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

Cody Anderson, Cleveland: With Corey Kluber now joining Mike Clevinger in the infirmary, Cleveland's vaunted starting staff is in tatters just in time for their schedule to kick into high gear and not afford them the luxury of skipping the fifth spot in the rotation. Anderson will get a chance to fill that role, but he's not fully stretched out yet – he hasn't thrown more than three innings in an outing this year, either in the majors or at Triple-A – and the 28-year-old right-hander doesn't have much of a ceiling, so grabbing him now should be viewed as more of an option in leagues with deep benches where you can stash him for a couple of weeks for use in favorable matchups. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Chris Bassitt, Athletics: Bassitt has been brilliant since joining the rotation April 22, posting a 2.12 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 22:6 K:BB in 17 innings. The strikeouts in particular jump off the page, since he's never managed a K/9 mark above 7.7 before, and they could largely be a product of who he was facing – the Jays, who accounted for nine of those whiffs, lead the league in K% vs. RHP. There's nothing much in his profile, no velocity bump or new pitch, to otherwise explain it. Marco Estrada isn't even playing catch yet and doesn't seem close to rejoining the roster, so Bassitt will have a long leash even if his performance returns to his normal levels. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Dylan Covey, White Sox: Covey is not the pitcher with a five-letter last name beginning with C fantasy GMs want to see replacing Carlos Rodon, but that's what we're stuck with. Your "Cease and desist", "will wonders never Cease" puns will have to wait a while longer. Covey sets up for a fairly freindly first start against the Jays, but the perennial spot starter/swing man has a 6.11 ERA in nearly 200 career big-league innings for a reason. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jonathan Loaisiga, Yankees: The Yankees are finally starting to get healthier – Miguel Andujar's already back, and Aaron Hicks is getting close – but that doesn't mean the previously healthy guys are suddenly exempt from whatever curse the team's had inflicted upon them. James Paxton is the latest guy to go down, although at this point his sore knee may not require him to miss more than one turn through the rotation, opening up a spot for Loaisiga. The 24-year-old threw five innings in his last start at Triple-A, so he should be able to handle a reasonable workload right away, and he's got intriguing upside, even if his own health woes haven't given him many chances to display it in his career. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Martin Perez, Twins: Perez's bumpy start to the season and erratic usage as the Twins' fifth starter may have caused him to get cut loose by anyone who targeted him at the draft table based on his improved spring velocity, but things are clicking now for the southpaw. Over his last four starts, he's got a 2.08 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 18:5 K:BB over 23 innings, including an impressive eight scoreless innings against the Astros on Wednesday. He lines up for two potentially juicy outings this week – at Toronto, then home to the Tigers – but it might be past time to graduate him from the "streaming option" category of starters and into "let him roll" group, even in shallower formats. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Jefry Rodriguez, Cleveland: The other rotation replacement in Cleveland, Rodriguez holds more appeal than Anderson. Seven innings of one-run ball in his first start is nice, even if it only came against the Marlins, but he's also got a track record of at least decent numbers in the high minors coming up through the Nats' system. The 25-year-old righty has a mid-90s fastball, a potentially plus curve and a work-in-progress changeup, and so far in his big-league career command within the zone has been the biggest hurdle between him and numbers that match the scouting report. Clevinger is out until at least early June with a sore back, and Kluber won't even have his fractured forearm reassessed to see how it's healing for a few weeks, so Rodriguez should get a long look. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

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

Aaron Brooks, Athletics (vs. CIN, vs. CLE)

Andrew Cashner, Orioles (vs. BOS, vs. LAA)

Daniel Norris, Tigers (vs. LAA, at MIN)

Ivan Nova, White Sox (at CLE, at TOR)

Adrian Sampson, Rangers (at PIT, at HOU)

Hector Velazquez, Red Sox (at BAL, vs. SEA)

Relief Pitcher

Luke Bard, Angels: The back of the Angels' bullpen could be getting crowded soon. Hansel Robles and Ty Buttrey have been excellent, and Cody Allen is on the mend. Bard is very quickly making a name for himself too, though, racking up a 10:1 K:BB in his last six innings over four appearances without allowing an earned run. He doesn't have elite velocity on his fastball, but the pitch does have elite life and he complements it with the usual slider. The 28-year-old right-hander is currently being used in a very Tampa-like role, bouncing between middle relief and the occasional opener assignment, but he could work his way into the setup crew if he continues to dominate. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jalen Beeks, Rays: Speaking of the Rays, Beeks has been on a tear in his long-relief, primary pitcher role, posting a 2.41 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and a 20:8 K:BB through 18.2 innings with a win and a three-inning save over his last five appearances. The improved K-rate is encouraging given last year's lackluster performance in the majors compared to the strikeout rates he was popping in the minors. Two caveats should be noted before you open up your FAAB wallet, though. The quality of Beeks' opposition during that stretch has to be taken into account – he's faced the Royals twice in a row, and the O's, Jays and ChiSox before that – and the southpaw will face competition for his role from Ryan Yarbrough once he's called back up from Durham. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Shawn Kelley, Rangers: Jose Leclerc is in timeout as Texas' closer until he learns to be less generous with the free passes, and Kelley has stepped up in his place, grabbing two saves along with a win and two holds in his last seven appearances with a 0.00 ERA, 0.57 WHIP and 6:1 K:BB. The veteran right-hander has had massive problems keeping the ball in the park in recent years – he's got a 1.84 HR/9 since 2016 – so this is purely a short-term solution, but if all you care about is cashing a handful of saves, he's got the job. If you're looking to get one step ahead of the Rangers' bullpen Chris Martin could see ninth-inning duty if Kelley falters, but it seems at least as likely that Leclerc would get another look in that case. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Catcher

