Starting Pitcher Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 2 (April 7 - April 13)

April 6, 2025

Mike's starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 2 of 2025 (April 7 - April 13). These are his top free agent pitchers to add and stream.

Welcome everyone to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 2 of the 2025 season (April 7- April 13). 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 have some "boring" names like Chris Bassitt and Charlie Morton.  In the same breath, we have some exciting young arms like May Meyer, Dustin May, and Chase Dollander who could be available on your waiver wire.

I hope you can find the piece you are looking for in this article. It is a constant balance for fantasy players of mixing in guys like those listed here with the core of your team. Many of us have already begun that roster churn at the bottom of our lineups. Do not be afraid to do that in the leagues you play in, as this is part of the formula to win your league. Don't be a stagnant player and wait too long to make changes. Let's see what pitchers are available to you this week.

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues

Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered between 30-50% on Yahoo!

Dustin May, Los Angeles Dodgers (49% rostered)

There may not be a guy I am rooting for harder than May. Besieged by injuries the last few seasons, May is healthy again and has a rotation spot in Los Angeles for the best team in baseball. In his first start against the struggling Atlanta Braves, the big righty spun five innings, surrendering an unearned run on one hit while sprinkling in six strikeouts.

We know the Dodgers have ample starters and that they will likely use several iterations this season, but May can be helpful to your team now as he has the number five spot in the rotation. He gets the Washington Nationals on Monday. Consider him if you need back-of-the-rotation help.

Chris Bassitt, Toronto Blue Jays (rostered in 40% of leagues)

Bassitt is another pitcher fantasy players keep writing off.  And year after year, the veteran produces good results. He has thrown over 150 innings each of the last four seasons, including over 170 in the last three seasons. He has won double-digit games each of those seasons (12, 15, 16, and 10) with an ERA of less than 4.16 each season.

He managed to strike out over 150 batters in each of those four seasons. I get that he is 36, and many are starting to wonder when the downside will hit. But Bassitt got the win in his first start of 2025, striking out seven guys while scattering eight hits and a run. Is Bassitt an ace? No. Is he someone who can fill a spot at the end of your rotation?  Absolutely yes. See his career box below.

Merrill Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks (rostered in 35% of leagues)

No two ways about it right now: you are buying low on Kelly right now. I know this is impossible to quantify, but Kelly knows how to pitch, and I fully believe that he will figure it out. Fantasy players can be so fickle, and we forget players quickly who can help us in favor of the shiny new toy.

Kelly faced a Yankees team that battered him for nine runs. Yet Kelly always finds a way to bounce back and provide quality innings for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he will again.  With health, Kelly will make between 25 and 30 starts for a very good Diamondbacks team and should approach double-digit wins with usable ratios and good strikeout numbers.

Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels (rostered in 35% of leagues)

We wrote about Soriano last week, and he produced good results in his first start on 2o25. Take a look below at how Soriano has changed his pitch mix throughout the last season.  Sorinao threw his sinker a whopping 64% of the time in his first game.

In his second start, he pitched into the sixth but gave up five runs, including two home runs, but also struck out nine. By the looks of the chart below, we can expect that kind of usage to continue for Soriano.

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues

Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered less than 30% on Yahoo!

Max Meyer, Miami Marlins (rostered in 24% of leagues)

We don't want to make too much over one start, but Meyer looked like a good major league pitcher this last week. He pitched into the sixth inning and struck out seven hitters. On Friday night, he threw six more innings and whiffed eight batters, taking a loss as he scattered three runs. That's 15 strikeouts in two starts for Meyer.

A few things to notice in the box below, even though it is only a couple of starts: his slider was almost two ticks faster than last year, and he threw the four-seamer mostly to lefties and the sinker only to righties. Note that the changeup is being used as a weapon against lefties as well in the early going. The pitch mix remains similar, but the plan of attack was slightly different, using the fastball less and the sweeper more.

Meyer is 26 now, and there is no reason for the Marlins to keep him harnessed. While there are likely to be some ups and downs for him, as with any pitcher, Meyer may finally be getting the opportunity many have been waiting on for years. This will be an interesting season to watch Meyer.

Tylor Megill, New York Mets (rostered in 23% of leagues)

When you write articles like this weekly, there are familiar names that pop up often, and you think to yourself, "Why is this guy almost always available?" Megill is one of those guys for me. It seems like he always pitches well enough to keep the Mets in the game, and the start of the 2025 season has been no different.

Megill is 2-0 with a 0.87 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP, and 10 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched through two starts. Thus far, he has doubled his slider and sinker usage while eliminating his cutter. It will be interesting to see the results he gets from these changes.

Jordan Hicks, San Francisco Giants (rostered in 20% of leagues)

Hicks has tantalized us before with his ability. He earned a win in his first start this season, covering six innings and nabbing six strikeouts. He still has that wicked sinker/fastball velocity, hitting 98 MPH this past week.

The veteran has been stuck between roles for most of his career, shuffling back and forth from the rotation to the bullpen and back. Hicks seems to have a grip on a rotation job now, and his next two starts are against the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees. You may not want to use him against the Yankees and their torpedo bats, but Hicks is someone to consider as a sport starter for your rotation this month.

Charlie Morton, Baltimore Orioles (rostered in 16% of leagues)

If you're looking only at results, you might be missing the point of the exercise. Morton has two starts; his current numbers are less than stellar at 0-2, 9.72 ERA, and a 1.92 WHIP. But looking under the surface, we see that he struck out 10 batters in his last start against the Boston Red Sox. The big culprit was two home runs.

He is also 41, and many players might think he is near the finish line. I disagree with that assessment. The chase percentage is still there at 33.7%, and the strikeout percentage thus far is a robust 31.7%. I am willing to give a strong veteran the benefit of the doubt while he figures out his craft and reinvents himself as he ages. I would be willing to give him a chance in deep leagues. In 12-team leagues, it's probably a pass.

Other Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Options

• Zack Littell, Tampa Bay Rays (rostered in 12% of leagues)
• JP Sears, Athletics (rostered in 9% of leagues)
• Chase Dollander, Colorado Rockies (rostered in 7% of leagues)
• Osvaldo Bido, Athletics (rostered in 5% 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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