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. Vladimir Guerrero would have been an "A" grade player last year – that mark will be reserved for similarly high-impact prospects that could thrive in 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

Nathan Eovaldi, Red Sox: Eovaldi was sidelined just long enough that he might have been dropped in leagues with shallow benches. I've never been a fan – yes, he has a big-time fastball, but it doesn't have a lot of movement and he doesn't really bring much else to the table – but he'll eat innings, at least once he's stretched back out, and get strikeouts. He's a better pickup option if you don't much care what he might do to your ERA. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Luis Garcia, Astros: We just need the Phillies to promote their own Luis Garcia, and then all four guys in our database with the same name will have seen time in the majors this year! This Garcia posted some huge strikeout numbers in the minors in 2019, but what else is new for an Astros pitching prospect. The 23-year-old has a mid-90s fastball, a big curve and a work-in-progress changeup that might eventually force him to the bullpen if it doesn't get sharper. Garcia's first big-league start Wednesday went well, and he should hold down a rotation spot until Justin Verlander or Lance McCullers are able to return to action. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $23

Carlos Hernandez, Royals: The 23-year-old made his first big-league start Saturday and served up three homers to the Pirates, which isn't exactly a glowing recommendation. Hernandez has plus stuff but hadn't pitched above Low-A before this year, so some struggles shouldn't be a surprise. Even in a normal keeper league he's an iffy stash, as his contract could run out before he's established himself in a useful role in the majors, but he does have dynasty appeal. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Daulton Jefferies, Athletics: Jefferies got roughed up by the Rangers in his big-league debut Saturday, and he could be back at the A's alternate site before you have a chance to bid on him. The 25-year-old does have some potential as a mid-rotation arm, however, and Oakland could have room for him in 2021 with Mike Fiers and Mike Minor both free agents and A.J. Puk probably out of the picture. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Mike Kickham, Red Sox: The 31-year-old southpaw hadn't pitched in the majors since 2014 before Boston picked him up off the scrap heap, but Kickham actually gave a credible performance in his first start Thursday, fanning eight Rays over four innings despite a fastball that averages below 90 mph. Given the team's rotation woes that should be good enough to earn him another turn or two for the Red Sox, but he's purely a deep-league desperation play for fantasy purposes. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Reynaldo Lopez, White Sox: With Carlos Rodon and Dallas Keuchel both on the shelf, Lopez returned to the rotation Saturday and picked up his first win of the year. In fact, it was the first time in five starts he'd even pitched long enough to qualify for a win. The right-hander has had a tough season, with his 12:9 K:BB over 14.2 IP fully reflected in his career-worst ratios, but the White Sox don't have any better options. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jonathan Stiever, White Sox: Speaking of no better options, Stiever has yet to pitch above High-A in his career, but he'll make his big-league debut Sunday. The 23-year-old doesn't feature any plus pitches, so he's probably limited to a fifth starter-swingman role in the long run, but his low-90s fastball has good movement and he flashes an above-average curveball and developing changeup. If Keuchel's back is in shape enough for him to return this week, Stiever probably heads back to the team's alternate training site, but a good showing against the Tigers this weekend could win him a bullpen spot. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Relief Pitcher

Wes Benjamin, Rangers: After posting a 4.38 ERA and 13:4 K:BB over his first 12.1 big-league innings, Benjamin could bump Kolby Allard aside in the Texas rotation this week. Benjamin's already 27 and has neither tremendous stuff nor much of a prospect pedigree as a fifth-round pick in 2014 with Tommy John surgery on his ledger, but he could provide some innings. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Rafael Dolis, Blue Jays: Dolis is holding down the fort as the Jays' closer right now, but Ken Giles' return from the IL gives him a small window for accumulating any more saves. Toronto plans to ease Giles back into high-leverage work, though, so if Dolis is still available in shallow formats and you need saves, he's worth a gamble. 12-team Mixed: $4; 15-team Mixed: $9; 12-team AL: Rostered

Bryan Garcia, Tigers: The 25-year-old has notched two saves in the last week, and it's not like anyone else in the Detroit bullpen is really stepping up. Garcia hasn't been dominant despite his 1.56 ERA and 95 mph fastball, though, posting a 7:6 K:BB in 17.1 innings this season, but as long as he's getting the job done, manager Ron Gardenhire has little reason to try someone else in the ninth. 12-team Mixed: $4; 15-team Mixed: $9; 12-team AL: $21

