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

Mike Fiers, Athletics: The veteran righty was originally announced as joining the bullpen when he was ready to come off the injured list, but Oakland reversed course and he got the start Friday, providing a quality start in a loss to Baltimore. Fiers doesn't have a lot of upside in the current strikeout-heavy environment, but he provided solid innings and wins in 2018-19 and might be able to do so again this year. The question of his role remains though – with Cole Irvin pitching well, there are no obvious candidates in the A's rotation to lose their spot unless the team panics on Jesus Luzardo. That either means a six-man rotation, or Fiers will find himself as the team's swingman 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Sam Hentges, Cleveland: The Logan Allen experiment didn't work out, but instead of stretching out Cal Quantrill to replace him, Cleveland is going to take a look at Hentges at the back of the rotation instead. The 24-year-old southpaw was a fourth-round pick in 2014 who hadn't pitched above Double-A prior to this season in part due to Tommy John surgery in 2016, and given that he was a two-way player in high school who didn't commit to pitching full-time until his senior year, he still has plenty of development ahead on the mound. His fastball was averaging nearly 96 mph in relief and plays up due to the angle he generates from his 6-6 frame, and Hentges also flashes a plus curve. He'll need to prove his changeup is a useful offering to really have a chance of establishing himself as a starter, but the tools are there for him to surprise. The fact that he gave up three homers in his first 5.2 big-league innings should keep the enthusiasm in check, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Anthony Kay, Blue Jays: The Jays tiptoed through the last couple of weeks with barely any rotation to speak of, leaning on off days and bullpen days (and a potent offense) to get them through the games when Hyun Jin Ryu, Robbie Ray or Steven Matz weren't on the mound. The soft part of the team's schedule is over though, and with even Ryu now banged up, Toronto needs staff reinforcements. Kay is the most likely candidate to be added to the rotation once he's eligible after being optioned to the alternate site April 23, and a Tuesday start would line him up for a two-step. There's a lot of risk here as a streaming option – there's no guarantee the lefty makes both starts or can last five innings in either, and games at Oakland and Houston aren't enticing – but Kay does have a bit of a prospect pedigree as a first-round pick of the Mets in 2016, and he'll only need to look adequate to get a chance to stick around. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Dean Kremer, Orioles: Kremer rejoined the rotation last week and got lit up by the Yankees, giving up an inflated 8.40 ERA to start the season. He lines up for a two-start week at Seattle and home against Boston, so he could have some mild streaming appeal, but he's better viewed as a deep-league stash in case the 25-year-old begins to figure out how to match his minor-league numbers in the majors. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Shane McClanahan, Rays: Tampa continues to add high-upside arms to its staff, with McClanahan getting called up soon after Luis Patino. McClanahan was held to 59 pitches in his big-league debut Thursday but looked good, posting a 5:0 K:BB through four innings, and if he gets stretched out further or consistently deployed as a bulk reliever behind an opener, his value even in re-draft formats could be high. The southpaw has the arsenal and upside to make a splash, but as with any young Ray, his usage could be frustrating from a fantasy perspective. Still, he appears closer to getting a full rotation audition than Patino does, and the decision to move Michael Wacha into a tandem role with Rich Hill puts McClanahan on track for a potential two-start week. 12-team Mixed: $7; 15-team Mixed: $15; 12-team AL: $25

Ljay Newsome, Mariners: The M's keep losing starters, but they don't want to give up on their six-man rotation plans nor call up a top prospect like Logan Gilbert, at least not yet. That leaves them turning to less impressive arms like Newsome to plug rotation holes. The 24-year-old hasn't really had much success above High-A, and he's served up eight homers in only 28.1 innings to begin his big-league career, so he should be viewed only as a 'break glass in case of emergency' sort of pickup. 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)

Justin Dunn, Mariners (vs. BAL, at TEX)

Cole Irvin, Athletics (vs. TOR, vs. TB)

Jakob Junis, Royals (vs. CLE, vs. CHW)

