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 grids into the FAAB articles, so users can easily see at a glance how certain players stack up against others and how much they should command in a variety of formats.

The grids, which are sortable by column (click on the header), 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.

As always, if there is a player that was not discussed in the article that you would like to know about, feel free to ask about the player in the comments.

Starting Pitcher

Matt Boyd, Tigers: In two starts since rejoining the rotation Boyd has looked like a different pitcher, posting a 13:3 K:BB and only giving up one run in 11 innings. His performances in the high minors suggested he might eventually have some success in the majors and while his less than elite raw stuff limits his ceiling, Detroit would be ecstatic if he can simply become a dependable mid-rotation pitcher given some of their other options. He gets a modest bump from last week's suggested bids. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Danny Duffy, Royals: Duffy is on some kind of roll, racking up a 42:8 K:BB over his last 40.2 innings with a 3.10 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Chances are the lefty's already been picked up in any competitive league given his ace upside, but he's only on about two-thirds of ESPN rosters so there are still plenty of shallower leagues out there in which no one's taken the plunge yet. There's really no reason to wait any longer to grab Duffy. He's the real deal. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $12; 12-team AL: Owned

Jesse Hahn, Athletics: Hahn will get the nod Sunday as the A's add another panel to their patchwork rotation. The former Padre was on a lot of sleeper lists coming into the season but a 6.49 ERA in seven big league starts earlier in the year woke people up in a hurry and he hasn't been a whole lot better since being sent down to Triple-A, posting a 3.63 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 36:26 K:BB in 12 starts and 52 innings. There is still some upside here, but keep your expectations firmly in check. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Felix Hernandez, Mariners: King Felix's first start off the DL on Wednesday wasn't exactly smooth sailing, as he gave up five runs on 10 hits in 5.2 innings. There was a bright side though, as he was routinely in the 92-93 mph range with his sinking fastball, a marked improvement from earlier in the year and a sign that he could be headed for a big finish to the campaign. If he was somehow cut loose in a shallow league, Hernandez is still worth gambling on. 12-team Mixed: $16; 15-team Mixed: Owned; 12-team AL: Owned

Sean Manaea, Athletics: The 24-year-old lefty has turned another corner in his last three starts, posting a 0.90 ERA and 17:0 K:BB in 20 innings. Manaea has ace-level upside once he figures things out and a rough beginning to his rookie season still disguises how well he's been pitching lately. This might be your last chance to grab him. 12-team Mixed: $4; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: Owned

Nick Martinez, Rangers: The Rangers are so desperate for pitching help right now, they called up the Phillies to see if there was any chance they might have been working on cloning Cole Hamels. Barring a deal though, they might just have to turn to Martinez again Tuesday because the alternative is another start for Kyle Lohse. "Better than Kyle Lohse" is no kind of fantasy recommendation, but Martinez will be available if you're as desperate for innings as Texas is. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Mike Minor, Royals: The former Braves left-hander hasn't pitched in the majors since 2014 and had to shut down an earlier comeback attempt due to shoulder fatigue. The Royals shut Minor down, but he appears ready to begin a rehab assignment again shortly and could factor into the team's rotation plans over the final six weeks of the season or so and give them at least league-average innings from their fifth starter spot. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Tyler Skaggs, Angels: Nick Tropeano's torn UCL finally forces the Angels' hand and Skaggs should rejoin their rotation early this week. He's been absolutely brilliant at Triple-A lately, posting a 1.33 ERA and 40:3 K:BB over his last five starts and 27 innings, including 14 and 12 K's in his most recent appearances. The left-hander's prospect pedigree is a bit tarnished given the arm troubles he's had over the last two seasons, but there's still significant upside here. Skaggs will have to contend with pitching for the Angels though, which does limit his ability to get wins (just ask Matt Shoemaker), but his K/9 potential is huge. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $12

Vance Worley, Orioles: Worley got a spot start Tuesday and predictably struggled, allowing three runs and walking four batters (against three strikeouts) in just 4.1 innings. The O's are scrambling to find someone for the back of their rotation though so Worley could get another chance or two, and even if he doesn't he'll be the long reliever who steps in when his replacement gets chased early. If you need innings and don't much care for the quality of them, Worley's your man. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Relief Pitcher

