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

Tyler Alexander, Tigers: With Spencer Turnbull back on the IL, Alexander will get called up to join the Detroit rotation Sunday. The southpaw does have 94 K's this year for Triple-A Toledo in 85 innings, but he's been extremely hittable (5.72 EA thanks to 18 homers), which makes him a risky play even with a couple of potentially friendly matchups ahead (the Jays on Sunday, and on the road against the M's if he gets another turn Friday). Alexander is probably a better fit for the bullpen in the long run, as his nearly sidearm delivery gives him some LOOGY potential, and his arsenal (low 90s fastball, average slider and changeup) doesn't suggest much upside as a starter, but for now he'll get a shot at the rotation. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Rogelio Armenteros, Astros: The next man up for Houston appears to be Armenteros, who will get the nod Sunday after a strong appearance in long relief Tuesday. The 25-year-old righty doesn't have good numbers at Triple-A Round Rock this year, and his low 90s fastball/changeup mix could make it tough for him to turn a lineup over twice, much less three times, but until Brad Peacock returns or the front office pulls the trigger on a trade, he's what the Astros have. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Homer Bailey, Athletics: It's interesting that, so far, the new consolidated trade deadline has followed roughly the same pattern as free agency. Instead of the big names getting cleared off the table first, fringe guys like Bailey and Andrew Cashner – who might not have been moved until August under the old system – are the first ones to be dealt. Bailey does have a 3.43 ERA since the beginning of June, but his 38:15 K:BB through 44.2 innings in that time doesn't mark him as a difference-maker for Oakland. He'll round out their rotation as they try to sneak into the playoffs, and the improved win potential does boost his mixed-league value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Owned

Ryan Borucki, Blue Jays: Borucki developed some elbow trouble in the spring, and what was originally projected to be a brief absence instead kept the lefty sidelined until the second half. His numbers last year were solid, and while the 25-year-old doesn't have a lot of upside due to a lack of strikeouts, he is capable of keeping hitters off-balance with his plus changeup. How that arsenal plays in 2019 remains to be seen, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Tom Eshelman, Orioles: Flipped from the Phillies in June for international bonus pool money, Eshelman really has nothing going for him except his control, and even that is more very good than elite. Baltimore has nothing to lose by giving him a look, but there's little to recommend the right-hander from a fantasy perspective. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jakob Junis, Royals: Junis is on another hot streak, reeling off three straight quality starts – two of them against AL Central rivals (CHW and CLE). The right-hander with the nasty slider is always going to be prone to blowups, but he's got a 3.61 ERA and 49:15 K:BB over his last eight outings and 47.1 innings, and he remains a solid option in the right matchup, even in shallower formats. You won't want him as an every-week option, but he's still worth a roster spot, even if it's just as a bench stash and occasional active roster plug-in. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

