Are Lucas Gilolito and Lance McCullers Worth Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds?

After taking a look at some fantasy baseball waiver wire hitters to possibly target, let's look into some waiver wire pitchers.

We won't cover any pitchers who appeared in the daily streaming story for the day, or any of the previous waiver stories this week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday).

Check out the top fantasy baseball waiver wire options everyday on FantasySP. 

Should You Add Lucas Giolito?

Giolito is up 4.7% today, bringing his overall mark to 22.72%.

He made his season debut on Wednesday, working six innings against the Blue Jays. Giolito allowed three runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out seven batters.

That was Giolito's first start since 2023 as he's been out with multiple injuries since then. He has a career 4.43 earned run average across 179 starts and 181 total MLB appearances.

In 2022-23, Giolito combined for a 4.89 ERA across 63 starts with the White Sox, Guardians and Angels. He had a 3.47 ERA across 72 starts with the White Sox in 2019-21, so he's definitely capable of strong numbers.

He's just 30 years old, so there's a chance Giolito could round back into form and be a good fantasy asset this season and moving forward yet. Giolito's first start was solid, and that's why he's on the rise still today.

I wouldn't mind adding Giolito in deeper leagues, but also wouldn't call him a must-add waiver guy. At the same time, his next start is likely against the Rangers, which is a favorable matchup, so he'd be worth streaming in deeper leagues.

If you are in on Giolito, then adding him now in deeper leagues makes a lot of sense. I think he'll even get some standard league streaming starts for that start against the Rangers.

He's definitely a fantasy pitcher to keep tabs on in case he takes off. Giolito is worth watching in all leagues too, not just deeper leagues.

Should You Add Matthew Liberatore?

Liberatore is up 3.34% today and is now at 49.76% overall. He is a streaming option on Thursday, and takes on the Reds.

In his first five starts, Liberatore is 2-2 with a 3.19 ERA. He's allowed 12 runs (11 earned) on 28 hits and two walks. Liberatore has 28 strikeouts over 31 innings.

He's made starts against the Brewers, Mets, Phillies, Pirates and Angels, so he's fared pretty well given some of those tougher offenses he's faced. The Reds are a decent matchup, and given his season-long numbers, I'm a bit surprised Liberatore isn't a bigger waiver add today.

I'd say Liberatore deserves to be started in all deeper leagues, while also being a standard league streaming option. His own percentage suggests he's available in some deeper leagues, and probably not owned in many standard leagues.

Of course, each fantasy situation is different, but I have a hard time believing Liberatore isn't a better option for Thursday's games. 

Another reason why I wouldn't mind adding Liberatore today is because his next start after this one is likely coming against the Pirates, who are a very favorable opponent. Ironically, his worst start of the season was against Pittsburgh, allowing five runs on eight hits - he did strike out seven over 6 1/3 innings.

I'm trusting Liberatore's overall body of work, and also factoring in how bad the Pirates' offense has been most days. I'd be confident starting Liberatore in deeper leagues for that start, and if he delivers good results on Thursday, I'd also give him a chance in some standard league setups.

Should You Add Lance McCullers Jr.?

McCullers was added in 2.65% of leagues, bringing his overall mark to 17.96%. He hasn't pitched in the big leagues this season, but will get a start on Sunday. 

McCullers hasn't pitched in the MLB since 2022, so it's been a long journey back to the hill for him. He's got a career 3.48 ERA across 127 starts and 130 total appearances. McCullers averages 10 strikeouts per nine innings and has a 49-32 record. There's plenty of reason to be high on McCullers as he prepares for his season debut.

In four minor league starts this season, McCullers has a 2.84 ERA over 12 2/3 innings. He's allowed six runs (four earned) on 10 hits and six walks, while striking out 16 batters over 12 2/3 innings.

I wouldn't pay much attention to a lot of those numbers, but the low ERA and big strikeout numbers are definitely positives. He hasn't made long starts, so that's something to keep in mind if you want to stream him.

McCullers is worth an add in a lot of deeper redraft leagues in the days leading up to his first start. His past work makes him worthy of an add, and a super favorable matchup against the White Sox is a nice bonus.

McCullers might be a big enough name to also get some standard league streaming starts on Sunday. I'd be more confident unleashing McCullers in deeper leagues only for that start, just because we don't know how deep he might be able to work into a game.

His own percentage is going to rise between now and Sunday, and if you want to take a chance on him, you might need to make the move now. A good start on Sunday could make him an instant add for all fantasy owners, so keep very close tabs on him.

Should You Add Ben Casparius?

Casparius is an interesting waiver wire add. His own percentage has jumped about 10% since the start of this week. His own percentage increase comes after he worked 3 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen on Sunday. 

Across 11 appearances, he's made just one start, but Casparius has logged 21 2/3 innings. He has allowed seven runs (2.91 ERA) on 17 hits and three walks, while also striking out 23 batters. Casparius has three wins and no losses.

He's basically a long reliever, but his lower ERA and big strikeout numbers make him an intriguing fantasy asset for now. Casparius is in just his second big league season, and only got 8 1/3 innings last season, so there's a bit of unknown with him too.

Of course, we're only considering Casparius in deep fantasy leagues because he's primarily worked as a reliever. There's some real fantasy value to take advantage of here, and I'm for it in the right fantasy setups. Because he works multiple innings, he should be viewed like a starter.

The Dodgers have also looked into stretching Casparius out as a starter. If he can make regular starts, and keeps delivering good results, Casparius will see his own percentage improve, so he's worth keeping tabs on.

Should You Add Noah Cameron?

Cameron was part of a story on Wednesday on three pitching prospects who were debuting that day. He's up another 2.63% today, bringing his overall mark to 6.83% now.

Cameron turned heads by taking a no-hitter in the seventh inning of Wednesday's game against the Rays. He worked 6 1/3 innings, allowing a hit and five walks, while striking out three batters and earning the way. Despite the big walk numbers, he left after throwing just 79 pitches.

His reward for the good outing? He was optioned back to Triple-A.

That was expected because he was making a spot start for Cole Ragans. Even if the team wants to start Cameron the next turn through the rotation, sending him down now opens another spot to bring up a fresh arm.

Even though Cameron might be back in AAA for the time being, he's definitely worth some adds in fantasy leagues. In really deep leagues where you can stash players, I'd consider adding Cameron. He flashed plenty of potential in his first start, and could be a fantasy asset to rely on with regular starts later in the season.

Cameron is a good dynasty/keeper asset right now, and will get added in plenty of leagues when he gets called back up. He's worth tagging to see when his next big league start might be.