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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds for Week 24

By Taylor Tarter
Jasson Dominguez Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire

Here are some waiver wire targets ahead of Week 24 that you should consider adding. The following recommendations are organized as deep and shallow league targets. Of course, the players you choose to add and drop from your team should largely depend on your league size and the roster construction of your team.

More great fantasy baseball advice and analysis: Waiver Wire & FAAB Recommendations | Daily MLB Injury Report | MLB DFS Picks | Line-up Analysis | Dynasty Rankings and Strategy | MLB Bullpen Updates | MLB Player Props | Prospect Rankings & Analysis | Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Recommendations

Deep League Targets

C Bo Naylor – CLE

It took a little while, but Bo Naylor looks locked in at the plate. Since August 28, Naylor has a .333 AVG with three homers, five runs, seven RBI, and a stolen base. On the season, he has eight home runs, 21 runs, 23 RBI, two steals, and a .221 AVG. Here is his latest:

Perhaps the biggest issue affecting Naylor right now is his .255 BABIP. This could be suppressing his batting average some, considering he has a 20% LD rate and a 40% Pull rate. While his barrel and HardHit rates are below league average, he has done other things well, which should equate to a better BABIP and AVG.

Naylor has avoided groundballs, possessing a solid 30% GB rate. His contact rate is 80% and his chase rate is 30%. Those are skills that should lead to a better AVG than his current .221.

With a 49% flyball rate and an 18% HR/FB rate, Naylor’s eight home runs actually look low. He could be a sneaky source of homers for you in the last few weeks.

With so much going well for Naylor right now, this is the perfect time to add him from the waiver wire.

CI Yoan Moncada – CWS

Yoan Moncada has a hit in each of his first five games in September. As of this writing, he has a six-game hit streak and has hits in 14 of his last 15 games. During that span, he gained 30 points in batting average, going from a .227 AVG to .257. Here is a shot of back-to-back homers for Andrew Vaughn and Moncada:

Over the last 15 days, Moncada has two home runs, four runs, eight RBI, and a .415 AVG. He is up to six home runs, 26 runs, 30 RBI, and one steal.

Moncada is a flawed player, but this recent hot streak makes him a great addition at the moment. Even with a career-worst 33% chase rate, plus 28% K and 72% contact rates – his worst marks since 2020 – he remains a fantasy asset.

After a major batting average dip last season, Moncada has recovered, fixing a major issue. His line drive and pull rates dropped in 2022, lowering his BABIP. Those issues have been corrected. He has a 26% LD rate and a career-high 45% pull rate. Those adjustments have helped him to a .344 BABIP, two points higher than his career average.

Even though Moncada carries strikeout risk, he has made adjustments and improvements from last season. He is definitely worth a waiver wire add in deep leagues.

MI Noelvi Marte – CIN

Through his first 11 games, Noelvi Marte struggled to a .171 AVG with two runs and two RBI. Since September rolled around though, Marte has turned things around. This month, he has a hit in five of six games, batting .400 with a homer, four runs, and five RBI. He began the month with a .211 AVG, but has improved it to .255. Here is his first career homer:

Marte has a 67% groundball rate, which has been, and remains, his biggest issue. He has worked to improve that, however, adding to his line drive rate. He has a 20% LD rate, but a very low 18% FB rate. The root of these issues is a negative launch angle, something that the hitting coaches in Cincinnati should help correct.

Even with some issues, Marte’s peripherals look good. He has a near-league-average 7.7% barrel rate and a 46% HardHit rate that is well above league average. If he can just lift the ball a little more, the home runs will start racking up.

If Marte cannot make the adjustments to pick up more homers and hits over the last few weeks of the season, he should continue to help with steals. He has five after playing 17 games. And he had at least 17 steals in every minor league season.

Marte appears to be improving and could be an excellent waiver wire pickup for fantasy managers needing speed or middle infield depth.

OF Nelson Velazquez – KC

Nelson Velazquez is widely available and may be one of the most undervalued players in fantasy. He has 11 home runs, 23 runs, and 21 RBI in just 35 games. He also has a .250 AVG with a .230 BABIP. Here is homer number 11 for Velazquez:

Velazquez has a chance to be one of the hottest hitters over the final weeks of the season. His BABIP is very low for someone who has a 19% LD rate and a 56.9% pull rate. He also has 15 barreled balls, equating to a 20% barrel rate. His HardHit rate is 48%. If he qualified, those would be first and 23rd among all qualified batters. For perspective, Ronald Acuna Jr. and Shohei Ohtani lead baseball with 70 barreled balls, and they have each played in 100 more games than Velazquez.

Velazquez has also made improvements from his debut in 2022, increasing his contact rate, and lowering his strikeout rate. Those adjustments, along with excellent quality of contact, should lead to an increase in hits.

