AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week

This is our weekly look at American League free agents. We have two goals for this article:

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.

We've incorporated 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. Shohei Ohtani would have been an "A" grade player last year – that mark will be reserved for similarly 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.

AL FAAB | NL FAAB

Starting Pitcher

Manny Banuelos, White Sox: With Lucas Giolito banged up and Ervin Santana kicked to the curb, Banuelos is getting a look in the rotation for the White Sox. Once mentioned in the same breath as Dellin Betances when coming up through the Yankees' system, before this season the 28-year-old had last appeared in the majors with Atlanta in 2015, so there's really no way to know what to expect here. Banuelos has been OK so far, but he hasn't thrown more than four innings in an outing yet and his sketchy 13.8 percent walk rate is basically what he's done throughout his career. He does get a two-start period this week, though, facing the O's and Red Sox at home, so he could be a streaming gamble in addition to a rest-of-season stash. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Griffin Canning, Angels: The Angels' top pitching prospect is set to make his big-league debut Tuesday at home against the whiff-happy Blue Jays. Canning's has a brilliant start to the year for Triple-A Salt Lake, posting a 17:2 K:BB through three starts and 16 innings, and he was brilliant last season at Double-A before stumbling in his first exposure to the PCL. The 22-year-old's scouting report pegged him as a mid-rotation guy rather than a future ace, and an early adjustment period wouldn't be a surprise at all, but there's upside here and Los Angeles has nothing to lose by giving him a long leas in the rotation. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Danny Duffy, Royals: Duffy missed the start of the season with shoulder issues but returned to the rotation Friday and showed the same control woes that plagued him in 2018, posting a 1:3 K:BB through five innings against the Angels. A few years ago he looked like he could become the Royals' future No. 1 starter, but now he's just a 30-year-old trying to turn his career around. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

John Means, Orioles: There haven't been many pleasant surprises in Baltimore so far, but Means certainly qualifies. The unheralded southpaw, an 11th round pick in 2014 who made his big-league debut last year with 3.1 rough innings, has pushed him way into the rotation with a 1.74 ERA and 23:6 K:BB through his first 20.2 frames. Can he keep it up? His minor-league numbers say no, but he's got the stuff to potentially settle into a mid-rotation spot, mixing a low-90s fastball with three breaking pitches and solid command. Means sets up for a two-start week, on the road against the White Sox before facing the Rays at home, but his appeal in deeper formats goes beyond a short-term streaming fix. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Tyler Skaggs, Angels: An ankle injury cost him two starts and might have gotten Skaggs dropped in shallow formats or league with limited bench/IL slots, but he looked fine in his return Friday, blanking the Royals over five innings. The left-hander is basically the prototypical Angels starter – often injured and posting generally mediocre numbers by season's end, but flashing enough upside to stay on fantasy radars – but he should be able to provide adequate results while he's healthy if you pick your spots with him. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Dan Straily, Orioles: He's had a nice little run of late, posting a 2.57 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over his last three starts and 14 innings, including two against the Twins. (Go ask Alex Cobb how that could have worked out instead for homer-prone right-handers). Straily's 9:5 K:BB during that stretch is nothing special, though, so even though the recent ratios might seem enticing, he shouldn't be viewed as anything more than a volatile deep-league option. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Hector Velazquez, Red Sox: Velazquez takes over Nathan Eovaldi's rotation spot, and while he isn't fully stretched out yet – he hasn't worked more than 3.1 innings in an appearance yet – the Red Sox don't have any better internal alternatives right now. Once he's capable of lasting at least five frames, Velazquez will have some win upside in Boston, but don't expect big strikeout numbers. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Other two-start options (12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $1)

Clay Buchholz, Blue Jays (at LAA, at TEX)

Brad Keller, Royals (vs. TB, at DET)

Ivan Nova, White Sox (vs. BAL, vs. BOS)

Spencer Turnbull, Tigers (at PHI, vs. KC)

Relief Pitcher

Ty Buttrey / Hansel Robles, Angels: Cody Allen lost his closer spot and then landed on the IL with back trouble, and it's hard to say at this point whether the latter contributed to the former. Luis Garcia fell into the first save in his absence, but Buttrey and Robles seems like the most likely candidates to handle the bulk of the ninth-inning duties. Buttrey has the Closer of the Future tag after coming over from Boston last year in a deal for what was left of Ian Kinsler, and he's looked great with a 0.75 ERA and 16:3 K:BB through 12 innings, but in 2019 those numbers land you a relief ace role rather than a closing assignment. If manager Brad Ausmus keeps using Buttrey in highest-leverage spots, Robles has a 96 mph fastball of his own, an identical 16:3 K:BB through 12 innings but a superficially worse 3.00 ERA that could keep the bidding down for his services. The former Met is also the more likely candidate to be flipped later in the year if he continues to thrive and the Angels continue to occupy the AL West basement, which might make Robles the correct fantasy target if the front office follows the White Sox "showcase 'em and ship 'em" model. If Allen recovers quickly and regains his effectiveness, of course, he should be back in the ninth-inning saddle, but there's also a non-zero chance he doesn't record another save for the Angels this year. Buttrey / Robles (same for each) – 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Mychal Givens, Orioles: It took almost a month, but Baltimore's presumed closer back in the spring finally got his first save. That lag time likely got him dropped in a lot of leagues, but the memory of it could inflate his bidding beyond the point where it should go, which slaps a serious Winner's Curse warning on him. Givens is far from a proven commodity – his nine saves in 2018 were the first of his career – and while the strikeout upside is there, he's never posted elite ratios over a full campaign. The O's also aren't going to provide a lot of chances, and manager Brandon Hyde is pretty clearly set on some unorthodox bullpen strategies. All that said, Givens is probably still the favorite to wind up leading the team in saves, even if his total ends up being somewhere south of 20. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Emilio Pagan, Rays: Have the Rays found their new Sergio Romo? Jose Alvarado and Diego Castillo still seem like the preferred high-leverage options in the Tampa bullpen, but manager Kevin Cash has given Pagan the ball in the ninth inning in three straight appearances, and the right-hander has converted all three save chances. He's shown some strikeout upside in his prior big-league stops in Oakland and Seattle, but his biggest selling point is probably that Romo got 25 saves last year despite not being close to the best reliever in the Rays' bullpen. If Pagan slides into the same role, he could post even better numbers – as well as getting the occasional pseudo-start as an opener. 12-team Mixed: $11; 15-team Mixed: $25; 12-team AL: $39

Catcher

Grayson Greiner, Tigers: Greiner had a slow start to the year but has been on a mini-tear over the last couple of weeks, hitting .321 with all three of his homers. The 26-year-old has shown some pop in the minors, so while the batting average won't last he should still be good for a dozen of so homers, and maybe more in the new rabbit-ball era. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

James McCann, White Sox: The former Tiger's hot start suddenly has him hitting cleanup for the White Sox when he's in the lineup, which makes him a little more interesting in leagues that don't necessarily roster a lot of catchers. McCann is still behind Welington Castillo on the depth chart, though, and his .362/.412/.532 slash line could collapse in a hurry. Use him while he's hot, then toss him aside once he cools down. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Pedro Severino, Orioles: Severino's enjoying a little power surge, going yard in three of his last five starts since April 18. Given what's happening in MLB this year, and how desperate many fantasy GMs are for catcher production. that can't be dismissed as a complete fluke even though the 25-year-old's minor-league numbers don't indicate he's got a lot of pop. His batting average is a different story, of course, but if all you want is double-digit homers, Severino could be a cheap solution. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

First Base

Brandon Dixon, Tigers: The former Dodger and Red farmhand has had a quick start to his Tigers tenure since his promotion, getting consistent playing time and going 6-for-14 with a couple of doubles and four RBI. Dixon has a path to a big workload if he keeps hitting – Detroit's been using their DH spot to keep guys fresh as they boucne Niko Goodrum and John Hicks around the dimaond as needed, but Dixon could push Miguel Cabrera there on a full-time basis – and while he's probably not Miggy's heir apparent at first base in the long run, Dixon's minor-league numbers suggest he could provide at least a useful bat if he gets comfortable. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Second Base

