Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Imperfect pickups who could make a difference — if you look a little deeper

Winning fantasy baseball managers are always looking to turn over the bottom portion of their rosters, and it’s convenient when those pickups lead us to easily digestible angles. It’s lovely when we can find a hitter in friendly Colorado, or a pitcher in roomy Seattle. If we find a hitter tied to a deep lineup, or a reliever already closing games, the ticket is easy to write.

But sometimes the targets are not so obvious, and it’s also possible we might need to consider pickups who have an obvious flaw or detracting factor. I’ll look at a few of those players today, and try to see if it’s worth swimming against the stream. Jeffrey Springs, SP, Athletics (18% rostered) The nomad Athletics are set for another season in Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park, a stadium that significantly increases offense.

So I fully understand anyone who tiptoes around this pitching staff, or ignores it completely. But I’ve always been interested in Springs, who looked like a breakout star with Tampa Bay back in 2023. Springs was unhittable in his first three turns that year (0.

56 ERA, 0. 50 WHIP) but suffered an ulnar injury. He eventually needed Tommy John surgery, and he’s been off the fantasy radar since.