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Mike's starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 16 of 2025 (July 21 - July 27). These are his top free-agent pitchers to add and stream.
Welcome, everyone, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 16 of the 2025 season (July 21 - July 27). 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 we head to the All-Star break later today, you will probably take the week to take stock of your teams. If your teams look anything like mine, you have several that are in desperate need of starting pitching. Health and consistency are my needs.
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!
Ryne Nelson. Arizona Diamondbacks (50% rostered)
Nelson has helped keep the Diamondbacks afloat with his performance this season. He has been good in a starting role, earning three wins in his last five starts and mostly keeping batters off-balance. Nelson only went four innings in his last start.
But in his previous five starts before Friday night, Nelson had gone at least five innings and struck out at least four hitters. The 3.68 ERA and 1.07 WHIP are very usable in all leagues. Roster Nelson this weekend.
Eury Perez, Miami Marlins (48% rostered)
You can see Perez strengthening in the box below. He has gone six and five innings in his last two starts, striking out seven and then eight batters. In his return from Tommy John surgery in 2023, Perez looks like a guy who should be rostered in every league.
Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates (47% rostered)
I know Keller will not get much hype anywhere, as he only has three wins for the woeful Pirates. However, his other stats look great: a 3.58 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, and 89 strikeouts in 113 innings. The strikeouts are lower than we like for fantasy purposes.
With the trade deadline looming in three short weeks, Keller is likely to go to a team that will provide him some run support. When he gives up more than one run, he has no wins and four losses in 10 such outings. He will soon be on a better team.
Brayan Bello, Boston Red Sox (41% rostered)
Bello threw a complete game this past week, striking out 10 hitters in the process. Yes, it was the Rockies, but his evolving approach and maturity are striking to me. His command of the change-up and working in his cutter more are getting results.
I feel like he could be primed for a good second half. The knock on Bello is that he doesn't strike out lots of hitters, but that could change with continued trust in his pitch development. He also boasts a 53.1% groundball percentage. Grab him now.
Trevor Rogers, Baltimore Orioles (37% rostered)
Rogers was a forgotten fantasy asset due to his struggles, but he has reemerged after an awful 2024 season, where he went 2-11 with a 4.92 ERA. The key seems to be that he has added velocity to his four-seamer and sinker.
He is never going to be a strikeout guy, but he can get five or six and can help with ratio control. Here is hoping he can maintain this. Check out the added velocity in the box below, notably on the four-seamer and sinker.
Adrian Houser, Chicago White Sox (34% rostered)
Houser has been a revelation for a White Sox team that needs starting pitchers to eat innings. He is 5-2 through nine starts with a 1.56 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. Similar to Rogers, he has added some velocity to his pitches after offseason work to address that issue.
See the chart below. Adding the velocity has allowed him to limit hard contact and induce groundballs at a 47.3% clip. In those nine starts, Houser has gone at least five innings in all nine of them. The White Sox have 32 wins, and Houser has five of them.
Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered in less than 30% on Yahoo!
Emmet Sheehan, Los Angeles Dodgers (28% rostered)
Sheehan is a bit of a wild card right now as his role with the Dodgers is slightly undefined. He was slated to pitch bulk innings behind Shohei Ohtani this weekend. That could be his role moving forward, or he could replace a struggling Dustin May.
As Ohtani builds up, and when Blake Snell returns, Sheehan could be out of a job. But he has pitched well in his comeback from Tommy John surgery. The Dodgers will find a place for pitchers who can get key outs for them.
Landen Roupp, San Francisco Giants (27% rostered)
Roupp is quietly developing into an excellent third starter in San Francisco, and very few fantasy players roster him. He has six wins, a 3.39 ERA, a slightly high 1.46 WHIP, and 81 strikeouts in 91 innings. More players should be taking him seriously.
Roupp has developed a curveball and a cutter that are allowing him to use his sinker quite a bit less, as seen below. This approach will enable him to allow soft contact and essentially keep the ball on the ground. Consider adding Roupp this weekend.
Charlie Morton, Baltimore Orioles (24% rostered)
What will it take for you to believe in Morton again? I am not sure what else he can do to get on your roster. He has four wins in his last seven starts and 43 strikeouts in 36 innings. He has thrown at least five innings in his previous five starts.
I think people might be scared off by his age, but you can see how good he has been since he was inserted back into the rotation. Can he continue this late-career resurgence? I am hoping.
Joe Boyle, Tampa Bay Rays (24% rostered)
Boyle's role is uncertain moving forward, but his skill set is worth having on your team. Pitching in a bulk relief role, Boyle may end up being the option relieving Drew Rasmussen, who is going to have his innings limited moving forward.
Boyle could be a nice option in leagues where weekly starts are limited, where you could put him into an SP slot and have him pitch in bulk while not costing you a start. Boyle boasts a 28.5% K% and a 98.3 average miles per hour.
Cam Schlittler, New York Yankees (21% rostered)
The rookie Schlittler should be in the rotation in New York at least for the short term. He did fine in his first start, pitching into the sixth and nabbing seven strikeouts. With Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt out for the year, Schlittler has an opportunity.
When Luis Gil returns from the IL, he could be moved from the rotation, but I would argue he is already better than veteran Marcus Stroman. The Yankees have not announced their rotation coming out of the break.
Other Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Options
- Simeon Woods Richardson, Minnesota Twins (14% rostered)
- Logan Allen, Cleveland Guardians (14% rostered)
- Frankie Montas, New York Mets (9% rostered)
- Joey Cantillo, Cleveland Guardians (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!
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