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 talent on an A-E scale. Luis Robert 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

Logan Allen, Cleveland: I wrote him up last week as a stash candidate, but now we're on the cusp of him getting a two-start week to kick off the season which is whole 'nother kettle of fish. Allen is scheduled for home dates against KC (Monday) and Detroit (Sunday), which is a nice two-step in its own right, but when you combine that with the strikeout upside he flashed this spring the 23-year-old becomes arguably the best streaming option on the board this week in the AL, or at least the one with the highest ceiling. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $5

Chris Flexen, Mariners: Flexen's first start back in North America after a year spent studying abroad went about as well as Seattle could have hoped, as the 26-year-old blanked the Giants over five innings with a 6:2 K:BB on Saturday. It's always tough to get a read on pitchers like this, who were never top prospects before posting good numbers in a league like the KBO and don't have at least one plus pitch they can hang their hat on, but sometimes all a guy like Flexen needs to take a big step forward is some confidence in his stuff. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Tanner Houck, Red Sox: The 24-year-old didn't make the final cut out of camp for a rotation spot, but then when Eduardo Rodriguez hit a dead arm period (if that's what it actually is... reports have varied), Houck was called back up and fanned eight Orioles over five innings Saturday. He carried some prospect buzz after an impressive three-start debut in 2020, but the right-hander still needs to prove he can find the plate with some consistency. His 54 strikes in 85 pitches in Saturday's start wasn't too bad in that regard. The worry right now is that Houck will be one and done in the rotation if ERod is ready for his next turn, scheduled for Thursday in Baltimore, so if you bid on him now, it's safer to view him as a bench stash rather than an immediate contributor. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Steven Matz, Blue Jays: Matz is coming off a very strong spring (15:2 K:BB in 15.1 innings) and now gets a two-start week to kick off his debut season with the Jays, facing the Rangers on the road Monday before getting the Angels in Dunedin on Saturday. The southpaw was a perennial tease as a Met, as he never seemed to get the consistent results his stuff suggested he was capable of, but a fresh start with a new organization might have been just what the 29-year-old needed. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $5

Carlos Rodon, White Sox: Speaking of southpaws who are perennial teases, is it any coincidence that Rodon is back just as a new Godzilla movie hits screens? (Oh wait, I'm thinking of Rodan. Never mind, carry on.) Much like the fiery kaiju, Rodon is capable of single-handedly torching your ratios, but when he's healthy and locked in he can be a real asset, and he's coming off a dazzling spring (16:1 K:BB in 13.2 innings in the Cactus League). A two-start week with tilts in Seattle and at home against Kansas City is volatile, but the payoff could be huge if the 28-year-old comes out of the gate blazing. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $5

Matt Shoemaker, Twins: The 34-year-old is what he is at this point. Shoemaker's only made 16 starts over the last three years as he can never seem to stay healthy for long, but his 3.77 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 8.5 K/9 over that stretch are useful enough in most formats. He opens his Twins tenure with a promising two-start week, at Detroit on Monday and hosting Seattle on Sunday, and while you can't expect him to fill a spot on your staff for long, as a streaming option you don't need him to. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $5

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

Danny Duffy, Royals (at CLE, at CHW)

Mike Foltynewicz, Rangers (vs. TOR, vs. SD)

Jorge Lopez, Orioles (at NYY, vs. BOS)

Nick Pivetta, Red Sox (vs. TB, at BAL)

Tanner Roark, Blue Jays (at TEX, vs. LAA)

Jose Urena, Tigers (vs. MIN, at CLE)

Michael Wacha, Rays (at BOS, vs. NYY)

Relief Pitcher

Bryan Abreu, Astros: A number of teams this season, including Tampa, Texas and Houston, plan on leaning heavily on openers/bulk relievers or straight up tandems in rotation spots, which creates some potential for cheap value in the pitchers who enter the game second for their respective squads, as they will have higher win probabilities without being viewed as "starters". Abreu was the first such arm to cash in, as he took over for Cristian Javier in the fourth inning Friday and tossed 2.1 scoreless frames for the victory. Rounding out your rosters with pitchers like this is the modern version of the old LIMA plan, as you can anchor your staff with a couple aces and closers then fill it up with guys like Abreu who can keep you competitive in wins and Ks, hopefully without hurting your ratios too much. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $2

Wade Davis, Royals: It's almost becoming a rite of spring. The Royals bring in a former closer of theirs who has fallen on hard times, and he finds new life with his old club. Greg Holland got that treatment in 2020, and now Davis has come home again and picked up the save Opening Day after Holland faltered in that wild 14-10 affair. We keep waiting for a younger, higher-upside reliever like Scott Barlow or Josh Staumont to get a crack at closing in KC, but as long as there are retreads available, it seems like that will never happen. Holland is still the ninth-inning man for now, but if Thursday's performance is a sign that he's not going to repeat his 2020 performance, Davis probably has to be viewed as the next man up. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $2