Brad Keller, Royals: Almost everything said above about Junis could apply to Keller, expect the nasty slider part. The 23-year-old has a 3.67 ERA since the beginning of June, but his lower strikeout ceiling does limit his fantasy value more than his rotation-mate. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Mike Montgomery, Royals: Kansas City has started turning over its pitching staff, with Montgomery coming over from the Cubs for Martin Maldonado. The southpaw had been in the bullpen for Chicago but will get a chance to start for the Royals, a role in which he's shown flashes of upside in the past. Montgomery is 30, so he's no longer a prospect, but K.C. is basically hoping they can land their version of Mike Minor here. Until he gets stretched out, though, it'll be hard to tell exactly what they have in him. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Dillon Peters, Angels: Peters will get a look in the Angels rotation with Andrew Heaney back on the IL, and maybe even after Heaney gets back if he does OK. The odds of that seem low, though. The last time the lefty impressed at any level was in 2017, when he put together a handful of good starts at Double-A in the Marlins' system. He can generate ground balls and might be an effective reliever eventually, but he'll probably get exposed as a starter. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Zach Plesac, Cleveland: Called back up Tuesday after spending the All-Star break in the minors staying on schedule, Plesac looked sharp against the Tigers in a rain-shortened outing. The rookie's been OK in the majors, but his 34:18 K:BB in 48 innings is far from dominant, and his 5.49 FIP highlights how lucky he's been so far. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Adrian Sampson, Rangers: The Jesse Chavez experiment ended quicker than expected, and with prospect Joe Palumbo nursing a sore ankle, Sampson will rejoin the Rangers rotation Monday. The right-hander can get some K's, but when he gets hit he gets hit hard, serving up 19 homers in 97 big-league innings this year. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jose Urquidy, Astros: Urquidy got another chance to start Saturday and absolutely dominated Texas, striking out nine over seven two-hit innings. The 24-year-old right-hander has had a breakout campaign in the high minors this year and should essentially be competing with Armenteros for the fifth-starter spot, and of the two Urquidy has by far the higher upside. The competition could be moot in a couple of weeks depending on what the Astros do at the trade deadline, of course, but he does have a shot at providing value the rest of the year. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Jacob Waguespack, Blue Jays: The right-hander doesn't have much to recommend him other than a lack of competition for a rotation job in Toronto, but in deep leagues, that can be enough. Waguespack's arsenal is better suited for long relief or a swing man role in the long run, but he might sneak in some K's for you if he can figure out how to last past the fourth or fifth inning in his starts. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
 

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

Aaron Brooks, Orioles (at ARI, at LAA)

Dylan Bundy, Orioles (at ARI, at LAA)

Danny Duffy, Royals (at ATL, vs. CLE)

Ivan Nova, White Sox (vs. MIA, vs. MIN)

Martin Perez, Twins (vs. NYY, at CHW)

CC Sabathia, Yankees (at MIN, at BOS)
 

Relief Pitcher

Nathan Eovaldi / Brandon Workman, Red Sox: After a couple of weeks of "Oh yeah, Eovaldi will be our closer once he's healthy, for sure", it now looks like Boston might be having second thoughts about throwing him straight into the ninth-inning fire. That might have something to do with Workman's recent success in the role as well, but with Eovaldi getting activated Saturday, we should find out quickly enough. The converted starter has the triple-digit heat to thrive in a relief role, but Workman has a 1.37 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 27:12 K:BB through 19.2 innings since the beginning of June. If you have to roll the dice on one, I'd still go with Eovaldi, though. Eovaldi -- 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7 / Workman – 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

Josh James, Astros: The flamethrowing righty seems to have turned a corner since making some mechanical adjustments, giving up one run over his last seven appearances (eight IP) with a 13:3 K:BB. James will rack up K's regardless of his other numbers, but if his ratios are plus as well, he can go back to being a useful depth arm even in shallower fantasy leagues. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Josh Staumont, Royals: The right-hander with the big fastball was called up this weekend after striking out 74 batters (and walking 37) in 51.1 Triple-A innings. Staumont bounced through a variety of roles for Omaha this year – he started 12 of 21 games, but hasn't thrown more than two innings in any appearance – but he figures to be a late-inning weapon for the Royals if he can find the strike zone a little more consistently. There's some closer potential here if Ian Kennedy is dealt, but he could also find himself in a multi-inning, Josh Hader-like role. Either way, he's worth stashing in case something clicks for the 25-year-old in the majors. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Hunter Strickland, Mariners: Strickland is finally on a rehab assignment and was touching 98 mph with his fastball for Triple-A Tacoma, so his activation appears imminent. With Roenis Elias struggling and on the trade block, and no other Seattle relievers exactly stepping up, Strickland figures to reclaim the closer role almost immediately. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9
 

