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

Jakob Junis, Royals: Weirdly, there isn't a whole lot of starting pitching showing up on the radar in the American League this week, either through promotion or performance. Pitching-needy GMs may want to factor that into their bidding. That shallow pool makes Junis' recent performance stand out. He's posted a 14:4 K:BB in 12 innings with quality starts in his last two outings, and while it's not much to go on compared to his shaky season-long numbers, he showed last year that he can be effective when he's in a groove. He's got two starts this period as well, making him a streaming option even if you're reluctant to get too attached over the long haul. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Zach Plesac, Cleveland: Written up last week, Plesac had a fairly pleasing debut Tuesday in Boston, allowing one run over 5.1 innings. Jefry Rodriguez's shoulder issue could open up the team's fifth-starter job but Plesac might have pitched his way into the role anyway, and he should get some short-term run to establish himself. A velocity bump this season saw him tear through Double-A and Triple-A (56:7 K:BB through 57.1 innings) en route to the majors, and while his ceiling might still be a bit limited as he still lacks an effective breaking pitch, he did enough to give him some appeal as more than a keeper stash. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Devin Smeltzer, Twins: Called up Tuesday, the unheralded southpaw – a fifth-round pick of the Dodgers in 2016 who came over to Minnesota in the Brian Dozier deal – blanked the Brewers for six innings in his big-league debut while striking out seven, which is going to have people scrambling for their wallets. Smeltzer's main weapon in deception. He's got a high leg kick and nearly sidearm delivery, but he also averages less than 90 mph with his fastball, so once major-league hitters get used to his funky mechanics he could eventually find himself in a LOOGY role at best. His first time through the league, though, he could make some very good hitters look very silly, as he did Tuesday, and it's hard not to look at the total package and remember what Dontrelle Willis did in his debut season back in 2003. 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) 

Dylan Bundy, Orioles (at TEX, at HOU) 
Trevor Cahill, Angels (at CHC, vs. SEA) 
Ryan Carpenter, Tigers (vs. TB. vs. MIN) 
Wade LeBlanc, Mariners (vs. HOU, at LAA) 
Corbin Martin, Astros (at SEA, vs. BAL) 
Clayton Richard, Blue Jays (vs. NYY, vs. ARI) 
Drew Smyly, Rangers (vs. BAL, vs. OAK)

Relief Pitcher

Shawn Armstrong / Richard Bleier / Branden Kline, Orioles: Mychal Givens is back out as the O's closer, leaving the ninth inning in the hands of... well, that's a good question, actually. Armstrong might be the best option of the bunch. The former Cleveland farmhand has great career numbers at Triple-A (2.21 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 13.1 K/9 in 191 innings over six seasons) but is now on his third big-league club as he tries to prove he can be effective in the bigs despite a 92-93 mph fastball and merely good cutter/curve combo. He converted his first save chance Monday and hasn't pitched since. Bleier is the top lefty in the Baltimore bullpen and grabbed his second save of the year Friday. Kline also got mentioned by manager Brandon Hyde as a late-inning option, but he's given up three runs over his last two appearances. None of them look like long-term closing possibilities, and it's not like the O's have a lot of leads to protect anyway, but Armstrong could net a handful of saves at a low cost. Armstrong - 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7 / Bleier - 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2 / Kline - 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
 

Ryne Harper, Twins: Harper reached the majors for the first time this year as a 30-year-old and has been pitching well, posting a 1.90 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 22:5 K:BB in 23.2 innings, and the Twins rewarded his efforts with a one-out save Tuesday after Blake Parker and Taylor Rogers had both been used. That puts him at best third in the Minnesota closer pecking order, but his numbers are good enough that he has some deep-league value just for his ratios, and you never know when injury or ineffectiveness might thin the ranks ahead of him. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Marcus Walden, Red Sox: It was Walden's turn to get his first save of the year Sunday, and he's pushed himself into the high-leverage mix for Boston with a 1.97 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 35:8 K:BB through 32 innings on the year.  Matt Barnes hasn't recorded a save in almost a month and Ryan Brasier hasn't successfully converted one since late April, so the closer role for the Red Sox might be more wide open than it seems. On the other hand, it's easy to see the front office making a splash trade to try and shake up the struggling roster, and bringing in a "proven" ninth-inning man could be at the top of the shopping list. As with Harper, Walden's numbers are strong enough to give him value without saves, but they would be a nice bonus. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Catcher

Mike Zunino, Rays: Back in action after a three-week layoff due to a quad strain, Zunino takes over again as Tampa's starting catcher. His return will be good for the pitching staff given his framing skills, but as a hitter he offers a poor batting average and power that hadn't really shown up yet in 2019 prior to his injury. He's most attractive to teams that have elected to punt BA anyway, whether out of strategy or necessity. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

First Base

Sam Travis, Red Sox: With Steve Pearce hurt again, Travis will mainly sit on Boston's bench and see occasional pinch hitting opportunities. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Second Base

Brock Holt, Red Sox: Holt has started four of five games since coming off the IL, although that playing time is in large part due to Michael Chavis being needed at first base. Dustin Pedroia may not be walking back through the clubhouse door again, but the team still has other options for the keystone that are better than a 30-year-old utility player with a career .266/.334/.367 slash line. Holt's useful, but not that useful. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Jack Mayfield, Astros: Houston's just trolling fantasy GMs at this point. Injury after injury hits the big-league roster, and they call up everybody except Yordan Alvarez or Kyle Tucker. Mayfield is about as far from a prospect as you can get. Now 28 years old, he went undrafted out of Oklahoma in 2013 – the draft went 40 rounds that year and saw over 1,200 kids selected, but he wasn't one of them. Fun fact: Mayfield isn't even the first position player signed as an amateur free agent after going undrafted out of a Big 12 school in 2013 to make the majors, as Baylor's Nate Orf had his moment in the sun with the Brewers last season. Anyway, Mayfield had a .937 OPS with 10 homers in 41 games for Triple-A Round Rock this year so sure, why not, bring him up to provide some middle infield depth until Aledmys Diaz gets healthy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Third Base

Christian Arroyo, Rays: Arroyo got called up Thursday and has started three straight games, and he could keep getting regular at-bats until Yandy Diaz gets healthy. Or Matt Duffy, or Joey Wendle... you get the idea. Arroyo's gone 3-for-12 since his promotion but all three hits have gone for extra bases (two doubles and a homer), which is nice. He's also been raking for Triple-A Durham, posting a .314/.381/.603 slash line with eight homers in 33 games, so the 24-year-old's sudden power display may not be a fluke despite his .343 career SLG in 204 big-league at-bats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Jeimer Candelario, Tigers:  Candelario's stint in the minors to get his swing sorted out ended up being cut short after Detroit's starting middle-infield duo of Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer got hurt again, pushing Dawel Lugo to second base. Candelario's gone 0-for-10 since his return, so expect him to head back down once the roster gets healthier, unless he starts stringing together some hits between now and then. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Cheslor Cuthbert, Royals: Kansas City just can't quit Cuthbert. He actually got dropped from the 40-man roster over the winter, but now here he is, back in powder blue again. Hunter Dozier's latest minor injury was the latest excuse to give Cuthbert another shot, but he's had over 800 plate appearances in the majors now and has a .683 OPS, so don't expect him to suddenly click no matter what he was doing at Triple-A Omaha prior to his promotion. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Renato Nunez, Orioles: Nunez has 15 homers on the year, and eight of them have come since May 20, a stretch of 12 games. I think that qualifies as "hot". The 25-year-old has a .386/.449/1.000 slash line during that eruption, so you can imagine how bad he was before that since his seasonal numbers are only .249/.297/.512. This production is going to disappear just as quickly as it arrived, but you might be able to catch the tail end of the comet as it flies by. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Shortstop

Tim Beckham, Mariners: The M's are another team hit hard by the injury bug – they have three-quarters of a starting infield on the IL in Ryon Healy, Dee Gordon and J.P. Crawford – so Beckham has been thrust back into a prominent role. He's started four straight games and while he has only two hits in them, they both left the yard. His early-season hit streak is a distant memory, but he can still provide value with consistent at-bats. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Didi Gregorius, Yankees: Gregorius looks set to make it back from his Tommy John surgery a little earlier than expected, and he's now targeting a return next weekend. The 29-year-old should immediately step into the starting shortstop role, bumping Gleyber Torres back to second base, and once he's shaken off the rust, Didi should provide a nice four-month power boost to lineups after slugging at least 20 homers and 70 RBI each of the last three seasons. 12-team Mixed: $7; 15-team Mixed: $15; 12-team AL: $35

Dylan Moore, Mariners: The rookie utility infielder has bounced back to the majors after Crawford landed on the shelf. Moore's .207/.303/.362 slash line is what it is. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Myles Straw, Astros: I could just repeat the Mayfield rant here, but at least Straw has shown up on the occasional top prospect list for the 'Stros. The 24-year-old was splitting his time between shortstop and center field at Triple-A this year, but Houston seems content to use him as bench depth for now, even with both Carlos Correa and George Springer out. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Jackie Bradley Jr., Red Sox: Captain Streaky is slashing .326/.408/.721 over his last 12 games with four homers and seven RBI. Oh, and those are his first four home runs on the year. If you need outfield help, look past JBJ's .601 OPS on the season and plug him in. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Kole Calhoun, Angels: Another streaky veteran hitter on a heater, Calhoun's posted a .393/.528/.821 slash line over the last eight games with three homers and seven RBI. He'll likely cool off before long, but he can also stay locked in for prolonged periods – he launched 10 homers last July, for instance. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Derek Fisher, Astros: Fisher's getting more playing time than I anticipated last week, so let's revise those bids. He started five straight games before getting Saturday off, hitting .278 with his first homer. The 25-year-old still has some potential, even if he's been passed in the prospect pipeline by the likes of Tucker, and while he could head back to Triple-A once Springer is healthy, if Fisher keeps hitting he might also find himself traded into a full-time starting gig elsewhere if the front office goes shopping. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

JaCoby Jones, Tigers: The 27-year-old is finally starting to build up some momentum at the plate, slashing .390/.444/.659 over the last 12 games with two homers, eight RBI and three steals. Jones isn't going to be a consistently useful source of batting average (to be generous), but the power and speed are legit, and Daz Cameron's struggles at Triple-A have quashed any notions of a promotion for now, giving Jones a fair degree of job security. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Tony Kemp, Astros: Kemp's been dropped into a regular role thanks to all of Houston's injuries, starting four straight games and eight of the last 11. His .269/.367/.385 slash line over that stretch isn't impressive, but consistent at-bats – even in an patchwork Astros lineup – has value in deeper formats, and the 27-year-old will swipe the occasional base. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Tyler Naquin, Cleveland: The 28-year-old appears to be on track to rejoin the Cleveland roster next week after recovering from a calf injury, but that doesn't mean he's returning to a starting job. The emergence of Oscar Mercado and Jordan Luplow could leave Naquin on the bench, spelling the younger hitters against tough RHP, and at some point Bradley Zimmer will be in the mix too. Naquin's best suited to be a fourth outfielder anyway, and it seems like even Cleveland has finally figured that out. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Cesar Puello, Angels: Brian Goodwin's slowdown in May opened the door for other players to get a look next to Mike Trout in the Angels outfield, and Puello is the latest to receive his shot. He's bashed out seven hits, including two homers, while starting three of the last four games, but it';s tough to get too enthusiastic here. His career numbers at Triple-A look good on the surface (.295/.394/.450 with 38 homers and 57 steals in over 1,500 plate appearances) but they were largely compiled in all the best PCL hitter's parks -- Las Vegas, Reno, Salt Lake – and aren't going to translate to the majors barring a trade to the Rockies. Ride him while he's hot, but don't get attached. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

DJ Stewart, Orioles: The prospect pipeline slowed to a trickle this week, but Stewart still has some interesting upside. The 25-year-old was slashing .316/.425/.586 with eight homers, four steals and a sparkling 29:27 BB:K in 43 games for Triple-A Norwich, and while he's gone 0-for-11 in three games since his three-hit 2019 debut, the O's have nothing to lose by giving him a long leash. Stewart has more potential than the likes of Dwight Smith or Stevie Wilkerson, and it wouldn't be a shock to see him settle in as a modest five-category producer over the summer. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $13