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

Keegan Akin, Orioles: The 26-year-old southpaw has looked pretty good since moving into the rotation, posting a 0.93 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 8:3 K:BB over 9.2 innings and two starts. Akin has shown strikeout stuff in the minors, so there is some plausible upside here, but team context and his own lack of a strong pedigree despite being a second-round pick in 2016 still limit his utility to deeper formats for now. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Kolby Allard, Rangers: Allard's sort of the flip side of Akin. The former Atlanta prospect was a first-round pick in 2015 and has some prospect sheen, but he didn't post great K-rates in the minors and got shipped to Texas in the Chris Martin deal a couple years ago. The 23-year-old has also looked OK since moving into the rotation though with a 4.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 10:2 K:BB over nine innings in two starts. As with Akin, Allard has some deep-league intrigue, but there's no reason to get frisky in shallower formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Jean Carlos Mejia, Cleveland: After a few scoreless relief appearances, Mejia got stretched out to three innings and 50 pitches Friday and kept dealing. Cleveland desperately needs rotation help but they've still brought the 24-year-old along fairly slowly, and it seems to be paying off. He's only a stash until he starts working long enough to qualify for wins (or Cleveland elects to put an opener in front of him or something), but the organization's track record with right-handed pitching makes Mejia a gamble that could pay off handsomely. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Bailey Ober, Twins: Ober is coming up Sunday to make a second spot start, and with Kenta Maeda and Michael Pineda both on the shelf, a good outing would likely earn him a longer stay in the majors. The 25-year-old has seen his velocity tick up a bit in the last year or so but he still only sits in the low 90s with his fastball, and his minor-league success came via junk and deception, which is a tough profile to project much success for at the highest level. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Patrick Sandoval, Angels: After tossing five scoreless innings two Thursdays ago as an emergency replacement for Shohei Ohtani, Sandoval will move into the rotation on a more consistent basis with Jose Quintana sidelined. Sandoval has been a fringy sleeper for a couple years now, but the 24-year-old southpaw doesn't have much to get excited about in his profile. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Bruce Zimmermann, Orioles: Huh, this is the week for risky lefties, I guess. Zimmermann has put together three solid outings and one dud since rejoining the rotation in mid-May, winning two of them and posting a 4.26 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 21:5 K:BB through 19 innings over that stretch. He's likely to be near the top of a lot of free-agent searches sorted by the last two weeks of stats, and he lines up to face less than intimidating opposition (vs. NYM, at CLE) over his next couple turns, so there's some short-term appeal if you need to plug a hole in your staff. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

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

Randy Dobnak, Twins (vs. NYY, vs. HOU)

Martin Perez, Red Sox (vs. HOU. vs. TOR)

Ervin Santana, Royals (at LAA, at OAK)

Relief Pitcher

Scott Barlow, Royals: Barlow is riding a 10-innings scoreless streak dating back to May 14 with an 18:5 K:BB, and in his last appearance he picked up his second save of the season. That makes him one of four Kansas City relievers with multiple saves on the year, but with Josh Staumont still out, Barlow is likely the team's best closing option. He's certainly been their best bullpen arm overall. Also, in a week without a lot of strong shallow-league SP options, turning to a rock-solid reliever who might chip in a win or save rather than rolling the dice on (gestures at list of southpaws above) could be the better play. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Rostered

Jose Cisnero, Tigers: Michael Fulmer had been pushing Gregory Soto for the closer role in recent weeks, but with Fulmer now on the shelf it could be Cisnero's turn. The 32-year-old right-hander picked up his first career save Saturday, and while his 4.18 ERA and 1.35 WHIP aren't impressive, he does have a 33:8 K:BB through 23.2 innings. Soto's erratic control leaves the door wide open for someone else to grab a share of ninth-inning duty, but it's hard to imagine Cisnero emerging with the job outright. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Paul Fry / Hunter Harvey / Cole Sulser, Orioles: It's been seven hours and 15 days... err, well, it's actually been more like double that since Cesar Valdez got a save for the O's, even if nothing compares to his changeup. Partially that's because manager Brandon Hyde has made good on his plan to move Valdez into a high-leverage role, and partially it's because Baltimore just hasn't had many small ninth-inning leads. Whatever the reason, Fry and Sulser have the team's last two saves, and Harvey just came off the IL to join the fray. I honestly can't tell you which of these guys is the better option if you're desperate for saves. Harvey is still the "upside" play, in that he's the most likely to seize the full-time role, but he'll need to stay healthy for more than a hiccup first. Fry has been the dominant lefty Tanner Scott was supposed to be, while Sulser pitched well enough to earn a few saves last year too before he then pitched his way out of high-leverage work. All three are nothing more than dart throws, but if a reliever with strong ratios who might get occasional saves is a better fit for your staff, go with Fry. If you need to move the needle in saves, ratios be damned, go with Harvey. Fry – 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7 / Harvey – 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11 / Sulser – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Griffin Jax, Twins: I love wild cards like this. They're the perfect players to scoop up in deeper formats as you churn your bench spots, hoping to hit on one or two of them before most people in your league even know who they are. Jax was a third-round pick in 2016, but his development had been curtailed while he wrapped up an Air Force commitment and pursued a graduate degree in business admin and data analytics -- a skill set with some definite applications on the mound in the modern era. Now 26 years old, he was coming on strong at Triple-A St. Paul with a 0.75 ERA and 18:3 K:BB over his last two starts (12 innings), earning him his first big-league promotion. His scouting reports have him with a low 90s fastball he can push up to about 95 mph, a solid slider and changeup, and plus control. It's not the most exciting profile, but he's athletic enough to take a big step forward now that he can focus on pitching full-time, and that's where the keeper appeal comes into play. Given the Twins' rotation situation, cutting his teeth in long relief before potentially moving into a starting role makes sense. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Catcher