Catcher

Welington Castillo, White Sox: Castillo was activated from the IL on Wednesday and has started four straight games, either behind the plate or at DH, while going 3-for-18 with two doubles. Those numbers aren't exactly impressive, but if he keeps getting extra at-bats beyond being James McCann's backup, Castillo will have some value at the thinnest position in fantasy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Travis d'Arnaud, Rays: The former Met appears to have moved firmly ahead of Mike Zunino on the Tampa depth chart, starting eight of the last 12 games and slashing .344/.382/.781 over that stretch thanks mainly to a three-homer game against the Yankees. D'Arnaud won't display that kind of power consistently, but the playing time alone puts him on the mixed-league radar. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Cam Gallagher, Royals: The Maldonado trade puts Gallagher in the No. 1 spot behind the plate for the Royals, although the rebuilding club will want to take a long look at young Meibrys Viloria as well. Gallagher's slashing only .235/.321/.327 on the year with one homer in 37 games, though, and his minor-league numbers don't suggest a power surge is coming any time soon. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Meibrys Viloria, Royals: The 22-year-old made his big-league debut in 2018 and didn't look completely overmatched as a hitter despite making the jump from High-A, and he should be in line for steady work down the stretch this year after slashing .264/.344/.332 through 63 games at Double-A. Viloria does have some intriguing offensive tools, but he's been focused on improving his defense and his numbers haven't reflected that upside yet. Given his age and current stage of development, don't expect him to make a splash, but he could surprise. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2
 

First Base

Sam Travis, Red Sox: The Red Sox are so desperate for help at first base right now, Christian Vazquez has started getting work there, but part of the cause of that desperation is that Travis isn't doing much. The 25-year-old has a .533 OPS through 40 big-league plate appearances this year, striking out in 10 of them, so while there is a path to consistent action for him, he isn't taking it. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jared Walsh, Angels: Walsh is back to spend some time on the Angels' bench until they need his roster spot for more pitching depth. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
 

Second Base

Ryan Goins, White Sox: The former Toronto infielder has always been a glove-first guy, and that isn't likely to change in Chicago despite a 4-for-8 start to his White Sox tenure. Goins will handle the strong side of a platoon at shortstop until Tim Anderson gets healthy, or the club decides to give someone else a try. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Brock Holt, Red Sox: All of a sudden, Holt has no real competition for playing time at the keystone with Eduardo Nunez gone and Michael Chavis banged up. Holt's .419/.424/.548 slash line through 11 games in July isn't too shabby either, although in the past he's worn down pretty quickly when forced into the starting lineup for an extended period. Still, he should provide value in the short term. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

Third Base

Matt Duffy, Rays: Duffy has yet to play a game in the majors this year, but his lengthy rehab from a hamstring injury is set to finally come to an end early in the upcoming week. The question right now is less the exact day he comes off the IL, but where he plays when he does. The Rays' infield is already overloaded, and that's with Brandon Lowe and Daniel Robertson on the shelf and the coaching staff talking about trying Nate Lowe out at third base to create another path for him to get at-bats. A trade to clear up the logjam seems almost inevitable, but unless Duffy is one of the players heading out of town, it's hard to see him getting enough action to be useful in most formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
 

Shortstop

Humberto Arteaga, Royals: With Adalberto Mondesi hurt again, Arteaga is back to be a stopgap at shortstop. It's hard to tell how long Mondesi might be sidelined, as the injury doesn't seem to be serious, but the Royals also have no reason to rush him back. Arteaga's fantasy profile is basically that of an off-brand Nicky Lopez – he might hit for a decent average and steal an occasional base, but that's the extent of his upside. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Carlos Correa, Astros: Out since late May, Correa is on track to finally rejoin the Astros lineup next weekend. The 24-year-old was having a nice rebound campaign when he got hurt – his .907 OPS is only a little shy of his career-high mark from 2017 – and there's still mammoth upside here if he can just stay healthy, especially given the quality of the hitters around him. It's highly possible Houston will give him frequent rest down the stretch, though, as they have the roster depth to do it. If Correa hits, though, he'll play. 12-team Mixed: $7; 15-team Mixed: $15; 12-team AL: $35

