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Mike's starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 18 of 2025 (July 28 - August 3). These are his top free-agent pitchers to add and stream.
Welcome, everyone, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 18 of the 2025 season (July 28 - August 3). 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.
Two pitchers I would have recommended here this week, Landen Roupp and Brandon Walter, both hit the injured list on Friday. No worries, as we will pivot to other pitchers who can help you, some in the short term and some in the long term.
Let's see what is on the waiver wire this week. There are options available for any league. 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!
Eric Lauer, Toronto Blue Jays (48% rostered)
Lauer has been flying under the radar all season, and he has been a productive arm for both the Blue Jays and the savvy fantasy player. On Thursday night, Lauer went eight innings and earned a win, securing six strikeouts in the process.
The veteran lefty now has six wins, a 2.61 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, and 71 strikeouts in 69 innings. See his Statcast data below; the strikeout rate and walk rate are both excellent, and he is producing great results. Why is he less than 50% rostered?
Ryne Nelson, Arizona Diamondbacks (46% rostered)
Nelson went six scoreless innings against Pittsburgh on Friday night and struck out four hitters, but did not factor into the decision. He has only allowed eight runs in his last five starts. In 12 starts, he has six wins, a 3.29 ERA, a sparkling 1.02 WHIP, and 49 strikeouts in 63 innings.
With the Diamondbacks struggling to stay afloat in a tough NL West, they will rely on Nelson down the stretch to provide quality innings, and you can trust him to do the same for your team.
Dean Kremer, Baltimore Orioles (43% rostered)
I have folks reach out and give me a hard time about selecting Kremer for this article, because of the view that he is inconsistent. Welcome to the starting pitchers on the waiver wire. He was not great on Friday against Colorado, going six innings but giving up five runs.
Yet, Kremer has gone at least five innings in 17 of his 20 starts this season and has been mostly good those times. He has eight wins, an average 4.23 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, and 99 strikeouts in 121 innings. Kremer can help the right team.
Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels (40% rostered)
Soriano gets outs, and it's not fancy. Check out his highlighted ground ball percentage below, which at a whopping 68.5% places him in the 100th percentile in the game. He also has seven wins, a 3.79 ERA, a slightly high 1.40 WHIP, and 108 strikeouts in 126 innings.
While he might not garner lots of strikeouts, pitchers who get guys always have roles in the majors. Take a look at Soriano if you need back-of-the-rotation help.
Will Warren, New York Yankees (37% rostered)
Warren found his command again on Friday night against a difficult opponent in the Philadelphia Phillies. The second-year pitcher went into the sixth inning, notching seven strikeouts while giving up only two runs and five hits.
I know his ERA is currently 4.82, but his xERA is 4.06, and his FIP is 3.70. What I like about Warren is the strikeout capability. Two bad outings over the last month have ballooned his ratios to 4.82 and 1.44, but he is worth rostering as he figures things out.
Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered in less than 30% on Yahoo!
Nick Martinez, Cincinnati Reds (29% rostered)
You have a pretty good idea, each outing, what Martinez will provide you: about five innings of mostly worry-free work. He has five wins in his last six starts, despite not getting many strikeouts. The season-long stats may scare you away, but look deeper.
Martinez works hard to limit hard contact. I can tell you in the chart below that his hard-hit percentage comes out to 35.3%, which puts him in the 85th percentile in all of baseball. Martinez is useful, with three wins, a 3.52 ERA, and 1.30 WHIP over the last two weeks.
Zebby Matthews, Minnesota Twins (22% rostered)
I have been rostering Matthews in my home league despite indications I should have dropped him when he was ineffective and then injured. In a 1-0 win over the Nationals on Friday, Matthews went six scoreless innings and got seven strikeouts.
He should have a rotation spot in Minnesota if he continues to pitch decently and stay healthy. Matthews has 38 strikeouts in 29 innings this year, and his xERA is 3.66, and his FIP is 2.75. Better days could be ahead for the youngster.
Luis Severino, Athletics (18% rostered)
I thought Severino would be a nice backend rotation piece for my team as I sat at the Tout Mixed Auction table in mid-March. Alas, I was wrong, as Severino proved woeful, especially in the Sacramento ballpark that is now home to the Athletics.
But lo and behold, Severino has been better as we near the trade deadline. Note his last two starts below; a small sample size, yes, but showing what he can be again. He still limits hard contact despite not generating much chase anymore. Still, he can help you.
Kumar Rocker, Texas Rangers (15% rostered)
I find Rocker truly intriguing. You can see below that he is transforming his pitch mix to incorporate a newer cutter more frequently, while recognizing that his fastball and slider should be thrown less. He is starting to figure it out.
In his last outing, he pitched into the seventh inning, surrendering only one hit and striking out five batters against Detroit. Four of those strikeouts came on the cutter. I like Rocker for the rest of the season if he can keep developing that cutter to mix with his other offerings.
Joe Boyle, Tampa Bay Rays (16% rostered)
Boyle just got inserted into the rotation in Tampa, despite opening the second half in a relief role. He was dominant in Triple-A, with a 1.85 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 73 innings. His first start will come against the New York Yankees on Tuesday.
Boyle should draw interest as a speculative play with a rotation spot secured now. I feel it is a good risk to roster a guy with this kind of talent rather than a questionable fifth starter on a bad team. Boyle should get an extended look in Tampa.
Other Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Options
- Michael McGreevy, St. Louis Cardinals (10% rostered)
- Joey Cantillo, Cleveland Guardians (9% rostered)
- Marcus Stroman, New York Yankees (8% rostered)
- Mike Burrows, Pittsburgh Pirates (4% rostered)
- Colton Gordon, Houston Astros (4% rostered)
Keep grinding and do not give up on your season. I know many are getting ready for fantasy football to be upon us next month. Keep your lineups active each week, please!
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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