Each week during the season, the waiver wire presents new opportunities to improve your roster—and how you manage your FAAB budget can be just as important as who you add. In this weekly FAAB Report, we’ll break down the top waiver wire targets along with recommended bid ranges to help you stay aggressive where it matters while still managing your budget for the long haul.
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Week 5 MLB FAAB Report
Ildemaro Vargas (2B – Arizona Diamondbacks) – 42% Rostered
For the third week in a row, I am including Vargas, who is somehow still less than 50% rostered in Fantrax leagues and in around only 35% of starting lineups. Since last week’s FAAB report, all he has done is add another four hits. three home runs and eight RBI while extending his hit streak to 17 games to start the season. He remains in the 90th percentile or higher in K rate (13%), xBA (.365), xSLG (.573), and xwOBA (.410) and has moved up to the 85th percentile in Launch Angle Sweet Spot % (40.4%).
He is also inching closer to earning multi-position eligibility, starting each of the last three games at first base. Add it all up, and he is a must-add in all formats.
FAAB Suggestion: 5-8%
Colin Rea (SP – Chicago Cubs) – 45% Rostered
Rea started the season in the bullpen, but injuries and his solid performance have led him to a near full-time role in the rotation. He is coming off back-to-back quality starts, has won three straight, going 5+ in each, and enters his next start with an impressive 3.00 ERA.
He may not come with an elite strikeout-type arsenal that sits with just a 95 Stuff+, but he has been extremely efficient. He is only walking 5.2% of batters, which is in the 88th percentile, while also producing an elite 53.5% groundball rate, which is in the 83rd percentile. An elite 37.4% Chase rate (93rd percentile) also suggests the K rate could see an increase moving forward, especially looking at the slider, which has a 107 Stuff+.
Even with Matthew Boyd returning soon, Rea has earned a look at an extended run in the rotation and is a viable option in all formats.
FAAB Suggestion: ~5%
Dustin May (SP – St. Louis Cardinals) – 51% Rostered
After a brutal start to the season, Dustin May has settled in with the Cardinals over his last three starts. He has given up just one earned run in each of those games, picked up a quality start in two of them, and tallied 13 strikeouts and just two walks.
The K rate (18.9%) is a little concerning, but it is on the rise since the first two games, and the underlying numbers tell us he is likely to continue that positive trend. It also helps that each of his top three pitches in terms of usage has Stuff+ higher than 100. Here they are:
- Four Seam Fastball – 29% usage, 103 Stuff+
- Sweeper Slider – 19% usage, 114 Stuff+
- Sinker – 19% usage, 112 Stuff+
The floor seems solid, while the upside is somewhat speculative. In the short term, he is an excellent streaming option as a two-start pitcher next week despite the tougher matchups (@PIT, vs. LAD).
FAAB Suggestion: 1-2%
Oswald Peraza (2B/3B – Los Angeles Angels) – 44% Rostered
The Angels offense has been one of the early surprises this season, and a healthy, productive Mike Trout is a big reason why—creating a clear trickle-down effect throughout the lineup. Peraza is one of the surprises of the early season for the Angels as the career utility piece has been productive and pushed his way up the lineup.
He goes into the weekend with hits in five of his last six games and on the season, has put together an impressive .294/.360/.529 slash line and 148 wRC+. The early-season power surge (4 HR) is not sustainable with a 38.5% hard hit rate (37th percentile), but he has contributed in multiple categories, worked his way up from the bottom of the lineup, and is playing every day with multi-position eligibility. He is a viable option if you are in need of an infielder.
FAAB Suggestion: 1-2%
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