MLB FAAB Factor: Top Fantasy Baseball Waiver Targets

This FAAB article is in addition to the AL and NL FAAB articles that run Sunday. Bids are based on a $100 FAAB budget. Throughout the season, this column will have two goals:

1. Identify FAAB targets for fantasy managers in leagues with Thursday FAAB.

2. Offer a preview of FAAB targets ahead of Sunday's columns.

Aaand... exhale. After weeks of hype and speculation, the trade deadline has finally come and gone. In its wake, we find ourselves with a very interesting waiver landscape. Several players now find themselves in a greater role with a team that has better odds to make a run for a title; meanwhile, some organizations that sold have elected to fill the holes on their rosters with highly touted prospects. Both sorts of players are scattered among the names listed below, as well as the usual batch of players who are simply finding a lot of success as of late, and all of them could provide your squad with the boost it needs as we enter the final months of the season.

The number in parentheses represents the player's rostership rate in Yahoo leagues.

Starting Pitcher

 Jackson Jobe, Detroit Tigers (13%)

Jobe hasn't pitched since May 2025 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but the Tigers are expected to insert him back into the rotation this weekend during their upcoming series against the Giants. There's plenty of room for him on the big-league staff now that Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize are out of town, and there's also plenty of upside to be had with the 24-year-old righty, who was considered to be one of the top prospects in the game not too long ago. He put up strong numbers during his rehab assignment, logging a 1.76 ERA and 1.17 WHIP to go with a 17:4 K:BB across 15.1 innings. Jobe may not be that dominant out of the gates while pitching in the majors for the first time in nearly 15 months, but he still figures to be capable of helping out fantasy managers during the final months of the season. FAAB: $4

 Clay Holmes, Chicago Cubs (37%)

If I had a nickel for every time the Cubs traded for a starting pitcher from the Mets this season to make up for all the injuries in their rotation, I'd have two nickels... which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice, right? Holmes made his way to Chicago in the more recent of the two deals, and after having spent the past three months on the injured list with a fractured fibula, he's set to make his Cubs debut this weekend against the Royals. The 33-year-old was on his way toward enjoying a career year before getting hurt, posting a 2.39 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 52.2 innings across nine starts. Now that Holmes has a Cubs defense behind him that rates as far superior to what he was working with in Queens, opposing offenses should have even more trouble scoring on him while he induces ground balls at an elite 55.3 percent clip. FAAB: $2

 David Peterson, Chicago Cubs (19%)

If I had a nickel for every ti– okay, I won't make you read the same opening sentence again. I'll just skip to the part where I point out that Peterson has been much more effective on the mound since moving from New York to Chicago, surrendering two runs or fewer in five of his six starts as a Cub and just four runs total over 23.2 innings across his last four starts. Much like his old/new teammate, Clay Holmes, Peterson is at his best when he's forcing hitters to keep the ball on the ground and has been enjoying the benefits of Chicago's talented defense. That said, the 30-year-old lefty is also capable of delivering an occasional strikeout-heavy performance, as he did Saturday while tying his season high with eight punch outs. His place in the rotation will be less secure once Edward Cabrera (hamstring) returns from the IL, but Peterson could still provide a few more effective outings in the meantime. FAAB: $1

Relief Pitcher

 Luke Weaver, Pittsburgh Pirates (29%)

The Cubs weren't the only NL Central team interested in importing arms from Queens, as Weaver made his way to Pittsburgh ahead of the trade deadline Monday. The Pirates had been relying on Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery to close games, and although those two could still be in the mix, Weaver is likely to receive the majority of ninth-inning opportunities after posting a 1.84 ERA and 0.82 WHIP in 44 innings with the Mets. FAAB: $5

 Brandyn Garcia, Arizona Diamondbacks (19%)

Manager Torey Lovullo formally announced last week that Paul Sewald has been removed from the closer role due to his recent struggles. Garcia wasn't officially named as the replacement, but he's been the one to lock down each of the D-backs' last two saves. He's certainly pitched well enough to deserve the closer title, logging a 2.03 ERA and 0.77 WHIP in 31 innings – pretty impressive for someone who finished with a 5.65 ERA a year ago. Kevin Ginkel, Jonathan Loaisiga and Juan Morillo will also be in the running for saves until Lovullo decides on a go-to option, but I'd put my money on Garcia to come out on top. FAAB: $3

Catcher

 Tyler Stephenson, Cincinnati Reds (13%)

Stephenson's performance has been on the rise since early June, but he's really kicked things into high gear since the All-Star break, slashing .326/.431/.674 with three homers, eight RBI and eight runs scored in his first 13 games of the second half. The Reds weren't able to move him to a contender ahead of the trade deadline, which probably would have elevated his counting-stat potential, but the 29-year-old's fantasy value has still received a recent boost from the Reds using him as their cleanup hitter in each of his last four starts. Between his new position in the order and his hot bat, there are enough reasons to consider adding Stephenson despite the unchanging scenery. FAAB: $3

First Baseman

 Royce Lewis, Minnesota Twins (43%)

Lewis has been on a nice run at the plate recently, stringing together a 10-game hitting streak while going 14-for-37 (.378) with a pair of homers, seven RBI, five runs and a steal. He now sports a .726 OPS for the season but carries a more impressive .272/.337/.495 slash line over 205 plate appearances since returning from his stint at Triple-A on June 6. With a red-hot bat, a stable position in the heart of Minnesota's batting order and fantasy eligibility at all three bases, Lewis could make for a valuable addition as the Twins push for their first postseason berth since 2023. FAAB: $3

