The air is starting to get a bit crisper (well, in the north at least). The real-life and fantasy trade deadlines have come and gone. September is almost upon us. The marathon of the 2023 MLB season has become a sprint to the finish, and right now is winning time for those of you lucky enough to still be in contention in your fantasy baseball leagues. With precious few weeks to shore up holes and make up ground in the standings, smart adds become even more important: Hit on an under-the-radar free agent, and fantasy hardware awaits; miss, and you’ll spend the winter wondering what if.
Luckily, our weekly waiver wire recommendations are here to help, with position-by-position looks are players you should consider snagging off the waiver wire. Next up: relief pitcher.
Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Week 23 relief pitcher targets
Chris Martin, RP, Boston Red Sox
Roster percentage: 2.9%
Kenley Jansen’s hamstring strain seems like it could land him on the IL, in which case Martin figures to be the next man up in the ninth inning for the competitive Red Sox. The righty has been a reliable bridge all year, with a 1.26 ERA and 1.05 WHIP to go with four wins and a save. Boston doesn’t have many other compelling late-inning options to turn to — unless they want to convert Nick Pivetta from bulk man to high-leverage reliever — and they’re a team that’s churned out consistent save opportunities all year.
Matt Brash, RP, Seattle Mariners
Roster percentage: 8.2%
Most assumed that dealing Paul Sewald to the Diamondbacks meant that Andres Munoz would feast as Seattle’s closer, but instead starter-turned-reliever Matt Brash has notched three saves so far this month — including back-to-back against the Royals this past week, and a win against the Astros last week. The righty has a 2.79 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 9.2 innings so far this month, and he seems at the very least like one of Scott Servais’ top two high-leverage choices. It’s not hard to see why: Brash has explosive stuff, and while he doesn’t always know where it’s going (which can lead to some real late-inning agita) he absolutely has the goods to be the guy in the ninth inning. Munoz will almost certainly figure into that equation as well, limiting Brash’s upside, but you take saves anywhere you can find them this time of year.
Jason Foley, RP, Detroit Tigers
Roster percentage: 2.7%
Speaking of: With Alex Lange totally losing the strike zone once again, it’s been Foley stepping into the closer’s role for a surprisingly competitive Detroit team of late. He’s posted a 2.60 ERA so far this year, and he converted consecutive save chances against the Guardians this past week. Again, Detroit is a better team than you probably think, with Eduardo Rodriguez and Tarik Skubal consistently keeping them in games and Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter a sneaky heart of the order, and Foley figures to get at least some save chances down the stretch.
