We like themes when we discuss our top fantasy baseball pickups of the week and we have an obvious one entering Week 9: left-handed starting pitchers from the NL Central! We are not making this up, as each of these deserving fellows is among the most-added players in ESPN standard leagues. These are not dart throws. These pitchers are good.

Andrew Abbott, SP, Cincinnati Reds (available in 58.6% of ESPN leagues): Abbott tossed five shutout innings on Sunday against the team’s in-state rivals, the Cleveland Guardians, earning himself his third win. Abbott has made seven starts this season and he has allowed more than one earned run in only one of them, a late-April outing in the high altitude of Denver. Abbott, 26, is not known for his durability. Both his strikeout rate and control have been inconsistent across three seasons with the Reds, but things are going well today. He comes recommended even with his next two outings scheduled to be against the division-leading Chicago Cubs.

Matthew Boyd, SP, Chicago Cubs (available in 61.2%): Speaking of the Cubs, Boyd beat the rival Chicago White Sox on Saturday, earning himself his fourth win in six decisions. He tossed six innings for the sixth time in nine starts. Boyd surprised with Cleveland last season, posting a 2.72 ERA over eight mostly shortened starts. The strikeout rate wasn’t too surprising as Boyd did whiff 238 hitters for the Detroit Tigers in 2019, albeit with a 4.56 ERA. Injuries have plagued him since. This version of Boyd, 34, appears trustworthy, with a 2.98 ERA and enough run support to likely win double-digit games for the first time. Up next are the Reds and a tasty home matchup with the Colorado Rockies.

Matthew Liberatore, RP/SP, St. Louis Cardinals (available in 52.0%): Liberatore tossed six innings of one-run ball at the cross-state rival Kansas City Royals on Sunday, lowering his ERA to a pristine 2.92. He has permitted two or fewer earned runs in each of his past seven starts, with only one home run allowed in that magical span. Liberatore, 25, is finally thriving with a set role in the rotation, after several years of starting and relieving. He is delivering a career-best strikeout and ground ball rate. It all looks legitimate. Liberatore should face the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers in his next two outings.

We could not exit this section without mentioning one other left-handed starting pitcher who took the mound this weekend, albeit in the NL West. Los Angeles Dodgers future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw (available in 65.3%) made his 2025 debut against the crosstown Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, and it did not go well. Kershaw, 37, is returning from offseason knee and toe surgeries. He allowed five runs over four innings, walking three versus two strikeouts. This is, of course, not a typical Kershaw performance. His career ERA is 2.51. You may not want him active this week at Citi Field against the New York Mets, but Kershaw figures to excel this season, when fully healthy.

Closer to add

Jordan Romano, RP, Philadelphia Phillies (available in 86.9%): Perhaps the biggest news from the weekend was the 80-game suspension levied upon LHP closer Jose Alvarado (2.70 ERA, 7 saves). Romano handled the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday and struck out OF Bryan Reynolds, 1B Spencer Horwitz and 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes — the heart of the order, as it is — all on 11 pitches.

The slow-starting Romano had an unfortunate 13.50 ERA just eight outings ago. Since then, he has permitted nary a run in eight innings, on three hits and with 11 strikeouts. He and LHP Matt Strahm may share saves, but Romano is pitching like the top-five closer he once was for Toronto. As for Alvarado, drop him.

Rotisserie-style player to add

Andy Pages, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (available in 65.3%): Pages is a more attractive roto option than a points-league asset because he is an aggressive hitter not prone to many walks. In fact, Pages boasts 69 plate appearances in May, and he has reached first base via free pass in only one of them. He has, however, homered three times over the past five games, and moved up in the team’s lineup thanks to the IL stint of Teoscar Hernandez. Pages has nine home runs and five stolen bases and, while we don’t like his walk rate shrinking some from his rookie campaign, he has become a better fantasy option.

Two-start value pickup

Ben Brown, SP/RP, Chicago Cubs (available in 89.4%): Yep, more Cubs. However, when you start the week with a road tilt in South Florida against the feeble Miami Marlins and then face the inconsistent Reds, it should be a positive week. Brown, 25, still has a 4.75 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP, which aren’t great. Still, his 15 strikeouts against two walks over his past two outings (covering 10 1/3 innings) is a great sign of improvement. Brown may not be a budding ace, but there is obvious strikeout upside, especially versus the Reds (fourth in MLB in strikeouts).

Deeper-league pickups

Logan Henderson, SP, Milwaukee Brewers (available in 91.8%): Henderson made his MLB debut on April 20, beating the Athletics, but then he was sent back to Triple-A Nashville. The organization brought him back last week and Henderson won at Cleveland. He should stick around for the Brewers at this point, with 16 strikeouts against two walks over 11 solid innings. Henderson, 23, is scheduled to face the beleaguered Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. After that, who knows? Add him anyway in case he continues thriving.

Chris Paddack, SP, Minnesota Twins (available in 94.6%): Paddack struggled in his first 2025 outing, permitting nine earned runs to the lowly White Sox, but he has lowered his unsightly ERA in every appearance since. Paddack’s best outings are his most-recent ones, as he finally earned his first two wins, reaching seven innings in both contests. The Twins are on a roll, thanks mostly to their pitching, and Paddack, who hasn’t aided fantasy managers much since his rookie campaign with the Padres in 2019, deserves some credit. He faces the Guardians on Tuesday, then the Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners.