Fantasy baseball waiver wire targets: Why adding Max Muncy is a no-brainer and much more

Max Muncy bats in the middle of "the league's best offense and offers massive power potential." Ronald Martinez / Getty Images Share full articleWelcome back for another season of fantasy free agency with your favorite speculator right here at The Athletic! Even though we’re less than a fortnight into the 2026 campaign, somehow I already have multiple teams with more holes than a block of Swiss cheese. If that sounds like your current roster, you’ve come to the right place! To our longtime readers and comment contributors, you may notice a slightly different structure this season. You asked about expanding player coverage, and I’ve responded. So, in order to better serve our ever-expanding array of fantasy gamers and formats, I’m cutting back on raw data in favor of more positional analysis. Deeper lists, more stashes and ranked two-start pitchers, as always! Playing time will always be king behind the dish, and it’s the only thing suppressing Samuel Basallo‘s current roster rate. In fact, volume concerns kept me off several Orioles at the price during draft season, but not this time. Still just 21 years old, Basallo forced his way into the Opening Day lineup with a strong spring (and a touch of help from early injuries to Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg). Currently manning the Orioles’ DH spot when not catching (perhaps the most important factor for fantasy catchers), Basallo’s power’s legitimate. Now it’s just a matter of earning MLB repetitions. Bet on the talent and positive contextual environment, at least until their regular starters return. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-LXe2c']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r A once power-laden position has run somewhat dry lately, especially after losing Andrew Vaughn to yet another hamate injury. Since that injury left a hole at the hot corner on most of my teams, I'm shifting to Milwaukee's direct replacement, Jake Bauers. I know we've probably heard this story before, but he's playing every day for now, at least. Bauers is posting the best disciplinary metrics of his career to date. Pickings are slim, though they could be worse — he hits for power and steals bases in the center of a decent lineup. Add Jake Bauers to bolster CI as well; there's a significant drop-off in talent once he's gone. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-QLmbD']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r Fair warning, I'm going out on a limb while trying to ignore my strong personal bias on this one. Seattle's Cole Young wasn't just my dark horse second base pick this draft season; he may have been MLB's best player throughout spring training, and in more than 90% of leagues, no one cares in the least. Young's a former first-rounder who won an everyday role for the Mariners and currently sits as fantasy baseball's 13th overall second basemen. There's little to no competition for plate appearances, which opens a clear pathway to compile five categories worth of stats at a tough position for zero cost. I'm not sure why the drumbeats haven't started, because eventually they will. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-ZbisR']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r I'm generally pretty good at avoiding the shiny new fantasy toy, but this time I'm giving in — and the price is right. Our usually rookie-addicted fantasy ecosystem couldn't even push the newest Diamondback Jose Fernandez to over 12% rostership. Even more surprising: The 22-year-old phenom hit two massive homers before waivers even ran. Talk about fantasy catnip. Not that we ever want to overreact to one game played, but the market's lack of enthusiasm is noteworthy. It's not every day that the highest upside positional play falls to the weekend's free agency period. Nothing like catching a breakout for free and making an easy cut if it doesn't pan out. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-UHo5X']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r John, aren't you just pushing all your preseason sleepers on us at this point? The short answer is yes, somewhat. However, I knew at the pit of my soul these players were undervalued. Adding the Dodgers' Max Muncy is as elementary a move as there is in this game of ours. He bats smack in the middle of the league's best offense and offers massive power potential at an otherwise weak position. Don't look now, the repaired astigmatism narrative could materialize in a strong start — Muncy boasts a .421 expected batting average, to go with the lowest chase rate of his career. Good luck finding another 30+ home run potential bat on the wire. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-eGys2']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r Here's an honest question for anyone who helped make New York Mets rookie Carson Benge one of the 10 most-dropped outfielders this season. What were you expecting from a 23-year-old rookie with fewer than 600 total professional plate appearances? Not to bury the lede, but it's not as if he's been absolutely terrible either. While some early aggression has led to early strikeout issues, that's never been a part of his game coming up. Plus, Benge already logged a homer and a steal as a top-100 fantasy hitter. I can understand benching him as samples widen, but he should be rostered in 100% of leagues. New York's struggling to get going on offense, but it's barely April. Exercise patience; the Mets are very talented, and it's an extremely long season. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-T9QU1']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r Pirates fan rejoice! Konnor Griffin was promoted to the big club as of April 2. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-NCEOV']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r Even though Parker Messick ranks among the 20 most added pitchers this season, a sub-30% roster rate's entirely too low and bordering on criminal. If he's still inexplicably available in your league, I grant express permission to close this window to add him immediately. I've mentioned patience already, but there's another side to that coin, especially with high-upside starters. Don't forget the famous saying, "Those who hesitate are lost." Cleveland already had a reputation for developing young arms, and Messick appears to be the team's latest shining example. As an encore to a brilliant rookie campaign featuring a 2.72 ERA and 19.4% K-BB, Messick won a rotation spot, before hanging six scoreless innings on the road against the league's best lineup. What are we waiting for? Messick's fastball may not overpower hitters with blistering velocity, but it pairs very well with a devastating changeup and mirrored curveball as an out-pitch to southpaws. He's displayed elite command for his age with an ability to generate whiffs while completing at least six frames in more than half of his career starts. Add, trade, or do whatever you have to do to bring Parker Messick onto the squad. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-xO4x0']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-YA6Mi']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-Gx2EG']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-UF2OU']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-AKFGS']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r Mining the perfect fantasy closer comes down to finding that perfect combination of skills plus role. Remember not to get too hung up on the first part, either — we want the bad pitcher getting save opportunities over the inverse 10 times out of 10. For those managers who punted the position on draft day, the season begins on high alert, but fear not, you're in luck. MLB's save environment is as chaotic as ever. Despite the calendar just turning to April, a remarkable 33 different pitchers already recorded a save in 2026 as of writing. Wow! With that, the goal's always to acquire a reliever who either has the job now or direct access to it soon. One potential emerging closer worth prioritizing where available is the Los Angeles Angels' Jordan Romano. Sure, it's a blast from the past, but a track record for slamming the door could be worth something here. It's been three full seasons since Romano recorded a double-digit save season, but let's not forget him closing out 72 games in a two-year span from 2022 to 2023. Robert Stephenson, Ben Joyce and Kirby Yates are all on the injured list, which should provide ample save opportunities. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-L3lQ2']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms John is a lifetime fan and longtime analyst who crossed into content creation with his integration of technical analysis in the MLB space. He’s the man behind the @MLBMovingAvg handle on Twitter, launching the MLBMA algorithm in 2018 after having written several successful models, focused on creating the preeminent handicapping tool for fantasy baseball and sports betting. He's also the Director of MLB content at windailysports.com and will not rest until the Quality Start is fixed. Follow John on Twitter @MLBMovingAvg