AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week

1. Identify likely free agents and discuss their strengths and weaknesses.
2. Estimate how much of your free-agent budget you should bid on them.

This year, we're incorporating sortable grids into the FAAB articles, so users can see at a glance how certain players stack up against others and how much they should command in a variety of formats.

These grids include a very basic "player grade" column. This serves as a reflection of a player's skills and role on an A-E scale. Carlos Correa would have been an "A" grade player last year -- that mark will be reserved for similar high-impact prospects stepping into an everyday role.

Not seeing a certain player? Check to see if they were mentioned in last week's article. If there is a player not discussed in either article that you would like to know about, feel free to ask about the player in the comments.

Jose Berrios, Twins - It wasn't the storybook debut some were anticipating for one of the game's top prospects, but Berrios showed flashes of greatness Wednesday against Cleveland, striking out five batters in four innings. He put far too many runners on base, but Berrios was still much better than the final line would indicate (five earned runs on six hits) and he now appears locked into the rotation with multiple starters on the DL and Tommy Milone moved to the bullpen. The 21-year-old Berrios threw for a combined 166.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last year, so he isn't going to face any major workload restrictions, and the outstanding control he displayed last year would seem to give him a significant floor as he figures out major league hitting. Even if the free passes tick up a bit against more patient hitters, Berrios should miss bats at a high enough clip to be useful in most formats, and he gets two starts right away with road matchups against the Astros and White Sox this week. He's already owned in most deeper leagues, and should be treated as a hot, difference-making commodity in shallower leagues where he's available. 12-team mixed: $11; 15-team mixed: $21; AL-only: $44

Tyler Duffey, Twins - A line drive to the shoulder cut short Duffey's 2016 big-league debut, but he was cleared to get back on the mound Saturday, and the results against a tough Tigers lineup were highly encouraging. He was charged with four runs over 6.1 innings in the loss, but only one run was earned, and the 25-year-old fanned seven without issuing a walk. Duffey did give up home run, as he did in his first start, but home runs were not an issue at Triple-A (four allowed in 117 innings). The 25-year-old may be overshadowed by Berrios, and he doesn't have Berrios' upside, but as a pitcher with strong command of a quality fastball-curveball-changeup combo in a favorable home park, Duffey appears to have the makings of a useful mixed-league streamer. He will, however, need to pitch well to maintain a spot in the rotation long-term. 12-team mixed: $2; 15-team mixed: $5; AL-only: $11

Alex Meyer, Twins - Instead of throwing his between-starts bullpen session on the side, Meyer got some work in during Friday's game, and the Tigers jumped on him for two runs on five hits in one inning. Writing Meyer off entirely because of that performance would be a mistake. He's still probably more of an AL-only league consideration, but Meyer was showing improved control before his callup, issuing just four free passes over 17.1 frames at Triple-A with more than a strikeout per inning. The right-hander lines up to face the Astros on Tuesday before a potential two-start week, but Meyer is the most likely to lose his spot to Berrios and Duffey when some of the Twins' injured arms make their way back. 12-team mixed: No; 15-team mixed: $0; AL-only: $4

Jesse Hahn, A's - A blister on his throwing hand threatened to delay Hahn's return to the major leagues, but he ended up getting the call to replace Chris Bassitt (elbow) on Saturday. Hahn shut down the Astros over 6.2 innings en route to the win, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out four batters, touching the mid-90s with his fastball and flashing the trademark curveball. Remember, he was in line initially to replace Erik Surkamp in the rotation before developing the blister, and before Bassitt's injury cleared room for both him and Sean Manaea. The durability concerns will always be there with Hahn, a Tommy John survivor who missed a good portion of last season with more arm issues, but there's value to be had here while he's healthy. 12-team mixed: $4; 15-team mixed: $8; AL-only: $19

