It really is the best day of the year. If not the best, then it has to be top-five, right? To be safe and avoid any confusion, we are talking about Opening Day. I know you have just carefully drafted your teams, but that shouldn’t stop you from looking to improve it. In the unfortunate case that injuries have taken hold, and we know that’s unavoidable, moves must be made. At the very least, things are changing on a daily basis as news evolves. We always should be considering our waiver wire options, so let’s kick the year off by looking at some names to consider.
As we go through this process on a weekly basis, the criteria for inclusion will be any player rostered in less than 50% of Fantrax leagues (as of 3/27). Our options will be listed at increasing levels of availability. The threshold does take players such as Victor Scott and Jared Jones out of the sample, but if they are still available in your league, they shouldn’t be.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Recommendations
Jake Fraley, OF, Cincinnati Reds
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Jake Fraley had a solid 2023 season, but with the overabundance of young talent swirling around in Cincinnati, his role was going to be minimized in 2024. After injuries (Matt McLain and TJ Friedl) and suspension (Noelvi Marte) things are now vastly different. That means Fraley is slated to bat cleanup for the Reds to begin the season.
Despite the aforementioned names that will be sidelined, the Reds still have a strong lineup. We also cannot overlook the favorable conditions of Great American Park, so it goes without saying that we would be interested in Fraley.
In 111 games and 380 plate appearances, last year, Fraley provided solid production. The outfielder hit .256 with 15 home runs while stealing 21 bases to go along with 65 RBI. Fraley doesn’t do much that truly stands out, but the RBI will be there and can we really argue with a player who can easily be on a 20/20 pace?
Griffin Jax, RP, Minnesota Twins
And so it begins. After a 2023 season that saw very little drama with regard to closers, we are on high alert to begin 2024. Within the top and middle tiers, things seemed to be relatively calm for the majority of draft season, but then things went a little crazy. One of the injuries was to Jhoan Duran which puts Griffin Jax in a position to begin the season as Minnesota’s closer.
This likely won’t be a truly short-term injury for Duran so we could be looking at a sizable amount of saves from Jax. Last season, Jax saved four games so he does have at least minimal experience in the role. There are two things to like here; strikeouts and ground balls. Jax can be expected to strike out a batter per inning and with a 55.6% ground ball rate last year, he does a good job of limiting damage. Additionally, with just 0.69 home runs allowed per nine innings, Jax keeps the ball in the park. And with a 3.3% barrel rate against last year, hitters simply aren’t squaring Jax up.
In Duran’s absence, this should be a natural progression to ninth-inning success.
Kevin Ginkel, RP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Let’s keep the closer train continuing. Heading towards Opening Day, we thought we were in the clear, but down went Paul Sewald. Within the Arizona bullpen, Kevin Ginkel appears to be the next man up, so naturally that is where our attention will go.
With four saves last year, the role won’t be completely foreign to Ginkel so that helps. We will have to deal with some volatility after he walked 3.17 batters per nine innings last year. The good news though, is that with a 2.48 ERA and 2.86 FIP, it didn’t negatively impact his performance. That is driven by just 0.41 home runs allowed per nine innings along with a 50.3% ground ball rate. Hitters haven’t been squaring up Ginkel, and with a 9.5-degree average launch, the ball isn’t exactly being launched against the right-hander.
It doesn’t appear to be a truly short-term thing for Sewald so we could be looking at a minimum of 10 potential saves.
Luis Gil, SP, New York Yankees
Once a top prospect, injuries and poor performance almost began to render Luis Gil irrelevant. An injury to Gerrit Cole now provides Gil with the opportunity to be in the Yankees’ rotation for at least the first month or two of the season. The pedigree and talent for the right-hander was there, but injuries have been more prevalent as of late.
With just four professional innings last year and 25.2 the year prior, it has not been smooth sailing for Gil as of late. The good news though, is that he combined opportunity with success this spring. In 15.2 innings, Gil struck out 23 batters while posting a 2.87 ERA and 0.83 WHIP to earn his spot in the rotation. Run support shouldn’t be an issue for Gil. Prolific strikeout totals aren’t uncommon for Gil, and that upside is a fine place to start.
Tylor Megill, SP, New York Mets
Let’s move cross-town and dig deeper into Tylor Megill. The right-hander is back in New York’s rotation after showing flashes of success over parts of each of the last three years with the Mets. Entering 2024 though, the difference appears to be an improved pitch mix and approach for Megill as he added a splitter over the winter.
So far this spring, we were able to see the benefits of that over 20.2 innings. Megill posted a 3.92 ERA while striking out 10 batters per nine innings and generating a 61.5% ground ball rate. It is a small sample size, but also a departure from rates between 40.9% and 43.9% in the last three years. After striking out close to 10 batters per nine innings in 2021 and 2022, those numbers dropped to 7.48 last year while his walk rate jumped.
With a rotation spot to begin the season, Megill is in a good spot to bounce back and take advantage of his new pitch.
J.D. Davis, 1B/3B, Oakland A’s
What happened to J.D. Davis is less than ideal after he was released by the San Francisco Giants after winning his arbitration case. Davis found his way to Oakland where he promptly will be inserted into the middle of the order. We do have to caveat things with the weak lineup and cavernous ballpark, but that doesn’t mean Davis should be ignored.
The everyday playing time should help after Davis finished with 18 home runs and 69 RBI in 546 plate appearances last year. A year after posting a 16.2% barrel rate, it dropped down to 9.5% last year, so we will be looking for a resurgence. It also means that Davis is capable of getting back to that level as he consistently posts strong exit velocities.
Dominic Canzone, OF, Seattle Mariners
A strong Spring Training catapulted Dominic Canzone into the Opening Day lineup for Seattle. This comes after Canzone previously flew under the radar. Canzone had a strong performance in Triple-A last year as he hit .354 with 16 home runs in 71 games to go along with 71 RBI. That production didn’t carry through though as he hit just .220 in 182 plate appearances at the major league level.
This spring though, Canzone found success as he hit .295 with a .409 ISO. That led to four home runs and 11 RBI as he also stole two bases. Despite the struggles last year, Canzone did have a 12.1% barrel rate along with a .470 xSLG compared to a .399 slugging percentage. There is some power potential here and Canzone also has two seasons of double-digit stolen bases in the minor leagues. As he begins the season with regular playing time, Canzone is worth a look.
Jared Triolo, 2B/3B, Pittsburgh Pirates
In 209 plate appearances with the Pirates last season, Triolo hit .298. That came after a .286 batting average in Triple-A prior to his promotion. The problem though, is that those performances also came with BABIPs of .411 and .440. With that being said, it was only natural to have expectations more in line with his .258 xBA.
With a .310 batting average this spring, Triolo has picked up right where he left off. Both the strikeouts and walks are present for Triolo. Despite his track record of success, it’s difficult to expect him to hit more than .250. We’ll likely get minimal power and speed from Triolo, but we also get regular playing time. That comes with solid counting stats and positional flexibility.
For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.
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