Luis Rengifo, Angels: The Angels are leaning into their skid and have started promoting their top prospects in the upper minors, including Rengifo. The 22-year-old wasn't actually doing much at the plate for Triple-A Salt Lake prior to getting the call, but he could develop into a starter at second base with what used to be the classic profile for a top of the order hitter – maybe not much power, but a solid hit tool and good plate discipline with some speed. Players with that profile have also sometimes exceeded expectations in the majors (Cleveland's farm system has made a habit of cranking out guys like that), so Rengifo's ceiling may not be as low as it seems. At worst, he shouldn't hurt you in batting average and swipe some bags if he figures things out quickly in the majors. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Tyler Wade, Yankees: It's gotten so bad in the Bronx, Wade has started seeing regular playing time in left field. He hasn't done much with the opportunity, but in deep leagues at-bats are money, so he's worth scopping up until someone like Aaron Hicks finally returns and bumps Wade back to the bench. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Third Base

Christian Arroyo, Rays: It looks like Joey Wendle can't stay healthy, so Arroyo gets to fill a big-league bench spot again. He doesn't offer much fantasy appeal beyond an empty batting average even if he does get consistent playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Kelvin Gutierrez, Royals: The former Nationals semi-prospect was off to a solid start at Triple-A Omaha, so the Royals promoted him when Lucas Duda hit the IL. Gutierrez gives them another option at third base if Hunter Dozier's back keeps acting up, and the 24-year-old could chip in the occasional steal if he finds his way into the starting nine. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Gio Urshela, Yankees: Urshela's taken over at third base for the decimated Yankees and done about what you'd expect, which is smack out some singles. His .327/.387/.491 slash line isn't that far removed from some of his minor-league lines, so while he's hitting over his head, there's no reason to think a major crash is coming. The 27-year-old is still better suited for a roster spot in deep formats, though, and once someone else on the infield gets healthy – even if it's only Troy Tulowitzki – Urshela could fall back to the bench. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3
 

Shortstop

Ronny Rodriguez, Tigers: He's seized the Tigers' open shortstop job for now with a tiny little hot streak (5-for-17 with two homers in four starts), but when your only competition is Gordon Beckham it doesn't take much. Rodriguez does have some intriguing Triple-A numbers on his resume, including a .291/.324/.454 line with 17 homers and 15 steals in 117 games for Columbus in Cleveland's system in 2017, so the 27-year-old could be worth rolling the dice on if you need middle infield help. Jordy Mercer's glove probably puts him back in the starting lineup once he's healthy, but even if Rodriguez only turns out to be this year's Goodrum, that's got plenty of value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3
 

Outfield

Kole Calhoun, Angels: The 31-year-old joined the launch angle party this week, homering in three straight games to give him seven on the year. Calhoun's become a batting average liability, but as a short-term add while he's hot he could help you keep pace in a category that could be spiraling out of control. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Brian Goodwin, Angels: On the other hand, Calhoun's teammate is just plain raking. Goodwin's hitting .341 over the last couple of weeks, and perhaps more importantly he's showing significantly improved plate discipline this season. If the 28-year-old is simply a late bloomer, he could displace Calhoun in right field even after Justin Upton is back in left. Goodwin has at least four-category upside if everything has started to click for him. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Guillermo Heredia, Rays: As expected, a Tampa outfielder got hurt, but surprise! It was Austin Meadows and not Kevin Kiermaier. Either way, Heredia's playing time has ticked up as a result, although he hasn't done anything with it – he hasn't collected a hit since April 14. Meadows is looking at a mid-May return, though, so if you're just looking for at-bats in the short term, Heredia's your guy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Cameron Maybin, Yankees: So, this is what it's come to for the Yankees. Maybin was pretty bad for two different teams last year, and he couldn't even win a job with Cleveland this spring, but the veteran has started two straight games in right field since joining the roster. Even at 32 years old he can still swipe the occasional base, but don't expect anything else – including him still being a Yankee once guys get healthy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Joey Rickard, Orioles: Cedric Mullins is back down in Triple-A trying to get it together and Austin Hays isn't healthy, so for now Rickard is a starting big-league outfielder. Huh. He's gone 4-for-19 with a homer in five starts since taking over in center, and there is some modest power/speed upside here, but it'll probably come at the expense of batting average. If that fits your roster needs, though, there's nobody on the horizon to take playing time away from Rickard unless Mullins turns things around quickly. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5