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 $100 starting 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. Andrew Benintendi 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

Jose Berrios, Twins: If it seems like we've been waiting for Berrios to make his 2017 debut for a long time now, there's nothing to be done. The Twins seem to be doing everything they can to try and delay re-starting his service clock, throwing Adalberto Mejia and then Nick Tepesch into their rotation only to watch the various inferior alternatives get shredded. Serves Minnesota right for trying to get cute with distant financial possibilities when they're currently a half-game back of the division lead. Give Berrios two MLB starts, and maybe they're looking down at Cleveland instead. The 22-year-old actually hasn't pitched since April 30 due to some rainouts on Triple-A Rochester's schedule but his 1.08 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 35:8 K:BB in 33 innings are the stats of someone who does not belong in Triple-A. It's a matter of when, not if, he gets promoted. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Michael Bolsinger, Blue Jays: With the Jays' rotation starting to look a little Mets-like in the numbers of DL'ed pitchers it's missing, Bolsigner will get the call from Triple-A Buffalo to take Monday's home start against Cleveland. The 29-year-old righty has put up good numbers as a swing man in Buffalo (1.46 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 18:3 K:BB in 12.1 innings) and he did give the Dodgers a credible performance over 21 starts in 2015, so a good opening salvo Monday could allow him to stick around until J.A. Happ gets healthy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Mike Clevinger, Indians: Clevinger was originally set to get called up and make the start for Cleveland on Thursday, but rain allowed the team to juggle their rotation a bit and he'll make his season debut for them Sunday instead. The 26-year-old righty has been impressive to start his Triple-A campaign, posting a 1.50 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 32:10 K:BB in 30 innings, but his stay in the majors this time could be brief as Corey Kluber might only miss one start and Josh Tomlin has turned things around at the back of the rotation. Still, Clevinger's upside gives him some streaming appeal, and in a keeper league where you could stash him after his probable demotion he could provide some nice returns down the road. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Sonny Gray, Athletics: The 27-year-old came off the DL for his first start of the season Tuesday, and the results were a mixed bag. Gray's fastball had some life early and he was popping 96 mph on radar guns, but on the other hand he got tagged for three homers in six innings, continuing last season's issues with keeping the ball in the yard. As a result I've actually scaled back last week's aggressive bid recommendations for him, and dreary reality, as it so often does, failed to live up to hopeful expectations. Gray's still got significant upside if he can find his 2014-15 form again, though. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

A.J. Griffin, Rangers: Griffin's brief DL stint due to gout in his ankle did nothing to slow down his early-season success, as he returned to action Thursday and stifled the Astros over five innings. The junkballing righty seems unlikely to sustain his current pace (3.54 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 23:5 K:BB in 20.1 innings) but his next start is in San Diego, so he looks like an awfully tempting streaming option. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Kyle Kendrick, Red Sox: The 32-year-old former Phillie (and, briefly, Rockie) got lit up in his first start for the Red Sox on Thursday, but with Steven Wright out and David Price not yet ready to come off the DL, Boston will stick with Kendrick for at least one more turn... which will come in Milwaukee. Eep. As his namesake said a few years ago, clearly in response to adding Kendrick to his fantasy squad after one of his occasional teases of utility, "All I have in life is my new appetite for failure." 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Alex Meyer, Angels: Tyler Skaggs' injury forced the Angels to give Meyer another shot in their rotation last week and the results weren't pretty, but the tall righty will stick around anyway due to a lack of other options. He still has a big fastball and sometimes nasty curve, and still has no idea where they're going too often to be reliable on your fantasy squad. Maybe it'll all click for Meyer some day – he is still only 27 – but his profile still screams future bullpen piece. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Dillon Overton, Mariners: Man, does anybody have a healthy rotation at the moment? Overton will get the start against the Rangers on Sunday with James Paxton and Felix Hernandez hitting the DL (and how sad a fall for King Felix is it that Paxton deserves to be listed first there, as the more crucial absence) and if he does well he could stick around, but while he's as left-handed as Paxton is that's about where the comparison ends. Overton's fastball rarely cracks 90 mph and the 25-year-old hasn't yet figured out the "crafty" part of the "crafty lefty" equation. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

