Stay with us. This is not the time to stop. While things might look bleak on the waiver wire, it doesn’t mean you should ignore it. Depending on your team and your league, you never know what might be uncovered. We want you to improve your team, so let’s take a look at some Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds for Week 25.
In doing our weekly diligence, the criteria for inclusion will generally be any player rostered in less than 50% of Fantrax leagues (as of 9/13), with some exceptions. The popularity of Dynasty leagues on Fantrax does sway some of these percentages compared to other platforms, but these are players who should be on your radar.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Recommendations
Trey Sweeney, SS, Detroit Tigers
This is the time of the season for teams to see what their prospects to can do. An injury to Javier Baez helped push that along, and Sweeney is trying to take advantage of the situation.
Sweeney is hitting .224 in his first 72 plate appearances, but it comes with a BABIP of just .234. With four home runs and 12 RBI, Sweeney is showing of a little power while also stealing two bases. Detroit will continue to give their young shortstop a chance to show what he can do over the next few weeks. With a .276 batting average so far in September, Sweeney is finding his groove in adjusting to Major League pitching.
Luke Raley, 1B/OF, Seattle Mariners
Luke Raley is never going to be the most exciting option. But when he gets regular at-bats, albeit at the risk of overexposure, Raley turns in solid production. Last year he finished with 19 home runs and 14 stolen bases in 406 plate appearances and we are seeing something similar this year. Through 412 plate appearances, Raley is up to 19 home runs and 11 stolen bases while hitting .238.
Batting average is never going to be an asset here, but at this point, does it really matter? However, after hitting .264 in August, Raley is hitting .278 in September. He is clearly better against right-handed pitching, and the Mariners seem to be playing Raley consistently. You can plug Raley in at multiple spots in the lineup, and at the least, he is a replacement-level option.
Joey Bart, C, Pittsburgh Pirates
Don’t look now, but Joey Bart is turning in a solid season. While he’s never going to fulfill the top prospect expectations he previously had, it doesn’t mean that Bart can’t be a solid backstop.
Through 70 games this season, Bart has 13 home runs and 43 RBI while hitting a respectable .266. In fact, for a catcher, Bart is on the plus side of things. Now, all he needs is more playing time. But after hitting five home runs in August, he certainly earned it.
Reid Detmers, SP, Los Angeles Angels
Reid Detmers is back in the big leagues, but that is old news. More important, is Detmers’ outlook this week as he gets a start against the White Sox. Automatically, that is a huge boost for any pitcher. We will Detmers later in the week, but in facing the Astros, things will be more difficult for him.
After striking out 21 batters over 15.2 innings in his last three starts, we know where the focus is for Detmers. There is some variability that we have to factor in, if you are looking to gain ground in strikeouts, Detmers is there to help. While Detmers does have a 5.64 ERA on the season, things look a whole better when you consider his 3.68 xERA. We have seen a slight improvement in Detmers groundball rate compared to last year (36.7% to 40.3%) as appears to settle in and finish the season strong.
Tylor Megill, SP, New York Mets
Back into the rotation, Tylor Megill takes the mound twice this week. While one start does come against the Phillies, Megill’s first start of the week comes against Washington.
The Mets have been providing strong run support as Megill also gets the benefit of an improved bullpen. After making his way back into the rotation, Megill has found a groove. In his last three starts, the right-hander has a 2.35 ERA while striking out 18 batters in 15.1 innings. The right-hander has walked just four batters in that stretch to help minimize the damage.
Compared to his first stint in the majors, Megill has brought an improved approach. His ERA for the season is now down to 4.48 ERA but with a 3.52 FIP, we also get a better indication of the improvements Megill has made.