Relief Pitcher

Jorge Alcala / Tyler Duffey / Hansel Robles, Twins: Alex Colome didn't last a month in the closer role for Minnesota, and the job now belongs to Taylor Rogers again. The team was looking to provide Rogers with right-handed support for a reason though, and if he falters, it's not entirely clear who might be the next man up. Alcala is the high-octane youngster, averaging about 97 mph with his fastball this season and posting an 11:1 K:BB in 10 innings. Duffey doesn't have the kind of stuff associated with high-leverage work and he battled control problems in April, but his 2.31 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 12.5 K/9 in 2019-20 are hard to ignore. Robles is the only other bullpen member with much closing experience, collecting 23 saves for the Angels two years ago, but he had his own bumpy ride in the early going. You can make an argument for any of the three, or even all three in a committee, to see ninth-inning work if the job opens up, so at this point they are merely spec stashes. Alcala / Duffey / Robles – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Ryne Stanek, Astros: Ryan Pressly has the closing job in Houston on lock, but Stanek has emerged as the team's top setup arm. The former Ray and Marlin is averaging nearly 97 mph with his fastball and has a fearsome 18:4 K:BB through 12.1 innings to back up his excellent ratios. He picked up one save when Pressly was unavailable this week and could get a handful more, plus plenty of holds, over the course of the season, and if you're already looking for high-K relief arms to bolster your staff, the 29-year-old looks like a strong add. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Hyeon-Jong Yang, Rangers: Kohei Arihara has gone from 'intriguing pickup' to 'guy with diminished velocity who might be tipping pitches or might just be incredibly hittable' in just a couple weeks, so the Rangers might have a rotation vacancy very soon. Yang looks like the next man up, and the 33-year-old KBO veteran has two solid long-relief appearances under his belt to begin his MLB tenure. The southpaw's 2.08 ERA and 0.81 WHIP aren't backed up by a 5:1 K:BB through 8.1 innings, but if he can limit walks and homers, he'd have some deep-league value as a starter should he get the chance. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Catcher

Ben Rortvedt, Twins: Ryan Jeffers' demotion opened up a spot for Rortvedt to make his big-league debut Friday as he went 1-for-3 with a walk. The 23-year-old's minor-league profile doesn't show much upside, but he was a second-round pick in 2016 and he's been working on swing adjustments the last two years to become more of a pull hitter and tap into more power. As a lefty swinger he's a better fit alongside Mitch Garver than Jeffers was, and it's not like Garver is setting the world on fire right now. If Rortvedt strings together some hits, he could earn regular playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Max Stassi, Angels: The 30-year-old came off the IL on Thursday and started two of the next three games, a strong sign he's still the No. 1 catcher for the Angels. Stassi was off to a quick start at the plate before suffering a thumb injury and through 40 games over the last two years he's slashing .283/.359/.513 with eight homers. If that is reflective of his new level of offensive production, he should be rostered in pretty much every format. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Second Base

Niko Goodrum, Tigers: Detroit keeps shuffling around its lineup to try and find a combination that works, but no matter what the team comes up with, Goodrum always seems to be part of the equation. The 29-year-old has mostly split time between second base and shortstop this season but he's also seen three games in left field, putting him close to regaining the OF eligibility he lost last year. At the plate, he remains a batting average liability but offers some cheap power and speed, and over his last nine games he's hitting .233 with three homers and two steals. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered 

Shortstop

Wander Franco, Rays: With minor-league assignments getting announced, stashing season is upon us, and Franco opening the season at Triple-A Durham has the clock ticking toward his eventual debut. The Rays are unpredictable when it comes to how quickly they bring up players, even special talents like him, but the fact that McClanahan and Patino are already on the big-league roster makes a case that they won't hesitate if Franco tears up the Interna... err, the Triple-A East League (ugh). Then again, the 20-year-old could go full Ronald Acuna and still not get the call before the All-Star Break if Tampa Tampa's it up. If you have a bench spot you don't need to churn for more immediate production though, there's no elite prospect with more theoretical upside. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Jose Iglesias, Angels: On the opposite end of the spectrum, Iglesias is purely a short-term option for teams in need of middle-infield help, but the 31-year-old is slashing .306/.317/.403 over the last 16 games with a couple homers and a steal. He has a glove-first reputation, but Iglesias has hit .300 in a season on three separate occasions (well, two and a half) during his career and popped 14 homers over 185 games in 2019-20, and he wouldn't be the first athletic player to develop some extra power as he got older. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Outfield

Jarren Duran, Red Sox: If prospects like Franco and Jarred Kelenic are already on another team's bench in your league and you need to dig a little deeper into the top 400 for someone to stash in redraft formats, Duran is worth a look. Boston hasn't yet confirmed he'll begin the season at Triple-A, but the 24-year-old already has Double-A experience under his belt so it would be logical. More importantly, Duran has been getting reps at all three outfield spots at the alternate site, a strong sign the team is prepping him for a quick promotion. Aside from Alex Verdugo, no one in the Red Sox outfield is contributing much offense so his path is fairly clear, and Duran's speed could be a definite asset. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Daniel Johnson, Cleveland: Speaking of outfields that don't supply much offense, it's been more of the same in Cleveland to begin 2021. Johnson, who's been perennially on the fringe for a few years now, got called up Saturday to try and inject some life into the group, although he went 0-for-4 in his season debut. Johnson hit .290 with 19 homers with 12 steals (albeit in 22 attempts) in 123 games in the high minors in 2019, and while he doesn't have electric upside by any means, he could prove to be a lesser version of Michael Brantley or Adam Eaton if he clicks, supplying modest but steady across-the-board production. Cleveland has little to lose by giving him a chance to start, but that's been true for a while now, and he could get bumped right back off the roster when Franmil Reyes returns from paternity leave if he doesn't catch fire right away. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3