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Mike's starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 15 of 2025 (July 7 - July 13). These are his top free-agent pitchers to add and stream.
Welcome, everyone, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 15 of the 2025 season (July 7 - July 13). 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.
The beginning of July is when I pause to take full stock of my fantasy teams. Like many of you, some of my teams are competing for the money. Other teams are struggling. Yet, I will battle until the last game of the final day because that is the right thing to do.
Let's see what is on the waiver wire this week. There are options for any league here. You need to be proactive 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!
Lucas Giolito, Boston Red Sox (48% rostered)
Giolito is back, throwing the ball well, with five consecutive starts going at least six innings. He has four wins in those five starts. In four of those games, he has gotten at least five strikeouts. Giolito has been a needed lifeline to the Red Sox staff.
The veteran has now started 12 games this season and has five wins, a 3.66 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, and 58 strikeouts in 66 innings. The one word of caution is that his bad starts are usually decidedly awful, so he becomes a bit of an exercise in risk tolerance.
Eduardo Rodriguez, Arizona Diamondbacks (41% rostered)
Yes, I know the veteran lefty got rocked on Friday night. But you can't disregard an excellent month of June: Rodriguez was 2-1 in five starts with a 1.98 ERA, a slightly elevated 1.32 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts in 27 innings.
The bad outing will decrease his roster share this week, but he can still be a helpful streamer to your team moving forward. He looks to get back on track next week with a matchup against San Diego.
Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates (39% rostered)
Fantasy baseball people don't like Keller. I am not sure why that is; I am guessing it ties to the idea that many people expected him to be an ace. He isn't, but he is better than the league average and should be rostered far more.
Keller has won two straight starts and has gone at least five innings in 16 of 17 starts in 2025. His 3.64 ERA and 1.19 WHIP play in just about every league. The one thing you could quibble with is the strikeout rate, which at 18.9% is below average.
Edward Cabrera, Miami Marlins (36% rostered)
I have long been a fan of Cabrera's stuff, and it is coalescing into results. He is finally getting stretched out enough to make a difference to your roster. He has gone at least five innings now in three straight starts, nabbing at least five strikeouts in each one.
Cabrera has three wins, mostly because he has not pitched deeply into many games. But the Marlins are trying to build his value for trade, so he should be suitable for longer outings, and better results could continue for Cabrera.
Yu Darvish, San Diego Padres (36% rostered)
Darvish is a speculative pick. It is rumored that he is close to being ready for his season debut for the San Diego Padres; many had thought he might start Sunday. The 38-year-old veteran has been out all season with elbow inflammation.
Below is his Statcast data from 2024, which should remind us that he can still be a usable commodity in many leagues. If he is free, a small bid might be in order this weekend.
Eury Perez, Miami Marlins (33% rostered)
Perez is back and showing signs of the dominance he showed before his Tommy John surgery. In his last start, he went six full innings, striking out seven, walking only one, and surrendering only one hit. Look for more good starts to come.
Perez should be the guy who remains if the Marlins conduct a fire sale of starting pitchers like Cabrera and Sandy Alcantara. Perez should be on your radar and is the type of pitcher you want to beat your league mates to this week.
Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered in less than 30% on Yahoo!
Dean Kremer, Baltimore Orioles (28% rostered)
People often leave Kremer on the waiver wire, yet I think he is a useful pitcher on most fantasy rosters. He has gone at least five innings in 14 consecutive starts and has seven wins and an average 4.27 ERA.
He lacks strikeouts, with only 78 in 97 innings. But, to that end, he has at least six strikeouts in three of his last four outings. Kremer is not going to kill your ratios and might get you a win. There are certainly worse options out there.
Charlie Morton, Baltimore Orioles (23% rostered)
Morton joins his teammate Kremer here on the list of pitchers rostered in less than 30% of Yahoo leagues. Over the last month, Morton is 5-0 with a 2.37 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and 44 strikeouts in 36 innings. Don't let age fool you, he can still pitch.
If you look at his season stats, you will miss the full picture of what Morton could do for your fantasy team. Take a chance on him now. He gets the New York Mets next week.
Emmet Sheehan, Los Angeles Dodgers (21% rostered)
This is a speculative addition, but Sheehan should be a welcome addition to a rotation that could use some help right now. In his last start for the Dodgers, he went four clean innings and struck out six hitters. They will soon need a fifth starter.
Look for him to be a quick call-up in the coming days and to be someone the Dodgers can rely on. Sheehan has 36 strikeouts in 19 Triple-A innings. Grab him and stash him.
Kumar Rocker, Texas Rangers (20% rostered)
Rocker has become a usable pitcher in many fantasy leagues. He has completed at least five innings in his last four starts. The surface stats do not tell his story. He's 3-4 with a bloated 5.80 ERA, a high 1.49 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts in 45 innings.
However, a deeper dive shows us that he is 2-1 over his last five starts with a usable 3.96 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 21 innings. Results have improved with more reliance on the new cutter and less on the four-seamer.
See below; you can see what he has done. Rocker eliminated the slider in mid-June, reduced the four-seamer usage, and expanded his usage of the cutter and the sinker. This has led to a 49% ground-ball rate, suggesting he may be onto something. 
Other Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Options
- Slade Cecconi, Cleveland Guardians (12% rostered)
- German Marquez, Colorado Rockies (11% rostered)
- Marcus Stroman, New York Yankees (6% 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!
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