Week 5 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire adds: Searching for closer clarity in a sea of disparity
These players can help boost your rosters now
How many closers can you feel confident in right now?
Mason Miller, for sure – he's kind of lapping the field at the position. But he's surely not the only closer finding success right now, right? Of course not! Ryan Helsley, Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, Raisel Iglesias (assuming his shoulder is fine), and … is that it? Is that all of the sure-fire closers coming into the season who have been truly great so far this season?
With Jhoan Duran and Daniel Palencia going on the IL in recent days, that might be the end of the list. There have been other great performances among closers this season – Riley O'Brien and Paul Sewald have actually been terrific to date, but neither was widely drafted with the expectation they would help carry you in the saves category. There are plenty of pitchers who haven't been great so far but who I haven't lost confidence in, of course. I still fully expect Andres Munoz, Cade Smith, David Bednar, Edwin Diaz, Devin Williams, and Pete Fairbanks to settle in and be worth keeping in your lineups all season long. For the most part, those guys have only had one or two poor outings, and there really aren't many red flags in their profile to point to – Fairbanks is the closest thing to an exception, given his slightly diminished velocity, but I'm not giving up hope yet. But even if you add it all up, that's still less than half the league who has a closer you can really feel confident in right now.
You need help with saves, is what I'm saying. So, before we get to the rest of the top targets on waivers this week, let's talk about the top save options on the wire right now:
Eight closer situations to chase
Bryan Baker, Rays (44%) – It's always scary to trust the Rays to stick with a closer, but they've been remarkably consistent with Baker so far. And with Edwin Uceta suffering a setback in his recovery from a shoulder issue, the status quo doesn't seem likely to be upended soon. Unless Baker's blown save Saturday was enough to change everything. And with this team, it might be.
Brad Keller, Phillies (18%) – It might be Jose Alvarado, who has experience as a closer, too, or possibly even Orion Kerkering. But the Phillies have often preferred to keep Alvarado in a more flexible role, and Keller was a dynamite high-leverage reliever last season, so he could be the fix while Duran is on the IL.
Abner Uribe, Brewers (68%) – The Brewers haven't given up on Trevor Megill, but he has to regain their confidence. And Uribe is good enough to take a job and run with it if he gets hot. But I wouldn't necessarily drop Megill, because Uribe has been erratic throughout his career, too.
Louie Varland, Blue Jays (18%) – Jeff Hoffman recently got a vote of confidence amid his struggles, and when you look at the skills, it's not hard to see why – he's striking out 42% of opposing hitters, it's hard to be bad when you're doing that! But he was shaky last season and you have to think there's only so long they can put up with it. I think Varland would be next in line, but that's just a guess at this point.
Kirby Yates, Angels (30%) – With Jordan Romano proving to be not up for the task for a second year in a row, the door is open for Yates once healthy. He of course struggled last season as well, but he still posted strong swing and miss skills, so I'm interested to see if he gets the chance here once he's off the IL.
Caleb Thielbar, Cubs (11%) – Typically, teams try to avoid using lefties as closers unless they are dominant, but in the Cubs case, they actually have a bullpen full of lefties, so it's not like there are usage limitations here. They don't sound too concerned about Palencia's injury, but Thielbar could get a few chances here. They could also go with Ben Brown, but I imagine his multi-inning flexibility will have added value.
Enyel De Los Santos, Astros (11%) – This one feels like a full-blown committee these days with how much Bryan Abreu has struggled, but De Los Santos did get a couple of opportunities in a row this week, so we'll prioritize him over Abreu and Bryan King.
Joel Kuhnel, Athletics (21%) – This is another one that seems like a committee, but any A's pitcher should be a pretty low priority just because I don't think any of the arms are particularly talented here. But Kuhnel does at least have the most saves here, so he gets the top spot, I suppose.
Week 5 Waiver Targets
Catcher
Dillon Dingler, Tigers (60%)
Maybe Dingler was just underrated coming into the season? He had a decent first full year, hitting .278/.327/.425, but the underlying numbers suggested he deserved even better than that, with a .290 xBA and .475 xSLG. It was easy for him to get lost in the shuffle among other more hyped options, but now he's red hot to open the season, putting up some of the best quality of contact metrics of anyone in the league regardless of position. I expect him to cool off, but even a "cooled off" version of Dingler might be a top-12 option.
