April 7 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Hayden Wesneski, Matthew Liberatore and More
Four starting pitchers in action on Monday who have good matchups and are widely available in fantasy leagues.
Mondays and Thursdays are usually the lightest days on the MLB schedule. Those are generally the days that are scheduled off the most during the season, so they are also most susceptible to losing a large portion of the action on a rainy day.
We have 11 games on the schedule today, so it's not too bad; more than two-thirds of the teams are in action. Among those eight who are off, though, half are teams I'm looking to go after with opposing pitchers, as we are missing our usual targets in Colorado, Tampa Bay, Chicago (White Sox), and Los Angeles (Angels).
That forced me to stretch the definition of streamer today, as we have two pitchers against daily targets (Pittsburgh and Seattle) and two pitchers against teams who are just OK matchups (Minnesota and Kansas City).
Let's look at four starting pitchers in action on Monday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good (enough) matchups. Most stats are from MLB.com, as are the probable pitchers.
Matthew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals @ Pittsburgh Pirates
Liberatore was OK in his first start of the season against the Angels (when he was also listed here as a streamer): six innings, six hits, three runs, no walks, and four strikeouts. That's the type of production we can expect from a streamer. Liberatore is generally a little worse than average with both walks and strikeouts.
The Pirates are going to be a regular friend here in the column. With some of these teams, I run out of things to say when ripping on them every day. Sure, Pittsburgh is bad; do you need me to find a new way to lambast them? That's why I'm here, though, is to make sure that you know that the Pirates stink on offense.
Liberatore is a low- to mid-level streamer. His low strikeout numbers (especially considering he has worked mostly as a reliever) gives him a lower ceiling, but the matchup makes him a player who could fit in your lineup today.
Michael Lorenzen, Kansas City Royals vs. Minnesota Twins
The Twins haven't had a strong start to the season, sitting with a 3-6 record despite playing both the Cardinals and White Sox. Minnesota plays four of seven series the rest of this month against division rivals, so they can set the tone for a long summer by turning things around quickly.
Their offense has been middling at best but often much worse: they rank in the bottom 10 in home runs, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. This is a lineup that pitchers aren't afraid of right now due to both a lack of power and consistency.
Lorenzen is worse than average with both walks and strikeouts but somehow comes out of it with average results. He's an OK pitcher to consider streaming in the right situation, but he's not a player who demands his spot in a fantasy lineup. His first start of the season wasn't great, as Lorenzen gave up four runs (three earned), five hits, and three walks in 5.1 innings. Seven strikeouts were a nice little bonus, though.
Lorenzen is a low-level streamer. The matchup is tentatively a good one based on the small sample of 2025, but Lorenzen is only listed here because we are extra short on streamers today.
Hayden Wesneski, Houston Astros @ Seattle Mariners
Wesneski was acquired from the Cubs as part of the deal that sent Kyle Tucker to Chicago. He was better than average with both walks and strikeouts in 190 innings with the Cubs, mostly working as a reliever. In his first start this season, Wesneski gave up three runs in five innings while walking three and striking out six.
The Mariners are one of the top teams to target early in the season. They strike out a lot and don't score many runs, a recipe for success for opposing pitchers despite some decent power numbers from Seattle.
Wesneski is a mid-level streamer. The matchup is right, and he does enough to belong on the streaming radar, so Wesneski fits here as a decent player to consider.
Simeon Woods Richardson, Minnesota Twins @ Kansas City Royals
Woods Richardson wouldn't be listed here most days, but since we're short on streamers, I'll add him as a fourth guy that could be considered in deep leagues and those without innings limits. Woods Richardson is just a hair worse than average in walk rate and strikeout rate in 147.1 innings and good enough for the streaming radar on the right days.
The Royals weren't on our target list entering the season, and they've been very average so far in 2025; KC isn't a team I want to go after. This is another example of the short day causing us to stretch our definition of a feasible “streamer.”
Woods Richardson is a low-level streamer. He's fine, but the matchup isn't a good one, and he's just a deep option if you're desperate.
Monday's Streamer Rankings
- Hayden Wesneski, HOU
- Matthew Liberatore, STL
- Michael Lorenzen, KC
- Simeon Woods Richardson, MIN
