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Mike's starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 11 of 2025 (June 9 - June 15). These are his top free-agent pitchers to add and stream.
Welcome, everyone, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 11 of the 2025 season (June 9 - June 15). In this weekly piece, we search for starting pitchers rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues. For deeper leagues, we try to find pitchers rostered in less than 30 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
As I write these weekly pieces, I look deeply into stats and try to recall that I should overlook no one, keeping an open mind to what I see in the data, and looking for arms that can help my injury-ravaged staff in multiple leagues.
Let's see what is on the waiver wire this week. There are options for any league here. Keep in mind that players in your league are always seeking to improve their squads as well. You need to be as proactive as possible and add players before your league wakes up to them. At the end of the article, you will see players rostered in less than 15% of leagues who could help your squad.
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Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered between 30-50% on Yahoo!
Lance McCullers Jr., Houston Astros (45% rostered)
I just love that McCullers looks like he is back and healthy again. He earned his first win since 2022 this week, throwing six full innings while striking out seven batters, and showing that he can go deeper into games. Take away a horrendous start last month in which he only got one out while yielding seven runs, and McCullers has allowed three runs or less in five of six starts.
What catches my eye are the strikeout totals: eight, 12, and seven in his last three starts, while limiting the walks to five. Grab him now before your league mates catch up to him.
Griffin Canning, New York Mets (40% rostered)
Raise your hand if you were aware that Canning has six wins and a 2.90 ERA this season. The veterans started off June with another great start, going six innings while scattering three hits and a run amid seven strikeouts. How is he doing it?
See below: he is keeping the ball on the ground as well as any pitcher in Major League Baseball right now. Take a look at Canning if you are looking for back-of-the-rotation help this weekend.
Jack Leiter, Texas Rangers (36% rostered)
Leiter continues to impress me and appears on this list again. I am unsure why he is not rostered more at this point. He has surrendered three runs or fewer in five consecutive starts, and has gone at least five innings in each. The strikeout numbers are inching up as well, with six each in his last two starts.
Limiting walks remains the key for Leiter. He has four wins, a tidy 3.48 ERA, and a 1.16 WHIP on the season. Leiter is a guy more teams should be taking a chance on in many leagues.
Zack Littell, Tampa Bay Rays (31% rostered)
Yes, I know he is not a stylish pick, but Littell has been outstanding for Tampa Bay this year. Looking at the chart below, you can see he had four wins in May with a terrific 2.88 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. The blemish here is that there is no strikeout upside.
We all want that, but in reality, we also need serviceable pitchers who will give us worry-free innings and help us control our crafted ratios and perhaps nab a win along the way. Littell has six wins, a useful 3.68 ERA, and a 1.09 WHIP despite his paltry 52 strikeouts in 80 innings.
Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered in less than 30% on Yahoo!
Chris Paddack, Minnesota Twins (24% rostered)
It's time to let people know that I have been keeping Paddack out of these weekly articles because I have been waiting for the implosion. It has not happened yet. He was simply outstanding in his last start, giving up only a home run in eight full innings while striking out 10 batters.
Paddack has gone at least five innings in 1o straight starts, which helps you add innings to your teams while controlling volatility. He has two wins, a 3.58 ERA, and a 1.16 WHIP on the season through 65 innings. Since his first start, in which he coughed up nine earned runs, Paddack has been outstanding.
Zebby Matthews, Minnesota Twins (23% rostered)
Matthews is finding his way with the Twins now, and he should be finding his way onto more fantasy rosters as well. The youngster went five full innings in his last start, scattering four hits and a run with four strikeouts. In the process, he also nabbed his first win of the 2025 season.
Based on his history, we can expect the walks to come down, and if he can keep anywhere near that 30.1% K%, he could be in business. I would rather take a shot on Matthews than a veteran starter barely hanging on.
Edward Cabrera, Miami Marlins (21% rostered)
I have been high on Cabrera for his natural arm talent, but he has made a change that has me truly intrigued in having him on more rosters. While inefficiency remains an issue for the big right-hander, his pitch mix change has yielded results for him. He is using his sinker more, which is also his best fastball, and has lowered his arm angle, which seems to have given him better command.
See the chart below that shows the changes in his arm angle per pitch over the years. Cabrera could be a game-changer if he can keep those gains. He has two wins, a 3.99 ERA, and a little bloated 1.47 WHIP with 53 strikeouts in 47 innings. At the very least, he is worth rostering and playing in good matchups.
Charlie Morton, Baltimore Orioles (15% rostered)
Is Charlie Morton back? You may think I have lost what is left of my limited mental acumen, but hear me out. Exiled to the bullpen, injuries made a return to the rotation a need for the Orioles. Since his return, Morton has been excellent. See for yourself below. What I see: the walks are under control again, the strikeout numbers are creeping up, and his curveball has become his best and most often used pitch.
I know he is 41 and the bottom could drop out at any time, but Morton is also a wily veteran who has figured out how to get guys out at the game's highest level for almost 20 years now. Keep in mind that the Orioles are also starting to play better after a horrendous start.
Other Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Options
- Dean Kremer, Baltimore Orioles (12% rostered)
- Landon Knack, Los Angeles Dodgers (9% rostered)
- Adrian Houser, Chicago White Sox (4% rostered)
Happy hunting for starting pitchers this weekend! If you have questions, you can always message me on X @mdrc0508. You can even tell me you hate these picks. Remember that fantasy baseball is supposed to be fun above everything. Enjoy it!
More Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Advice
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