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. Aaron Judge 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

Bartolo Colon, Rangers: Big Sexy is set to start the Rangers' game Monday, April 2 in Oakland. It's not a bad spot for Colon, who had plenty of success for the A's in 2013 – winning 18 games with a 2.65 ERA as a 40-year-old, which still seems impossible even as I type it – but his strikeout rate has been on a steady decline, and his HR rate on the rise, ever since. Fun as it would be to see the Last Expo hang on long enough to face Vlad Guerrero Jr. in a game at some point, Colon really shouldn't be on anybody's fantasy roster in 2018. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Austin Pruitt, Rays: While other teams experiment with extreme shifts and doing away with antiquated notions like "positions" on a baseball diamond, the Rays are being just as radical with their pitching staff. Chris Archer, Blake Snell and Jake Faria are handling traditional starting pitcher roles, but after that it's chaos. In theory, Pruitt is the team's fourth starter and will get the nod Monday in Yankee Stadium, but he worked two innings in long relief in the opener (getting the win) and will likely bounce back and forth between starting and relieving all season as required, just as Matt Andriese has done the last couple of years. Pruitt wasn't particularly impressive as a rookie last year, but his 3.60 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 8.7 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 187.1 career innings for Triple-A Durham suggest he could develop into a useful big-league arm. If you're cobbling together a fantasy staff that is just as contemptuous of the usual "seven SPs, two closers" paradigm as Tampa is of traditional pitching roles, the 28-year-old right-hander is worth picking up. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Eric Skoglund, Royals: Nate Karns' impressive 18 Ks in 13.2 spring innings did nothing to convince me that he was worth investing in – as a reminder, the number of pitchers who have successfully recovered from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery and become effective again remains at zero – and he's now hit the DL before even getting to his first start of the season due to elbow trouble. Royals manager Ned Yost has even suggested Karns will head to a long relief role when he comes off the DL, whenever that will be. Enter Skoglund, a 25-year-old lefty who struck out better than a batter an inning at Triple-A last season but got clobbered in his first look at big-league hitters. His raw stuff isn't elite, but he'll get another crack at the rotation with Karns on the shelf, and his spring was even better than the veteran's as Skoglund posted an 11:0 K:BB in 10.2 innings. Even if he improves his breaking pitches and command, he's likely no more than a mid-rotation guy, but that's still useful in deeper fantasy formats.12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Mike Wright, Orioles: The O's are already shuffling around their rotation, bumping Wright up to Tuesday so that Dylan Bundy can get an extra day of rest. That might be good news for those with Bundy shares, but it does little for Wright, who now goes from opening the season with a road start in Houston and a home start against the Jays to two road starts in Houston and the Bronx. Eep. He's pretty much the definition of a Quad-A arm anyway, having moderate success for Triple-A Norfolk over the last four-plus seasons (for real – he made his first start at the level in late 2013) but flopping hard in his various stints in the bigs. Don't expect anything better this time around. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jordan Zimmermann, Tigers: One of the more impressive, out-of-the-blue performances from the season's first weekend came from Zimmermann. Sure, he has a 6.00 ERA, but an 8:1 K:BB in six innings is a cause for celebration given the sub-6.00 K/9 marks he's managed over his last two injury-plagued campaigns. His fastball topped out at 93 mph and mostly sat 90-91 during the outing, which is still down from his days with the Nats, but encouragingly those 93s came in his final inning of work. If he's healthy and can regain most of the velocity he's lost since signing with the Tigers, Zimmermann can still be a very useful fantasy arm. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Relief Pitcher