Jake Diekman / Sergio Romo / J.B. Wendelken, Athletics: Speaking of guys who might not repeat their 2020 performances, Trevor Rosenthal is already on the IL with shoulder trouble. The A's haven't even sent him for an MRI yet, which can be seen as either a good thing (as they know the issue isn't serious) or really bad and clumsy mismanagement, but either way he's on the shelf for a couple weeks. It's not clear who will get closing opportunities while Rosenthal is out, but these three guys seem like the main candidates. Diekman was brilliant last season but might be seen as more a high-leverage lefty than a full-timer in the ninth; Romo had 20 saves as recently as 2019, but he's 38 years old and might not be able to ride his slider to decent results much longer; and Wendelken just seems like a guy who could come out of nowhere and be the next Liam Hendriks if he gets the chance. Until the situation clears up, it's best not to invest too heavily in any of them. Diekman / Romo / Wendelken: 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Bryan Garcia, Tigers: Gregory Soto got the first save of the season for Detroit, but Garcia notched the second, and good for the Tigers for even winning two games already. Garcia's was the cleaner outing though, and while Soto has the more impressive raw stuff, his ability to get it over the plate consistency is still in question. If you have to look to this bullpen for some saves support, Garcia seems like the safer investment, albeit with a lower ceiling than Soto. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Kendall Graveman, Mariners: Graveman may have opened some eyes in his season debut Saturday, when he dominated the Giants and struck out five batters over two nearly perfect innings (no hits or walks, but he did hit a batter). The right-hander has that classic "couldn't stay healthy or effective as a starter but his stuff plays up in relief" profile, and Rafael Montero has already blown one of his two save chances to begin the year. The M's may prefer to keep Graveman in a multi-inning high-leverage role, but there's fantasy value in that, and if he does get a shot to close he has the arsenal to thrive. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $2

Julian Merryweather, Blue Jays: You could almost copy the write-up on Graveman word for word and apply it to Merryweather. The big difference is, the Toronto righty already has a save after blowing away the heart of the Yankees' order in the 10th inning Opening Day. Jordan Romano, who worked the ninth in that contest, is still the favorite to take over as closer in the wake of Kirby Yates' injury, but the Jays have pointedly not named him to the role yet. Merryweather has the pure stuff to become an elite late-inning weapon if he settles into the assignment, but it's not yet clear if the organization still views him as a possible starter down the road or not. This is a classic LIMA pitcher profile – bet on the talent, and let the role sort itself out. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $3

Chris Rodriguez, Angels: Another high-upside arm in role limbo, Rodriguez has ace upside but has had trouble staying healthy as a pro. Reports from the Angels' alternate site last year were glowing though, and after winning a bullpen job in camp, the 22-year-old struck out three over two scoreless innings in his big-league debut Friday. Rodriguez is best viewed in the same bucket as someone like Garrett Crochet – he's got keeper and dynasty intrigue if he ever gets stretched out as a starter, but in the short term he's got some value as a high-K relief arm who can work multiple innings. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Cesar Valdez, Orioles: Look, the Baltimore bullpen is one of those places where FAAB dollars go to die. Brandon Hyde is no more reliable in his closer usage than Gabe Kapler, and betting on one guy from this group to suddenly emerge as a 20-save stalwart is just foolhardy. Nonetheless, Valdez is 2-for-2 in save chances out of the gate, and that's going to attract attention, and bids. A 36-year-old journeyman who can barely reach 85 mph with his fastball and who leans on his changeup as an out pitch has absolutely no margin for error in high-leverage work though, even if Valdez becoming a thing would be one of the best stories in baseball. If you need bullpen help badly, you kind of have to take a shot here, but there's still at least a 50/50 chance Valdez doesn't finish the season with double-digit saves. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Catcher

Jose Trevino, Rangers: Trevino has held off the younger backstops in the Texas organization for now to claim the starting role, going 4-for-9 at the plate to begin the season. The 28-year-old hasn't really shown any upside at the plate since A-ball though, and at some point Sam Huff or Jonah Heim, or both, will make a case for more playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $2

First Base

Nate Lowe, Rangers: Lowe's had a productive start to his Texas tenure, going 3-for-10 with six RBI in two starts. The 25-year-old is still having problems catching up to high heat though (which is probably why the Rays were willing to trade him) and has a 0:4 BB:K. The samples sizes here are tiny either way, so for now view him as a guy with consistent playing time who can chip in if you need corner infield depth. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Second Base

Chad Pinder, Athletics: Pinder got a big vote of confidence from manager Bob Melvin right as the season began, and Melvin's backed it up by getting the 29-year-old into the lineup in all three A's games so far. Pinder's gone 3-for-10 with a homer in response, and all his action has come in the outfield corners, which means he'll soon have 2B/OF eligibility. I'm not convinced there's a big ceiling here, but he could emerge as a useful bench guy if the playing time persists. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Third Base

