Top 13 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (2025)

Welcome back to another edition of top waiver wire pickups. Were you guys able to stash Shane Bieber a few weeks ago when he was still widely available? The Biebs looked like his old self Friday night, earning the win against Miami while striking out nine over six innings. Toronto just got even better and the AL should definitely be on notice.

If you missed out on Bieber or the other handful of young arms recently highlighted including Jacob Lopez, Nolan McLean, or Hurston Waldrep there’s still no need to panic because I’ve got a few more youngsters up my sleeve who could also hit the ground running. If any of those guys are still available in your league don’t hesitate to snag them as they won’t be for much longer. That said, let’s get to this week’s group because there are plenty of great ones.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups

All players are rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues.

Samuel Basallo (C, 1B – BAL): 27%

The Orioles’ top prospect was promoted earlier this week and mashed right away. By his third day in the Show, Basallo already had five RBIs to his credit and a knock off the top of the Green Monster in Fenway. Rated as the eighth overall prospect in baseball by MLB, Basallo comes at an opportune time for Baltimore as their incumbent catcher, Adley Rutschman just hit the injured list (IL).

The recently turned 21-year-old was a beast in the minor leagues, knocking out an impressive 23 home runs while driving in 67 in just 76 games. Fangraphs has him ranked as the third-best prospect in all of baseball and as the top catcher. He’s worth a look in most league types.

Dylan Beavers (OF – BAL): 6%

Basallo’s teammate, Dylan Beavers is also someone to consider. The six-foot-five outfielder was a first-round pick just three years ago and has morphed into one of Baltimore’s top prospects. Beavers does everything well, including hitting for power and average while stealing a significant number of bases. Over the last two seasons in the high minors, the lefty swinging 24-year-old launched 33 homers and stole 54 bases. This season he increased his average above .300 while producing a nearly identical walk and strikeout rate.

Watching Beavers line a ball into the right field gap on a 3-and-0 count with a runner on is what truly sold me on the young rookie. The fact that Tony Mansolino (Orioles manager) green-lighted him in just his second game up, tells me all I need to know about his plate discipline and confidence. Beavers is now hitting .294 with a .455 on-base and .529 slug through five Major League contests. He’s worthy of a roster spot in 12+ leagues.

Ryan Mountcastle (1B – BAL): 25%

Let’s stick with the Orioles, shall we? Ryan Mountcastle had an awful first half of the season, but has turned it around since returning from the IL two weeks ago. While the power has been more of the doubles variety, Monty has a nice eight-game hitting streak going. He also stole a pair of bases and hit two homers. Mountcastle batted cleanup in four consecutive games and could be a solid four-category contributor the rest of the way.

Carson Williams (SS – TB): 7%

Rays prospect, Carson Williams is being called up to replace the oft-injured Ha-Seong Kim at shortstop. Williams is a tough read for fantasy managers. He’s an excellent fielder who has speed to burn and massive power, but often struggles to hit the ball. Williams has averaged above a 30% K-rate for most of his Minor League career, but he also registered four straight 20-20 seasons coming straight from high school. While Fangraphs has Williams rated as high as the 11th overall prospect in the league, others place him outside the top-75 because of all the strikeouts.

Williams is still just 22 years old but will now be handed every day playing time at the big league level. His average will likely suffer but there’s still a chance he hits the ground running and starts filling up the stat sheet. Williams clubbed five homers over his final 10 games in Triple-A and could be worth taking a gamble on in deeper leagues. Count me in as a believer.

Nate Lowe (1B – BOS): 33%

Nate Lowe is going to sit versus lefties, but he still holds some potential for those in daily and deeper leagues. Since joining Boston on Tuesday, the former National has four RBIs to his credit and three runs scored. He also drove a ball into the seats in his first game as a starter.

Lowe isn’t the most exciting pick-up this week, but he does have 72 RBIs on the season and was considered a top-15 first baseman back in 2022 and 2023. He won’t steal any bags but could be a steady 4-category producer for those looking to fill a corner infielder (CI) spot.

Brett Baty (2B, 3B – NYM): 12%

Brett Baty is hot. When I started this article on Thursday, the Mets infielder was already on my radar after hitting a couple of homers this week after doing the same last week. He then solidified his position for this piece after a 4-for-6 showing with three runs scored Friday night.

Baty is now 15 for his last 37 (.405 BA) with four home runs, 10 runs scored, and six runs batted in. He also stole a base, his sixth of the year. Baty was excellent in the Minor Leagues and could be experiencing the breakout the Mets faithful have been waiting for. He also qualifies for two of the toughest positions to fill.

The former first-rounder is still just 25 years old and could be on the verge of becoming another elite weapon for the club in Queens.

