Eric Cross' Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups - Hitters and Pitchers (Week 1)

March 29, 2026

Eric Cross' top fantasy baseball waiver wire adds for Week 1 of 2026 (March 30 - April 5). His favorite free agent hitters and pitchers under 40% rostered.

Welcome back to another season of fantasy baseball content here on RotoBaller. This is my fourth season with the RotoBaller family, and I'm excited to be back writing this waiver wire article every Friday, along with my Top 25 Prospects to Stash article on Mondays.

Even though the season is only two days old, it's never too early to hit up the waiver wire. I'm sure many of you reading this are already looking for an injury replacement (or two), as we've already seen plenty of notable names hit the IL this season.

The players below are all under 40 percent rostered in Yahoo! leagues. Some of them might already be rostered in your leagues, but if they're available, I'd recommend considering them to see if they could be good fits for your fantasy teams.

Carson Benge, OF, New York Mets

33% Rostered on Yahoo

All offseason, I was clamoring for people to target Carson Benge in drafts this season. The talent and production in 2025 were there, but it all came down to whether or not he was going to make the team out of camp. Well, he did, and Benge rewarded anyone who drafted him with a home run, a steal, two walks, and two runs scored in his major league debut.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW KID!!!@Carsonbenge3 | #LGM pic.twitter.com/TtPJHhQcn0

— New York Mets (@Mets) March 26, 2026

Benge has all the tools to be one of the top rookies for fantasy baseball this season. In 519 plate appearances between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A last season, Benge racked up 25 doubles, 15 home runs, 22 steals, and a .281/.385/.472 slash line.

Benge made contact at an 81% clip last season while walking at a 13.1% clip and keeping the strikeout rate below 20% at a solid 17.7% mark. Add in above-average power and speed, and you have a well-rounded offensive outfielder who should be rostered in more than one-third of Yahoo leagues.

Justin Crawford, OF, Philadelphia Phillies

23% Rostered on Yahoo

Looking for an outfielder? How about a big stolen base threat? Or maybe even a second-generation player who was a top-50 prospect in my rankings entering the season. Well, Justin Crawford checks off all of those boxes and has been given the keys to center field in Philadelphia.

In 112 Triple-A games last season, Crawford slashed an impressive .334/.411/.452 with 34 extra-base hits and 46 steals. Only seven of those extra-base hits left the park, but that was more due to Crawford's poor batted ball angles and higher ground-ball rate than a lack of power. In fact, Crawford had a solid 89.8 mph AVG EV and 40.7% hard-hit rate in Triple-A last season to go along with a 92.2% zone contact rate, 85.3% contact rate, 11.5% walk rate, and an 18% strikeout rate.

Even if he's capped at around 10-12 homers this season, Crawford's elite speed could make him one of the top stolen base threats in the game right away while also potentially providing a decent batting average and on-base percentage thanks to his blend of contact and approach.

Brett Baty, 2B/3B, New York Mets

11% Rostered on Yahoo

Brett Baty was a player I was recommending as a skeaky value target both in redraft and dynasty leagues this offseason, and that's not going to stop now that the regular season has started. Baty finished the 2025 season on a high note, slashing .291/.353/.477 with nine home runs and four steals in 190 plate appearances after the all-star break. And on opening day, he picked up a three-run double off Paul Skenes.

In 2025, Baty recorded above-average quality of contact metrics in the form of his 12.8% barrel rate, 90.7 mph AVG EV, and 46.9% hard-hit rate. While his contact rates did tick down a bit, he countered that by dropping his chase rate by 7%.

Given his pre-2025 struggles along with a question about his playing time, Baty wasn't a hot commodity this spring. But I personally believe he receives at least 500 plate appearances between second base, third base, DH, and the outfield. If that is indeed the case, Baty could push 20-25 home runs and 8-10 steals with a respectable batting average.

