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Mike's starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 6 of 2025 (May 5 - May 11). These are his top free-agent pitchers to add and stream.
Welcome, everyone, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 6 of the 2025 season (May 5 - May 11). 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 usual, we look at a broad offering of pitchers on the waiver wire. Some are formerly very effective starters who have been cut due to impatience, like Tanner Houck and Justin Verlander. Some are young guys who have not inspired the confidence of fantasy players yet, like Brayan Bello and Matthew Liberatore. Still more are boring veterans, like Michael Wacha and Colin Rea, who can help the right team.
Likely, you are churning and streaming some players on your rosters. This is a place where you might find some help. Let's dive in and see what we might be able to find this week. There are always bargains to be had for the savvy buyer.
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Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered between 30-50% on Yahoo!
Tanner Houck, Boston Red Sox (44% rostered)
It's been popular for folks to give up on Houck, but not so fast. Check out the chart below. Houck went seven innings in his first May start, surrendering a run on four hits while striking out six hitters. Notice this difference: he returned to using the sinker, more than double since his first outing of the year, while reducing the sweeper and mixing in splitters and four-seamers. If an impatient and impetuous fantasy player has let home go, grab Houck and give him a shot. I think the stuff is there with some minor tweaks to see a rebound.
Justin Verlander, San Francisco Giants (35% rostered)
I know what you are thinking: why would I roster Verlander? I am suggesting a mind reset for you on this one. He is not the high-octane guy he was just a few years ago. But he's a wily 42-year-old veteran who knows how to pitch and will adapt to get guys out. His last three starts have all been effective despite not posting eye-popping numbers. If you can adjust your thinking that Verlander is a fourth or fifth starter, he is very usable for your team in the right matchup.
Michael Wacha, Kansas City Royals (34% rostered)
People seem to love to hate on Wacha, but he is a consistent performer. Even though he only has one win, he has given up three runs or less in five consecutive starts, sporting a 3.52 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. He won't wow you with strikeouts as he has only 29 in 38 innings, but you should get mostly worry-free innings from Wacha in most of his outings.
Tony Gonsolin, Los Angeles Dodgers (34% rostered)
Gonsolin had a very successful first start back with the Dodgers: six innings, nine strikeouts, while surrendering three runs. Gonsolin figures to have a long runway in the Dodgers' rotation, which is now depleted by injuries. Expect his roster share to go up this weekend. This is a good opportunity to get a pitcher who should get wins and help with your ratios.
Brayan Bello, Boston Red Sox (32% rostered)
I know people who have given up on Bello ever being a good pitcher, but I would encourage you to take another look at him. Bello has two wins with excellent ratios, a 2.55 ERA, and 1.19 WHIP in three starts this season. Yes, he only has 12 strikeouts in 17 innings, but five of those came in his last start, covering almost seven innings on Friday night. Given his 55.8% groundball percentage, Bello keeps the ball down and gets outs. Take a look at him if you need rotation depth. You can see his movement profile in the box below. He's worth a shot and should be rostered in more leagues.
Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered in less than 30% on Yahoo!
Matthew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals (29% rostered)
Why is Liberatore not on more fantasy rosters with the dearth of pitchers out there? Some may look at his last start and see only three innings, but that was an outing shortened by a lengthy rain delay where he did not return to the game. You can see below that he is having success with a slightly different pitch mix and having a sinker that allows him to keep the ball on the ground. He should be rostered in far more leagues.
Colin Rea, Chicago Cubs (25% rostered)
Rea doesn't strike many guys out (21.2%, but he also doesn't give up many walks (5.1%). He is getting some starts for the Cubs, and he has been decent. In four starts, he has two wins, with ratios that also help with a 1.46 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. He has 19 strikeouts in 20 innings since moving to the rotation. He is flying under the radar and is a guy you might want to peruse this weekend as a free agent pickup.
Hunter Dobbins, Boston Red Sox (22% rostered)
Dobbins is up for the Red Sox, and while it has been an extremely small sample size of two starts this year, he has been impressive. His last start was a gem: six innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts against the Chicago White Sox. Dobbins uses the four-seamer about 44% of the time while mixing in equal parts of a slider, a splitter, a curveball, and a sweeper. He is an intriguing option this week and is low-rostered in many leagues.
Lance McCullers Jr., Houston Astros (rostered in 17% of leagues)
I do not know how good he will be, but I am rooting hard for him in his first return to action since the 2022 season. Here's hoping he is healthy and can return to form.
Other Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Options
- Tobias Myers, Milwaukee Brewers (rostered in nine percent of leagues)
- Taijuan Walker, Philadelphia Phillies (rostered in nine percent of leagues)
- Chad Patrick, Milwaukee Brewers (rostered in eight percent 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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