Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Top Pitchers to Add Before Play Resumes

The MLB All-Star break is here, so there's a little break in the fantasy baseball action. There's still things to discuss, and we'll open the week like many others, discussing waiver wire options.

Let's look into some pitching options first. Check back later for a waiver wire writeup on hitters.

Fantasy baseball waiver wire options can be found all season on FantasySP!

Zach Thornton - New York Mets

Thornton is rostered in about 6.8% of fantasy baseball leagues right now.

He is the Mets' No. 12 prospect and has pitched in three games this season. Thornton allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings in his first start back in May. He allowed a run over six innings on June 26, then tossed seven scoreless frames on July 12.

Thornton is expected to stick in the rotation after the All-Star break, so he should continue trending up as a fantasy asset. With the Mets being more likely to sell then buy at the trade deadline, Thornton could remain in the big leagues for the remainder of the season.

He's already worth adding in some more deeper leagues. Be ready to stream him in his starts to come, and that could be for deeper or standard leagues with the way he's pitched, especially of late.

Jared Jones - Pittsburgh Pirates

Jones is owned in 44.4% of leagues right now.

He has made eight appearances so far this season, and has mostly been good. Jones has allowed three or less earned runs in six appearances, but his innings pitched have been low, which holds back his fantasy value a bit.

Jones worked six innings in his last outing - he didn't allow a hit or walk in that one, while striking out eight batters. He hasn't topped five innings in any other start.

Jones is still getting back into the swing of things after missing a ton of time. He could be settling in, and that sets him up for a potential big finish to the season. Expect the Pirates to be careful with his innings and workload, but he could still be a good/great fantasy pitcher while out there. I like him in all deeper leagues and to work into standard leagues too.

Jacob Webb - Chicago Cubs

Webb is sitting at 14.8% rostered at this time.

He is serving as the closer for the Cubs while Daniel Palencia is on the injured list. Webb has five saves on the season, and three of them have come this month. He has worked in the seventh and eighth innings in other appearances though, so he's not the go-to closer.

Over 42 appearances overall, Webb is 3-2 with the five saves, four blown saves and seven holds. He has pitched 41 1/3 innings, allowing 17 runs (14 earned) on 37 hits and 16 walks. Webb has struck out 48 along the way.

With Webb not earning every save, he's not a must-add fantasy asset. I do like adding him in a few more deeper leagues, especially if you need a fantasy reliever/closer. The longer Palencia is out, the more value Webb holds, so track that and be ready to move off Webb in time.

Jack Flaherty - Detroit Tigers

Flaherty is rostered in 58.06% of leagues right now.

Flaherty is trending up at the break. He has allowed three or less earned runs in seven straight starts. He is 3-2 with 43 strikeouts over 35 1/3 innings (2.55 earned run average) in that stretch.

Across 18 starts this season, Flaherty is 3-8 with a 4.48 ERA. He's allowed 49 runs (41 earned) on 76 hits and 40 walks, while striking out 98 batters.

His overall season numbers are so-so, but a deeper dive shows much better results of late. As a result, Flaherty is worth some adds in more fantasy leagues. Be ready to stream him in all leagues coming out of the break.

Jake Bennett - Boston Red Sox

Bennett sits at 74.8% rostered at this time.

Bennett has pitched well in most of his appearances this season. He's allowed two or less runs in six of his eight starts. Bennett hasn't allowed over two runs in a start since June 10.

He's 4-3 with a 2.64 ERA over 47 2/3 innings overall. Bennett has struck out 35 batters while allowing 14 runs on 37 hits and eight walks.

Bennett is a sneaky-good fantasy asset right now and should be owned in all leagues until he cools off. Pick him up today if you still can.

Brandon Pfaadt - Arizona Diamondbacks

Pfaadt is owned in 8.03% of fantasy leagues at the start of the break.

He started the year slowly and lost his starting role. Pfaadt pitched well and got his starting spot back and has continued to pitch well.

He hasn't allowed over two runs in his three starts of late, and he hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in an appearance since April 25. Pfaadt is 3-1 with two holds over 16 appearances and 53 2/3 innings. He's allowed 31 runs (28 earned) on 53 knocks and 18 walks, while striking out 41 batters.

Pfaadt is available in most leagues, and is worth adding in a lot of deeper leagues today. He could even be a standard league streaming option in the right matchups, so keep tabs on him after the break ends.