The waiver wire is feeling a little emptier these days. Three of last week’s recommended pitching streamers graduated from eligibility for this list with solid starts. Shout out to Eury Perez, Michael Kopech, and Bobby Miller. You guys will be missed. If any of the three are still somehow available in your league, please pick them up right away.
If not, don’t sweat it. There are some really good options on this list and the large majority are available in most standard leagues. As usual, my favorite 10 pitching streamers are listed below in roster-percentage order.
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Top 10 Pitching Streamers for the Upcoming Week
Pitching Streamers Available in Some Leagues (About 50% to 65% Rostered)
Taj Bradley SP Rays
Last start: Saturday, June 3rd @ Red Sox – 5IP W 2ER 6H 3BB 6K
Next start: Saturday, June 10th vs. Rangers
1 start next week: Thursday, June 15th @ A’s
There’s been a string of tough opponents for Taj Bradley over the last couple of weeks. For the most part, the rookie has held his own. The strikeouts in particular have been impressive. 21 Ks in his 14.2 innings against the Blue Jays, Cubs, and most recently the Red Sox in Fenway. The elevated K rate and whiff rate, and the very nice 2.06 BB/9, is the reason why his 3.12 xERA beats his actual ERA of 3.60. Sure, he hasn’t been quite as dominant since his first stint with the big club, but how much of that is quality of opponent? He’ll have the same problem this weekend against the mighty Rangers. Despite their slightly lower runs-per-game splits on the road (6.77 at home vs. 5.90 on the road), it would be a risky stream unless you’ve already lost ratios. Next week, though: the A’s are dead last in runs per game, batting average, slugging, and OPS. Stream away!
Edward Cabrera SP Marlins
Last start: Wednesday, June 7th vs. Royals – 5IP W 1ER 2H 2BB 4K
1 start next week: Tuesday, June 13th @ Mariners
At the time of this article, there has been no official announcement that Edward Cabrera will make his start in Seattle next week. He left Wednesday’s game against the Royals with a blister, but was cruising through their lineup for five innings, needing only 65 pitches (10 of them inducing swinging strikes) and only allowing two hits. His elite 11.43 K/9 rate and 34% whiff rate are getting hard to ignore, along with a five-start stretch of allowing three runs or fewer. Consider yourself lucky if this uncertainty has kept him on your waiver wire for one extra week. The Mariners rank toward the bottom in almost every offensive category, so if he does make that start, there’s a decent chance someone will snatch him up. Also worth noting: if his start is pushed back a couple of days, the Marlins visit the also-not-very-potent Nationals over the weekend.
Tanner Bibee SP Guardians
Last start: Wednesday, June 7th vs. Red Sox – 5IP W 1ER 4H 2BB 2K
2 starts next week: Tuesday, June 13th @ Padres + Sunday, June 18th @ DBacks
After a couple of tough opponents and some uncertainty that he would stick in the rotation, Tanner Bibee is back on this list for the first time in a few weeks. He more than held up against one of the best offenses in baseball on Wednesday, yielding just one run and picking up a win versus the Red Sox. And his rotation spot is resolved for the moment with Cal Quantrill hitting the IL. Overall the rookie’s been really solid, posting a 3.05 ERA and 1.13 WHIP through his first eight starts. Only once has he given up more than three runs. Even better, he’s scheduled for two starts next week. Though the DBacks aren’t far behind the Red Sox in runs per game, the Padres find themselves in the bottom 10 in most offensive categories. In either case, it’s a worthwhile stream.
Pitching Streamers Available in Most Leagues (About 30% to 50% Rostered)
Andrew Abbot SP Reds
Last start: Monday, June 5th vs. Brewers – 6IP W 0ER 1H 4BB 6K
Next start: Saturday, June 10th @ Cardinals
1 start next week: Friday, June 16th @ Astros
The week wouldn’t be complete without another pitching prospect making a solid debut. This time it was former second-round pick Andrew Abbot throwing six shutout innings and earning a win against the Brewers. Though the four walks were a slight concern (three in the first inning could be passed off as debut nerves), the six strikeouts were good to see from a guy who rolled with an eye-popping 15 K/9 rate in the minors. It’s worth noting that the Brewers are particularly bad against lefties (.212/.291/.345 vs. .238/.315/395 against righties), but the 95th overall prospect (according to MLB Pipeline) clearly has upside and will be snatched up quickly in most leagues if tonight’s start at St. Louis goes well. Plus, Graham Ashcraft was placed on the IL yesterday which should keep the rookie around for a while. Might want to beat the rush if no one in your league has noticed him yet.
Jack Flaherty SP Cardinals
Last start: Wednesday, June 7th @ Rangers – 6IP 0ER 3H 5BB 8K
1 start next week: Tuesday, June 13th vs. Giants
Jack Flaherty more than passed his big test in Texas on Wednesday, keeping the top run-producing team off the board for six innings. How about eight strikeouts and a very respectable 13 swinging strikes? Sure, the walks were a bit high again (he now has an ugly 5.19 BB/9 rate), but he’s sporting a 1.50 ERA over his last six starts, is limiting hard contact overall (84th percentile in average exit velocity and 81st% hard hit rate), and is also missing bats consistently (28.4% whiff rate). Speaking of missing bats, Flaherty’s opponent next week, the Giants, sure do a lot of that. They strike out second most in baseball. Not too much walking either (bottom 10). I love the matchup.
James Paxton SP Red Sox
Last start: Tuesday, June 6th @ Guardians – 7IP W 2ER 6H 2BB 9K
1 start next week: Monday, June 12th vs. Rockies
Another week, another 20-plus swinging-strike performance for James Paxton. This time he struck out nine, earned a win, and has now put together four good starts out of his first five. Some doubt whether he can sustain the elite swinging-strike rate because it’s very fastball heavy (of 24 swinging strikes 22 were via the four-seemer or cutter this week), but with a juicy non-Coors matchup against the Rockies (who are in the top 10 in striking out and haven’t fared well against lefties this year – .236/.295/.369 against lefties vs. .268/.326/.417 against righties) next week, the veteran seems likely to keep the clock turned back a bit longer. Might as well ride the wave while he’s healthy.
Pitching Streamers Widely Available (About 30% Rostered or Fewer)
Brayan Bello SP Red Sox
Last start: Monday, June 5th vs. Rays – 6IP L 3ER 6H 1BB 5K
Next start: Saturday, June 10th @ Yankees
1 start next week: Friday, June 16th vs. Yankees
Coming off one of his least-impressive starts, Brayan Bello was able to keep one of baseball’s top offenses at bay and earn a quality start on Monday. The good outing was nothing new for him. In his last seven starts, he’s now compiled a 2.84 ERA and struck out 39 over 38 innings. Four of those seven starts have included the Rays, Braves, Blue Jays, and Angles – ranking first, third, sixth, and seventh in OPS, respectively. That’s why I wouldn’t shy away from the Yankees, his projected opponent tomorrow and next week. They’re a good offense, but closer to the middle of the pack (15th in OPS, for example) than some of the recent heavyweights. Aaron Judge being out doesn’t hurt either.
Louie Varland SP Twins
Last start: Tuesday, June 6th @ Rays – 6IP L 7ER 6H 4BB 5K
Next start: Sunday, June 11th @ Blue Jays
1 start next week: Saturday, June 17th vs. Tigers
We knew the hard hits balls would eventually catch up to Louie Varland, but it kind of happened all in one game at Tampa on Tuesday. He allowed seven runs and the two home runs he yielded were both no-doubters. The Twins let the youngster work into the 7th inning after he breezed through an eight-pitch sixth, and it made the line look even worse. It’s really just the second bad start for Varland, whose ERA/WHIP was a very respectable 3.51/1.21 before the blow-up and who has logged at least six innings in six of his eight starts. Yes, the Blue Jays stream tonight is iffy. I’d go for it if you don’t care about ratios in a daily transaction league. Next week, he’s got the Tigers who rank 28th in runs per game and home runs and are last in slugging. The hard contact will hopefully be less of a factor.
Braxton Garrett SP Marlins
Last start: Monday, June 5th vs. Royals 5IP W 4ER 6H 0BB 6K
Next start: Sunday, June 11th @ White Sox
1 start next week: Saturday, June 17th @ Nationals
We know Braxton Garrett won’t get a lot of run support on a bottom-half offense, and we know the Marlins have yet to let him throw more than 87 pitches in a game this season. Though this might limit his upside in general, his bat-missing ability (29% whiff rate ranks in the 71st percentile) and his stellar walk rate (1.85 BB/9) still make him intriguing, especially for a pitcher so widely available. Even not at his best against the Royals on Monday, he was able to generate 17 swinging strikes on 75 pitches and didn’t walk a batter. With tomorrow’s matchup (at the White Sox) and next week’s opponent (at Washington) being favorable, he’s still an ideal streaming option in most formats.
Griffon Canning SP Angels
Last start: Sunday, June 4th @ Astros 6IP 1ER 4H 1BB 4K
Next start: Sunday, June 11th vs. Mariners
1 start next week: Saturday, June 17th @ Royals
Judging by roster percentage, many fantasy managers might not have noticed that Griffon Canning has put together three quality starts in a row. Two starts ago, he induced 20 swinging strikes against the White Sox, and just this Monday he held a decent Astros lineup to just one run over six innings. His results aren’t eye-popping, but he’s only surrendered more than three runs twice over nine starts. The best part: he’s got two very favorable matchups upcoming. Both the Mariners (tomorrow) and Royals (next week) rank in the bottom 10 in home runs and rank 25th and 26th in OPS. That’s perfect for a guy with a little trouble limiting hard contact (15th percentile average exit velo, 19th in hard hit rate, and a 1.5 HR/9). Perfect for deep leagues, not bad for less-than-deep leagues.