Velazquez has an incredibly high 39% flyball rate. That could sustain with his hard contact, but with a 10-degree launch angle, it appears he may be getting fortunate in the home run department.

If you need some help in the outfield, Velazquez is an excellent option off the waiver wire.

SP Reese Olson – DET

On the surface, Reese Olson’s 4.65 ERA appears ugly. Digging deeper, though, Olson looks like a solid option as a deep league starter.

He has an 8.9 K/9 rate, striking out just under one batter per inning. He also has a 2.7 BB/9 rate, which is better than league average. Olson tosses five pitches, but three are particularly effective. His changeup has a .231 batting average against, a 34% whiff rate, and a 17% putaway rate. His curveball has a .231 BAA, a 26% whiff rate, and a 21% putaway rate. But Olson’s best pitch is arguably his slider. It has a .222 BAA, a 42% whiff rate, and a 22% putaway rate.

Here he is getting his first big league strikeout on that nasty slider:

While Olson’s strand rate is below league average at 68%, his groundball rate is a modest 42%. This appears to be an issue with his defense. Detroit has the third most errors and the third worst fielding percentage. If he had better defensive help, he could potentially avoid runs and improve his ERA.

In fact, with a .280 BABIP and a league average 12% HR/FB rate, his 4.00 xFIP and 4.07 SIERA look more realistic than his actual ERA.

Trust that things will continue to go right for Olson, and add him from the waiver wire.

Shallow League Targets

C Mitch Garver  – TEX

Mitch Garver continues to earn playing time and produce. In five September games, Garver has three home runs, four runs, six RBI, and a .500 AVG. On the season, he has 16 home runs, 34 runs, 42 RBI, and a .288 AVG. He has surpassed his teammate Jonah Heim in homers and AVG in about 160 fewer PAs. Here is Garver’s latest bomb:

Garver has improved in important areas from last season. He has a 15% barrel rate and a 47% HardHit rate. Those are the second and third highest marks of his career. He also would rank first and second in those categories respectively among catchers if he qualified.

Garver has also improved his plate discipline. Hi chase rate is 20%, its best since 2020, while his 79% contact rate is the second highest of his career. He also dropped his strikeout rate from last season.

Additionally, Garver’s 22% LD rate and 47% Pull rate support his .333 BABIP. His career BABIP is .300, but with a higher LD rate this season than his career, he could sustain this high BABIP and a high AVG.

With his improvements and adjustments, Garver should be a priority waiver wire add where available.

CI Ryan O’Hearn – BAL

Ryan O’Hearn has impressed this season, tallying 11 home runs, 37 runs, 50 RBI, and a .303 AVG. O’Hearn came alive in June and his foot has been on the gas ever since. Here he is coming in clutch for the Orioles:

He has a .355 BABIP versus a career .289 BABIP, which suggests regression is on the way. With LD and Pull rates nearly matching his career norms, that supports the potential regression. Still, there are qualities to his game that should keep him fantasy relevant, even if the AVG drops.

O’Hearn’s 10% barrel rate is the second-best of his career and his 53% HardHit rate is a career-best. He has too few PAs to qualify, but if he did qualify, his HardHit rate would rank 10th in baseball. He also has a 37% FB rate – the second-highest of his career. Despite that, his 13% HR/FB rate is under his career average and the fourth lowest of his career. That could mean more homers are on the way.

O’Hearn has also improved his chase, contact, swinging strike, and strikeout rates. All except for his chase rate are career bests. Those improvements should keep his AVG afloat, even if the BABIP dips.

Keep trusting O’Hearn, and add him from the waiver wire now.

MI Jordan Lawlar – ARI

With a number of prospect graduations throughout the season, Jordan Lawlar at one point or another has been regarded as the best prospect in baseball. Now, he will get his shot with the Diamondbacks after a great minor-league campaign.

Lawlar has insane potential and could help fantasy managers in all five roto categories. Across four levels in 2022, Lawlar amassed 16 home runs, 98 runs, 62 RBI, 39 steals, and a .303 AVG in 100 games. This season, he went 20/95/67/36/.278 in 105 games between AA and AAA (mostly at AA).

Lawlar possesses elite tools. He drives the ball extremely well and pulls the ball well too. He also keeps his strikeouts in check. All but one minor league stint resulted in a 25% K rate or better. Lawlar had double-digit walk rates at each stop in the minors as well. Those skills should help him accrue hits for Arizona. And his ability to get on base should provide him with ample opportunities for steals.

He likely will slot in toward the back end of the lineup but could end up moving up in the last few weeks of the season depending on his performance.

You should make Lawlar a priority waiver wire add this week.