Matt Barnes / Joe Kelly / Tom Layne / Robbie Ross / Junichi Tazawa / Brad Ziegler, Red Sox: When Craig Kimbrel went down, the Red Sox bullpen pecking order remained fairly predictable. Koji Uehara took over as closer while Brad Ziegler and (when he came off the DL) Junichi Tazawa would set him up. Now that Uehara's hurt too though, all bets may be off. Ziegler will get first crack at closing but manager John Farrell is already talking about using lefties Robbie Ross and Tom Layne to face tough lefties in the ninth inning. Tazawa could also get some opportunities if Ziegler falters and even hard-throwing converted starters Matt Barnes and the soon-to-be-promoted Joe Kelly have a plausible, if narrow, path to saves. This could well end up being a committee situation until Kimbrel or Uehara return. Barnes: 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2 / Kelly: 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1 / Layne: 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1 / Ross: 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2 / Tazawa: 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3 / Ziegler: 12-team Mixed: $6; 15-team Mixed: $13; 12-team AL: $27

Brad Boxberger, Rays: Boxberger began a rehab assignment Monday as he works his way back from an oblique injury. All-Star Alex Colome should have the closer job locked up in Tampa, but Boxberger should be able to supply plenty of K's and holds when he finally returns and there's always the chance he simply gets handed the ninth-inning role back. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Jesse Chavez, Blue Jays: Chavez's name came up this week as an option if the Jays foolishly do decide to move Aaron Sanchez to the bullpen, or another rotation option becomes open. Even in that case though Drew Hutchison would seem to be the most likely replacement, and Chavez's homer-prone tendencies might not be the best fit for the Rogers Centre anyway. He could potentially have a bit of value down the stretch though, as any Toronto starter could get you wins with that offense at his back. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Dillon Gee, Royals: Brian Flynn was a flop in the Royals' rotation, so now it looks like Gee could be next man up. The former Met has been solid as a swing man this season, including 5.1 innings in relief of Flynn on Tuesday, and while he's not going to wow you with his numbers he could be a useful arm in deeper formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Andrew Miller, Yankees: If you're looking to speculate on the trade deadline market, Miller is the most interesting player to watch. He's got two real chances of winding up as some team's closer within the week, either by getting traded himself or by taking over the Yankeees' job if Aroldis Chapman is shipped out of town. He's likely on someone's roster already, but in shallow leagues when only relievers accumulating saves attract much interest, stashing him now could pay off handsomely. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: Owned

Darren O'Day, Orioles: A repeat offender from last week, O'Day's recovery from a hamstring injury has dragged on and on and on but he finally seems ready to begin a rehab assignment this week and could rejoin the Orioles' bullpen by Monday. Zach Britton's not going anywhere as their closer and Brad Brach may have surpassed O'Day in the bullpen pecking order while the sidearmer was sidelined, but he should still be a solid source of holds and K's. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Catcher

Chris Gimenez, Indians: Yan Gomes' shoulder injury forces the Indians to use a Gimenez/Roberto Perez tandem behind the plate for now, although they're apparently in hot pursuit of Jonathan Lucroy. Assuming they don't make a deal though, Gimenez will see about half the at-bats and while he flashed a bit of power last year with Texas, his overall track record suggests he's just a warm body for fantasy purposes. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Sandy Leon, Red Sox: A few weeks ago I wrote up Leon and viewed him as a guy who could get you some short-term production while he was hot, but who could go ice cold at any moment. Well, instead of cooling down he's become Boston's full-time starter behind the plate and is now hitting .358/.403/.627 over the last month. I still say he can't keep this up, but he's kept it up long enough now to become a consideration in shallower formats. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Bruce Maxwell, Athletics: Called up to cover for Stephen Vogt while the latter is on family leave, Maxwell probably won't stick around long enough to have much immediate value but his .321/.393/.539 line and 10 homers in 60 games for Triple-A Nashville certainly makes him an intriguing keeper asset. The 25-year-old was a second round pick in 2012 but was a late convert to catcher in college and spent his first few seasons in the Oakland organization simply getting comfortable behind the plate. Something clicked for him defensively last year though and now it looks like that progress has carried over into his offensive skills as well. Given the usual depth issues at catcher in deep leagues, Maxwell is absolutely worth stashing in case he pans out. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Carlos Perez, Angels: Perez was called back up after a two-week demotion in which he hit .355 (11-for-31) with nine RBI, but take that with a grain of salt given where the Angels' Triple-A affiliate plays. (It's Salt Lake. Hence 'grain of salt'. These are the jokes, folks.) Perez's career .229/.271/.336 line in 449 big league at-bats is a better reflection of his fantasy upside. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Roberto Perez, Indians: If you're looking for a member of the current Indians' catching tandem to own, Perez might be the better bet based on a solid half-season at Triple-A Columbus in 2014 (.305/.405/.517 with eight homers in 53 games.) His major league resume so far is poor, but when you're scrounging for catching help in deep leagues every little glimpse of upside helps. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Mike Zunino, Mariners: I profiled Zunino a few weeks ago and recommended you spend big on him given his power upside and two-homer game immediately after his promotion from Triple-A. The Mariners, of course, promptly sent him back down to make room for Jesus Sucre as part of a diabolical plot to make me look dumb. Well, now Zunino's back again and he still has exactly the same upside and clear path to consistent at-bats that he did at the beginning of the month. He also homered in his first game back again, so at least Zuni has my back even if the M's don't. I stand by my original bids, although hopefully if you spent that much last time you hung onto him instead of throwing him back. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $25

