Fantasy baseball waivers: Post-deadline opportunity knocks for these players

Fallout from the annual MLB trade deadline doesn’t only impact the big-name players who change teams.

As a result of the flurry of last-minute trades that are made every year, many roles on teams across the league tend to be affected — and often significantly. New names are granted larger opportunities, closer roles open up to a larger field of competitors, and other established players are often pushed into more prominent roles.

The final two days — in fact, the final 31 hours alone — leading up to this past Thursday’s trade deadline saw a whopping 50 trades, meaning a heck of a lot of fallout for us fantasy baseball managers setting up our lineups for the week ahead. Fortunately, the three days’ worth of weekend action began to give us a glimpse into how players are settling into their new teams.

As you consider your pickups for the week, take a look at the following players, all of whom have seen a significant rise in fantasy stock as a result of the deadline deals:

Tyler Locklear, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks (available in 99.1% of ESPN leagues): A player who was traded, but was far from the most prominent name in his deal — he was the key ingredient in the Diamondbacks’ return for Eugenio Suarez — Locklear has a golden opportunity ahead, filling in every day at first base while Pavin Smith nurses an oblique injury. Smith, however, can figure into the team’s DH mix when healthy, so there’s a real chance that the rookie might find himself as a starter even after that point.

Your League, Your Rules

Create a league and customize league size, scoring and rules to play in the league you want to play in.

Create a league today!

Locklear exhibits a patient approach at the plate, posting 10.8% walk and 28.0% chase rates while with the Seattle Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma. He also has decent pop, as he has homered 29 times with .202 isolated power in 168 games for Tacoma across the past two seasons. The move to Arizona’s Chase Field should help boost his prospects in the latter department. He slotted in as the Diamondbacks’ No. 6 hitter in his first two starts for them, which is a prominent enough role for fantasy relevance. Add him in all NL-only and deep-mixed (15-plus teams) leagues, and be aware that he’s already well on the radar in 12-team mixed formats.

Randy Rodriguez, RP, San Francisco Giants (available in 84.2%): The reliever who perhaps most benefited as a result of the players traded away by his team, Rodriguez appears most suited to inherit the closer role for the Giants following the trade of Camilo Doval. Rodriguez was a National League All-Star thanks to his breakthrough performance this season, which has seen him score the 24th-most fantasy points among full-time relief pitchers and he notched the team’s first save following the deadline on Friday.

Rodriguez has made huge strides by ditching his ineffective sinker and changeup this season, and Statcast reflects his massive potential with his sixth-ranked expected ERA (2.33) among qualified relievers. Rodriguez is the smartest stash of this quintet for ESPN standard leagues, and he’s a must-add in everything deeper.

Jakob Marsee, OF, Miami Marlins (available in 99.1%): Jesus Sanchez’s trade to the Houston Astros freed up an outfield spot for the Marlins, which they used to promote Marsee — a player they acquired from the San Diego Padres in 2024’s Luis Arraez deal. Marsee made an immediate impact, reaching base four times (including three walks), both feats setting franchise records for a debut. He also became only the second player during the modern era (1901 forward) to register a double and three walks in his debut (Ray Morehart, 1924).

All of this underscores his keen eye and patient approach at the plate, as he has walked in at least 15% of his plate appearances in each of his four professional seasons. He also has elite speed, which has seen him steal at least 46 bases in each of the past three. In any rotisserie league, Marsee should be one of your top pickups for the week ahead.

JoJo Romero, RP, St. Louis Cardinals (available in 96.2%): For the second time in three seasons, Romero is getting a chance to close for the Cardinals after their trade of the incumbent. In 2023, that was Jordan Hicks, after which point Romero went 3-for-3 in converting his save chances with a 2.70 ERA before ultimately struggling with a knee injury.

This time, it’s Ryan Helsley, Romero’s 2023 successor, who was moved. However, in 2025, Romero has been pitching at a higher level than the last time he received the expanded opportunity. Romero’s 58% ground ball rate places in the 96th percentile, and his 28% whiff ranks in the 71st percentile. He notched his first save of 2025 on Saturday and is “the Cardinals reliever to add” in every league deeper than ESPN standard.

Editor’s Picks

1 Related

Dennis Santana, RP, Pittsburgh Pirates (available in 93.8%): Forgive him for his hideous, five-run loss on Friday, in the Pirates’ first game since trading closer David Bednar. That contest was played at Colorado’s Coors Field, the most unforgiving environment in baseball and, in Santana’s defense, he pitched an effective ninth inning in the team’s subsequent 9-5 victory there on Sunday.

Overall, Santana has enjoyed a highly productive season, his breakthrough mostly attributed to greater usage and command of his slider, which he has thrown 48% of the time and is responsible for 28 of his 39 K’s. He also did an excellent job filling in for Bednar during the latter’s April demotion to the minors, converting all five of his save chances with six holds and a 1.57 ERA in 23 appearances between April and May. Santana, like Romero, is worth the add in any league larger than our standard offering.

Other players to consider in ESPN standard leagues

Ramon Laureano, OF, San Diego Padres (available in 81.9%): We list him here (rather than above) because he was a prominent name who was traded, but Laureano’s early returns in San Diego are extremely encouraging. He started all three of their weekend games against the Cardinals, starting as the No. 6 hitter against lefty Matthew Liberatore and No. 7 against the following two righty starters, going a combined 3-for-12 with a triple and a home run in the series. If that’s a signal that he’ll retain the everyday role he previously had with the Baltimore Orioles, from which he batted .328/.393/.557 with 10 home runs while playing in 51 of his final 67 team games for them, Laureano will have an impact in any fantasy format these final two months.

Warming Bernabel, 3B, Colorado Rockies (available in 87.8%): Recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque following Ryan McMahon’s trade to the New York Yankees, Bernabel has played every inning of the Rockies’ past eight games, batting .438/.455/.906 with three home runs in the process (including four multihit games). Keep in mind, too, that only three of those games were played at Coors Field, which has the park factors most propping Bernabel up as a universal fantasy add. He’s a free swinger, never walking in greater than 7.6% of his trips to the plate in any of six professional seasons, but he’s capable enough at making contact and squaring up the ball to benefit from Coors’ advantageous environment.