September 23 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Eduardo Rodriguez, Hayden Birdsong and Nate Pearson

Good pitching streamers have been hard to come by over the past week or so, but today is a new challenge in trying to find guys to fill out your fantasy rotation. There are only four games on the docket today: Cubs/Phillies, Red Sox/Blue Jays, Mariners/Astros and Giants/Diamondbacks.

That means only eight starting pitchers to choose from, and only one offense (Seattle) is a team to really target with opposing pitchers. None of the guys featured here today would be on the list on a usual day, but we are changing the definition of "streamer" to find names on Monday.

Let’s look at Monday’s probable starters (according to MLB.com) who are widely available in fantasy leagues. Most stats and rankings are from MLB. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.

Hayden Birdsong, San Francisco Giants @ Arizona Diamondbacks

The matchup is against Birdsong in this one: Arizona has scored 50 more runs than any other team and ranks in the top 10 in hits, doubles, triples, home runs, walks and all four slash categories. They’re even in the bottom 10 in batter strikeouts; this team excels in every offensive area.

Birdsong is in his first season, owning just 62.2 innings. He’s has done great strikeout work, but Birdsong has a walk rate bordering on twice as high as the league average. That’s untenable for any pitcher who hopes to find consistent success, and it has the consequence of possibly sinking any start.

Birdsong is a desperation-level streamer. Everything is pointing against a good performance, and he should only be on your roster if you NEED innings above all else.

Nate Pearson, Chicago Cubs @ Philadelphia Phillies

This is far from an actual streaming recommendation. Pearson has worked exclusively as a reliever the past two seasons; he’s made 57 appearances for the Blue Jays and Cubs this season. Pearson has a better-than-average strikeout and walk rate, though that’s less impressive for guys who make short outings.

The Phillies are as good as the Diamondbacks, having been one of the best teams all season. I wouldn’t recommend targeting Philadelphia with any pitcher, let alone a guy making his first start since 2021.

Pearson is another desperation-level streamer. Nothing here points to possible success, and Pearson should only be considered for anyone who is desperate for any available innings.

Eduardo Rodriguez, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Francisco Giants

Opposite Birdsong is Rodriguez, a player who didn’t make his season debut until August 7 but returned to add an arm to a team currently in playoff position but needing to finish strong to secure a spot in October. Rodriguez was almost like a trade deadline addition given the timing of his return, though he signed as a free agent in the offseason.

San Francisco’s offense isn’t as strong as the top-five Diamondbacks or Phillies, but they are a league-average offense who doesn’t have major deficiencies. That’s not major praise, but the Giants are good enough that they would never be targeted here on a normal day.

Rodriguez is a low-level streamer. He has been just OK since returning, and the matchup isn’t great, meaning there’s more of a low floor than a high ceiling in this one.

Chris Bassitt, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Boston Red Sox

Tanner Houck, Boston Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays

I’ll quickly mention these guys because they’re each owned in about 70% of leagues, so there’s a small chance you could pick up one of them. I won’t include them in the final rankings because they don’t qualify as true streamers, but they are each good pitchers who would be worth a start in your lineup even with middling or worse matchups.

Monday’s Streamer Rankings

1. Eduardo Rodriguez, ARI
2. Hayden Birdsong, SF
3. Nate Pearson, CHC