JC Ramirez, Angels: I'm getting a little sick of writing Ramirez up week after week, to be honest, but he's defied expectations to the point that he's now on the radar in even the shallowest of leagues if you need rotation help (and after this April, who doesn't?) The strikeouts were missing in his last start Saturday but he held the Astros to one run over six innings for his second quality start in three outings, and given that his fastball is still scraping 96 mph even in the rotation there's reason for optimism that his 3.74 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 8.8 K/9 may not take major steps back as the season progresses. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Nick Tepesch, Twins: Tepesch got a start Saturday by virtue of the fact that his big-league service time doesn't count towards Jose Berrios, and the results weren't pretty, although six of the seven runs he gave up (against five outs) were unearned, so he's got that going for him. He was doing pretty well for Triple-A Rochester before being called up but the 28-year-old's track record through 41 MLB starts for the Rangers, Dodgers and now Twins doesn't inspire confidence. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Chris Tillman, Orioles: Tillman will finally come off the DL on Sunday to face the White Sox, and there's some good news and bad news stemming from his minor-league rehab stint. The good news is a 14:4 K:BB in 15.1 innings scattered across three levels. The bad news is a 4.1 HR/9, including four taters in five innings during his one appearance for Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday. Yikes. While it would be easy to dismiss those numbers as one does a bad start early in spring training, the 29-year-old isn't such a sure-fire lock to produce immediately upon his return to the Baltimore rotation that he should be activated without at least some reservations. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Chris Young, Royals: Young's thrown 10.2 mediocre innings out of the Royals' bullpen this season, but he's in line to make a spot start Monday against the Rays while Ian Kennedy tends to a minor hamstring tweak. The 37-year-old's been doing the swing man thing for a few years now, and while he's certainly capable of providing a decent result every now and then when he gets a turn in the rotation it isn't something you want to bank on. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Relief Pitcher

Joe Biagini, Blue Jays: Last year's Rule 5 steal from the Giants organization will make his first big-league start Sunday against the Rays, but may only stay in the rotation until Aaron Sanchez figures out how to trim his nails properly. Biagini has looked good this season out of the bullpen, posting a 3.38 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 17:3 K:BB in 18.2 innings, so he's worth a spot as a high-K holds option even if his adventure in the rotation doesn't pan out. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Brad Brach, Orioles: If someone cut Brach loose after Zach Britton came off the DL, they got a big surprise Saturday when Britton headed back onto the DL and was scheduled for an ominous visit with Dr. ElAttrache. There's a definite possibility that Britton will be out for a while, and that means Brach should be Baltimore's primary closing option until Britton returns – whether that's in a month, two months or when Britton is done rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. 12-team Mixed: $11; 15-team Mixed: $39; 12-team AL: Owned

Heath Hembree, Red Sox: This week's high-K relief option in Hembree, who continues to work his up in the pecking order to set up Craig Kimbrel with Tyler Thornburg out for at least another month and Matt Barnes proving to be inconsistent. Hembree's got a 1.23 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 17:5 K:BB through 14.2 innings and has already more than doubled his career total with seven holds, if you're in a league where that matters. At the very least, the 28-year-old seems to finally be establishing himself as a regular part of Boston's bullpen and gotten off the Triple-A shuttle. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

James Hoyt, Astros: Hoyt's got a weird role in a weird Astros bullpen. Since being summoned from Triple-A Fresno a couple of weeks ago, he's only made three appearances and thrown 4.2 innings. Of those 14 outs, a ridiculous 10 of them have come via strikeout. On any other team he'd likely be a key setup man, but on a deep Houston staff Hoyt's basically an afterthought, although an afterthought who puts up amazing numbers when he does actually get the call. He's worth a roster spot just based on his upside and the chance that injuries push him into a slightly more prominent role. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Darren O'Day, Orioles: While Brach will be option No. 1 at closer for the O's, O'Day will still get the occasional chance when Brach is unavailable as he did Saturday. While his numbers on the season still look rough most of the damage off the sidearmer came early, and he hasn't been scored upon in 10 of his last 11 appearances. With Zach Britton's availability now in question, O'Day could be good for a handful of saves over the rest of the year, and maybe even more than a handful if Brach falters. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Joakim Soria, Royals: Kansas City's early-season swoon has the vultures circling, and one name coming up in trade rumors is Kelvin Herrera. The Royals have shown in the past that they have no problem dealing their closer if the return is right, so if Herrera does get traded Soria and his 203 career saves would likely be next man up, making him an interesting spec play. His 13.2 K/9 so far in 2017 doesn't hurt his chances, either. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Catcher