Of course, part of the problem with touting any catcher right now is that the position is actually deeper than your typical one-catcher league goes. Dingler is entering into one-catcher discussions, but Teel also belongs at least on the fringes of those discussions too now that he's on the mend. He's expected to go on a rehab assignment this week and could be up within the next 10 days or so, and the former top prospect had a solid rookie season with room to grow as a five-category contributor, making him a viable target in all category leagues especially.
Deep league option: Gary Sanchez, Brewers (17%) – I don't really believe in it, but Sanchez has been locked in so far and is playing pretty regularly for the Brewers, primarily at DH (and occasionally at first base or behind the plate). I don't think you have to pay him any attention in one-catcher leagues, but he's worth a look in deeper two-catcher formats.
First Base
Bell continues to hit the ball very hard. It won't last, it never does – his career has been defined by inconsistency. But he had a couple more two-hit games this weekend and has generally been quite good in the early going, so I don't mind him as a hot-hand play.
Deep league option: Jose Fernandez, Diamondbacks (26%) – They're giving him run thanks to injuries, and Fernandez continues to show an interesting skill set. He won't hit .300 forever, but I do think there could be something like a 15-15 ceiling here if he keeps playing everyday, and he might end up with some interesting positional flexibility – he's eligible at SS and 1B and has logged a few games at 3B, too. In deeper leagues, that kind of flexibility is useful.
Second Base
Sam Antonacci, White Sox (33%)
Entering play Sunday, Antonacci has just one hit in his first 15 at-bats, so we haven't seen much from him yet. But I still have faith in the plate discipline giving him a solid floor, and the speed should play once he starts getting on base. From a 2B/OF eligible player (he needs two more appearances entering Sunday to gain OF eligibility), that should be a pretty useful skill set.
Jeremiah Jackson, Orioles (42%)
With five homers in his past eight games, we've almost certainly already seen the best stretch of Jackson's season. He makes a solid amount of contact and has some pop, but eventually I suspect his poor plate discipline will catch up to him. But as a hot-hand play with some runway to stay in the lineup, Jackson is interesting.
Deep league option: Lenyn Sosa, Blue Jays (10%) – Sosa's skill set isn't dissimilar from Jackson's, but he is at least a bit more proven in the majors coming off a 22-homer season with the White Sox. Of course, his role with the Blue Jays in the long term is up in the air, since he's mostly playing DH now with George Springer expected back some time this week. Sosa has some positional flexibility, with experience at all four infield positions, so maybe he can hit his way into a consistent role?
Third Base
Max Muncy, Athletics (68%)
Muncy is starting to slow down a bit as the swing-and-miss issues are starting to catch up to him. But he's still hitting the ball extremely hard (he has one of the best hard-hit rates in the league and a 94.7 mph average exit velocity), and he's still a solid athlete who can fill up the box score. If you can stomach the batting average hit he's likely to provide, Muncy has some real upside for categories leagues.
Deep league option: Oswald Peraza, Athletics (13%) – The Angels love to try to rehabilitate a former top prospect, and Peraza is getting the chance to play everyday. He had a huge game against his former club the Yankees, and has homered three times while going 8 for 23 over the past seven games. I don't have much faith in Peraza as a power hitter, but could he hit .250 with 10-15 homers and 20-plus steals this season? That seems possible on the high end, and he should have the runway.
Shortstop
Andres Gimenez, Blue Jays (58%)
I'm mostly ignoring the hot start with the bat, because 2,600 PA in, I think we know who Gimenez is – remember, he had a strong start to the season as a power hitter last season and ended up with seven homers. But the steals are what I'm looking at here, especially with some signs that he might be back to being a more useful source of batting average. After two straight 30-steal seasons, Gimenez had just 12 steals last season, but he's already up to four. Steals are mostly about intent, and the fact that he wants to run early this season feels like a good sign. He's more useful at second base than shortstop (and more useful at middle infield than either), so keep that in mind.
Deep league option: Nasim Nunez, Nationals (18%) – Do you need steals? Go add Nasim Nunez. Do you need anything besides steals? Well … do you need steals?