Luke Bard, Angels: A Rule 5 pick out of the Twins' system, Bard was a supplemental first-round pick in 2012 but had trouble stay healthy, leading Minnesota to leave him off the 40-man roster. He struck out 99 batters in 65.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last year, though, and his stuff could allow him to succeed in the majors – while he doesn't have elite velocity, he does have elite spin rate on his four-seamer, and it plays well off his slider. In a bullpen that tends to be ruled by Mike Scioscia's fickle whims, Bard could eventually play a key role if he gets off to a good start, making him an intriguing stash if you're looking for a high-K relief arm. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Yonny Chirinos / Andrew Kittredge / Ryan Yarbrough, Rays: If you don't want to roster Pruitt (or Andriese, for that matter) for depth, may I suggest one of the Rays' smorgasbord of long relief arms? Chirinos is the youngest of the three and beat out Brent Honeywell for the organization's minor-league pitcher of the year award in 2017, although his success has come from limiting walks and homers rather than striking guys out, a skill set that doesn't always translate to the majors. Kittredge is the oldest of the group and made his first "start" of the season Saturday, working 3.1 innings as the Rays went with a bullpen day three games into the regular season. He's got more swing-and-miss in his minor-league profile than Chirinos does. Then there's Yarbrough, the one lefty in the bunch. He worked four innings in relief of Kittredge on Saturday and posted a K/9 just a bit north of 9.0 at Triple-A Durham last season, so he's got some potential upside too. Any of them, or even all three, could wind up pitching 100-plus innings this season as they bounce between roles, giving them a chance at bulk strikeouts and some wins in addition to whatever ERA and WHIP they can put together. In deep 5x5 formats, that's a profile with some value if those ratios are palatable. Think of Tampa's bullpen as the budget version of Houston's – you may not find a Chris Devenski or Brad Peacock here, but they could still help your fantasy staff all the same. Chirinos- 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1 / Kittredge- 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No. 12-team AL: $1 / Yarbrough- 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Kevin Jepsen, Rangers: When Rangers manager Jeff Banister finally settled on a bullpen hierarchy to begin the season, he snuck in a surprise – Jepsen, not Alex Claudio, would be the second choice for ninth-inning duty behind Keone Kela. The veteran reliever didn't even pitch in the majors in 2017 and hasn't had success since 2015, but he had a decent spring and his 27 career saves apparently trumped Claudio's actual success for Texas last year. Kela's inability to stay healthy could well open the door for someone else to close as the season progresses, which makes Jepsen at least worth stashing as a handcuff if you have a deep bench. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Keone Kela, Rangers: The question with Kela has never been his raw stuff – he's got an 11.0 K/9 in his three seasons in the big leagues. Instead, it's his ability to stay off the DL that will determine whether he can hang onto the closer job in Texas. After making 68 appearances as a rookie, the right-hander only made 74 in 2016-17 as he battled various arm troubles. Some early spring shoulder soreness was a sign that those troubles may not be behind him, either, but the upside if he can stay on the mound in tremendous. Bid big if you need a closer, as you likely won't get another chance to acquire one that can give you six full months of production. 12-team Mixed: $19; 15-team Mixed: $39; 12-team AL: Owned

Chris Martin, Rangers: If you're too yellow to bid aggressively on Kela this early in the season, Martin is an intriguing fallback option. The right-hander headed to Japan in 2016 after seeing minimal chances with the Rockies and Yankees, getting some closing experience and posting impressive numbers for the Nippon-Ham Fighters, and his solid spring earned him a bullpen spot with Texas. He doesn't break the speed of sound but his fastball clocks in at 95 mph, and he generates a ton of groundballs given his 6-foot-8 frame and downhill delivery. If Kela breaks down and Jepsen isn't the answer – both plausible scenarios – fantasy GMs who stash Martin early could be saying "Viva la vida!" before the season is over. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Catcher

Drew Butera, Royals: The story of the first weekend from a fantasy perspective has been the appalling attrition at catcher. Salvador Perez and Mike Zunino have both hit the DL already, and it's not like there was a lot of depth at the position to begin with. Butera will be the next man up after Perez for the Royals, but in his case extra playing time probably isn't a fantasy boon given his .203 career batting average and paltry 16 homers in 1,170 big-league plate appearances, and he could do a lot of damage to your batting average over the next 4-6 weeks for minimal gain in counting stats. In shallower formats, I can almost guarantee that there are better options than Butera on your waiver wire. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