Tuffy Gosewisch, Mariners: Mike Zunino's ongoing contact issues have him back in Triple-A, which means Gosewich will get to back up Carlos Ruiz for the foreseeable future. The former Diamondback is also a career .197/.234/.283 hitter in the bigs, though, so he's not worth a roster spot unless you're desperate or your league gives bonus points for goofy names. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Bruce Maxwell, Athletics: Already on his second big-league stint of the season, this stay might not be much longer than the first but Josh Phegley's concussion does create the possibility of a longer absence from the lineup. Maxwell hasn't been able to repeat last season's breakout so far for Triple-A Nashville, hitting just .265/.333/.408 through 14 games, but any glimmer of offensive upside behind the plate is worth chasing in deep formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Carlos Ruiz, Mariners: Seattle's new starting catcher is 38 years old and is hitting .125/.300/.167 through 31 plate appearances, so the only value Ruiz really carries is the possibility of occasional counting stats in a productive Mariners offense. That's not nothing in two-catcher leagues, but 2012 isn't going to happen again for the veteran backstop. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Gary Sanchez, Yankees: I suppose it's theoretically possible that Sanchez got dropped after he was injured in April, so I'm listing him, but it would take a very shallow league and no bench spots for that to be really plausible. If so, he's worth blowing your FAAB budget on, as there won't be anyone else with anything close to his upside available at the position for the rest of the year. 12-team Mixed: $41; 15-team Mixed: Owned; 12-team AL: Owned

First Base

Yonder Alonso, Athletics: Alonso continues raking and is now slashing .314/.392/.651 through 28 games and 97 plate appearances, a sample that's getting dangerously close to seeming relevant. If you believe that his offseason adjustments to his approach at the plate are fueling this breakout there's plenty of reason for optimism here, but this is still a guy who hasn't had a SLG above .400 since 2011, so there's still plenty of reason for skepticism too. View his as a short-term rental for now, but it wouldn't be too shocking if he were still contributing for you in September. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Chris Carter, Yankees: The Yankees finally admitted that something wasn't right with Greg Bird, putting him on the DL to let his ankle heal up. That leaves Carter as the starting first baseman for the next little while, and in case you'd forgotten he is the reigning NL home run champ. Of course he's also a massive batting average sink, but if you're punting the category anyway those power numbers could fit right in to your roster. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Rob Refsnyder, Yankees: Bird's replacement on the 25-man roster is Refsnyder, who will fill his usual utility role off the Yankees' bench. If he gets any playing time he could collect some hits, as he's a career .287/.368/.419 hitter at Triple-A, but he doesn't offer much power or speed and is behind Ronald Torreyes on the depth chart when it comes to getting starts around the infield if someone needs a rest. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Justin Smoak, Blue Jays: Smoak's having one of his good stretches, hitting .298 with three homers over the last two weeks, which potentially makes him worth a short-term rental in shallow formats. We've seen this before from the 30-year-old, though, and it never lasts – this is a player who's never hit over .238 in a full season. With regular at-bats in the Jays lineup he might supply decent power numbers, but don't expect the batting average to last. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Luis Valbuena, Angels: The 31-year-old has a golden opportunity in front of him to establish himself as the Angels' regular first baseman with C.J. Cron on the DL and Jefry Marte doing very little. Valbuena's 54 homers over the last three seasons are definitely noteworthy, but his .232 career batting average lands him among a sea of low-BA, moderate power options at corner infield. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Second Base

Mike Freeman, Mariners: Freeman's been raking even more than usual at Triple-A this year, but in the majors he's still just the 25th man on the Seattle roster, and much as he did earlier in the season he likely won't see enough playing time to have any kind of value. Seattle does have a knack for turning veteran minor leaguers into productive citizens (see: Motter, Taylor and O'Malley, Shawn) but Freeman still has a lot to prove to fantasy GMs. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Deven Marrero, Red Sox: Marrero's second stay in the majors this season could be a little longer, as the Red Sox are strapped for warm bodies at third base, but he's still likely to be third in the pecking order behind Josh Rutledge and Chase d'Arnaud so at-bats could be tough to come by. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Yoan Moncada, White Sox: The first plausible date for Moncada's promotion is May 13, although the White Sox may elect to be more patient with him given his 27.7 percent strikeout rate at Triple-A. The 21-year-old is hitting .337/.412/.519 though, and it's not like the team is getting anything at all at second base from Tyler Saladino. The Pale Hose are playing .500 ball right now, which puts them in the hunt in what's looking like a winnable AL Central, and getting the big prize in the Chris Sale deal into the lineup and producing would look very good to the fanbase. Moncada's contact issues make his range of possible outcomes extremely wide in the majors, but the ceiling is undeniable. If he's available in re-draft formats, better to grab him cheapish now than pay through the nose if he does get called up and has a massive first week before the strikeouts drag him down. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $23

