Free agent pickups: Need some pitching? Look to Twins and Astros

When it comes to pickups, getting production today rather than tomorrow is paramount. However, if a pickup transforms into a helpful hand for tomorrow, too, that's all the better.

Fantasy baseball's two-start pitchers for Week 4 present an interesting list of matchups candidates, each with the potential to develop into something greater than just a short-term streaming option. At the top of that list is a pitcher who excelled during spring training before struggling mightily in his first two regular-season starts, only to swiftly right the ship with 13 combined scoreless innings over his last two turns.

Yes, it's time once again for Mick Abel of the Minnesota Twins (10.5% rostered). The right-hander, who dialed his fastball up to 96.3 mph and struck out a stunning 32.9% of the batters he faced during spring training, is once again missing bats at an elevated rate, striking out 16 of the 51 batters (31.4%) he's faced in his most recent two starts. Thanks to mechanical tweaks he made during the offseason, Abel is getting 0.2-feet more extension on his pitches this season compared to last, helping lead to a 31.4% whiff rate and .182 batting average against his changeup. There's enough to the adjustments he has made to suggest that a sizable full-season step forward is coming.

For Week 4, Abel faces the ice-cold New York Mets at their pitcher-friendly home venue, Citi Field, and then he returns home to battle the Tampa Bay Rays. He's well worth the pickup for those outings, with the hopes that he'll catch better breaks with his fastball -- that one, among his six different offerings, has surrendered a .468 wOBA -- and lock himself into a permanent spot on your roster.

Hitting matchup advantage: San Diego Padres

Although the Padres play only five games during Week 4, they'll all be played at mile-high-or-greater altitude, significantly skewing their matchups toward hitters. They begin with three games against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field and finish with two against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Mexico City's Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú, two of the most hitter-friendly venues the game has ever seen.

Fantasy managers should load up on Padres hitters, whether it's in a daily- or weekly-lineup-lock format. That includes the widely available OF Ramon Laureano (43.1% rostered) -- a lifetime .314/.378/.545 hitter with a 4.6% HR rate (the MLB average this season is 2.7%) in baseball's five most hitter-friendly ballparks over the past three years (Coors, Sacramento's Sutter Health Park, Baltimore's Camden Yards, Minnesota's Target Field and Arizona's Chase Field).

Pick up these hot hands

Jeremiah Jackson, OF/2B/3B, Baltimore Orioles (42.0% rostered): His might be more of a short-term development than a sign of a season-long breakthrough, as Jackson's 42 fantasy points over the past 10 days -- tied with Aaron Judge for sixth most among hitters -- have been fueled by a .391 BABIP. Still, Jackson brings eligibility at three different positions, including the thin 2B spot. Plus, his 9.0% barrel and 42.5% hard-hit rates at the MLB level thus far (2025-26) reflect his decent pop.

Spencer Arrighetti, SP, Houston Astros (15.9%): The Astros rotation is in a precarious spot with all of its injuries, but Arrighetti is one of the team's more promising arms -- and now one practically promised a full-time role for the remainder of the season. His curveball was outstanding in his 2026 debut on Wednesday, responsible for nine of his 10 total strikeouts as well as a 72.7% whiff rate. While that did come against the light-hitting Rockies, it should help him continue to fill the category -- expect at least one K per frame on average -- in future assignments.

Deeper-league pickups

Deep (12-team mixed): Justin Wrobleski, RP, Los Angeles Dodgers (8.4% rostered). The time might soon come for the Dodgers to decide whether Roki Sasaki's future, immediate or long term, is out of the bullpen. Sasaki's ERA in his 12 career starts thus far is 5.19 and his walk rate is 14.2%. Considering they have a capable starter in Wrobleski hanging around the back of their rotation, it's a swap that might not be far off.

Wrobleski hasn't been missing many bats thus far, as he has struck out only six of the 63 batters he's faced, but his four-seamer/slider-heavy repertoire should deliver closer to one K per frame in time, especially if he recaptures some of the lost velocity on his fastball. Considering he tossed eight shutout innings in his most recent turn, Wrobleski should be stashed in any league larger than ESPN's standard.

Deeper (15-team mixed): Brad Keller, RP, Philadelphia Phillies (6.5% rostered). The Phillies bullpen fell somewhat into chaos over the weekend, after the team placed closer Jhoan Duran -- the league's top save-getter between the date of his acquisition from the Twins and his deactivation -- on the 15-day IL.

While Philadelphia is expected to use a committee approach to close out games initially, Keller's skill set brings fantasy managers the most potential. His move to the bullpen last season saw him add more than three full ticks of average fastball velocity. That, as well as his increased reliance upon his sweeper, has helped boost his strikeout rate. Keller's 273 fantasy points since the beginning of last season place among the top 30 relievers in baseball and the possibility of short-term save chances could vault him into the position's top 20.

Deepest (AL- and NL-only leagues): Enyel De Los Santos, RP, Astros (2.6% rostered). Speaking of speculative saves, bear in mind that the Astros shifted usual closer Josh Hader to the 60-day IL on Friday, meaning he'll be ineligible to recapture his former role until at least May 24. In Hader's absence, Bryan Abreu has pitched horribly, posting a 14.73 ERA while walking 13 of the 43 hitters he has faced, opening the Astros' ninth-inning picture to alternatives.

De Los Santos, who didn't even start the season until April 6 due to a knee strain, has been one of their most effective right-handed short relievers, utilizing a slider/changeup-heavy repertoire to post a 1.17 ERA and a pair of saves over the past week. He's a hot hand well worth the pickup considering the team's wide-open saves opportunity.