MLB FAAB Factor: Top Fantasy Baseball Waiver Targets

This FAAB article is in addition to the AL and NL FAAB articles that run Sunday. Bids are based on a $100 FAAB budget. Throughout the season, this column will have two goals:

1. Identify FAAB targets for fantasy managers in leagues with Thursday FAAB.
2. Offer a preview of FAAB targets ahead of Sunday's columns.

Can you believe that it's already June? Or that the Tigers currently own the best record in baseball with a payroll nearly $200 million lower than the highest spender? Or that the Rockies swept a series??? Yeah, me neither. I also can't believe some of the names I've seen available on the waiver wire this week, since quite a few of the players out there seem too good not to already be commonly rostered. I'm not going to complain, though – it gives me something to talk about, and it only makes it easier for you guys to move your way up your leagues' standings by claiming one of them. Now, let's discuss who those players might be:

The number in parentheses represents the player's roster rate in Yahoo leagues.

Starting Pitcher

 Ryan Yarbrough, New York Yankees (39%)

Since moving to the rotation May 3, Yarbrough has turned in a 2.08 ERA and 0.81 WHIP alongside a 24:5 K:BB across 26 innings. He also collected a win in three of the five starts he made during that span. He doesn't exactly have a favorable matchup coming up, however, as he's due to face a Red Sox squad Saturday that has opened June with a .795 OPS. That being said, he just limited the Dodgers' star-studded lineup to one run in six innings during his last outing, which is all I need to see to believe he's capable of finding success against any offense. FAAB: $3

 Chad Patrick, Milwaukee Brewers (16%)

Patrick flew under the radar while coming up through the D-backs' and Athletics' systems during the first three years of his professional career, but he emerged as a strong Triple-A starter upon moving to the Brewers organization in 2024. Now in the majors, the 26-year-old right-hander currently owns a 2.97 ERA and 1.21 WHIP through 63.2 innings and is an early dark horse to take home NL Rookie of the Year honors. The only concern I have with him is that he tends to leave his starts before pitching five full innings, which is part of the reason why he has only three wins on the year so far. He reached six innings and collected a win during his last start in Philadelphia, however, so perhaps manager Pat Murphy will allow him to work a bit deeper into games going forward. FAAB: $3 

David Festa, Minnesota Twins (5%)

Festa is currently in Triple-A as I'm typing this, but with Pablo Lopez set to miss multiple months with a strained shoulder, the Twins have a long-term vacancy in their rotation that needs to be filled, and Festa feels like the obvious choice for a promotion. The 25-year-old righty started three games for the Twins in April, allowing just two earned runs and striking out 15 batters across 13 innings, and he's remained dominant with a 1.77 ERA and 0.64 WHIP since returning to the minors. Assuming he slides right into Lopez's spot in the rotation, his first start back in the big leagues would come Sunday against Toronto, who currently ranks ninth in the American League in total runs scored (253). FAAB: $2

 Jack Leiter, Texas Rangers (34%)

Although his season stats aren't all that impressive, it's hard to ignore the results Leiter is getting on the mound recently. The 25-year-old owns a 2.28 ERA and 1.10 WHIP across his last four starts, and opposing hitters are only batting .195 against him on the season. The strikeout stuff he displayed while coming up through the Rangers' farm system hasn't quite translated into the majors yet, but if you need a streamer who can bring down your team's ERA a tad, Leiter might be your guy. FAAB: $1

Relief Pitcher

 Daniel Palencia, Chicago Cubs (46%)

After Porter Hodge (oblique) landed on the injured list a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned Palencia as the potential new closer in Wrigleyville. Fast forward to today, and Palencia has collected five saves in each of his last five appearances, lowering his ERA to 1.74 and WHIP to 0.77 in the process, and he now seems to be favored to remain the closer after Hodge returns. With the amount of success the Cubs are enjoying, Palencia should be in a position to earn a save fairly often, so I highly recommend picking him up now while he's still available in a slight majority of leagues. FAAB: $9

 Fernando Cruz, New York Yankees (16%)

The Yankees lost Luke Weaver to a hamstring injury Tuesday, creating an opening for the closer job in the Bronx. It seems like the Yankees are going to give Devin Williams another shot as the go-to ninth-inning option, but I think we're all aware of the kind of season he's been having at this point. That's why I think it's worth keeping an eye on Cruz, who's been much more effective with a 2.92 ERA and 1.01 WHIP to go with his eye-popping 13.3 K/9. FAAB: $1

Catcher

 Dillon Dingler, Detroit Tigers (9%)