David Freitas, Mariners: Freitas was called up when Zunino went down, but he'll serve as Mike Marjama's backup. The 29-year-old has shown occasional flashes of moderate power during his minor-league career, but Freitas' .263/.338/.356 line in 71 games last year for Triple-A Gwinnett gives you a good idea of his limited fantasy ceiling should he find himself starting behind the plate. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Cameron Gallagher, Royals: Butera's new backup, Gallagher put together a solid season for Triple-A Omaha last year – .292/.336/.400 in 73 games – but his lack of power limits his fantasy upside. If the 25-year-old ever gets a chance at a starting job he might eventually turn into a Francisco Cervelli-esque asset, but even with Perez on the DL for a month or more, that opportunity doesn't seem likely to come any time soon. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Mike Marjama, Mariners: Zunino isn't expected to be out long, but Marjama will get a look for the next week or so. The 28-year-old hit .274/.342/.445 with nine homers in 72 games for Triple-A Durham last season before joining the M's organization from the Rays, suggesting some possible fantasy upside, and his defensive rep is a good one. As a short-term pickup to fill a roster hole, Marjama should be fine, but his true value might be as a longer-term stash in case Zunino's huge strikeout totals cost him his starting job.12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

First Base

Tyler Austin, Yankees: Called up when Greg Bird hit the DL, Austin was expected to serve on the short side of an effective platoon with Tyler Wade, but he got the start at first base Saturday against Jays right-hander Marco Estrada and promptly clubbed two homers. Austin is more than capable of going on a hot streak and seizing the primary job at the cold corner – he hit ,275 with 10 homers in only 47 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year – and while he'll still get squeezed for playing time when the Yankees' roster is closer to full strength, the 26-year-old could provide value in the short term. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Second Base

Nolan Fontana, Angels: Fontana was called up for infield depth after Ian Kinsler landed on the DL. He did hit 10 homers and steal 14 bases in 105 games for Triple-A Salt Lake last year, but Fontana's fantasy ceiling is low even if he were to work his way into the starting lineup. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Niko Goodrum, Tigers: Goodrum was officially added to the roster right before Opening Day, and the Tigers envision him filling a super-utility role for them in 2018. The 26-year-old did little in 18 plate appearances for the Twins last year, but his numbers in Triple-A Rochester suggest a player with a bit of power and a bit of speed. The biggest driver of his fantasy value will be opportunity, though. Dixon Machado is penciled in as Detroit's starter at second base, and Dixon is no Manny. If Machado falters, Goodrum could get a look in a starting role. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Brock Holt, Red Sox: While Eduardo Nunez will see most of the action at the keystone in place of Dustin Pedroia, Holt should spell in now and then as well while also resting starters elsewhere on the diamond. In the long run, he's the second utility guy on a team with a set starting nine, which is a tough way to make a living, but while Pedroia's out, Holt should see enough playing time to be useful. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Gift Ngoepe, Blue Jays: The Jays saw enough of Danny Espinosa at the end of the spring to realize they did not want him on their roster, and as a result Ngeope got the spot at the end of the bench instead. He's a glove-first infielder who's shown little fantasy appeal in the minors beyond a bit of speed, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Rob Refsnyder, Rays: The Rays do like their Swiss Army knife-type players, and Refsnyder is their latest addition. He'll primary see action against left-handed pitching, and while he's never shown much power or speed he has put up some solid batting averages and OBPs in the minors, including a career .294/.374/.425 line at Triple-A. That's profile fits better for DFS play than season-long leagues, but combined with some position flex he'll have his uses in AL-only formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Joey Wendle, Rays: Wendle did nothing but hit for Triple-A Nashville in the A's system, compiling a .285/.325/.441 line in 380 games over three seasons with 30 homers and 39 steals, but he never got much of a chance in the majors. Picked up by Tampa over the winter, his role isn't completely clear just yet – he's a left-handed second baseman behind the left-handed Brad Miller – but he's gotten six plate appearances through the first three games, so it looks like the Rays want to see what he can do. Regular DH at-bats are a possibility down the road, as Denard Span isn't much of an obstacle, but for now Wendle will slot into the game when Miller is needed somewhere else on the diamond. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Third Base