Ken Giles, Blue Jays: Out since late July with forearm issues, Giles saw his first action after being activated Friday and promptly gave up a solo homer in an inning of work. As noted above, the Jays aren't going to rush him back into the closer role, but if he got dropped in leagues with shallow benches, he should be getting saves again after a few low-leverage appearances to get back into the flow of things. 12-team Mixed: $25; 15-team Mixed: $45; 12-team AL: $65

Catcher

Jonah Heim, Athletics: Heim appears to be moving into a timeshare with Sean Murphy behind the plate for Oakland, a result of Murphy's sluggish start as anything Heim has done himself. Heim's hitting .294 through six games but doesn't have an extra-base hit, while Murphy is hitting .400 over his last seven contests with three homers, so don't be fooled by the usage over the last week. Murphy is still the catcher you want on this team. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Sam Huff, Rangers: Jose Trevino is injured, so the rebuilding Rangers are using the opportunity to give Huff a look. The 22-year-old hasn't played above High-A prior to making his MLB debut Friday, and the kid has big-time power but also big-time swing and miss in his profile, and so far only the latter has shown up – he's whiffed in four of his first seven plate appearances. Huff has a potentially bright future and is worth targeting as a keeper or dynasty stash, but there's no reason to expect immediate returns. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays: Another young catching prospect getting a premature look on the big-league roster in this very weird season, Kirk is 21 and also hadn't played above High-A prior to his debut Saturday. He's basically the anti-Huff at the plate, though. Kirk's strengths are his hit tool and plate discipline, giving him a better chance at making a quick impact despite his age and inexperience. He's also got solid defensive chops, although he's highly unlikely to take the starting job away from Danny Jansen. If everything comes together, Kirk will be what everyone was hoping Willians Astudillo would become – a catcher who can provide a consistently good batting average and OBP who might grow into some power as well. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Salvador Perez, Royals: Perez missed about three weeks of action with vision trouble, so there's a reasonable chance he got cut loose by GMs who couldn't afford to risk him not returning this season. He's started both games since coming off IL and gone 4-for-9 with two doubles, so it seems safe to say his eye is OK. Even in one-catcher formats, Perez could be an upgrade on anyone not named J.T. Realmuto – and oh, by the way, Realmuto suddenly has a hip injury. 12-team Mixed: $12; 15-team Mixed: $25; 12-team AL: $45

First Base

Chris Davis, Orioles: Out since mid-August with knee trouble, Davis returned Friday and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. In other words, he's already back in form. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Nate Lowe, Rays: Lowe took a few games after joining the Tampa roster to find his stroke, but his two-homer performance Friday was timely, as Ji-Man Choi left Saturday's game with a hamstring injury and is done for the year. Lowe should get consistent at-bats at first base for the Rays down the stretch, or at least as consistent as anybody on this team gets, and he has the upside to make a significant impact. 12-team Mixed: $15; 15-team Mixed: $31; 12-team AL: Rostered

Jared Walsh, Angels: The Angels might finally have an answer to the question of who is going to replace Albert Pujols at first base. Walsh has homered in four straight games coming into Tuesday, and his .273 batting average through 19 contests this season is well within range of his minor-league performances, although his .292 OBP is lagging. After slugging 36 homers in 98 games for Triple-A Salt Lake last year, Walsh might finally be getting his chance to establish himself as a big-league regular. 12-team Mixed: $11; 15-team Mixed: $21; 12-team AL: $41

Second Base

Tony Kemp / Tommy La Stella / Vimael Machin / Nate Orf, Athletics: The A's are running out of infielders. Matt Chapman's injury is the biggest blow, but now Chad Pinder could be done for the rest of the year as well. La Stella had already claimed the starting job at second base, but now Machin and Kemp are going to be leaned on heavily as well. It's tough to say any of them have real upside, though. Kemp might steal a few bases. La Stella is currently surviving on an unsustainable 97.8 percent contact rate, while Machin is an unproven Rule 5 pick and Orf is a 30-year-old minor-league lifer. If you have to roster any of them, La Stella is the safest play. Kemp – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2 / La Stella – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5 / Machin – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2 / Orf – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Joe Panik, Blue Jays: The Jays' injuries have piled up enough that Panik is starting nearly every day somewhere on the diamond, and he's responded by going 10-for-28 (.357) in September with four runs and five RBI. He won't keep it up, but in deeper formats the playing time in a solid offense should allow him to keep picking up counting stats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Third Base