First Base

Steve Pearce, Rays: Pearce came off the DL on Tuesday and picked up right where he left off, going 5-for-18 in his first four games back with a home run and four RBI. The former Oriole is having an outstanding season at the plate for Tampa and, as an added bonus, qualifies at three positions (first base, second base and outfield). With Logan Morrison not offering much of a case for why he should continue seeing regular at-bats, Pearce could well take over full-time duties at first base over the last couple of months. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Dan Vogelbach, Mariners: Vogelbach has been one of the best power-hitting prospects in the minors the last couple of seasons, but defensively he's limited to first base and even that's a stretch. The kid's a born DH, so it was no surprise that the Cubs flipped him to an American League team for bullpen help. The M's will wait to promote him until they can unload Adam Lind, but Vogelbach should be in the big league mix with Dae-Ho Lee and Nelson Cruz at 1B/DH soon enough. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Second Base

Hanser Alberto, Rangers: The Rangers re-shuffled their roster after Prince Fielder (neck) and Shin-Soo Choo (back) broke down, and Alberto was one of the lucky winners of a bench role. He could see that role expand if Jurickson Profar gets dealt for pitching help, but more likely he'll remain the last guy on the bench until the team needs that roster spot for someone else. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Arismendy Alcantara, Athletics: Called up for his second stint in Oakland, Alcantara has a little upside as a contact/speed player but unless the A's trade away Jed Lowrie, he still doesn't have a clear path to at-bats. He remains primarily a spec keeper play for 2017. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Jurickson Profar, Rangers: The Fielder and Choo injuries finally push Profar into the full-time role he earned a while ago. He's been slumping lately, hitting just .184 (7-for-38) over the last couple of weeks, but the increased playing time still puts him on the radar in shallower formats. There's also the possibility that he gets used by the Rangers to acquire some rotation help, but it's hard to imagine Profar landing in a much better spot for his offensive output than Texas. 12-team Mixed: $4; 15-team Mixed: $9; 12-team AL: Owned

Luis Sardinas, Mariners: Ketel Marte is battling an illness, so the Mariners needed some extra infield depth. Sardinas could split time at shortstop with Shawn O'Malley while Marte is sidelined, but his latest stint in the majors will probably be a brief one. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Third Base

Cheslor Cuthbert, Royals: He's fairly quietly been having a good year for the Royals as Mike Moustakas' replacement, but Cuthbert's kicked it into another gear lately, hitting .400/.429/.660 over the last two weeks with a current 12-game hitting streak and 12 RBI. His value beyond 2016 remains murky, but for the next two months he should provide a productive bat even in shallow formats. 12-team Mixed: $4; 15-team Mixed: $9; 12-team AL: Owned

Tyler Saladino, White Sox: Brett Lawrie tweaked his hamstring Thursday, which opens up some at-bats at second base for Saladino in the short term and potentially the long term as well if the injury proves to be serious. The utility player doesn't offer much production beyond the occasional steal, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Outfield

