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.

Matt Andriese, Rays: Andriese came off the DL and returned to the Rays rotation last Sunday and probably wishes he hadn't, giving up 13 runs (11 earned) in 6.2 innings over two starts. Tampa has a couple of off days coming up, so he could get skipped next time through the rotation, and there's always the fading chance they promote Brent Honeywell and give the rookie Andriese's spot, but at the moment he looks good for a handful more starts before the season's over. What he does with those starts is another question entirely, of course. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Carson Fulmer, Whote Sox: Fulmer didn't look too bad in two relief appearances following his September promotion, and the White Sox are rewarding him with a start Sunday. There's no guarantee the erratic righty sticks in the rotation after that, but there is some upside here if he can find the plate often enough. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Sam Gaviglio, Royals: Somehow, Gaviglio wasn't good enough to stick in the Mariners' injury-wracked rotation but is good enough to get a spot start for the Royals on Tuesday. Such is life on the fringes of major-league rosters. That Tuesday start is against the White Sox, though, which puts the righty in consideration as a streaming option, even if his numbers on the season aren't very good. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Myles Jaye, Tigers: Artie Lewicki has just about hit his innings cap for the season, so Jaye could be the next man up as the Tigers continue to audition future rotation pieces, He's been reasonably sharp in long relief in two September appearances, but zero Ks in 5.2 innings isn't a big selling point for his fantasy value. Still, he's in line for a two-start week and one of them will be against the White Sox, so this late in the season he's a solid streaming target. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Lance McCullers, Astros: McCullers looked OK, not great, on Wednesday in his first start since the end of July. His plus upside in strikeouts and the team at his back give him a significant fantasy ceiling over the final weeks, but the righty has yet to develop much consistency in the majors. Still, if he's available, he's worth blowing your remaining budget on. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $13; 12-team AL: Owned

Andrew Moore, Mariners: Moore returned to the M's rotation Wednesday and gave Seattle a quality start, which might earn him an extended stay even with James Paxton and Felix Hernandez on the way back. He remains a solid keeper stash, but results in the short term could be shaky. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Garrett Richards, Angels: The latest Angel starter to return from the DL, Richards looked pretty good Tuesday in his first start in nearly two seasons. He's flashed fantasy ace upside when he's been healthy in the past, and he could give the Angels some quality innings down the stretch if his arm doesn't give out again. Richards is a better keeper stash than short-term option, but he could still be useful in the short term if his arm is 100 percent. That's a big if, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Aaron Slegers, Twins: Slegers got hammered by the Rays on Wednesday in his second big-league start, which may end up being his last big-league start of the year. His ratios in the minors were OK but his strikeout rate was nothing special, so there's little reason to risk picking him up just in case he sticks in the rotation. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Relief Pitcher

Scott Alexander / Mike Minor, Royals: Kelvin Herrera's been officially removed from the closer role for now, which puts the Royals' top two lefties back into the saves mix. Minor's the more reliable arm, but that means he's more likely to be used in a setup role, leaving Alexander available for situational save opportunities. Both are secondary options behind Brandon Maurer, however. Alexander: 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5 / Minor: 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Aroldis Chapman, Yankees: Dellin Betances' struggles have the Yankees turning back to Chapman as closer, and he looked like his old self Saturday. If he was cut loose when he initially lost the job, the left-hander should be your best bet for saves down the stretch. 12-team Mixed: $9; 15-team Mixed: $19; 12-team AL: Owned

Brandon Maurer, Royals: The former Padres closer is the new Royals closer due to Herrera's ongoing forearm issues. Maurer's unreliable, but he'll get chances, and if you don't care about potential ratio damage that's all that matters. 12-team Mixed: $4; 15-team Mixed: $9; 12-team AL: $19

Ryan Tepera, Blue Jays: Roberto Osuna is once again battling neck issues, which got Tepera a save chance Saturday that he nearly blew. Osuna may not miss much action, so Tepera may not get another save chance this season, but if you're more interested in getting the handcuff to protect your Osuna investment than in acquiring another closer outright, Tepera could come cheap. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

First Base

Tyler Austin, Yankees: He was brought back up to provide some bench depth for the Yankees, but his shot at the starting job at first base came and went a long time ago and his at-bats will be limited. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

C.J. Cron, Angels: Cron's heated up again, slashing .313/.366/.609 over his last 17 games with four homers and 16 RBI and putting himself back into play in shallow formats. Focusing on the categories you can gain the most ground in is paramount in tight fantasy races, so if RBI are what you're targeting, the first baseman can give you a boost. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Daniel Vogelbach, Mariners: Vogelbach is bach... err, back after the end of his Triple-A season, but odds are he won't get much of a chance to show what he can do with Yonder Alonso and Danny Valencia handling first-base duties in Seattle. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Second Base

