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 Carpenter, Tigers: After a couple of bad starts, Carpenter has found a bit of a groove, allowing no more than two runs in any of his last three outings and posting a 2.65 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 11:2 K:BB over 17 innings. The lefty doesn't have much upside – he barely averages 90 mph with his fastball and lacks a go-to strikeout pitch – but he's got a useful four-pitch arsenal and enough deception to handle an assignment at the back of a rotation. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Ariel Jurado, Rangers: So, this is weird to say, but the Rangers have starting pitching now? Like, more than one guy? Mike Minor's been really good and Lance Lynn's been reliable, but suddenly there are a couple of kids contributing as well. Jurado's the first, at least on this alphabetical list, reeling off three straight quality starts since moving into a starting role with a 3.44 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 15:6 K:BB in 18.1 innings. The 23-year-old has seen his strikeout rate jump this year, both at Triple-A and in the majors, but his 6.9 percent swinging strike rate is still poor and he's mainly living off weak contact. His current numbers are useful in deeper formats, but Jurado could have a hard time maintaining them. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Adam Plutko, Cleveland: The 27-year-old returned to the rotation with a quality start against the Yankees on Saturday, and even with Mike Clevinger inching closer to a return, that could be enough to keep Plutko in the fifth starter role for a while. He's got exactly the kind of arsenal you'd expect from a guy who's been bouncing between the majors and minors as a swing man for the last three seasons, though, so don't get too excited. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Adrian Sampson, Rangers: Of the two younger Texas hurlers who have been making noise lately, Sampson's by far the more interesting one. If you're the kind of person who hasn't cottoned to all these new-fangled stats and numbers and just wants a pitcher to pass the eyeball test and show some moxie on the mound – if, say, your name rhymes with Don Doltz – then the 27-year-old's performance Saturday set your wizened heart a-flutter. After the Rangers' bullpen was forced to work five innings in the first game of a doubleheader, Sampson went out and threw his first career complete game in the nightcap to win his fifth straight start. Moxie! Bulldog mentality! The thing is, he's actually doing pretty well in the new-fangled metrics too. Sampson's got a 1.99 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 30:3 K:BB in 31.2 innings over that stretch, but he's also added some pep to his fastball in 2019 (92.6 mph average, after a 91.1 mph mark in the majors last year), and leaning more heavily on his slider has resulted in a career-high 10.1 percent swinging strike rate – not elite, but certainly solid. If he can improve his changeup too he could emerge as a truly reliable mid-rotation arm, but for now just enjoy the hot streak. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Framber Valdez, Astros: Valdez stepped into the Houston rotation for Corbin Martin on Saturday and dominated the O's to the tune of one run and seven K's in seven innings. The 25-year-old southpaw has been good in long relief this year and posted some big strikeout figures in the minors, so Valdez has some upside even if he's basically a two-pitch pitcher right now, relying on a low 90s fastball and nasty curve. He's likely not a long-term solution in the fifth starter role – I still expect either Forrest Whitley to get his act together an earn a promotion over the summer, or the front office to make another deal for a front-line veteran – but he could pick up some wins for you in the short term. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

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

Griffin Canning, Angels (vs. LAD, at TB)

Dylan Covey, White Sox (vs. WAS, vs. NYY)

Mike Fiers, Athletics (at TB, vs. SEA)

Jakob Junis, Royals (vs. DET, at MIN)

Mike Leake, Mariners (at MIN, at OAK)

John Means, Orioles (vs. TOR, vs. BOS)

Trent Thornton, Blue Jays (at BAL, at HOU)

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

Relief Pitcher

Miguel Castro, Orioles: Castro picked up his second save of the year Saturday, so I guess he's in the closer mix for Baltimore again. His last one came April 2 though, and in between he had a 5.83 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 29:13 K:BB in 29.1 innings. The right-hander has plausible stuff for a closer – back in the spring of 2015, right before he made his big-league debut, there was some mild debate over whether he or Roberto Osuna was the better relief prospect – but unlike his former Toronto teammate he's never put it all together. Castro's basically a Blake Treinen starter kit, as his 97 mph power sinker can be a dominant pitch and he complements it with a slider and changeup, so who knows if or when he'll take things to the next level the way Treinen did in Oakland. Until that happens, he's just a lottery ticket. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Noe Ramirez, Angels: Ramirez is the kind of reliever who can run very hot or cold, but he's on a heater right now. The 29-year-old has a 0.00 ERA and 12:0 K:BB in eight innings over his last five appearances, and while he hasn't even picked up a hold in that stretch, he does have a win. If you're looking for a middle reliever to help your ratios while still chipping in enough K's to keep you afloat, Ramirez is worth using – at least until he hits his next rough patch. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Hunter Strickland, Mariners: The scheduling quirk of the Japan series between the A's and M's made Strickland the season's first FAAB darling, but then in his first game back stateside he blew a save, strained his shoulder and hit the IL. At least he didn't punch a wall this time. He's finally nearing a rehab assignment, and in the meantime absolutely nobody has stepped up in the Seattle bullpen, so the 30-year-old should have the closer job waiting for him when he gets back. Stash him now if you can, before he starts racking up saves and the curse on his head gets triggered again. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Catcher

Tim Federowicz, Rangers: Isiah Kiner-Falefa's finger injury pushes Jeff Mathis into a full-time role for Texas (see below) but it also created a need for a backup, so the front office sent the usual cash or PTBNL gift basket to Cleveland to get Federowicz out of Triple-A mothballs. The 31-year-old has seen action for six different MLB teams in the last five years, which is about what you'd expect for a guy with a .588 career OPS. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jeff Mathis, Rangers: Mathis has been hitting even worse than usual this year, slashing .152/.220/.202 in 35 games, but with IKF on the shelf, the Rangers will have to hope his pitch-framing and defensive skills make up the difference at the plate. At-bats in Globe Life Park could be productive as the weather warms up, but Mathis' track record suggests he'll be the last guy to take advantage. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Roberto Perez, Cleveland: The 30-year-old has homered in four straight games and five of his last eight, but he also only has seven hits over that stretch, adding one single and one double to his ledger. Any surge of productivity at catcher is going to attract attention, though, and if you've been scrambling for help at the position or simply jumping from hot hand to hot hand, Perez is about as hot as it's going to get right now. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Chance Sisco, Orioles: Sisco inexplicably started the season in the minors, as the O's gave playing time to Austin Wynns and his .539 OPS instead, but the situation seems to have been rectified now. Pedro Severino's been hitting well enough to keep Sisco from immediately claiming a full-time job, but the 24-year-old is still assumed to be the future for the O's behind the plate, although his window got an awful lot shorter when the club popped Adley Rutschman with the first pick in the draft. Sisco's .289/.383/.530 slash line and 10 homers in 44 games for Triple-A Norfolk is encouraging, though. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Beau Taylor, Athletics: Taylor got called up for Saturday's doubleheader and then stuck around after Nick Hundley was placed on the IL with back trouble. His .297/.450/.492 slash line at Triple-A looks good on the surface, but it comes in hitter-friendly Las Vegas, and the 29-year-old's offensive track record prior to that is spotty. Look for Josh Phegley to handle most of the work in Hundley's absence, limiting Taylor to only a couple of starts until Hundley returns. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

First Base

Brandon Dixon, Tigers: Miguel Cabrera isn't 100 percent and Niko Goodrum is needed all over the diamond, which has opened up basically regular playing time for Dixon. More importantly, he's doing something with the opportunity, slashing .327/.333/.509 over his last 15 games with two homers, three stolen bases, five runs and 10 RBI. The steals are especially noteworthy, and don't come out of nowhere – Dixon swiped 27 bags in 173 games for Triple-A Louisville in the Reds' system before coming over to the Tigers. The batting average is fueled by a .415 BABIP and will come down, but if Dixon keeps getting at-bats, he should stay reasonably productive. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Sam Travis, Red Sox: Boston's running out of first basemen again. Mitch Moreland's return from the IL didn't even last a full game before he got hurt again, Steve Pearce remains out and has no timetable for his recovery from back issues, and Michael Chavis is crashing back to earth in a hurry. That's created an opening for perennial depth option Travis to finally get a look in a regular role. Even calling him a Quad-A player might be generous – he's never hit above .272 at Triple-A, and only has 23 homers in 275 games for Pawtucket – but the 25-year-old is never going to get a better chance to establish himself in the bigs. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Second Base

Harold Castro, Tigers: Detroit is nearly down its entire Opening Day infield, so Castro will get another look. The 25-year-old has good contact skills, but he doesn't offer much power and hasn't done much running since swiping 20 bags in 29 attempts at Double-A Erie in 2017, so his fantasy profile remains limited. If you regret missing out on Hanser Alberto's empty batting average earlier this year, Castro could offer you a second chance. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Marco Hernandez, Red Sox: Shoulder woes have kept Hernandez off the Boston bench since 2017, but he made his return over the weekend and could see occasional action with Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez trying to plug roster leaks elsewhere on the diamond. Hernandez's .289/.331/.368 career slash line is probably a best-case scenario given his lengthy layoff. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Shed Long, Mariners: Soooo... Mitch Haniger is out for a while with a (squirm) ruptured testicle (owowowowowowowowowowowowowow), which likely leaves Seattle using a platoon in an outfield corner split between Long and Mac Williamson. As the lefty of the duo, Long would see the majority of the playing time, and while he's been inconsistent at the plate in the majors – in his last eight games, he's got four two-hit performances and four ohfers – the overall results have been decent, especially the three steals in his first 17 MLB contests. Long likely won't provide much power and even his batting average is questionable, but if he keeps running, he'll have value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Jack Mayfield, Astros: Strapped for warm bodies, the Astros have given Mayfield plenty of run at shortstop. He's done very little with his shot, going 2-for-29, but at least the two hits have gone for extra bases (a double and his first big-league homer). Playing time in a reasonably potent offense does have value, and Carlos Correa may not be back until July, but Mayfield still isn't very enticing. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Eric Sogard, Blue Jays: Despite the flood of younger players with elite pedigrees and shinier futures that have joined the Jays' infield in recent weeks, the 33-year-old Sogard keeps finding his way into the lineup, mainly because he seems to be the only Toronto hitter who can get on base consistently and set the table for the nascent stars. He's slashing .385/.370/.577 while starting six of the last nine games with a homer, a steal, two RBI and five runs, and until he cools down or gets forced to the bench by breakouts from the legacy prospects, he should be rostered in leagues of any depth. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Joey Wendle, Rays: Wendle's been out since late April with a broken wrist, but he seems poised to rejoin the Rays some time next week. His 2018 numbers didn't seem particularly fluky, and players like Daniel Robertson and Christian Arroyo have had marginal success filling his super-utility role, so once Wendle's shaken off the rust he should return to being a useful contributor. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Third Base

Cheslor Cuthbert, Royals: The 26-year-old's hit .323 with three homers in eight games since his promotion, but Cuthbert's also got a 1:10 BB:K over that stretch, which is a bad omen. I did say not to expect him to suddenly click in last week's writeup, so my bad I guess, but I'm doubling down. Don't deplete your budget going after a guy who's probably just been a small-sample mirage. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Kelvin Gutierrez, Royals: Gutierrez got called back up last week and started a couple of games, but it was more of the same in terms of production – 1-for-6 with a single and a couple of strikeouts. He'll just be bench depth until the Royals get healthier. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Shortstop

Didi Gregorius, Yankees: Gregorius is fully recovered from last year's Tommy John surgery and is ready to resume tormenting his brother Dexter and ruining his experiments... err, I mean, resume starting shortstop duties for the Yankees. The club said they plan to bring him along slowly, so this may be a "pick him up now, activate him later" situation in shallow formats, but Gregorius homered in his second game back Saturday and has a legit four-category profile, so don't want too long to get him in your lineup. 12-team Mixed: $25; 15-team Mixed: $45; 12-team AL: $65

Dylan Moore, Mariners: With Dee Gordon and J.P. Crawford both sidelined and Shed Long needed in the outfield (owowow), Tim Beckham has been filling in at second base and Moore at shortstop lately. The latter has started nine straight games and done about what you're expect in them, slashing .207/.343/.241, but he does have two steals. The 26-year-old will return to a bench role or the minors once someone gets healthy, but until then he has some deep-league value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Myles Straw, Astros: Straw swiped three bases last Sunday after last week's column was already up, but he's done almost nothing since, going 3-for-13 with little production. Still, the speed and playing time are there to give him some deep-league appeal until the Astros' roster is back at something close to full strength. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Wilfredo Tovar, Angels: The 27-year-old hadn't appeared in the majors since 2014 with the Mets prior to being added to the Angels bench last week. Tovar's not a prospect, and other than some steals potential offers little fantasy upside even if he does find himself in a bigger role. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Yordan Alvarez, Astros: The highest-profile prospect left in the minors, with the arguable exception of teammate Kyle Tucker, Alvarez finally got his ticket to the bigs Sunday after leading all of professional baseball with 23 homers through 56 games for Triple-A Round Rock, Oh, his .343/.443/.742 slash line isn't bad either. The presumption in the long term is that he'll bump Tyler White aside in the 1B/DH mix for Houston, but for now it looks like left field will be his home, at least until George Springer gets healthy. Alvarez doesn't turn 22 until the end of the month and he did have some swing-and-miss in the minors so he could follow the Vladimir Guerrero Jr./.Eloy Jimenez path rather than the Fernando Tatis Jr./Austin Riley one, but his upside is sky high, especially if he carves out a regular spot and hangs onto it once the Astros lineup returns to full strength around him. Basically, if you've been hoarding FAAB dollars, this is the guy you were hoarding them for, so don't hold back now. 12-team Mixed: $35; 15-team Mixed: $55; 12-team AL: $75

Delino DeShields Jr., Rangers: De|Shields gets another shot in the majors due to Joey Gallo's injury and has hit the ground running (sorry, I couldn't resist), going 11-for-24 with three walks, four runs and two steals in seven games since his latest promotion. The 26-year-old still has elite stolen-base upside and can get on base, but he's got no power and has trouble maintaining his batting average, making him a discount Billy Hamilton most of the time. If you can afford to carry a one-dimensional hitter, though, DeShields can make an impact in his one category. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Robbie Grossman, Athletics: Rather than drawing walks, Grossman has mixed it up lately by hitting the ball instead, slashing .357/.386/.524 over his last 10 games with four doubles and a homer to go along with three RBI and six runs. The 29-year-old is always going to be streaky, largely due to his tenuous hold on playing time, but while he's hot he's playing nearly every day and returning decent value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Teoscar Hernandez, Blue Jays: Toronto's desperate enough to find a center fielder that they called Hernandez back up to take over the position despite a mediocre 19-game run for Triple-A Buffalo (.253/.313/.480). He's athletic enough to handle the defensive duties in theory, but his struggles last year in left make him an odd choice to say the least. Hernandez has gone 4-for-16 with a homer in four games since his promotion, which seems about right, and he could stick around for a while – at least until either Bo Bichette is ready to join the roster, or the front office trades Marcus Stroman and gets a big-league-ready outfielder in return. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Tyler Naquin, Cleveland: Naquin has started three of five games since coming off the IL last week, going 2-for-11 with a solo homer, and it looks like he'll be in a platoon with Jordan Luplow for now. That probably restricts his fantasy value to deeper formats, but Naquin's limited upside didn't make him a particularly exciting shallow-league option anyway. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Anthony Santander, Orioles: With Dwight Smith and DJ Stewart out, Santander returned to the majors last week and homered in his first game back. The 24-year-old switch hitter was only slashing .263/.316/.421 at Triple-A Norfolk, so don't get your hopes up, but the former Rule 5 pick should at least be set for steady at-bats in the short term. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Christin Stewart, Tigers: The 25-year-old's been locked in at the plate for the past few weeks, slashing .349/.417/.524 over his last 16 games with two homers, eight RBI and nine runs. Combined with a sizzling stretch from JaCoby Jones (profiled last week), and the Tigers suddenly have some excitement on their actual big-league roster as opposed to their Double-A rotation. Stewart's got solid power, but it remains to be seen whether he can make enough consistent contact to avoid being a liability in batting average – much less become an asset over the long haul. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

Mac Williamson, Mariners: Picked up off the scrap heap after the Giants gave up on him, Williamson is suddenly poised for steady playing time in Seattle because of owowow. He did homer in his M's debut but has gone 1-for-11 since with four strikeouts, at which San Francisco fans are probably nodding their heads knowingly. Williamson's never had much problem putting a charge in the ball in the minors, but he probably tops out as a Triple-A slugger. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1