Aledmys Diaz, Astros: Speaking of that roster depth, Diaz looks like he'll beat Correa back onto the 25-man roster by a few days. The 28-year-old was supposed to become the new Marwin Gonzalez this year, but Diaz has been inconsistent with both his bat and his glove, and in his absence Tony Kemp may have made himself the Astros' top utility option. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Kris Negron, Mariners: The 33-year-old journeyman will give Seattle some bench depth in the short term, but Negron's career .211/.288/.329 slash line demonstrates his lack of upside. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jurickson Profar, Athletics: Franklin Barreto seems to have squandered his latest chance to establish himself in the majors, pushing Profar back into the starting lineup at second base. The former Ranger isn't exactly lighting it up at the plate either, but four of his five hits in July have left the yard, which is at least something. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3
 

Outfield

Mark Canha, Athletics: Canha's having another one of his hot streaks, slashing .313/.411/.688 through 11 games in July with five homers. With Stephen Piscotty on the shelf, Canha's been a regular part of the Oakland lineup and has thrived, and while the 30-year-old could go cold again at a moment's notice, he's worth adding if you need outfield depth. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Adam Engel White Sox: Having churned through all their fungible fourth-outfielder types, the White Sox have circled back to Engel. The 27-year-old had an adequate .270/.347/.464 slash line for Triple-A Charlotte with nine homers and 13 steals in 64 games, but his numbers in nearly 900 big-league plate appearances are far less palatable, and he's not guaranteed regular playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

JaCoby Jones, Tigers: Jones came off the IL on Friday and went 3-for-4, although he followed it up with an 0-for-4 performance Saturday. The 27-year-old was showing signs of putting things together before his back began bothering him, slashing .291/.351/.547 in June with four homers in 25 games, and if he can regain that form he could have solid value down the stretch while hitting leadoff for the Tigers. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

Billy McKinney, Blue Jays: McKinney was called back up Monday and promptly homered against the Red Sox. He's only started three of six games this week, though, and without consistent at-bats he'll be tough to roster outside of deep AL-only leagues. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Tyler Naquin, Cleveland: The streaky outfielder has barged his way back into the starting lineup with three homers and six multi-hit performances in his last eight games, producing a .444/.448/.889 slash line during that stretch. Naquin won't keep up either the batting average or the power, but at least he's playing regularly. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Owned

Hunter Pence, Rangers: Pence says he wasn't quite 100 percent when he was activated off the IL on Tuesday, but he's still gone a respectable 4-for-15 in four games since, although all four hits were singles. The 36-year-old was having a monster rebound season when he strained his groin, but a month off may have been enough to cool him down. Even if he finishes the year only halfway between the Giants version of Pence and that initial Rangers version, he'll still be productive. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $13

Anthony Santander, Orioles: The 24-year-old has claimed the starting center field job for the O's with a surprising .333/.375/.510 slash line in July, but Santander's always had intriguing upside. The question was how much losing basically two full seasons of development to injuries and the Rule 5 draft would impact him. He could soon face competition from the likes of Austin Hays and DJ Stewart for playing time, but Baltimore would be smart to make sure Santander is one of the players who gets all the at-bats they can handle. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Kyle Tucker, Astros: This is just a hunch, but it's hard not to try and read the tea leaves when the Astros ditch AJ Reed and Tyler White in short succession just as they start giving Tucker some reps at first base at Triple-A. The tricky thing is figuring out how much playing time the top prospect might get if he does get the call. The red-hot Yuli Gurriel isn't leaving the lineup any time soon, and once Carlos Correa is back and Alex Bregman has been pushed back to third base, Gurriel figures to be Houston's first baseman. The veteran Cuban could always shift into Marwin Gonzalez's old super-utility role if the club wants to see what Tucker can do, but that would still have the 22-year-old sitting a couple days a week. It's all speculation until he gets promoted, though, and his best path to a starting job remains a trade to another club in a blockbuster deadline deal. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4