Phil Gosselin, Rangers: The veteran utility player is on his fourth organization in three years, and Gosselin isn't likely to see much action with Texas. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Deven Marrero, Red Sox: Back for another stint in Boston, Marrero's playing time should be minimal even given some of the injury concerns on the Red Sox infield. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Ramon Torres, Royals: Torres will give the Royals some extra infield depth as they try to stay in the AL wild-card race. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Joey Wendle, Athletics: Wendle has some theoretical upside if he gets playing time, but the A's have a lot of more highly touted prospects to evaluate, burying him on the big-league depth chart. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Third Base

Renato Nunez, Athletics: One of those more highly touted prospects is Nunez, who comes up after a 32-homer campaign in the PCL. His .249 batting average and 26.5 percent strikeout rate at Triple-A are still red flags, and there's no clear path to regular at-bats for him right now, but if you need power he's worth a look. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Trevor Plouffe, Rays: Dropped from Tampa's roster earlier in the year, Plouffe comes back up to give the club a veteran pinch hitter, and likely not much else. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Shortstop

Carlos Correa, Astros: Yeah, sure, there's almost no chance he;s available, but given the timing and nature of his injury, it's possible he got dropped on the assumption that he wouldn't be back until mid or late September, or that his power would be affected when he did return. If that's the case, and you need offense, just throw every FAAB dollar you have left at him and pray that it's enough. 12-team Mixed: $100; 15-team Mixed: Owned; 12-team AL: Owned

Eduardo Escobar, Twins: What are they feeding their middle infielders in Minnesota? First Jorge Polanco has a power surge, and now Escobar is slashing .333/.351/.917 in September with five homers and 13 RBI in nine games. Will he keep it up? Maybe not, but he's already set new career highs in HR (17) and RBI (61), and especially in deeper leagues there's probably a low bar to clear to get an upgrade at your MI spot. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $13

J.J. Hardy, Orioles: Hardy was finally activated from the DL on Friday but has yet to see at at-bat, which is either an indication that he's not 100 percent or a reflection of his role behind Tim Beckham going forward, or both. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Tyler Wade, Yankees: Wade returns to the majors to give the Yankees some bench depth, but that's not a role that will give him much playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Jacob Hannemann, Mariners: Waived by the Cubs at the beginning of September despite a decent year at Triple-A Iowa, the Mariners scooped Hannemann up and gave him his big-league debut over the weekend. The 26-year-old has some speed, swiping 55 bases over the last two years between Double-A and Triple-A, and with Jarrod Dyson limping Hannemann does have a path to enough at-bats to make him potentially useful in deep formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Austin Hays, Orioles: The best prospect to get the call in the second wave of September callups, Hays slashed .330/.367/.594 at Double-A Bowie this year after a nearly identical line at High-A Frederick and slugging 32 homers between the two stops. The 22-year-old showed good contact skills as well, posting a strikeout rate below 16 percent at each level, and while he may not see much action for Baltimore down the stretch he should be a priority add in dynasty formats. Re-draft: 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1 / Dynasty: 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Jared Hoying, Rangers: Hoying will give the Rangers some outfield bench depth, but even Carlos Gomez's latest injury won't get him into the starting lineup. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

JaCoby Jones, Tigers: The Tigers have fully committed to their rebuild, and that means giving Jones the starting center fielder gig. The 25-year-old did have a two-homer game Tuesday, but otherwise has gone 1-for-11 over the last week with four strikeouts. The at-bats give hiim some possible value in deeper leagues, but he'll likely be feast or (mostly) famine. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Tyler Naquin, Cleveland: Last year's impressive performance seems a million years ago now, and Naquin will simply provide a bench bat for Cleveland's playoff push despite a solid .834 OPS at Triple-A this season. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Matt Olson, Athletics: If you told me Olson bumped his head and woke up thinking he was Giancarlo Stanton, I'd believe it. The 23-year-old is slashing .333/.373/.854 over his last 12 games with eight homers and 15 RBI, making him a must-add in shallow formats where you need a power boost given his prospect pedigree and near guarantee of consistent at-bats. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $13; 12-team AL: Owned

Shane Robinson, Angels: Just another bench bat. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Ryan Rua, Rangers: Just another platoon bat. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Mallex Smith, Rays: Smith got called up Tuesday and suddenly has a path to being more than the Rays' designated pinch runner over the final weeks, with Steven Souza getting hurt again. Mind you, Smith hasn't really shown he can be anything more than a fifth outfielder/pinch runner in the majors yet, but if you need steals he's the best option out there. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Jorge Soler, Royals: Soler has never really gotten a chance this season since coming over from the Cubs, and that doesn't look to have changed since his September promotion. If the Royals do fall out of the playoff race, however, they might finally mothball Alex Gordon and open up some playing time for Soler. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2