Third Base

Josh Rutledge, Red Sox: Boston's current starting third baseman is just holding down the fort until someone like Brock Holt or Pablo Sandoval gets healthy, but that could take a while. In the meantime Rutledge has gone 6-for-15 over the last few games with three RBI and two runs, although all six of hits are singles. He's got no power or speed to speak of, but regular at-bats in the Red Sox lineup can go a long way, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Shortstop

Pete Kozma, Rangers: Kozma's bounced from the Yankees to the Rangers already this year, and he may not be done bouncing as he'll likely only be in Texas until they need his roster spot for someone more useful. He offers a decent glove off the bench, but his .220/.286/.290 career slash line in 289 big-league games says it all for his fantasy upside even if he did someone stumble into regular playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Jim Adduci, Tigers: Yes, he's a 31-year-old career minor leaguer who's probably hitting well over his head right now, but Adduci's still got a .333/.381/.538 slash line through 11 games and has pushed his way into a starting role with the Tigers as a result. J.D. Martinez could be just a few days away from coming off the DL, but the team still has a gaping hole in center field that Adduci could fill as long as he keeps hitting. At worst he'll likely be in some sort of time share with Tyler Collins after Martinez is back, although both Collins and Adduci hit left-handed so it wouldn't be a traditional platoon. It's the "as long as he keeps hitting" part that's the biggest question, but he does have a career .284/.353/.401 line at Triple-A so while the power might not be for real, he could supply a solid batting average. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Willy Garcia, White Sox: Garcia is back in Chicago to give White Sox manager Rick Renteria the option of deploying an all-Garcia outfield alongside Avisail and Leury. The 24-year-old's track record suggests he's got a bit of pop and could hit for a decent average with steady at-bats, but there's no obvious path to them for him and he could be headed right back to Triple-A Charlotte if the team needs his roster spot in a week to call up an uber-prospect or something. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Aaron Hicks, Yankees: Hicks has been red hot lately and seeing nearly full-time duty while Jacoby Ellsbury nurses an elbow injury (.417/.488/.750 over the last two weeks in 36 at-bats), which could make it tough to take him out of the lineup even when Ellsbury is ready to play. Both Ellsbury and Brett Gardner are candidates for frequent rest days and Matt Holliday is no spring chicken at DH, either, so Hicks' run of shallow league relevance could last a little while longer. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Jake Marisnick, Astros: The 26-year-old came off the DL this week and resumed his role on the Astros' bench. Houston's crowded roster likely won't afford Marisnick many starts other than as an occasional platoon partner in left field for Norichika Aoki, and he doesn't really offer much from a fantasy perspective beyond some speed and a bit of pop. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Colby Rasmus, Rays: Finally healthy again, Rasmus is expected to take over as the Rays' starting left fielder while spelling Kevin Kiermaier once in a while in center. The 30-year-old has 48 homers over the last three seasons but hasn't hit over .238 over that stretch, so you know what to expect from Rasmus production-wise. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $9

Eddie Rosario, Twins: Rosario has his 15-game hitting streak snapped Saturday, but he's still got an impressive .358/.370/.623 line over the last two weeks. His strikeouts are down and his BABIP within his usual range, so his overall production so far in 2017 might well be sustainable, but even with those improvements to his approach he still only has a .764 OPS and doesn't run much. If you can find use for a good batting average, modest power outfielder in shallow formats, he's your man. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Jorge Soler, Royals: Soler's off the DL, which means the Royals have a bit of a dilemma. The 25-year-old was their return for Wade Davis in the offseason and they'll want to see what they have in him, but Jorge Bonifacio hasn't looked out of place over the last couple of weeks and Alex Gordon has looked awful so far. In the long term it wouldn't be surprising to see the team part ways with Gordon to make room for one of the youngsters in left field, but in the short term look for Soler to take over as the starting right fielder, where he'll offer some power upside. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15