Sean Manaea, A's - The final line from Manea's major league debut leaves a lot to be desired, with the lefty giving up four runs in five innings with more walks (4) than strikeouts (3), but two of those four runs came around to score after Manea departed the game in the sixth inning. His fastball and slider are already above-average offerings and grade out as potential plus pitches, and he can change speeds well to keep hitters off balance. The control looks to still be a work in progress, and Henderson Alvarez (shoulder) will step into a rotation spot when deemed ready, but the 24-year-old Manaea makes for a worthwhile flier in most leagues. 12-team mixed: $3; 15-team mixed: $7; AL-only: $17

Michael Fulmer, Tigers - Fulmer earned the win over the Twins with five strong innings in his debut Friday, making a successful jump to the majors after three starts at Triple-A. He allowed seven hits – six of which were singles – and got batters to whiff on all four of his strikeouts. With the power to consistently dial the fastball up to the mid-90s, and a breaking pitch and changeup to play off the heater, Fulmer has the repertoire to miss bats at a nice clip, especially during his first run through the major leagues. He's reined in the control in recent years and carried that over to his first major league start, and if he keeps it up, that will go a long way toward maintaining a rotation spot. Shane Greene (finger) and Daniel Norris represent potential obstacles down the line, but not insurmountable ones. 12-team mixed: $4; 15-team mixed: $8; AL-only: $19

Trevor Bauer, Indians - Carlos Carrasco's injury has opened the door for Bauer to slot into the rotation after he started the year in a bullpen role. Bauer's first start was nothing to write home about, as the Phillies got to him for three runs on five hits in four innings, and hard-hit balls have been a theme for the hard-throwing right-hander throughout the first month of the season (38.6-percent hard-contact rate). He has at least a month-long window to start and put his bat-missing ability to good use in AL-only leagues, but his susceptibility to hard-hit balls and fits of control issues make him a risk to do major damage in the ratio categories. 12-team mixed: No; 15-team mixed: $0; AL-only: $5

Chris Devenski, Astros - Called upon to replace Scott Feldman on Saturday, Devenski took the loss to the A's in his first major league start, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four over five innings. By comparison, he put 12 runners on base in his first 13.2 innings out of the bullpen. The ratios still look great for the 25-year-old, but he's not a pedigree guy at all (25th-round pick in 2011) and probably isn't in the team's long-term rotation plans. He could still be a source of ratio help while in the bullpen, but right now can be left for AL-only leagues and very deep mixers. 12-team mixed: No; 15-team mixed: $0; AL-only: $3

Relief Pitcher

Joe Smith, Angels - Huston Street hit the DL this week with an oblique injury, and Smith, the presumptive fill-in at closer, indeed got the first crack at replacing him in the ninth inning. Smith nailed down the win Wednesday, retiring the side on eight pitches. The 32-year-old Smith has closing experience, having saved 15 games in 2014, but does not have the overpowering stuff or bat-missing ability of your prototypical closer. The strikeouts are down significantly this year, too -- he's fanned a mere five batters in 12 innings -- and his hard-hit rate is through the roof at over 46 percent. He should be picked up in a lot of leagues this week, but Smith isn't a sure bet to hold onto the job until Street returns. 12-team mixed: $3; 15-team mixed: $7; AL-only: $16

Fernando Salas, Angels - Salas doesn't throw all that much harder than Smith, but he misses bats at a higher clip and has slightly better control. Smith induces groundballs at a much higher rate, but he's been getting barrelled up constantly in the early going this season (see above), so there's appeal to Salas as a potential source of saves while Huston Street is out. 12-team mixed: $0; 15-team mixed: $1; AL-only: $3

Michael Morin, Angels - The 24-year-old has not given up a hit in his last six appearances, and he's issued one free pass in 9.1 innings this season. While the strikeouts have been down a bit lately, he's still getting whiffs (12.5-percent swinging-strike rate) and Morin limited opposing hitters to a contact rate just over 68 percent last year. Joe Smith and Fernando Salas are likely the next in line to close with Huston Street on the DL, but Morin is a dark horse to close games at some point this year. 12-team mixed: No; 15-team mixed: $0; AL-only: $2

