All 30 Major League Baseball teams are in action this Friday night, with 24 teams in action on the main MLB DFS fantasy baseball slate that locks at 7:05 p.m. ET. Without many aces on the mound, it should be a good night for offense, and there are plenty of great matchups to attack across the 12 games on the slate. If you find yourself short on salary cap space, check out these three top MLB DFS Bargain Plays for Friday, 05/09/25, who bring great upside despite their very affordable salaries.
The weather could cause issues in a few locations, especially New York and Tampa Bay, so be sure to check back on the forecast before first pitch. Especially for value plays, it’s also critical to check and make sure that the players are in the lineup as expected, since some are regularly in timeshares.
As you make out your lineup card for Friday’s contests, be sure to check out the full range of MLB DFS coverage from the team at DKNetwork, since these bargain values are just one piece of the MLB DFS picture to consider.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Hidden Ball Trick [$50K to 1st]
SP Tomoyuki Sugano, Baltimore Orioles at Los Angeles Angels, $7,000
Sugano gets the start for the Orioles as they start their series in Anaheim, and the 35-year-old rookie from Japan should be in a favorable spot to deliver value. The starting pitching options as a whole on Friday’s slate are sketchy, but Sugano has looked pretty solid in his last few outings, and the Angels are a good matchup.
Sugano has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his starts this season, going 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA, 5.13 FIP, and 4.9 K/9. While his FIP and K/9 numbers aren’t ideal, he has been able to work around his lack of strikeouts and still produce good results. His last two starts were both at home against the Yankees and Royals, and he earned 27.1 and 13.9 fantasy points, respectively. He had a season-high eight strikeouts in that outing against the Yankees and earned his third win of the season. Against the Royals, he took a tough-luck loss but still turned in a Quality Start since he got through the sixth inning.
The Angels’ lineup is less formidable without Mike Trout, and they have the second-highest K% in Major League Baseball, behind only the Rockies. Over the last two weeks, they have hit just .226 as a team with an average of 3.3 runs per game and an MLB-high 28.9% K%. With some extra strikeout potential based on the matchup, Sugano gets enough of a boost to stand out as the best MLB DFS starting pitcher under $8,000.
2B/OF Daniel Schneemann, Cleveland Guardians vs. Philadlephia Phillies, $3,200
Schneemann has hit second in the order for the Guardians in their last two games and will be a great value if he continues to operate in that premium spot in the order between Steven Kwan ($4,800) and Jose Ramirez ($5,100). Schneemann is hitting .286 in his 28 games this season with five homers and a .406 wOBA, but those numbers don’t reflect how strong his recent form has been.
After a slow start, Schneeman has gone 19-for-51 (.373) over his last 20 games with five doubles, four homers and a .489 wOBA. He has a 51.3% hard-hit rate over that stretch, according to Statcast and should continue to be very involved in Cleveland’s run production as they open their series on Friday against the visiting Phillies. On Friday, they’ll face Aaron Nola ($8,300), who has a 4.61 ERA and 3.91 FIP through his first seven starts of the season, and left-handed batters have hit five of the six home runs Nola has allowed while posting a .349 wOBA against him.
1B Nick Kurtz, Athletics vs. New York Yankees, $3,000
Kurtz hasn’t hit his first Major League home run yet, but the 22-year-old lefty has still been productive in his first taste of the big leagues. Kurtz was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, and the big slugging first baseman hit .368 in the minors last year with four home runs and a .559 wOBA in just 12 games. In 20 games at Triple-A this year, Kurtz hit .321 with seven homers and a .436 wOBA.
He joined the A’s on April 23 and has been a fixture at 1B. He has played 13 games and gone 11-for-42 (.262) with five walks, a triple and a 40.0% hard-hit rate. The big lefty still has a ton of upside to realize in his power potential, and he’ll be in a good matchup at home against Will Warren ($6,300) on Friday night. Warren has allowed left-handed hitters to post a .374 wOBA against him this season, with three of the four home runs he has allowed coming on that side of the splits. Kurtz is a great play at $3K since he brings so much power potential and should be in one of the higher-scoring games on the slate at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park.