Miguel Andujar, Yankees: Well, that didn't take long. Sent down to Triple-A to begin the year after he faded late in the spring, Andujar got called back up Saturday night after Billy McKinney – who was only in the majors because Aaron Hicks was on the DL again – hurt his shoulder running into a wall. It doesn't seem like the Yankees would bring Andujar to the bigs unless he was going to start, so that probably means Brandon Drury is out at third base and into a utility role off the bench, giving them the flexibility to use Tyler Wade in the outfield. The 23-year-old ripped through the high minors last season and impressed in a cup of coffee with New York, and he could just keep right on raking with a regular role in the majors. Of course, if he struggles he could head back to Triple-A once someone gets healthy, but Andujar's upside is undeniable. 12-team Mixed: $12; 15-team Mixed: $25; 12-team AL: $45

Cheslor Cuthbert, Royals: The offseason signing of Lucas Duda and re-signing of Mike Moustakas seemed to shut the door on Cuthbert winning a starting job for KC, but he's surprisingly started the Royals' first two games at DH while Jorge Soler gets a chance in right field. Cuthbert's upside is still in question and he seems to best profile as a bench player, but he is still only 25 years old and showed a glimmer of upside back in 2016. If he struggles, though, Paulo Orlando will cut into his playing time, and the club could elect to give Ryan O'Hearn a look at some point. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Matt Davidson, White Sox: Davidson's Tuffy Rhodes impression on Opening Day is going to have a lot of people scrambling for their waiver wires in shallow leagues, but it's not like his power was a secret – he hit 26 homers in 118 games last season. He also hit .220 with a .260 OBP, and that profile isn't one suited for longevity in the majors, even on a rebuilding club like the White Sox. Just ask Chris Carter, who went from NL home-run champ in 2016 to a guy who couldn't find a big-league job this spring. If you have a late draft or auction, it makes sense to grab Davidson late and bank those blasts, but spending FAAB dollars on him expecting him to be anything but a very low-BA power source over the course of a full season is asking a lot. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Shortstop

Aledmys Diaz, Blue Jays: Diaz got profiled last week, but his outlook has gotten a lot brighter since then. Not only is Troy Tulowitzki now out for an extended period after getting bone spurs removed from both feet, but Yangervis Solarte – Diaz's main competition for reps at shortstop – is filling in at third base for an unknown amount of time while Josh Donaldson is forced to DH due to shoulder problems. Of course, Diaz is 0-for-9 with three strikeouts to begin the season, continuing last year's struggles at the plate, but he'll get plenty of opportunities to try and regain his 2016 form. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $13

Yangervis Solarte, Blue Jays: Speaking of Solarte, he suddenly looks like a much more appealing fantasy option than he did Opening Day, and Saturday's homer off Dellin Betances could be the first of many for him in a Jays uniform. Keep in mind that most of his power comes from the left side of the plate – he slugged 28 homers against RHP over the last two seasons, compared to five against LHP – and the Rogers Centre is a much, much better environment for left-handed power than Petco Park is. He's a strong short-term play while Donaldson nurses his shoulder, but in the long run Solarte could easily push his way into regular at-bats all over the diamond if he gets hot. 12-team Mixed: $4; 15-team Mixed: $9; 12-team AL: Owned

