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

Andrew Cashner, Orioles: Don't look now, but Cashner is actually earning his big-league salary at the moment. The veteran right-hander has won three straight starts and delivered quality starts in five straight, posting a sizzling 1.41 ERA and 0.72 WHIP over that stretch. 1.41 is what we're used to seeing as a WHIP from a Baltimore starter, so even though his hot streak could evaporate as soon as he gets back from the All-Star break – Cashner's 18:4 K:BB in his last 32 innings isn't exactly dominant – it's still too good to ignore if you're in need of pitching help. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Dylan Cease, White Sox: Unlike most of the top prospects who have been called up in this remarkable first half, Cease's performance at Triple-A didn't exactly demand a promotion. The 23-year-old's 73:32 K:BB in 68.1 innings for Charlotte was merely good, and it wasn't a big surprise to see him walk four batters in five innings during his big-league debut Wednesday. That said, Cease has ace upside if he eventually puts it all together, and the White Sox wouldn't have brought him up if they didn't intend to give him a long look. He'll get his strikeouts, which gives him some sort of fantasy floor – the big question is whether Cease can provide respectable ratios along with them in the short term. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Joe Palumbo, Rangers: The Rangers' top pitching prospect made two starts in June and didn't look particularly good in either, but he'll get another turn Sunday and work behind an opener in an effort to help him out. Palumbo doesn't have top-shelf stuff and profiles as a mid-rotation guy at best, and facing the Twins could bode poorly for a southpaw who's given up three homers in his first six big-league innings, but he remains a solid stash in keeper and dynasty formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jose Suarez, Angels: Suarez returned to the Angels rotation Tuesday and struck out seven batters in four innings, which is nice. The 21-year-old has yet to last six innings in a start in the majors, though, and seven homers allowed in 25 frames is a huge red flag that he's probably not ready for a full-time assignment yet. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jose Urquidy, Astros: So, let's see. Houston's top pitching prospect, Forrest Whitley, is having a lost season. Corbin Martin faltered in his shot at the rotation and then got hurt. Josh James has struggled all year in the bullpen. In any other organization, this might be a problem. For the Astros, though, it just means firing up the Borges random name generator, conjuring another pitching prospect from the aether and calling him up. Urquidy missed 2017 recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he put up solid numbers in limited innings last year and then absolutely dominated Triple-A this season before his promotion thanks to a velocity bump, strong command and three solid off-speed pitches, with his changeup flashing plus. Urquidy is still only 24 years old and appears to have a bright future ahead of him as a mid-rotation arm, but he could have short-term value too if he sticks in the rotation and has the Houston offense supporting him. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Hector Velazquez, Red Sox: The Boston rotation is once again growing thin due to injuries, forcing Velazquez back into the fifth starter role. He's struggled this year while bouncing between roles, but maybe getting fully stretched out will help him regain his footing – Velazquez has yet to throw more than four innings in any outing this season. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Asher Wojciechowski, Orioles: The 30-year-old seems to resurface every couple of years in the majors with a new team to make life miserable for baseball writers and editors alike. (Spell is like it sounds, I guess?) Wojciechowski has a 6.64 ERA in 84 career MLB innings, and while he has posted some solid Triple-A lines, there's no reason to expect him to suddenly have figured anything out in Baltimore. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
 

Relief Pitcher

Nathan Eovaldi, Red Sox: In many formats, it's probably too early to add Eovaldi even if you have that option, as he hasn't even started a rehab assignment yet. Still, the news that the BoSox plan to use him as their closer when he returns is going to attract some FAAB attention. The right-hander was maybe always destined for the bullpen given his upper-90s fastball and disappointing results in the rotation over the years, but don't go overboard – he could end up being more Joe Kelly than Craig Kimbrel, and there's no guarantee the team won't trade for someone like Will Smith before Eovaldi ever gets a chance to prove himself in the ninth inning. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $13

Catcher

Danny Jansen, Blue Jays: A sleeper play at catcher coming into the season, Jansen tested even the most patient fantasy GM with an OPS that was sitting below .500 as late as June 25. Something clicked for the 24-year-old around then, though, and over his 10 games he's slashing an eye-popping .389/.405/1.028 with six homers – and, perhaps, more importantly, zero strikeouts against one walk. Plate discipline was one of the hallmarks of his 2018 breakout at Triple-A, so if Jansen keeps making consistent hard contact, good results will follow even if his current homer pace is unsustainable. The upside is here for him to be a top-five backstop in the second half, so if he got kicked to the curb in your league, this is probably your last chance to hop back on board the bandwagon. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $25

First Base

Yuli Gurriel, Astros: The 35-year-old has finally figured out how to take advantage of the rabbit ball this year. After a sluggish performance through the first 12 weeks of the season, Gurriel has exploded, homering in four straight games heading into Sunday and seven of his last 10, posting a .390/.419/1.049 slash line over that stretch. He'll cool down, of course, but even in shallow leagues he's worth riding until he does. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Nate Lowe, Rays: Injuries to Brandon Lowe and Ji-Man Choi have opened up a spot once again for Tampa's other Lowe... no, the other other one. (Although I guess at this point Josh is the other other Lowe in the system despite his first-round pedigree.) Nate has gone 3-for-11 since his latest promotion, but two of those hits left the yard, continuing his recent form at Triple-A Durham in which he was slashing .398/.441/.903 over the course of an eight-game hitting streak with five long balls. Lowe is probably the future for the Rays at first base, but it's not yet clear if he'll keep his spot in the majors no matter how he's hitting when Choi and/or Brandon get healthy. The organization tends to find room for guys once they prove they're ready though, even if it can drag its heels when it comes to giving them a chance to do so, so if Lowe keeps sending balls over the fence, his job security can only increase. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $13

Matt Thaiss, Angels: Thaiss' prospect status has dimmed since he was a first-round pick in 2016, as he's never really hit with enough authority to profile comfortably as an everyday first baseman or DH, but Tommy La Stella's injury gave the Angels a chance to give him his big-league debut in a fairly low-stakes role. The 24-year-old was having a solid year at Triple-A, although not as good as it looks in a hitter's park at Salt Lake, but his big improvement in plate discipline (59:64 BB:K in 79 games) is a good sign. Thaiss has gone 1-for-7 with three K's in the majors, though, and he probably won't see enough playing time to figure anything out. Consider him a deep-league keeper or dynasty stash only. [NOTE: See comments below] 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Second Base

Franklin Barreto, Athletics: Thanks as much to Jurickson Profar's struggles as his own performance, Barreto might finally be getting his long-awaited shot at a starting role in the majors. The 23-year-old has been at the keystone for five of the last six games, but Barreto's 2-for-19 efforts over that stretch include nine strikeouts and zero walks, which looks like more of the same from his prior big-league stints. He still has intriguing power/speed upside – 12 homers and 13 steals in 14 attempts for Triple-A Las Vegas through 73 games this year – but until he figures out how to make even semi-consistent contact, Barreto's athleticism doesn't mean much. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Harold Castro, Tigers: Castro's quietly been on a nice little roll, posting multi-hit efforts in five of his last nine games and slashing .352/.357/.500 over his last 16 contests. The 25-year-old doesn't offer a lot of production – he has only one homer and one steal in that time, and the Detroit lineup limits his counting-stat upside – but the club does like its utility players, and Castro has seen action at every position except pitcher and catcher in 2019, and he qualifies at second base, third base, shortstop and outfield in a lot of formats already. Jordy Mercer's return does create some playing-time competition, but the former Pirate isn't part of the Tigers' future. Castro might be. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Third Base

Mike Brosseau, Rays: With five different infielders currently on the shelf for Tampa, Brosseau is back in the majors and doing his best to convince the front office he deserves a 25-man roster spot more than, say, Matt Duffy does. Brosseau's gone 6-for-14 in four games since his latest promotion with a homer and two doubles, and the 25-year-old now boasts a 1.162 OPS in his limited big-league action. It's easy to dismiss that as a small-sample fluke, but he's got a .998 OPS in 68 games at Triple-A, so the question isn't whether he'll regress, it's what he'll regress to. Actually, the real question is whether he'll ever push his way into a consistent spot in the Rays' infield mix, but then after that, it's what he might do with the opportunity if he gets it. There might just be more upside here than you might think, but Brosseau still remains a long shot for real fantasy value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Jeimer Candelario, Tigers: Detroit has tried just about everything this year to snap Candelario out of his offensive doldrums, and whatever their latest effort was, it might have worked. The 25-year-old switch hitter has hit safely in nine of 10 games since getting called back up in late June, slashing .378/.452/.784 over that stretch with half his hits going for extra bases (four homers and three doubles). Candelario has always been more projection than production, even as a Cubs prospect, but things might finally be coming together for him. The Tigers certainly have nothing to lose by letting him show what he can do in the second half. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Shortstop

Jordy Mercer, Tigers: The 32-year-old is back at shortstop for the Tigers and doing his Mark Belanger impression. Mercer is slashing .189/.259/.297 on the year, and while his defense could help the team's young pitchers, his bat isn't helping anybody. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Greg Allen, Cleveland: Allen is back to fill a bench role for Cleveland, but the speedster's chances of working his way into a starting job look even dimmer than usual with players like Oscar Mercado and Jordan Luplow now ahead of him on the depth chart rather than veteran retreads. Allen might steal an occasional base as a pinch hitter and pinch runner, but his playing-time outlook isn't good. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jake Cave, Twins: Cave may have been bypassed by LaMonte Wade on Minnesota's internal depth chart in the outfield, but that became moot when Wade dislocated his thumb. Look for Cave to spot into the lineup for Marwin Gonzalez against tough righties until Eddir Rosario gets healthy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jonathan Davis, Blue Jays: Davis has an .880 OPS at Triple-A Buffalo this year and can flash some leather in center field, but the 27-year-old isn't a prospect and isn't in the Jays' long-term plans. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jarrett Parker, Angels: With Justin Upton and Brian Goodwin both on the IL, Parker joins Mac Williamson as former Giants Quad-A players getting a chance to shake that label in the AL West. Parker was bringing the thunder for Triple-A Salt Lake this year with 19 homers in 64 games, but he;s struck out eight times in 11 at-bats for the Angels. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Victor Reyes, Tigers: A Rule 5 pick last year, Reyes has cleared his 25-man roster requirement but is back in the majors due to JaCoby Jones' injury. The athletic 24-year-old has gone 4-for-15 with a triple and a steal in three games since his latest promotion, and he should see consistent action in center field as long as Jones is out. Reyes still needs an awful lot of polish, but he could be useful as a short-term fill-in in deep formats if you don't mind the batting average risk. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2