OF Jasson Dominguez – NYY

Jasson Dominguez has delivered in his short time in the majors so far. In five games he has three home runs, five runs, five RBI, and a .333 AVG. Here is his first nuke in Yankee Stadium:

Dominguez spent just nine games at AAA this season before earning the call. His AA campaign saw him tally 15 homers, 83 runs, 66 RBI, 37 steals, and a .254 AVG.

The home runs so far appear legit. He has barreled three balls, resulting in a 16% barrel rate and a 61% HardHit rate. Yes, the sample is small, but the signs point to Dominguez having the ability to continue to hit for power. He also has a 22% LD rate and a 50% Pull rate. This likely means he should see his .267 BABIP climb, and maintain a solid AVG.

His 42% HR/FB rate is clearly unsustainable, so his pace of home runs should slow down. That means more flyball outs are on the way. Even as the home run pace and the AVG regress, his quality of contact and his ability to avoid grounders should keep his AVG afloat.

Dominguez should have a long leash in New York, and should be a waiver wire target for anyone needing outfield help.

SP Jose Quintana – NYM

Jose Quintana just keeps finding ways to stay relevant. He has a 3.00 ERA with 39 strikeouts and 21 walks across 54 IP.

Quintana started the season late after recovering from an injury, first appearing on July 20. Including that game, he has made nine starts. While he is just 2-5 in those matchups, he has seven quality starts, making him extremely valuable in leagues that value quality starts.

This season, Quintana has outpitched his metrics slightly. He has a 6.5 K/9 rate, which is the second worst of his career. His 3.5 BB/9 is the third worst of his career. And while his 40% GB rate is decent, it is the second lowest of his career. Finally, his HR/FB rate is extremely low at 1%. This all likely means his ERA will regress.

Fortunately, Quintana has done a few things really well that should help limit the regression. His BABIP is .289, which is lower than his career rate. However, his LD and Pull rates allowed are lower than his career norms. He also has limited hard contact to a career low 32% and has the third lowest barrel rate allowed of his career at 4%. Additionally, Quintana has nearly matched his career LOB rate at 73%.

Quintana has outpitched his metrics before, as have plenty of other pitchers. While he may regress some, Quintana has proven to be a reliable arm. Those looking for pitching help should look for Quintana on the waiver wire.

Other Players to Add from Waivers

Here are a few other players available in a range of league sizes that you should consider adding if they are on your waiver wire.

  • C: Yainer Diaz, Gabriel Moreno, Shea Langeliers, Tyler Stephenson, Elias Diaz, Connor Wong, Ryan Jeffers, Luis Campusano
  • CI: Jordan Walker (OF), Ke’Bryan Hayes, Ryan Noda, Josh Rojas (2B), Donovan Solano (2B), Brandon Drury (2B), Jake Burger, Carlos Santana, Zach McKinstry (MI), Hunter Goodman, Carter Kieboom
  • MI: Royce Lewis (3B), Luis Rengifo (3B/OF), Jorge Polanco (3B), Wilmer Flores (CI), J.P. Crawford, Davis Schneider, CJ Abrams, Anthony Volpe, Ezequiel Tovar, Liover Peguero, Zack Gelof
  • OF: Nolan Jones (1B), Mark Canha (1B), Kole Calhoun (1B), Mauricio Dubon (MI), Esteury Ruiz, Kerry Carpenter, Will Brennan, Brandon Marsh, Nick Martini, James Outman, Drew Waters, Parker Meadows, Andrew Benintendi, Chas McCromick, Jason Heyward, Bryan De La Cruz, Michael Brantley, Dominic Canzone
  • SP: Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Grayson Rodriguez, Javier Assad, Matt Manning, Dean Kremer, Tarik Skubal, Griffin Canning, Johan Oviedo, Brayan Bello, Kyle Hendricks, Braxton Garrett, Kyle Harrison, Bobby Miller, Wade Miley, Jordan Wicks, Paul Blackburn, Hyun Jin Ryu, Walker Buehler, Ranger Suarez, John Means
  • RP: Trevor May, Pete Fairbanks, Kyle Finnegan, Adbert Alzolay, Tanner Scott, Alex Lange, Evan Phillips, Tyler Kinley

Prospect Waiver Wire Watch

A number of prospects are worthy of consideration for waiver wire claims due to being called up or potentially being called up. Here are a few to consider adding.

  • NYY C Austin Wells – batting .200 with a run and two RBI; legit chance to take over primary catcher role
  • SD 3B Matthew Batten – Taken over 3B with Cronenworth out and Machado at DH; 2 HR, 9 R, 6 RBI, .280 AVG
  • BOS OFs Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela – likely limited due to depth of BOS outfield
  • LAD SP Ryan Pepiot – has been sent up and down a few times, but 2.00 ERA and 11 Ks in 9 IP for Dodgers
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