Jason Castro, Twins: The veteran backstop has been enjoying the livelier ball lately, swatting all three of his homers on the season in his last five starts dating back to April 22. He's still getting less playing time than Mitch Garver, but it's close to an even split – Garver's started seven times in the last 12 games to Castro's five – and Willians Astudillo's eventual return from a hamstring strain likely won't impact that, as he was being used sparingly behind the plate even before he got hurt. Castro's still only a target in deep formats, but any catcher showing a spark with his bat is going to attract attention. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

First Base

Nate Lowe, Rays: Called up just after last week's column got posted, Lowe's been plugged into the starting lineup right away by the Rays but hasn't done much with his opportunities yet, slashing .217/.240/.261 through his first six big-league games. His .300/.444/.543 at Triple-A to begin the year gives a much better idea of his upside, but he had an adjustment period last year when he got to Durham, so some early struggles in Tampa aren't surprising. The 23-year-old might not have the raw power of a Pete Alonso or Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but Lowe can still put a jolt in the ball and he's shown tremendous patience and and all-fields approach in the minors since breaking out in 2018, giving him significant four-category upside down the road. The poor early returns might suppress bidding on him a bit, but I wouldn't try to get too cute. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $13; 12-team AL: $29

Matt Olson, Athletics: The Oakland slugger has begun a rehab stint at Triple-A Las Vegas, collecting only two hits in his first four games – although one of them did leave the yard – Olson should immediately regain his starting job once he comes off the IL, but if you stash him now don't be in a big rush to plug him back into your lineup. Hand injuries can impact swings and power, so he could need some time to get back to the form that saw him launch 53 homers over the last two seasons. 12-team Mixed: $8; 15-team Mixed: $17; 12-team AL: Owned

Second Base

Harold Castro, Tigers: The 25-year-old got called up Tuesday and has received all of six plate appearances since. He'll probably be sent back down once Josh Harrison gets healthy, but there are glimmers of upside here – he swiped 20 bags at Double-A while hitting .290 in 2017 – so Detroit could always keep him around and kick veteran retread Gordon Beckham to the curb instead when they need to open up a roster spot on the infield. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Stevie Wilkerson, Orioles: Wilkerson's getting a look at center field for Baltimore because, well, who else have they got? The 27-year-old has homered twice while hitting .278 in 11 games since his promotion, but his 0:11 BB:K is a warning sign that even his current modest level of production could crater at any second. There's really not much to recommend him other than playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Third Base

Brandon Drury, Blue Jays: The former Diamondback and Yankee may be out as Toronto's starting third baseman, but he continues to start nearly every day, getting assignments at second base and right field since Vlad Jr. came to town. Drury's hot bat may have something to do with that. Over his last 12 games, he's slashing .327/.353/.714 with five homers. He's also got a 1:16 BB:K, continues the plate discipline issues that have hampered him since the beginning of the year and which are wildly out of character for him – before 2019, Drury's previous worst in K-rate for a full season was only 21.5 percent. He's at 36.1 percent through 29 games this year. There's still some intriguing value here if the strikeouts don't overwhelm him again. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Kelvin Gutierrez, Royals: With Hunter Dozier in at DH due to his sore back, Gutierrez has been starting at the hot corner since his promotion and absolutely raking, slashing .344/.364/.531 through eight games. Between Triple-A Omaha and K.C., he's slugged three homers in 28 games this year after hitting a career-high 11 in 123 games at Double-A in 2018, but that pace could be tough to maintain – his launch angle in the bigs so far is 2.7 degrees. He is stinging the ball, but his profile looks more like a .280-ish hitter with low double-digit power (basically, a less exciting Yuli Gurriel) than someone you want to be blowing your budget chasing. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Outfield

Braden Bishop, Mariners: Seattle decided to send Mallex Smith to the minors to work out whatever's wrong with him, bringing up Bishop in his place to handle fourth outfielder duties. He'll mainly see action on the short side of a platoon with Jay Bruce, a role that wouldn't offer much value even if his profile didn't scream "fourth outfielder" anyway. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Skye Bolt, Athletics: As a prospect, Bolt's best tool might be his 80-grade name, but the A's called him up to add a little bench depth and get his feet wet in the majors until they need a fifth starter again. His batting average this year is a PCL mirage, but he's got 20-20 upside if he were to ever get regular playing time. Oakland's trotting out Robbie Grossman and Chad Pinder in left field, so it's not like he's got a big hurdle to leap over, but as yet it doesn't look like he's going to get a real shot. Right now, Bolt's more of a keeper league stash than someone to bother with in re-draft formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jake Cave, Twins: Cave's back up to fill a bench role while Astudillo is on the shelf. He could provide some DFS value when he gets occasionally plugged into the lineup, but otherwise he's just a stash in case one of Minnesota's starting outfielders gets hurt. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Nicky Delmonico, White Sox: He's been filling in as the left fielder while Eloy Jimenez heals up his ankle. Delmonico's just a guy, but playing time is king in deep leagues, and there's an opportunity to stick around in right field if he gets hot at the right time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jordan Luplow, Cleveland: Luplow destroyed the ball for Triple-A Columbus to earn his way back to the majors, but he still profiles as little more than a fourth outfielder – a guy with a solid hit tool, but not much else that stands out in his profile. He's been getting consistent work with Leonys Martin limping, but long term he'd need to outplay someone like Tyler Naquin to have real value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1