Dominic Canzone, OF, Seattle Mariners

8% Rostered on Yahoo

Well, Dominic Canzone is picking up right where he left off last season. After slashing .300/.358/.481 with 11 home runs in 269 plate appearances last season, Canzone started the 2026 season in style with a two-homer game on Opening Day.

SEA - Dominic Canzone Solo HR (2)
🔥 2nd HR of the game

📏 444 ft | 💨 109.3 mph | 📐 26°
⚾️ 93.2 mph four-seam fastball (CLE - RHP Shawn Armstrong)
🏟️ Out in 30/30 MLB parks

CLE (5) @ SEA (4)
🔻 7th#TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/nWakUoufYC

— MLB Home Runs (@MLBHRs_) March 27, 2026

While he didn't qualify for many metric leaderboards, Canzone's underlying metrics were impressive in many areas. That was especially true in the quality of contact department, where he finished with a 92.3 mph AVG EV, 49.7% hard-hit rate, and a 14.4% barrel rate, along with a .533 xSLG and .456 xwOBACON.

Canzone also improved his strikeout rate from 28.2% to 21.9%, his zone-contact rate from 75.9% to 82.7%, and his overall contact rate from 65.6% to 73.6%.

Canzone should start regularly in Seattle's outfield this season and has the upside to flirt with a 30-homer season. For someone who is only 8% rostered on Yahoo, that's phenomenal value.

Jack Leiter, SP, Texas Rangers

40% Rostered on Yahoo

One of the arms that impressed me the most this spring was Jack Leiter. I've been mostly lukewarm on Leiter during his time as a professional, largely due to his inconsistency and higher walk rate. But in 16 innings this spring, Leither posted a 3.38 ERA with 18 strikeouts and just three walks. That's a 27.3% strikeout rate and a 4.5% walk rate. But at the same time, he allowed five home runs, which is a bit concerning going forward.

In 2025, Leiter finished with a respectable 3.86 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across 151 2/3 innings with a pedestrian 22.9% strikeout rate and 10.4% walk rate. He was much better in the second half, though, posting a 3.28 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and a 26.3% strikeout rate over his final 13 starts.

It's always promising to see tangible changes made when a player's performance improves, and that was the case with Leiter down the stretch last season as he was throwing more four-seamers and changeups, and fewer sinkers. Leiter lines up for a two-start week next week against Baltimore on the road and Cincinnati at home.

Matthew Liberatore, SP, St. Louis Cardinals

30% Rostered on Yahoo

Another arm I came away impressed by this spring was Matthew Liberatore. When fantasy baseball draft season began, Liberatore was someone quite low in my rankings whom I wasn't recommending outside of deep leagues. Now, he's someone I believe is a viable target in 12-team mixed leagues if you need a pitcher. And with how many notable arms are already on the IL, I'm sure many of you could use an arm or two.

Liberatore got the nod for the Cardinals on Opening Day and tossed five innings of one-run ball with two strikeouts. This comes after a highly impressive spring training, where he finished with a 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and a 19/2 K/BB ratio in 15 innings.

The real X-Factor here with Liberatore is how many strikeouts he will provide. In 2025, Liberatore's 18.8% strikeout rate and 122 strikeouts in 151.2 innings didn't stand out in the slightest, but he showed that he can miss bats consistently with both his slider and curveball. So there's some hope that the strikeout rate can tick up this season.

Jordan Romano, RP, Los Angeles Angels

22% Rostered on Yahoo

I'm sure some of you reading this either botched approaching saves in your drafts, or at least came away feeling like you could use a bit more. Well, if you're looking for a short-term option to open the season, Jordan Romano is a decent target while Kirby Yates (knee) and Robert Stephenson (elbow) are out of action.

Stephenson will be out for a couple of months, but Yates might be back in a few weeks, depending on how his knee inflammation progresses.

Romano is coming off back-to-back disappointing seasons, but he got the save on Opening Day and is the arm with the most closing experience in this bullpen. Is Romano going to be a guy you roster the entire season? Probably not. But can he pick up a handful of saves for you until Yates returns? Sure.

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