Outfield

Rajai Davis, Cleveland: I know this is going to come as a shock to a lot of people, but brace yourselves – Michael Brantley is beginning the year on the DL. The current plan to replace him seems to be a Tyler Naquin/Davis platoon, with Brandon Guyer lurking as a bench bat as well. Any extra playing time for Davis is good news, though, as it means more opportunities to steal bases, and that's the only reason to want him on your fantasy roster. The 37-year-old already has one swipe this season, and even if he doesn't get close to 300 at-bats he should be good for at least 20 steals or so. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Craig Gentry, Orioles: The right-field situation in Baltimore is a bit of a mess right now, but at the moment it looks like Gentry will handle the short side of a platoon with Colby Rasmus, although Anthony Santander will get some looks as well, and the whole muddle is just a placeholder until Austin Hays is ready. Gentry hasn't had real fantasy value since he stole 20 bases in 2014, but as a short-term option he could grab you a steal or two. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Ryan LaMarre, Twins: A surprise addition to the Opening Day roster over Zack Granite, LaMarre is the fifth outfielder for the Twins and behind Robbie Grossman in the bench pecking order, a role that isn't going to afford him much fantasy value. His name is also a lot less cool than "Zack Granite", which sounds like one of the character names they came up with for the Jumanji sequel before deciding on Smolder Bravestone. He does have some power and speed upside based on his minor-league resume, but unless injuries open up playing time for him, LaMarre isn't worth a look. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jake Marisnick, Astros: With Marwin Gonzalez needed at first base for the moment, Marisnick has been the Astros' regular center fielder to begin the year and rewarded the decision with two homers in three games. Once Yulieski Gurriel is back, though, Gonzalez will move into the outfield mix and Marisnick to less consistent playing time. Enjoy the production from the 27-year-old while it lasts. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Tyler Naquin, Cleveland: Naquin's profile as a hitter is pretty well established: good average and OBP, but modest power, which essentially makes him a bargain version of Brantley. The real thing could be back in a week or so, although with Brantley you never know, which leaves Naquin as purely a short-term option for fantasy purposes. In the event Brantley misses more significant action, Cleveland would probably look for a better replacement. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Boog Powell, Athletics: The A's decided Dustin Fowler wasn't ready to handle the starting center field job, which isn't surprising considering he missed the final four months of 2017. That leaves Powell on the strong side of a platoon with Jake Smolinski for now, a role which should give him ample opportunity to show whether his .340/.416/.490 line in 58 games for Triple-A Tacoma was remotely for real. The answer is probably no, but it likely won't cost too much to find out. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Victor Reyes, Tigers: A Rule 5 pick from the Diamondbacks, Reyes made the Tigers' Opening Day roster but isn't likely to see much actual action this season, even for a club that seems to be kicking off a rebuild. He hasn't played above Double-A yet, and his minor-league profile shows some speed, if little idea of how to use it on the basepaths, and extra-base power. That's basically a Paulo Orlando starter kit, and it's not like the real thing has tremendous fantasy value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Drew Robinson, Rangers: It's been a wild week for Robinson. He was expected to see a lot of playing time in left field before Ryan Rua was unexpectedly named the starter, but now Delino DeShields Jr.' broken hand could put Robinson in the starting lineup anyway. The 25-year-old has hit for some power and stolen a few bases in the minors, but he struggles to make consistent contact. With a semi-regular role ahead of him for the next few weeks, Robinson could provide some value if you can withstand the potential hit to your batting average. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Jake Smolinski, Athletics: Smolinski beat out Mark Canha for the final spot on the A's bench, as he hit four homers in the spring and provides superior outfield defense. In a platoon with Powell, the 29-year-old could continue popping the occasional home run, but don't expect too much more from him. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Carlos Tocci, Rangers: Profiled last week, Tocci's eight steals in the spring won him a job as a Rule 5 pick, but even if he sees an uptick in playing time with DeShields sidelined, there's no guarantee he'll keep racking them up in the regular season. At this stage of his career, the 22-year-old is a raw slap hitter with some wheels and nothing more. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: NNo; 12-team AL: $2

Designated Hitter

Pedro Alvarez, Orioles: Alvarez made the Opening Day roster only due to Mark Trumbo's injury, as the O's apparently has a "low batting average slugger" quota to fill. He was once a top prospect, but Alvarez is now 31 years old and his 36-HR, 100-RBI campaign with the Pirates in 2013 was a long, long time ago. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1