Dariel Alvarez, Orioles: Joey Rickard's thumb injury brings Alvarez back to Baltimore, but he hasn't done much at Triple-A this year to suggest he can handle a large role in the majors. Expect him to stay on the bench while Nolan Reimold and Julio Borbon split time in left field. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Norichika Aoki, Mariners: Aoki hit the ground running in his return from the DL, going 6-for-15 over his first three games. As long as he keeps hitting near the top of the Mariners' order, the 34-year-old should be a solid three-category producer (BA/runs/steals) down the stretch. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Andrew Benintendi, Red Sox: Last year's seventh overall pick is still a long shot to have any meaningful role in the majors this year, but his path to Boston got a little clearer this week when the organization shifted him to left field at Double-A. Brock Holt is a decent placeholder option in LF for now but is better suited for a super-utility role, so if the front office can't land a big bat at the trade deadline to upgrade that lineup spot Benintendi could be Plan B. He hasn't flashed much power yet in the minors, but his contact skills and plate discipline could allow him to adjust quickly to big league pitching and he's exactly the kind of hitter who could thrive at Fenway playing wall ball off the Green Monster. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Julio Borbon, Orioles: The former Rangers leadoff prospect is now 30 years old and hasn't played in the majors since 2013, but Borbon was hitting a solid .289 with 20 steals at Triple-A and got the call after Joey Rickard (thumb) joined Hyun Soo Kim (hamstring) on the DL. Borbon will probably split time in left field with Nolan Reimold until someone gets healthy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Delino Deshields Jr., Rangers: Summoned back to the big leagues after the Fielder and Choo injuries, Deshields could see occasional starts in the outfield and in the leadoff spot. He was still striking out too much at Triple-A (24.1 percent, nearly identical to his 24.8 percent rate in the majors in 2016) to think he's figured anything out at the plate, however, so keep your expectations low. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Aaron Judge, Yankees: Two things stand between Judge and the major league roster right now. The first is Carlos Beltran, but with the Yankees increasingly looking like sellers at the deadline that obstacle may not remain in place for long. The second is a knee injury which has kept him out of action at Triple-A since July 9, but he started hitting in a batting cage this week and his rehab shouldn't take too long. His batting average could be a question mark in the big leagues but his power is definitely for real, and he could be launching bombs in the Bronx by early August. Given his stature (he stands six-foot-seven) and spot in right field, think of him as potentially a poor man's Giancarlo Stanton. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Tyler Naquin, Indians: Naquin just won't stop hitting. The 25-year-old now sports a .349/.404/.837 line over the last two weeks with six homers and 12 RBI and he's been one of the biggest reasons why the Indians are still in first place in the AL Central despite getting nothing from Michael Brantley this season. If he's still on the waiver wire in a shallower league, it's time to ignore his mediocre minor league performances and scoop him up. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $12; 12-team AL: Owned

Ryan Rua, Rangers: Rua's been seeing regular playing time in July anyway, but the Fielder and Choo injuries cement his spot in the starting nine. Like Profar he had been slumping, but Rua is still on pace for a career year and has picked it up a bit recently, going 6-for-20 over the last week. He's probably still best suited for a role on the short side of an outfield platoon, but as long as he's getting steady at-bats in the Rangers' offense he'll have value even in shallower formats. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Jake Smolinski, Athletics: I wrote him up last week but even I didn't expect him to take advantage of the available playing time caused by Billy Burns' demotion this quickly. Smolinski's homered twice in the last three games while hitting .344 (11-for-32) over the last two weeks, and the A's seem inclined to give him the starting center field job and let him run with it. I'm still inclined towards caution given his prior failures at sticking on a major league roster, but he's always had some pop and has a legit fantasy ceiling if he is just a late bloomer. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $6

Preston Tucker, Astros: Houston pulled the old bait and switch on prospect hounds this week, sending down A.J. Reed but calling up Tucker instead of Alex Bregman. The new arrangement is likely to be temporary though, as Tucker's the most likely player to get sent back down when Bregman (or even Yulieski Gurriel) gets promoted. Tucker was hitting well at Triple-A, slashing .301/.349/.512 with eight homers in 53 games, but unless the Astros can dump Carlos Gomez on someone he could have a hard time finding steady at-bats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2