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

Ryan Feierabend, Blue Jays: Sometimes, a player comes up to the majors that you just can't help but root for. Feierabend was a Seattle prospect (kind of) more than a decade ago, at a time when looking for the next Jamie Moyer still seemed like a good idea. The finesse lefty thing didn't work out for him, though, and he made his last start for the M's in 2008 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Then the odyssey began in earnest – a couple of seasons at Triple-A with the Phillies and Reds organizations, a stint in the Venezuelan Winter League, then a season in the independent Atlantic League before latching on with the Rangers and making it back to the majors for a handful of undistringuished relief appearances in 2014. Texas cut him loose, and Feierabend headed for the KBO for four seasons. Somewhere in there, he learned a knuckleball, and looked passable enough with it at Triple-A Buffalo that the Jays figured hey, why not? Left-handed knuckleballers are basically unicorns. Wilbur Wood is the only player in MLB history to have any real success as one, so it was fitting that Feierabend made his 2019 debut against the White Sox. Now, none of that is a reason to add him to your fantasy roster, but if he does somehow win his first big-league game in 11 years for Toronto, the inspirational sports biopic writes itself. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Edwin Jackson, Blue Jays: The Jays are clearly trying to assemble a rotation with as much moxie as possible, which makes sense if you don't have guys with much talent. Jackson set a new major-league record when he suited up for his 14th different team Wednesday, and the 35-year-old gave Toronto five credible innings, doing the same kind of job he did for Oakland in 2018. Personally, I'm hoping Jackson makes two more MLB stops before he hangs up his spikes, just so he can complete the uniform number box on his Baseball Reference page and maybe play for every team in a division (he's 3/5ths of the way there on the AL East, NL East and NL West. There's no upside here, but if you just need an innings-muncher you could probably do worse. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Ariel Jurado, Rangers: Jurado replaced Shelby Miller in the Rangers' rotation and looked OK on Saturday before tiring, as he wasn't fully stretched out. Texas will probably give him a long leash as they don't have better options, but his minor-league numbers aren't encouraging, especially his low strikeout rates. Don't be fooled by his current 2.20 ERA, either – seven of the 11 runs he's been charged with this have been unearned. At some point, bad defense is going to stop bailing out his ratios. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Wade LeBlanc, Mariners: The veteran lefty missed just over a month with an oblique strain, and unfortunately he ran into the buzzsaw Twins lineup when he returned Saturday, serving up four homers to the MLB leaders in HR and SLG. LeBlanc is a generally reliable arm, if not the most exciting one, and he's worth stashing to use as a matchup option. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Adam Plutko, Cleveland: Plutko was recovering from a forearm strain of his own when Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger went down, delaying his chance at filling a rotation spot, but he's healthy now and looked solid Saturday against Baltimore. The 27-year-old's stuff profiles him as a swing man in the majors, but pitching in the AL Central and seeing regular doses of the Tigers, Royals and White Sox gives him some fantasy upside. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

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

Brett Anderson, Athletics (at CLE, vs. SEA)

Andrew Cashner, Orioles (vs. NYY, at COL)

David Hess, Orioles (vs. NYY, at COL)

Mike Leake, Mariners (at TEX, at OAK)

Brad Peacock, Astros (vs. CHW, VS. BOS)

Felix Pena, Angels (vs. MIN. vs. TEX)

Spencer Turnbull, Tigers (vs. MIA, at NYM)

Relief Pitcher

Scott Barlow, Royals: It's that time of year when most or all of the top high-K setup options have been snapped up, so it's time to look for another class of reliever to round out your fantasy staff – long relievers who can get you bulk K's. Note that I'm not talking about Tampa-style primary pitchers working behind an opener; I'm talking about pitchers in genuine low-leverage long-relief roles who are piling up strikeouts and might soon be graduating to more important usage. Back in his Nationals days, Craig Stammen was the poster boy for the kind of value pitchers like this could have. Barlow's seen a big jump in his average fastball velocity over last season – 93.1 mph from 90.6 mph – and the results have come with it. He's got a 1.00 ERA in May with a 17:1 K:BB through nine innings over six appearances, and all he has to show for it is one lonely hold. If you're less concerned about wins or saves and just want someone to give you innings, stabilize your ratios and keep you afloat in strikeouts, the 26-year-old right-hander could be just what you're looking for. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Josh James, Astros: The hype on James was to the moon this spring, but a poor start and back issues may have caused him to get kicked to the curb in a lot of leagues. Well, he's healthy now, and his high-octane, high-spin fastball is tormenting hitters once again. James has a 0.00 ERA and 13:2 K:BB over nine innings in five May appearances, and he was rewarded with his first win of the year Saturday in relief of Corbin Martin. There's still a chance he could move into the rotation down the road, but even in his current role there should be more vultured wins, and plenty of K's, ahead. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Marcus Walden, Red Sox: Walden is basically Barlow, only a) he's always had good velocity, and b) he pitched for a much better team. The 30-year-old right-hander has a 0.61 ERA and 16:1 K:BB in 14.2 innings over his last nine appearances, and he's already vultured five wins on the season thanks to Boston's bats. Chasing long-relief wins in fantasy is a fool's errand, but Walden's profile gives him value in deeper formats even if he doesn't get another victory. It's not like the Red Sox are going to stop hitting and staging comebacks, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Catcher

Willians Astudillo, Twins: La Tortuga returned from the IL last Sunday and started four straight games before sitting in two of the last three, which is about the usage pattern you can expect for him going forward in his utility role. Astudillo has played all four corner spots as well as catcher in 2019, and with Nelson Cruz on the shelf there will be more DH action available in the short term as well. Anybody with catcher eligibility, access to regular playing time and a decent .740 OPS should probably be rostered in all but the shallowest one-catcher formats. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Erik Kratz, Rays: Tampa is going through catchers like Spinal Tap goes through drummers, which must be making Erik "Stumpy Joe" Kratz a little nervous about his new assignment. The 38-year-old with the career .207/.255/.358 slash line was acquired from the Giants to back up Travis d'Arnaud, and he's already gotten one start for the Rays. Hopefully, you aren't as desperate for help behind the plate as they are. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

First Base

Jared Walsh, Angels: Walsh takes Justin Bour's spot on the Angels' roster, offering some depth at 1B/DH, but even without a prospect pedigree he's got some potential upside. The 25-year-old hit 29 homers in 130 games across three levels in 2018, and he boasted a .302/.398/.604 slash line with 10 long balls in 37 games for Triple-A Salt Lake this year prior to his promotion. At-bats will be tough to come by behind Albert Pujols and Shohei Ohtani, but if an injury opens up some playing time he could surprise. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Second Base

Luis Arraez, Twins: The 22-year-old started the year at Double-A, slashing .342/.415/.397 with an outstanding 18:13 BB:K in 38 games to earn a promotion to Triple-A Rochester, but he spent all of three games there before getting the call to the majors to provide infield depth while Cruz is on the IL. Arraez doesn't offer much fantasy appeal beyond his contact skills and patience, however, and he's just with Minnesota to get his feet wet and prepare him for an eventual role as a bench player sometime down the road. Don't expect him to see much playing time during this big-league stint. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Cavan Biggio, Blue Jays: I generally don't jump the gun on writing up prospects until they have a firm promotion date, but all signs right now are pointing to Biggio getting the call to Toronto sooner rather than later. While he doesn't have the raw upside of fellow legacy prospects Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, the 24-year-old has a .310/.436/.516 slash line in 38 games for Triple-A Buffalo, and the organization has had him working in the outfield corners lately rather than the infield – a development that comes on the heels of Teoscar Hernandez's demotion. The Jays are currently trotting Brandon Drury out to right field on a depressingly frequent basis, and Billy McKinney isn't exactly an All-Star in left, either. If you're looking to get a jump on the next wave of prospect promotions, Biggio might be your best stash of the remaining pool of talent, assuming the likes of Yordan Alvarez are long gone. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Logan Forsythe, Rangers: Elvis Andrus is on the IL, and Danny Santana is even banged up, which mostly leaves Forsythe as the Rangers' best option at shortstop at the moment. The journeyman was thriving with the playing time, too, going 10-for-19 with five doubles and a triple over five straight starts before getting a breather Saturday. Andrus should be back next week, but Forsythe's hot streak could earn him extra work elsewhere even after the team's starting shortstop is healthy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Jason Kipnis, Cleveland: Kipnis is in the middle of one of his good stretches right now, slashing .283/.353/.522 over his last 11 games with two homers, two steals, four runs and eight RBI. The veteran second baseman hasn't maintained that level of production over a full season since about 2016, mainly because he can't stay healthy, but the 32-year-old could provide some value at middle infield in leagues where his early struggles got him cut loose. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

Nicky Lopez, Royals: While he doesn't have the elite pedigree of the wave of recent callups in the NL, Lopez is still a solid prospect in his own right, and he's got a clear path to consistent playing time the rest of the year for a Royals team with its eyes locked on the horizon. The 24-year-old has improved every season since being drafted in 2016, and while his .353/.457/.500 slash line through 31 games for Triple-A Omaha is probably unattainable in the majors, Lopez should still hit for a good batting average. He also has intriguing steals upside on a run-happy Kansas City squad – while he has yet to attempt a stolen base since his promotion, he was 9-for-12 on the basepaths for Omaha. The Royals have slotted him into the No. 2 hole in the order, which is a strong vote of confidence in his skills. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $21

Dawel Lugo, Tigers: 12-team Mixed: $; 15-team Mixed: Lugo didn't impress last year in his first look at major-league pitching, but a .341/.393/.468 slash line for Triple-A Toledo to start 2019 earned him another chance, at least in the short term while Jeimer Candelario gets himself straightened out in the minors. At various times in the Tigers' system he's flashed a bit of power, a bit of speed and a bit of a hit tool, but never at the same time, so it's tough to imagine the 24-year-old will suddenly put it all together. At best, he might wind up as another super-utility guy on a Detroit roster that seems to be filling up with them. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Third Base

Rio Ruiz, Orioles: Ruiz is putting together a solid May, slashing .302/.375/.488 over 13 games. Playing for Baltimore limits his production – he's got two homers on the month, but only four RBI and five runs – and the 24-year-old doesn't have much upside, but he's getting playing time and is delivering some deep-league value as a result. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Miguel Sano, Twins: The 26-year-old slugger made his return from a heel injury Thursday and is already fitting right in with the rest of the Twins roster, mashing two doubles and a homer in three games. There will be a squeeze for playing time in Minnesota once Nelson Cruz gets healthy, but for now Sano will split his time between the hot corner and DH. His 2018 was a huge disappointment, but it wasn't that long ago he was considered one of the premiere power-hitting prospects in the game, and he's still young enough for the light switch to go off – especially now that he isn't expected to carry the load for a lineup that lacked consistent thump for a long time, but which is now one of the most potent offenses in the league. 12-team Mixed: $7; 15-team Mixed: $15; 12-team AL: $35

Gio Urshela, Yankees: With Miguel Andujar headed for season-ending shoulder surgery, Urshela looks like he'll be the Yankees' primary third baseman for the rest of the year. He's been lighting it up all year, but his .353/.402/.500 slash line is completely at odds with his prior three years of work with Cleveland and Toronto. There isn't even much on his minor-league resume to suggest he'll keep up this pace, and a big regression in his .405 BABIP is probably overdue. All that said, he is hitting the ball harder than he did in the past, so he could give back 50 points of BABIP and still be a useful fantasy asset, especially with regular at-bats in a strong lineup. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Shortstop

Richard Urena, Blue Jays: The 23-year-old is back in the majors to give the Jays a slick infield glove on the bench and smack the occasional single. Urena's track record doesn't suggest you should expect anything more than that. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Andrew Velazquez, Rays: A 24-year-old switch hitter, Velazquez had a solid 2018 campaign for Triple-A Durham (12 homers and 29 steals in 117 games) and is hitting .290 so far this year while repeating the level. His best fantasy asset is his speed – he's got a 50-steal campaign on his resume, albeit at Low-A back in 2014 – and he has some defensive versatility, but it's unclear where he fits into the Rays' Tetris board of an infield, especially once Matt Duffy and Joey Wendle are healthy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Willie Calhoun, Rangers: Probably the biggest-name prospect to get the call this week on the AL side, Calhoun's time in the Texas organization has been marked by false starts and petulance, but the 24-year-old may finally be adding some maturity to his plus hitting skills. He was slashing .304/.416/.557 for Triple-A Nashville before getting called up with eight homers in 32 games, and he offers four-category upside if he can stick around in the majors – something he seems intent on doing, smacking nine hits in his first four MLB games this year, including a double and two home runs. The question is where he'll play. The Rangers are already stretching themselves defensively by putting Joey Gallo in center field, and having Calhoun next to him in left field (which is where he's played three of his four games) is likely to result in a parade of balls into the gap and a very disgruntled pitching staff. With Shin-Soo Choo and Hunter Pence already on the roster, though, DH isn't an option for Calhoun on a consistent basis. The best course for the team might be to trade one of the veterans, but finding a taker for Choo's contract is easier said than done, and a good six weeks for Pence likely hasn't rehabilitated his value enough for him to fetch much. Having too much hitting talent isn't the worst problem to have, of course, but a heavy investment in Calhoun would feel a lot less risky if his path to consistent playing time didn't depend on his staying red hot. 12-team Mixed: $4; 15-team Mixed: $9; 12-team AL: $19

Mark Canha, Athletics: Canha returned from a two-week IL stint Monday and got right to work making up for lost time, homering three times in the last five games. Those are his only hits over that stretch, though, and over the long haul his playing time will mainly come at first base against tough lefties in place of Matt Olson, and in the outfield or at DH when someone else needs a rest. The power surge is nice, but don't get swept up by it. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Robbie Grossman, Athletics: Khris Davis' sore hip has created some additional opportunities for players like Grossman, and he's taken advantage by drawing his usual bushel of walks and, surprisingly, scampering like a Royal on the basepaths. The 29-year-old didn't steal a single base for the Twins in 2018, but he already have five stolen bases in 37 games this year while only being caught once, and it seems like he could blow past his career high of nine steals (set with the Astros back in 2014) by the All-Star break. Grossman's .237/.370/.368 slash line in May has limited value in traditional 5x5 roto formats, and he hasn't homered yet this month, but the extra handful of steals is useful in deeper leagues, and he remains a solid stick in OBP leagues. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jordan Luplow, Cleveland: Speaking of power surges, Canha's got nothing on Luplow. The 25-year-old has taken over the starting right field job since his return to the majors, going yard five times in the last nine games and compiling a .273/.313/.659 slash line in May. He did hit 26 homers across three levels in the Pirates' organization in 2017, so this performance isn't hugely out of line for him, and it's hard to imagine Tyler Naquin bumping him aside once he gets healthy as long as Luplow is driving the ball like this. Then again, we're talking about a club that thought Naquin was a reasonable solution to their outfield issues in the first place, so who knows. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Oscar Mercado, Cleveland: In the opposite outfield corner from Luplow, another former NL Central prospect in Mercado is getting a bit of a look. Acquired from the Cardinals over the winter, he was running wild for Triple-A Columbus before his promotion, swiping 14 bags on 17 attempts in 30 games while slashing .294/.396/.496, but so far he has yet to attempt a steal in his limited playing time with Cleveland. Carlos Gonzalez and his .597 OPS shouldn't be much of an obstacle, but the team is apparently under the impression that their best path to the playoffs involves relying on grizzled veterans rather than letting some punk millennial inject "life" and "energy" into the lineup. If sanity prevails, Mercado will take over the starting job at some point, but right now that's no sure thing. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Mallex Smith, Mariners: I'm always skeptical of players whose only plus big-league talent seems to be running fast. Billy Hamilton didn't work out, and while Smith has maintained solid batting averages and OBPs in 2017-18, pitchers eventually figure out that they have little to lose by daring him to make contact. As long as steals are a big deal in fantasy, though, players like them will attract a lot of attention, especially as league-wide stolen bases keep trending down and the possibility of ensuring a strong finish in the category from a single roster spot becomes more and more viable. Smith was awful to start the year and fully earned his demotion, but he hit .333 in 10 games for Triple-A Tacoma and is 3-for-11 since returning to Seattle, and between the two stops he's 15-for-16 on steal attempts through 40 games. If he got dropped in a shallower league, how hard you go after him depends entirely on how much you need help in his one category, because at best he won't hurt you in BA and runs and will be a liability in HR/RBI. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $13; 12-team AL: Owned