Trevor May, Twins - Glen Perkins (shoulder) is apparently not even close to resuming a throwing program, and Kevin Jepsen is on very shaky ground after back-to-back blown save opportunities. The walks haven't really been the issue with Jepsen; it's that he's giving up more hard contact and fly balls than ever before. May, meanwhile, has 21 strikeouts in 14 innings, and three of his eight walks came in one forgettable appearance. He might have been picked up earlier in the season and dropped or not picked up at all. Regardless, May should be a popular speculative pick-up again this week in light of Jepsen's ongoing struggles. 12-team mixed: $2; 15-team mixed: $5; AL-only: $13

Carson Smith, Red Sox - After a short rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket, Smith is ready to return Tuesday from a forearm injury. Smith was dominant in 70 appearances with the Mariners last season, with the ratios supporting an even better mark than his sparkling 2.31 ERA. The combination of ground balls and strikeouts will keep Smith in a back-end role, but there's not a ton of speculative appeal here in traditional 5x5 mixers given Craig Kimbrel's presence. Kimbrel has endured some bumps in the road early on but is not at risk of losing his job. 12-team mixed: $0; 15-team mixed: $2; AL-only: $6

Nick Vincent, Mariners - Brought in from San Diego just before the start of the season, Vincent has already proven to be a valuable addition in the Mariners' bullpen, allowing two runs while striking out 12 in 9.1 innings. The 29-year-old has racked up three holds and even a save, but that was a situation where a close game became a blowout after Vincent came in and stuck around to finish things off. Vincent's in play as a possible AL-only pickup for some ratio help, but that's it. 12-team mixed: No; 15-team mixed: No; AL-only: $0

Catcher

Geovany Soto, Angels - Carlos Perez continues to see the bulk of the work behind the plate, but Soto continues to produce when given a chance. The 33-year-old hit his second home run of the season (27 at-bats) in Friday's loss, and he has three multi-hit games in eight starts. Those scouring for a second catcher should consider Soto, as he can contribute more homers than a lot of starters even in a secondary role, and he's not playing enough to tank your average if he hits a cold stretch. 12-team mixed: No; 15-team mixed: $0; AL-only: $4

Blake Swihart, Red Sox - He's struggling a bit to get back on track down at Triple-A, so it may be a little while before we see him again, but Swihart will return eventually and the offensive upside is probably just enough to warrant a last bench spot in two-catcher, 12-team AL-only leagues. 12-team mixed: No; 15-team mixed: No; AL-only: $0

First Base

Dae-Ho Lee, Mariners - Despite having logged just 25 at-bats so far this season, Lee has been more valuable than the likes of Steve Pearce, Adam Lind and Mark Canha in AL-only leagues (according to the RotoWire Earned Auction Values tool). He has a couple home runs to his name, and with the platoon advantage in all of his starts, Lee should be able to maintain a useful batting average. The 33-year-old still isn't on the standard mixed-league radar, but he should probably be picked up in AL-only leagues if he's still sitting out there. 12-team mixed: No; 15-team mixed: $0; AL-only: $6

Second Base -

Devon Travis, Blue Jays - Those sorting their free agent lists by season-to-date production won't see Travis, as he's been on the DL while recovering from shoulder surgery. Travis said he "feels great," but the 25-year-old still faces a lengthy rehab assignment, and the Blue Jays aren't going to just hand him the starting job at second base when he's healthy. Travis will need to produce with the bat to earn his spot, but he has the pop and hitting ability to do just that as evidenced by his .304 average and eight homers in 62 games in the majors last season. 12-team mixed: No; 15-team mixed: No; AL-only: $3