Second Baseman

 Cole Young, Seattle Mariners (21%)

Young has worked as Seattle's leadoff man in 13 of the team's last 14 games, and he's slashed .316/.371/.456 with a homer, three RBI and six runs scored during that span. He was at risk of moving back down the lineup once Brendan Donovan returned from his groin injury, but Young has maintained his spot atop the order in the two games that have followed Donovan's activation. The Mariners' offense hasn't exactly been a bountiful source of runs this season, ranking as the third-worst scoring offense in the big leagues, but any team's leadoff hitter is usually going to be a safe bet to score regularly, and Young has already done so 54 times this year, so consider him if you need to make up ground in that area. FAAB: $2

 Osleivis Basabe, San Francisco Giants (2%)

Basabe was brought up from Triple-A on July 28 to serve as extra infield depth while Casey Schmitt (knee) is on the IL. However, with Schmitt likely lost for the season and trade-deadline acquisition Marcelo Mayer (forearm) without a return timeline, Basabe seems to be in line for regular opportunities at the keystone for the foreseeable future. He's done a great job making an early case for himself, blasting three of his six hits over the outfield wall while collecting eight RBI and three runs through the first five games of August. The 25-year-old posted a .732 OPS at Triple-A and hadn't appeared in the majors since 2023 before last week, but the early success he's found in his new role could make him worth picking up if other options aren't available. FAAB: $1

Third Baseman

 Willi Castro, Colorado Rockies (43%)

Castro has made a few appearances on this list over the course of the season, in part because of his eligibility at every position other than catcher. His versatility remains a contributing factor toward his recommendation this week, but so is his batting, as he has hit six homers and logged a 1.016 OPS in 15 games since the All-Star break. He's also picked up 11 RBI, 12 runs and a steal during that stretch. The 29-year-old already has set a new career high with 13 long balls on the season, and he's just a dozen RBI away from reaching the personal best he set for himself back in 2024 during his time with the Twins. FAAB: $3

Shortstop

George Lombard, New York Yankees (41%)

The trade deadline sparked a lot of change to the Yankees' roster, including the decision to swap out Anthony Volpe for Lombard, who is widely considered to be the top prospect in the organization. The 21-year-old made a great first impression in the big leagues by slugging his first career home run in his second career at-bat Tuesday, and he added another hit Wednesday to make him 2-for-6 through his first couple of games. Lombard figures to start every day at shortstop for the Pinstripes moving forward, and with strong on-base skills, growing power and above-average speed, he has the potential to be a true all-around contributor right away. FAAB: $12

 Angel Genao, Cleveland Guardians (12%)

If one premier infield prospect wasn't enough, how about another? Genao got the call to the majors Wednesday to help cover for Jose Ramirez's hand injury and Brayan Rocchio's recent struggles. Although he didn't hit a home run in his MLB debut like Lombard, Genao made headlines by becoming the first player in franchise history (and 22nd in MLB's modern era) to record four hits in his MLB debut. He also added an RBI and a run for good measure. His path to playing time isn't quite clear just yet, as Ramirez hasn't been placed on the injured list, and the Guardians haven't officially pivoted to Genao as their everyday shortstop. However, his debut definitely put him on the right track, and he's worthy of picking up just in case he does land a regular starting job. FAAB: $10

 Andruw Monasterio, Boston Red Sox (7%)

Monasterio probably wouldn't be getting nearly as much playing time as he is if it weren't for the plethora of injuries to Boston's infielders, but he's been making good use of the opportunities he's getting. He's collected hits in 16 of his last 17 games while slashing a cool .400/.470/.691 in that span and tallying two long balls, 13 RBI and 10 runs. The Red Sox don't seem to be on the verge of returning any infielders from the injured list in the near future, so Monasterio shouldn't be at risk of losing playing time soon. There's also a chance that his torrid stretch of hitting – if it continues – buys him a regular spot in the Sox's lineup even after the team returns to full health, but that remains to be determined. For now, enjoy the cheap production he can give you from any of the four infield positions. FAAB: $1

Outfielder

 Max Clark, Detroit Tigers (47%)

I missed out on getting the chance to cover Clark last week, as he was called up from Triple-A just moments after I finished writing last week's article. Thankfully, he still has a sub-50-percent rostership rate on both Yahoo and ESPN, so I'll take the opportunity to profile him now after his first week in the majors. Early verdict: He's good. The 21-year-old already has seven hits and two multi-hit outings through his first five starts while adding a home run, three RBI and four runs. He's almost certainly going to start every day the rest of the way for the Tigers, and although it's a little confusing that the team decided to promote him while also committing to selling at the trade deadline, fantasy managers aren't going to complain about having a new high-upside outfielder to work with. FAAB: $15

 Hector Rodriguez, Cincinnati Reds (14%)

Rodriguez checks in as one of the best prospects in the Reds' system, and although Cincy didn't trade from its outfield corps before the deadline, the team decided to call up the 22-year-old anyway Tuesday. His debut (0-2, BB, R) wasn't as glamorous as that of the other newcomers mentioned above, but he still offers plenty of potential from a fantasy perspective after slashing .274/.347/.533 with 27 home runs in 104 games at Triple-A Louisville. With Spencer Steer out indefinitely due to a partial tear in his wrist, the lefty-hitting Rodriguez is most likely to start in right field or as the designated hitter against right-handed starters. FAAB: $5

Find out who to target the rest of the way with RotoWire's MLB Rest of Season Projections!