Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Plenty of Mets make for appealing adds despite team's struggles

· Yahoo Sports

This week's list of waiver wire options is a good reminder that fantasy assets can come from anywhere, even the most disappointing teams. There are three Mets among the current batch of players to consider, as the talented-but-underachieving team still has some quality players and should play better overall in the second half. And after a few weeks with few starting pitcher options, there are some new names to consider.

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Shane Drohan, SP/RP, Brewers, 45%: Here we go again with the pitching-rich Brewers, who have provided fantasy managers with another rotation option. Drohan is their latest success story, having logged a 3.51 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 48:13 ratio in 10 starts since joining the rotation on June 1. Milwaukee leads the majors with a 3.36 rotation ERA, and Jacob Misiorowski is their only starter who was drafted in the majority of Yahoo leagues. At this point, it makes sense for fantasy managers to at least consider anyone who is added to this rotation, which includes Brandon Sproat (16%) and Robert Gasser (11%) in deep formats.

Christian Scott, SP, Mets, 30%: The Mets think enough of Scott that they listed him as one of their five untouchable players ahead of the trade deadline. The 27-year-old has certainly given them reason for their enthusiasm by posting solid ratios (3.13 ERA, 1.26 WHIP) after missing all of the 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. New York has kept Scott on a short leash, as he has yet to throw 100 pitches or finish six innings in any start. But those in 12-team leagues should be happy to add a consistently effective five-inning starter with an impressive 78:29 K:BB ratio.

Keider Montero, SP/RP, Tigers, 24%: An injury to Jack Flaherty put Montero back into the rotation, and he punctuated his return by striking out eight Cubs over 5.1 innings of one-run ball on Wednesday. The right-hander isn't as good as his 3.14 ERA and 0.96 WHIP indicate, as he has benefited from a .231 BABIP. But thanks to terrific control skills and a strong ability to limit hard contact, Montero still has excellent ERA estimators (3.37 xERA, 3.57 FIP) and should be useful, albeit with a low ceiling.

Brandon Pfaadt, SP/RP, Diamondbacks, 20%: After failing as a starter last year and at the outset of this season, Pfaadt used two months in the bullpen to change his arsenal. The right-hander has added a cutter and backed off his four-seam fastball, which has led to terrific results (2.33 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 14:3 K:BB ratio) in five starts since returning to the rotation. Pfaadt has always had strong control skills, and the new approach has increased his groundball rate and lowered his average exit velocity. The new version of Pfaadt has plenty of similarities to Montero, as a high-floor, low-ceiling option.

Tatsuyi Imai, SP, Astros, 35%: Fantasy managers may want to give a second chance to Imai, who was a popular sleeper during draft season before struggling during his initial starts. The 28-year-old started showing some encouraging signs in late June when he struck out 21 batters over a two-start stretch. And after two poor outings right before the break, Imai struck out eight Marlins across six innings of one-run ball last time out. The inconsistency puts Imai at the bottom of this week's list, but his potential keeps him under consideration.

Francisco Alvarez, C, Mets, 22%: After a slow start to the season that was impacted by a torn meniscus, Alvarez has found his form in recent weeks. The 24-year-old produced five homers and an .820 OPS in June and is hitting .286 with a couple homers so far in July. Alvarez followed a similar pattern last year, when he logged a .652 OPS in the first half before catching fire after the All-Star break (.921 OPS). He joins Ryan Jeffers (38%) as the most desirable replacements for those who recently lost Samuel Basallo or Adley Rutschman.

A.J. Ewing, 2B/OF, Mets, 31%: In the past 30 days, Ewing is hitting .292 with five homers and four steals. He's also one of the fastest runners in baseball and stole 70 bases in the minors last season. Oh, and he was recently moved to the top of the Mets lineup. I write about Ewing every week, and I'm not going to stop until the roster rate for this five-category contributor rises to at least 50%.

Jake Mangum, OF, Pirates, 11%: Recent news that Oneil Cruz will be sidelined until at least Aug. 7 makes Mangum more attractive by those who need help with steals, runs and batting average. The speedster with strong contact skills is posting a high batting average (.303) for the second straight year, and during Cruz's absence, he will be the team's regular center fielder and leadoff hitter. In comparing Mangum to Nats speedy infielder Nasim Nuñez (27%), Mangum offers a low steal ceiling but a better floor in batting average and runs. Mangum missed Wednesday's game with foot soreness that is not expected to be a long-term injury.

Bryce Eldridge, 1B, Giants, 22%: The 21-year-old Eldridge continues to prove that he belongs in the majors, logging a .794 OPS so far in July after posting an .883 mark in June. Although he has balanced splits, the left-handed hitter should enjoy spending the weekend facing three mediocre right-handed Angels starters. And late in games, Eldridge could thrive against a Los Angeles bullpen that ranks 24th in ERA.

Sam Antonacci, 2B/3B/OF, White Sox, 46%: I have been begging shallow-league managers to add Antonacci, and this weekend will be the perfect time to take the plunge. The lefty leadoff man thrives against right-handers (.861 OPS) and will face three beatable Houston righties over the next three days. In addition to collecting hits and scoring runs, Antonacci could swipe a base against an Astros team that ranks 24th in steals allowed per game.

  • Shane Drohan vs. COL (Friday, 45%)

  • Jared Jones vs. CHC (Friday, 50%)

  • Kyle Leahy vs. CIN (Sunday, 28%)

  • Andre Pallante vs. CIN (Saturday, 29%)

  • Robert Gasser vs. COL (Saturday, 11%)

  • Brandon Young vs. ATL (Saturday, 32%)

  • Zebby Matthews vs. ATH (Friday, 13%)

  • Grant Holmes @ BAL (Friday, 27%)

  • Ronel Blanco @ CWS (Sunday, 10%)

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