Carlos Sanchez, White Sox - The 23-year-old was called up this week to fill a utility role on the major league team. Sanchez was off to a great start with Triple-A Charlotte before the promotion, slashing .309/.356/.469 with three home runs in 89 plate appearances. Perhaps the bat is coming along faster than anyone anticipated, but Sanchez turned in a sub-.600 OPS in 120 games in the majors last season, and it will be tough to draw any meaningful conclusions regarding Sanchez's bat until there's a more significant sample to go on. 12-team mixed: No; 15-team mixed: No; AL-only: $0

Shortstop

Danny Santana, Twins - As expected, Santana took over in center field upon activation from the DL last week, and he's now led off in each of the Twins' last four games. He has hit the ground running, notching eight hits and a steal in his first five games back. The 25-year-old has already been caught stealing three times this season, and Santana is still looking for his first home run since 2014, but a leadoff hitter with shortstop eligibility should garner attention in a lot of formats. 12-team mixed: $4; 15-team mixed: $8; AL-only: $19

Marco Hernandez, Red Sox - The 23-year-old returned to Boston this week for his second stint at the major league level, but he figures to ride the shuttle throughout most of the season, so there's little appeal here even in AL-only leagues. 12-team mixed: No; 15-team mixed: No; AL-only: $0

Third Base

Danny Valencia, Athletics - Hopefully those in deeper leagues didn't cut bait when Valencia hit the DL, as he appears on track to be activated next week when first eligible, assuming all goes well during a brief rehab assignment. He wasn't hitting for a lick of power before landing on the shelf, but Valencia combined for 18 home runs between Toronto and Oakland last year, with 11 coming in just 47 games with the A's. If some of the power returns, Valencia should return to being a viable corner infielder in 15-team mixed leagues. 12-team mixed: $5; 15-team mixed: $10; AL-only: $23

Lonnie Chisenhall, Indians - Chisenhall recorded three hits in Saturday's game and even managed a stolen base, his 12th steal in six major league seasons. He missed a couple days with a stiff neck, but Chisenhall's job in right field appears relatively safe for the time being, health permitting. Just remember that he will be stuck in the bottom third of the batting order, and the power has been negligible since the start of last season. 12-team mixed: No; 15-team mixed: $0; AL-only: $5

Outfield

Seth Smith, Mariners - There's no reason Smith should be available in AL-only leagues, but he's still hanging around on some mixed league waiver wires. That will change in a lot of those leagues this week. The 33-year-old has been raking lately, hitting safely in nine of his last 12 games with home runs in each of his last two starts. Smith will continue to sit against lefties, but as the No. 2 hitter against right-handers, Smith will have plenty of opportunities to pile up the runs. 12-team mixed: $7; 15-team mixed: $16; AL-only: $36

Jerry Sands, White Sox - It sounds like the White Sox are optimistic about Avisail Garcia (hamstring), but Sands figures to play regularly until Garcia is cleared to return. Sands got the start in the seven-hole Saturday, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. He has a home run in 24 at-bats, but unless Garcia's fortunes change and he ends up on the DL, Sands will continue to be merely a desperation option in AL-only leagues. 12-team mixed: No; 15-team mixed: No; AL-only: $1

Hyun-soo Kim, Orioles - The Orioles seem happy with the way Kim's handled the adversity since coming to the States, but his starts figure to remain few and far between with Joey Rickard locked in as the primary left fielder. He makes for a more appealing option in AL-only leagues that allow daily roster moves, but even then, the ceiling is limited. 12-team mixed: No; 15-team mixed: No; AL-only: $2

Aaron Judge, Yankees - Judge hit his third homer of the season Saturday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The strikeouts are piling up, but Judge is now batting .287 despite all the whiffs, which is up significantly from the .224 mark he posted in a 61-game sample at the Triple-A level last season. There's no clear path for Judge, but the Yankees are struggling to score runs (14th in American League), and if Judge were to get the call, he could be a useful source of power from the start. 12-team mixed: No; 15-team mixed: $0; AL-only: $5