Brock Holt, Rangers: The Rangers dumped Rougned Odor to the curb at the end of camp, leaving them with a patchwork platoon of Holt and Charlie Culberson at third base. If anything, that says to me Josh Jung will be in the majors as soon as he's recovered from his foot injury, but for now the veteran utility duo will hold down the fort. Don't expect anything more from Holt than a fairly empty BA/OBP with regular playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Jake Lamb, White Sox: Cut by Atlanta at the end of camp, Lamb quickly latched on with the White Sox. The memory of his 30-homer campaign in 2017 is rapidly fading though, and the 30-year-old has only 15 blasts in 165 games since with a meager .660 OPS. Lamb could see time at DH to help fill the void left by Eloy Jimenez's injury, but he's just as likely to be off the roster by May as a regular part of the lineup. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Jake Cave, Twins: The Twins are doing their best to make it screamingly obvious that Alex Kirilloff will be back in the majors once they've secured that extra year of team control. They opened the season with a three-headed monster of Cave, Luis Arraez and Kyle Garlick in left field; when Josh Donaldson landed on the IL on Saturday, they called up Brent Rooker so Arraez could shift back to the infield. Cave has started two games so far and gone 0-for-6, and he only has deep-league appeal if you need to plug a lineup hole for a few weeks. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Charlie Culberson, Rangers: Holt's platoon partner went 0-for-4 in his first start of the season Saturday. Culberson became a bit of a folk hero in Atlanta for his bench heroics in 2018, but he's a 31-year-old with a career .681 OPS. Even with regular playing time, it's tough to see him providing much fantasy value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Kyle Garlick, Twins: Garlick has a big season at Triple-A in 2019 for the A's, so there could be a smidge of upside here if he gets a chance, but the 29-year-old appears to be well behind the team's other options in the playing time battle in left field for the Twins this April, and there's no guarantee removing Arraez from the equation gets Garlick into the lineup more often. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Sam Haggerty, Mariners: Seattle keeps trying to replicate the success of teams like Tampa by putting together a roster of players with lots of position flex, but they keep forgetting to find ones that can hit. Haggerty is their latest knockoff brand Swiss army knife. The 26-year-old did swipe 23 bases in only 80 games between Double-A and Triple-A for the Mets in 2019, so he's got some speed upside if he gets playing time, but it's hard to see a path to the starting lineup barring a bunch of injuries or trades. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Kyle Isbel, Royals: A third-round pick in 2018, Isbel hadn't played a game above High-A coming into the season, but the 24-year-old must have had an explosive development curve at the alternate site last year because he roared into spring training and won a starting job. Isbel hasn't looked out of place in the early going either, going 5-for-9 with a triple. The three-bagger highlights his best fantasy asset, speed, but he won't be a liability in batting average or power either if he hits his ceiling. It's impossible to predict how things will go for a prospect making such a huge jump, but he does have the upside to make a modest gamble worthwhile even in shallower formats. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Jordan Luplow, Cleveland: The mess of a center field situation for Cleveland hasn't stopped the team from giving its favorite platoon mascot his usual playing time. Luplow will slot into the lineup against lefties, a role in which he provided solid deep-league value in 2019, but his ceiling is very limited. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Brent Rooker, Twins: Rooker lost out to Garlick for the final roster spot out of camp, but he was right back on the roster when Donaldson got hurt. The fact that the 26-year-old has minor-league options is probably what made the difference, but now that he's up he's a marginally better fantasy play than Garlick is, or at least Rooker has more perceived upside. They're all just keeping a spot warm for Kirilloff anyway. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Michael Taylor, Royals: The former National is off to a blistering start as a Royal, going 5-for-9 with a double and two homers in two starts. Taylor's always had the athleticism to deliver decent power/speed numbers (he had 19 homers and 17 steals over 118 games in 2017), but his hit tool and plate discipline have held him back. That's not likely to change as a 30-year-old, but there's nothing wrong with seeing if you can ride a hot streak for a couple weeks. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Eli White, Rangers: Leody Taveras has looked lost at the plate to begin the season, striking out six times in nine at-bats. His defense will keep him in the lineup for a while, but at some point he'll need to hit a little to avoid getting sent back to Triple-A for more seasoning. If that happens, White could find himself as the default option in center field. The 26-year-old has been a consistent double-digit steal threat in the minors and added 14 homers in 116 games at Triple-A in 2019, so he could have some value in a regular role. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Designated Hitter

Yermin Mercedes, White Sox: It seems like every year during the opening weekend, some unheralded player steps up and sets records or just generally plays way, way over his head. This year's early-season darling has been Mercedes, who became the first player since 1900 to collect hits in eight straight at-bats to begin a season. The 28-year-old has posted some big numbers in the high minors, so the fact that he can hit isn't a big surprise, but he's a bat-first player without a real defensive home and in most formats he only qualifies at Ut/DH, limiting his utility. If he continues to rake it won't really matter, and if he can be at least adequate behind the plate he could provide a huge windfall by eventually qualifying at catcher, but he could also fall by the wayside if he stops hitting or if Andrew Vaughn winds up back at DH on a full-time basis. Despite his hot start, it's best to view Mercedes as a bench stash in the hopes he gains catcher eligibility and is still getting enough playing time at that point to make the eligibility worth something. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2