a solid year overall for a guy who flew under the radar in the deal that sent Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees. But the 28-year-old is hitting .315 on the season with a .909 OPS.
Michael Pineda SP MIN; FAAB Bid: 7-8% - In a quality starts league, Pineda seems like a really solid add as odd as that may seem. After all he’s only 6-5 on the year in 18 starts and has a 4.38 ERA. In eight of his last 11 games he’s registered a quality start and in one of those starts he came within one out of registering another. The strikeouts fluctuate. Some starts he may get seven or eight, other times he may only get three, four, or five. Additionally he’s allowing 1.46 HR/9 so he is a bit of a risk. But he has found his groove so if you play in a league that utilizes quality starts over wins, then you should consider picking him up.
Oscar Mercado OF CLE; FAAB Bid: 7-8% - Mercado reminds me of Laureano, but in a smaller sample size. In 204 plate appearances (48 games) this year he has seven home runs, eight stolen bases, and 32 runs scored. He’s done all this in his rookie season in basically two months of big-league ball. Long-term he’s the kind of player who could steal 30 bases a year, but for now temper the expectation and be thankful for what he gives you the rest of the year.
Danny Santana 1B, 2B, OF TEX; FAAB Bid: 5% - Santana might be flying under the radar, but like Cooper he’s red hot as of late. In his last six games he has a dozen hits including two home runs and three doubles with a pair of stolen bases. On the season he has 11 home runs and 11 steals with an .894 OPS. The downside is that he doesn’t walk very much (4.5%) and he strikes out a lot (27.3%) so he gets a big downgrade in points leagues.
15 Team Leagues
Mike Brosseau 2B, 3B TB; FAAB Bid: 5% - Brosseau was mentioned a week ago as a waiver add since he was a nice story heading into the All-Star Break. But he’s proven to be more than just a story to get behind as he’s kept up the hot streak. In 48 plate appearances, Brosseau’s hitting .348 with a whopping .696 slugging percentage. Obviously that’s an unsustainable rate, but he has three home runs post-ASB, and more recently the Rays have moved him up to hit third in their lineup. Oddly enough, he’s widely available in Yahoo leagues while his ESPN ownership has slowly been creeping up. He’s absolutely worth an add in deeper leagues.
Brett Anderson SP OAK; FAAB Bid: 8-10% - The appeal with Anderson lies mostly in the fact that he can get a win or a quality start anytime out. In 19 starts this year he has nine wins and 11 quality starts. He does stand to see regression at some point. His 3.79 ERA doesn’t hold up well against his 4.56 FIP and 4.98 xFIP and he’s averaged just a strikeout every other inning (4.53 K/9). Perhaps that is why his ownership is still so low even with nine wins on the year. However, with the run support he gets he’s viable in deeper formats.
Nate Lowe 1B TB; FAAB Bid: 6-7% - Lowe may be a bit of a viability in points leagues, but all five of his home runs this season have come in his last seven games. For whatever reason, the Rays sat him for the team’s first two games of the series against the Yankees. He was in the lineup for Wednesday’s matchup, but the game was postponed. But Lowe’s been hot lately. Five home runs, eight runs scored, ten RBI all in his last 30 plate appearances. I can’t say he’s making it difficult for the Rays to keep him out of the lineup (since they’ve made the conscientious effort to do so), but when he’s in he’s been productive of late.