Noelvi Marte (3B, OF – CIN): 46%

I’ve mentioned Noelvi Marte several times throughout the season but injuries have kept his roster share relatively low. Now with a clean bill of health (he’s been playing regularly for over a month) Marte is a must-start in all leagues. He’s a five-category player who was once a can’t miss prospect who is now thriving in Cincinnati. Marte’s currently hitting .302 and has registered 10 home runs, 40 RBIs, 30 runs scored, and seven steals. He’s produced all that in just 59 games and has seen his ownership shoot up nearly 26% over the last week. Snag him while/if he’s still available.

Robby Snelling (SP – MIA): 2%

The Marlins went with Ryan Gusto to fill the recently DFA’d Cal Quantrill‘s spot in the rotation but that decision could be short-lived. Gusto took the loss on Friday after giving up five runs over six innings without recording a strikeout. Meanwhile, Robby Snelling was his dominant self, completing another scoreless outing against the Red Sox Triple-A affiliate in Worcester.

Snelling, who came over in the Tanner Scott trade from the Padres last year, has been exceptional since joining the Marlins’ Triple-A squad. Since his promotion, Snelling has posted an eye-popping 1.13 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP over seven starts. The six-foot-three southpaw has also registered an impressive 33.1% strikeout rate.

Snelling would maintain his rookie status next year if the Marlins call him up soon so they have little to lose. He could be promoted as early as next week so if you’ve got the room, now is the time to stash.

Parker Messick (SP – CLE): 4%

Parker Messick showed out on Wednesday holding the Diamondbacks to just one run over 6.2 innings. The rookie left-hander struck out six in his debut while allowing just one free pass. The Guardians’ rookie out of Florida State was a strikeout machine in the minors, regularly producing close to 11 strikeouts per nine innings. He keeps the ball in the yard, doesn’t walk many hitters, and has an elite changeup.

Messick was especially solid this season in Triple-A holding opponents to a .215 average and a 3.47 ERA. He also struck out nearly 30% of the hitters he faced, which was similar to last year’s ratios.

The Guardian’s top pitching prospect could be following in the footsteps of fellow rookie pitchers Hurston Waldrep (ATL) and Nolan McLean (NYM) who have recently been promoted and are thriving. Previously mentioned Robby Snelling may possess a bit higher ceiling, but Messick has already succeeded once at the Major League level and is assured a spot in the rotation for the coming days. Both are worth rostering if you need help at starting pitching.

Jose Caballero (2B, 3B, SS, OF – NYY): 29%

Jose Caballero hasn’t played in a few days so I can’t recommend him for standard leagues. However, Aaron Judge‘s elbow still isn’t right and Giancarlo Stanton can’t play the field every day which should open up a few more starts for the speedster Caballero. He’s only worth considering if you’re desperate for steals because despite the two home run outburst earlier this week, the utility man is hardly known for his power. He does have 40 steals to his credit this season in limited playing time though, and swiped four bags in two days last weekend. Cabellero’s widely available and with a matchup against Boston and their eighth-most stolen bases allowed in the league on tap, he could grant you a couple of swipes in the next few days.

Paul DeJong (2B, 3B, SS – WAS): 6%

I passed on including Paul DeJong in last week’s piece but I can’t ignore his production any longer. It’s difficult to recommend a player like DeJong, who’s had more subpar seasons than good, yet he’s been mashing since being handed the starting job in Washington. DeJong is regularly batting in the middle of the order for the Nationals, hitting behind their elite core. With James Wood and CJ Abrams consistently getting on base in front of him, DeJong has managed 11 RBIs over the last 10 games. He’s even blasted four home runs in that span and scored eight runs. I doubt the outburst will continue, but he qualifies all over the diamond which makes him a worthy pickup while the hot streak lasts.

Bubba Chandler (SP – PIT): 33%

I have to mention Bubba Chandler because of all the buzz surrounding his promotion. That said, he’s going to pitch in bulk relief and didn’t exactly put up gaudy numbers in Triple-A (4.05 ERA, 1.480 WHIP). Still, he’s got excellent stuff when he controls it and can collect strikeouts in bunches. For now, he’s best left for deep or keeper leagues but the future is bright for the young right-hander. His stock would change if granted a starting role.

Kyle Bradish (SP – BAL): 19%

Kyle Bradish is back. I discussed stashing him a few weeks ago and now he’s set to make his 2025 mark early next week. The Orioles’ ace made it up to 89 pitches in his latest rehab start so he should be pretty prepared for a near full slate once activated.

Bradish was a monster in 2023 and to begin 2024. The righty produced back-to-back sub-3.00 ERA seasons with excellent strikeout numbers. He’s averaging over 10 strikeouts/9 once again during his rehab assignment and is a must-add everywhere he’s still available.

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