Outfield
I want to highlight this: There are a bunch of guys in the 50-70% rostered range at outfield who have struggled so far but who I still have a lot of faith in. I'm referring to players like Daylen Lile, Justin Crawford, Trent Grisham, Carson Benge, and Owen Caissie. I like them a lot more than any of the names listed below, at least in the long run, so go make sure they weren't dropped in your league, because the other options here are … uninspiring.
Luke Raley, Mariners (34%)
Raley is a pretty strict platoon bat, which limits his ceiling. In points leagues, he's probably only worth starting when the Mariners have at least five games against righties on the way, and unfortunately, they are scheduled to face two lefties among their six games in Week 5. But the matchups overall are solid, so if you need some help in a categories league (and especially in daily lineup leagues), he can definitely be useful.
Mauricio Dubon, Braves (71%)
I really don't expect Dubon's little hot streak to open the season to last, but he's locked in right now and has a good schedule on the way in Week 5, including three out of seven games against lefties, who he hits much better throughout his career. His eligibility at every position besides first base and catcher only helps.
George Valera, Guardians (7%)
Valera has put up some interesting numbers in the minors, including a 28-homer pace throughout his time at Triple-A. He's probably just a Quad-A guy, but the Guardians need some help offensively, so they'll give him a try.
Everson Pereira, White Sox (3%)
Like I said: Uninspiring. Pereira is a former prospect of some note who never really got the consistent chance to figure it out on the Yankees. But he's getting some run with the White Sox and is a career .2721/.362/.522 hitter in his Triple-A career with 40 homers and 18 steals in 154 games. Of course, I don't expect him to be anywhere near that good in the majors, but it's an interesting opportunity for a guy who is still just 25 years old.
Starting Pitcher
Reid Detmers, Angels (61%)
Here's a nice little surprise for Detmers: He was pushed back from his scheduled start Sunday, meaning he'll be a two-start pitcher in Week 5. Detmers is coming off his best start of the season, a nine-strikeout gem against the Yankees, and now he'll try to follow it up against the Blue Jays and Royals, two offenses that haven't quite woken up this season. Consistency has been an issue throughout Detmers' career, but he's always had talent. Maybe the Angels and new pitching coach Mike Maddux are just starting to figure out the right mix after a successful season pitching out of the bullpen? The renewed emphasis on his changeup has helped.
Mick Abel, Twins (63%)
For a few starts there, it looked like Abel was going to be another example in a long line of misplaced Spring Training optimism. And look, he still may end up being exactly that. But with his performance this week against the Red Sox – 10 strikeouts in seven shutout innings – he reminded us that there is still significant upside here. Maybe he doesn't harness it enough to matter consistently for Fantasy. But at the point of the season we're at, it's worth chasing upside whenever it presents itself for pitchers, and there haven't been many starts this season that hinted at upside quite like what Abel showed there.
Noah Schultz, White Sox (74%)
Schultz's first start was a disappointment, and I'm not totally opposed to the idea that you should just be cycling through pitchers as often as possible until you hit on someone who sticks. But Schultz is still super talented, and I'm mostly willing to chalk that first start up to jitters – his command was poor in the first inning and he made a pretty obvious defensive mistake, but he looked better after that. This is a 6-foot-10 lefty with big stuff, and the high ceiling that comes along with all of that. I want to give him a longer look if I can. This is more of a "don't drop him unless you have to" kind of pick.
Spencer Arrighetti, Astros (53%)
Pitching against the Rockies away from Coors Field, Arrighetti had just about the softest landing spot possible for his season debut this week. The Rockies helped, of course, but I don't want to write it off as a fluke taking advantage of a great matchup. Arrighetti has good stuff and was one of the most popular breakout picks in the whole league before injuries wrecked his 2025 season. With Cristian Javier and Hunter Brown on the IL until at least late May, if not June, Arrighetti's going to get the chance to show his first start was no fluke.
I sorta think what you see is what you get with Meyer, who has a fantastic pair of breaking balls but has never put it all together beyond that. He isn't someone I have a lot of faith in as a long-term bet, in other words. But you have to like his chances of at least being useful this week, with matchups against the Cardinals and Giants (in San Francisco, one of the best pitcher's parks in baseball). This could be the week to use him.