Dingler has been on a hot streak for quite some time now, slashing .362/.400/.553 with two home runs and 10 RBI over his last 13 games. His batting average – currently .296 – has hovered near the .300 mark for most of the season, which went a long way in helping him supplant Jake Rogers as the Tigers' primary backstop. The 26-year-old's lack of discipline at the plate raises a bit of concern, but he has the power necessary to flirt with a 20-HR campaign and figures to be in a nice spot for RBI while batting between fifth and seventh in a Tigers lineup that has scored the second-most runs in the AL (315). FAAB: $3

 Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays (11%)

Most of Kirk's fantasy appeal has always come from his elite ability to make contact with the ball, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise to see him crack this list after going 12-for-32 (.375) while driving in six runs and scoring four himself across his last 11 games. While we likely won't ever see him display the power he showed off during his 14-homer season in 2022 again, he's capable of maintaining a high batting average, which is likely to translate into a high RBI total as long as he continues to bat near the middle of Toronto's order. FAAB: $2

First Baseman

 Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs (47%)

The latest Cubs bat to catch fire, Busch has gone 9-for-19 (.474) with two homers, eight RBI and four runs scored over the course of his six-game hitting streak. While his latest stretch has certainly caught the eye of some fantasy managers, the 27-year-old hardly needed to go on a run to be worthy of attention, as his OPS sat at .800 before his hot streak even began. In addition to having his best individual season at the plate, the offensive talent surrounding him in Chicago's lineup gives him great potential to elevate his counting stats while he bats cleanup for the Cubbies. FAAB: $8

Second Baseman

 Willi Castro, Minnesota Twins (36%)

Castro isn't typically known as a power hitter, but he has a pair of multi-HR games within the past week. Considering he's only accomplished a double-digit homer season once in his career (12 in 2024), fantasy managers shouldn't begin to expect that kind of output from the 28-year-old. Luckily, his recent production hasn't come exclusively from the long ball, as he has logged a base hit in eight of his last 11 games and slashed .333/.422/.667 with six total RBI and nine runs scored in that span. His extreme positional versatility is a nice plus, too. FAAB: $3

Third Baseman

 Addison Barger, Toronto Blue Jays (39%)

Barger's modest six-game hitting streak was put to an end Wednesday but not before he could string together home runs in four consecutive games. He had slugged two round-trippers all season before his latest power surge and now sits just one homer away from tying his total from last season. The 25-year-old's offensive success isn't limited to just the past week, however, as he is slashing .310/.368/.609 across 95 plate appearances dating all the way back to May 9. Between his bat waking up and his ability to play both third base and right field, Barger has cemented himself as an everyday player in Toronto worth rostering. FAAB: $5

Shortstop

 Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Pittsburgh Pirates (11%)

Since returning from the injured list May 12, Kiner-Falefa has slashed .338/.373/.465 with seven RBI and 10 runs scored across 75 plate appearances while tacking on three stolen bases. Despite his consistent output, he's still stuck batting ninth in the lineup most days. That's not great news for his counting stats, but a bat that starts every day, owns a .304 batting average and is approaching 10 steals at the 50-game checkpoint is always going to offer at least a little bit of value. FAAB: $1

Outfielder

 Parker Meadows, Detroit Tigers (26%)

Meadows made his long-awaited return from the injured list Monday after sitting out the first couple of months due to a nerve issue in his right arm. He didn't wait long to make an impact, as he ripped a pair of extra-base hits and drew two walks during his first game back. His season debut only continued an upward trend that began in August of last season, with him slashing .296/.340/.500 with six homers, 23 RBI, 28 runs and five steals across the final 47 games of the year. Although he may sit down occasionally for Wenceel Perez or Javier Baez to start in center field, Meadows' combination of power and speed alone warrants a spot on your roster. FAAB: $7

 Trevor Larnach, Minnesota Twins (14%)

Hot bats available for cheap are the lifeblood of this column, and that's exactly what we have here. Larnach has recorded a hit in 10 of his last 11 contests, including in each of his last eight. During his hitting streak, he's slashed .368/.385/.579 to go along with two home runs, seven ribbies and five runs scored. Thanks to his recent run, he is now close to matching his batting line from last season (.259/.338/.434), and he's on pace to set new career highs in nearly every counting stat. FAAB: $2

 Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox (45%)

Rafaela began Boston's recent series in Milwaukee with a .605 OPS and only one hit in his previous seven games. Four home runs and an eight-game hitting streak later, his batting average has shot up from .221 to .252, and his OPS now sits at .707 for the season. As evidenced by the fact his stats were so poor to begin with, the 24-year-old is susceptible to going on another cold streak, but his potential as a power/speed threat, combined with the fact that he still has infield eligibility after playing 82 games at shortstop last year, makes him worth a look. FAAB: $2

Find out who to target the rest of the way with RotoWire's MLB Rest of Season Projections!