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Mike's starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 3 of 2025 (April 14 - April 20). These are his top free agent pitchers to add and stream.
Welcome everyone to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 3 of the 2025 season (April 14 - April 20). In this weekly piece, we search for starting pitchers rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo! leagues. For deeper leagues, we try to find pitchers rostered in less than 30% of Yahoo! leagues.
Each week, we will try to help you find undervalued pitchers who can help your team that week and during the rest of the season. This week, we are looking at some under-the-radar veterans like Matthew Boyd and Tyler Mahle, who are likely undervalued in many leagues. We also recommend looking at some youngsters who are getting good results thus far in 2025, like Max Meyer and Hayden Wesneski. We even recommend someone who is not on the major league roster for the Minnesota Twins yet in Zebby Matthews.
Have you gotten restless with a stagnant team? Remember that the bottom players on your roster should constantly be in a state of churn. Finding pitchers that can help your team is where this piece is at; keep in mind that these players are frequently swooped upon quickly on the waiver wire. Let's see if we can find someone who can help you out this week.
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Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered between 30-50% on Yahoo!
Jordan Hicks, San Francisco Giants (35% rostered)
Hick's changes are no so much with his pitch mix or approach. He added about 15 pounds this winter in an attempt to be stronger after a balky shoulder imploded what was looking to be a good season in 2024. The 60% groundball percentage is great to see, which puts him currently in the 85th percentile in MLB.
Martin Perez, Chicago White Sox (33% rostered)
Perez has continued to pitch well for the otherwise moribund White Sox. The veteran lefty continues to excel at limiting hard contact, with an 87th percentile average exit velocity. In those two starts, Perez has a surprising 13 strikeouts in 12 innings. Perez does it by mixing and matching his speeds, never breaking 90 MPH on the radar gun, but continuing to get guys out. He is not a sexy name, but he can help your squad.
Mitchell Parker, Washington Nationals (33% rostered)
The youngster has three quality starts on the season and gets a matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates next week. He has gone at least six innings in all three starts. In two of those three starts, he had seven strikeouts in each game. Parker is starting to rely more on his splitter, and you can see the pitch percentage for each start this year below. Parker will be one to watch and could end up being more than just a spot-starter for your team.
Max Meyer, Miami Marlins (31% rostered)
Meyer is doing something different with his pitch mix. See the chart below. Adding the sweeper and the sinker appear to make a difference for him. Given a small sample size through three starts, he is 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts in 18 innings. Whatever he is doing, it is working right now, and Meyer should be rostered in far more leagues.
Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered less than 30% on Yahoo!
Matthew Boyd, Chicago Cubs (28% rostered)
Boyd is the perfect guy to fill in the back end of your rotation. The veteran lefty has pitched three games for the Cubs and has had good results so far: 1-1, a 1.59 ERA, and a 1.18 WHIP. Locked in a pitcher's duel with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Friday night, Boyd took the loss but threw well, striking out seven hitters while surrendering three runs courtesy of a Tommy Edman home run. Boyd is often on the waiver wire, and if you need an injury replacement for next week, check out Boyd.
Hayden Wesneski, Houston Astros (21% rostered)
With injuries hitting the Houston rotation, look for Wesneski to get a chance here to take one of those spots. Wesneski went seven innings in his last start, striking out five while only giving up two runs. He limits hard contact off the bat, relying more on his four-seamer and cutter than in years past. Weneski should get an extended run, and he can help the back end of your rotation. See his red Statcast below.
Zebby Matthews, Minnesota Twins (13% rostered)
He's one to earmark for later. There are rumors that Minnesota could go to a six-man rotation and that Matthews could get the call in the upcoming week to 1o days. Matthews is known for impeccable control and could help your ratios should he get the call in the coming two weeks.
Tyler Mahle, Texas Rangers (15% rostered)
Mahle is quietly making a nice comeback in Texas. His results will largely depend on his health. In his last start, he went seven innings and struck out four hitters while scattering two hits. Mahle has two wins in three starts with a 1.20 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. Can this continue? Probably not. But Mahle seems forgotten about in some leagues and could make for a nice waiver-wire option for your teams.
Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati Reds (rostered in 11% of leagues)
Abbott remains a stout choice in fantasy leagues, striking out five hitters and earning a win. A rotator cuff strain limited him out of the gate. He gets the Orioles in his next start. Abbott is a guy you should remain high on at this time.
Other Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Options
- JP Sears, Athletics (rostered in 13% of leagues)
- Michael Lorenzen, Kansas City Royals (rostered in 11% of leagues)
- Ryan Gusto, Cleveland Guardians (rostered in 6% of leagues)
- Chad Patrick, Milwaukee Brewers (rostered in 3% of leagues)
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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