Sherten Apostel, Rangers: Texas is clearing the slate on its infield, as Rougned Odor has lost his starting job and Elvis Andrus is on IL with a back injury. Unfortunately, that may not help out Apostel, who's still stuck behind Isiah Kiner-Falefa at the hot corner. At 21 years old, Apostel probably isn't ready for a regular role in the majors yet anyway, as he (stop me if you've read this before in this column) hadn't played above High-A before making his big-league debut Saturday. He's got a big ceiling as a big slugger, but for now Apostel is only a dynasty or keeper stash. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Christian Arroyo, Red Sox: The Red Sox finally gave up on Jose Peraza, and have turned the keystone over to Arroyo for the last few weeks of the year. The 25-year-old has started four of the last five games coming into Sunday, going 4-for-14 with a homer. Arroyo was considered a solid prospect coming up through the Giants system a few years ago and was a first-round pick in 2013, so he may simply be a late bloomer. His .984 OPS for Triple-A Durham last year certainly offers the possibility of some real upside. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Bobby Dalbec, Red Sox: Dalbec's homer binge this week is going to have GMs throwing most or all of their remaining FAAB budget at the 25-year-old, and it's a justifiable decision. With Mitch Moreland in San Diego he's pretty much got 1B to himself, and while his minor-league numbers suggest he'll be a batting average risk, the power is very real. 12-team Mixed: $12; 15-team Mixed: $25; 12-team AL: Rostered

Kelvin Gutierrez, Royals: Gutierrez made his season debut Saturday after finally recovering from an elbow injury, going 1-for-2 with two walks. Maikel Franco has done a solid job at third base for the Royals, though, and Gutierrez has no clear path to playing time. He's a decent prospect, but he's probably destined for a utility role. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Shortstop

Ehire Adrianza, Twins: With Luis Arraez hurt, Marwin Gonzalez and Adrianza will likely split duties at second base, but Gonzalez is probably already rostered in most of the leagues he's worth rostering in. Adrianza, on the other hand, is likely still on the wire. The veteran utility player doesn't offer much upside, but he could string together some hits and maybe steal a base or two. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Anderson Tejeda, Rangers: Tejeda will handle starting shortstop duties for Texas while Andrus is on the shelf, and perhaps straight into 2021. The 22-year-old has gotten comfortable at the plate now that he's getting regular playing time, going 7-for-21 over his last six games with a homer and two steals, but his 1:10 BB:K over that stretch suggests some tougher times are ahead. In the short term, he might steal a couple bases, but don't expect much else. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Donovan Walton, Mariners: Walton rejoins the Seattle roster and could see some playing time in the short term, but he'll return to the bench once J.P. Crawford is back from the bereavement list. Walton put up some interesting numbers at Double-A Arkansas last year, but the 26-year-old doesn't profile has an impact player in the majors. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Seth Brown, Athletics: Brown will fill a depth role off the bench. He put up big numbers at Triple-A last year, but the 28-year-old likely won't get much chance to show what he can do in Oakland. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Daz Cameron, Tigers: As expected, Cameron got called up to help a battered Tigers outfield, but a 1-for-16 start to his big-league career isn't auspicious. He's got the athleticism, but the 23-year-old may not have the hit tool or plate discipline to even be anything more than a defensive sub and pinch runner. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jonathan Davis, Blue Jays: Davis got called up when Teoscar Hernandez landed on IL, and he hit a big homer in his first start Tuesday. There's some modest upside here, but Davis won't be anything more than an occasional option for manager Charlie Montoyo. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Derek Fisher, Blue Jays: One of the guys still ahead of Davis on the depth chart is Fisher. The 27-year-old still isn't getting consistent playing time, but a 4-for-11 start to September with a homer, five RBI and a 4:4 BB:K should earn him more reps as the Jays fight for a playoff spot. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Nick Heath, Royals: Heath rejoins the Royals bench after injuring his hamstring in early August and then getting optioned out once he came off IL. The 26-year-old swiped 60 bases in the minors last year and was showing off his wheels before he got hurt, swiping two bags in five games for Kansas City, and he could fill the old Terrance Gore role for the Royals over the final weeks. Even without consistent at-bats, he could run enough to make an impact in a tight category if you can afford the zeros elsewhere. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Cedric Mullins, Orioles: Mullins has taken over as the O's starting center fielder, starting five straight games coming into Sunday and going 6-for-20. The 25-year-old has five steals already this year, and he should pad that total with regular playing time, making him worth a roster spot even if he can't maintain the batting average. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

DJ Stewart, Orioles: While Mullins is the new CF, Stewart has taken over from the injured Anthony Santander as the O's resident surprising star, going yard six times in the last seven games while playing some impressive defense in right field. Considering he was 0-for-16 on the year prior to that eruption and had a .698 OPS last season, it seems safe to say he won't keep that up, but Stewart has earned a key spot in the batting order and could provide some value down the stretch. 12-team Mixed: $7; 15-team Mixed: $15; 12-team AL: $35