Eric Haase, Tigers: Haase had gone yard five times in the last four games heading into Sunday, with the last two blasts coming off Lucas Giolito. He's playing close to every day, is on the cusp of gaining OF eligibility in formats with a five-game cutoff, and it's hard to see the rebuilding Tigers sending him back to the bench or the minors even after Wilson Ramos gets healthy if he keeps mashing. He will slow down, but his power stroke is legit even if it's not this good. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Ryan Jeffers, Twins: With Mitch Garver out, Jeffers got called back up and appears to be the starter for the Twins, playing three of the last four games. He wasn't hitting for much of a batting average at Triple-A, but Jeffers was drawing walks and putting a charge in the ball, with half of his hits going for extra bases including five homers over 24 games. Garver could be out until July, and if Jeffers hits in his absence, the duo could return to a timeshare in the second half. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

First Base

Chris Gittens, Yankees: Gittens carries the label of a Quad-A hitter, but he actually hasn't gotten a chance in the majors yet, so the jury should still be considered out on that one. The 27-year-old has big-time power and had more walks than strikeouts at Triple-A to begin the year, but he'll essentially replace Mike Ford on the bench for the time being, which could make playing time hard to come by. He did get the start at first base in his debut Saturday though, so perhaps the Yankees will give him a longer look and leave DJ LeMahieu at second base while Luke Voit is out. The team has an impressive track record of turning unheralded hitters into useful assets, if not outright stars, and they haven't actually dug one up yet this year. Maybe Gittens is the guy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Third Base

Christian Arroyo, Red Sox: Arroyo has started three of the last five games and five of nine since coming off the IL, so it doesn't look like his layoff has significantly impacted his role for the Red Sox. The 26-year-old has also gone 4-for-12 with his first homer of the year in those last three games, and he sports a solid .281/.326/.404 slash line. In deep formats, that's useful, although Arroyo would be more useful if he regained some position flex at some point. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Shortstop

Nick Gordon, Twins: Gordon started three straight games this week while Luis Arraez and Andrelton Simmons were both on the shelf and went 5-for-12 with his first career homer. If Minnesota packs it in for the year, Gordon is the kind of player who would likely benefit with more playing time, so he could be worth stashing in deep formats, particularly if you could use a steals boost. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Donovan Walton, Mariners: Walton continues to get consistent playing time for the banged-up M's, but now he's actually hitting a little too. Over his last seven games, he's batting .273 with a homer and a steal. There's little upside here, but ABs are gold at this time of the year in only formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Outfield

Miguel Andujar, Yankees: 2018 was a long time ago, but Andujar has been turning back the clock lately, batting .273 over his last 10 games with three homers. He also seems to have found a defensive home in left field (which is bad news for anyone with Clint Frazier shares), and if the 26-year-old keeps hitting, he'll keep finding his way into the lineup. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Gilberto Celestino, Twins: Celestino started the year at Double-A, but injuries keep moving him up the ladder and now here he is in the majors. The 22-year-old doesn't look ready, either at the plate or in the field, but with Rob Refsnyder joining Byron Buxton and Max Kepler on the IL, the Twins don't have many other options in center field. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Adam Engel, White Sox: With Billy Hamilton suffering what looks like an oblique strain this weekend, the White Sox outfield had only one actual outfield in it in the ghost of Adam Eaton, so there should be plenty of playing time available for Engel now that he's off the IL. He hit well in limited PAs in 2020 and has some steals potential, but his career .618 OPS is probably a better reflection of how he'll do if handed a starting role. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Jake Fraley, Mariners: The 26-year-old effectively swapped places with Kyle Lewis on the IL, and Fraley has looked OK since his return after shaking off the rust, homering twice in the last three games. As long as Ty France is at first base and not DH, there's room in the lineup for all of Seattle's outfielders, but once the roster gets a bit healthier, Fraley will need to be out-playing Taylor Trammell to hold onto his starting spot. Granted, that may not be a high bar to clear, but Fraley's big minor-league numbers have yet to translate into consistent production in the majors. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Derek Hill, Tigers: The 25-year-old got called up Thursday and has started the last two games, and with JaCoby Jones now out of the picture this might finally be Hill's chance to win a regular spot in the Detroit outfield. Contact issues have held him back, but he has power and speed and was slashing .355/.417/.526 for Triple-A Toledo before his promotion. In all likelihood, he's the AL version of the Marlins' recent parade of athletic OFers with no hit tool (Lewis Brinson, Monte Harrison, etc.), but that still gives Hill a smidge of upside if he does show he can make enough contact. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Harold Ramirez, Cleveland: With Bradley Zimmer in the majors, Ramirez has shifted over to right field, but a Cleveland team starved for offense is going to find a spot on the diamond for him somewhere as long as he keeps hitting. The 26-year-old is slashing .320/.382/.500 over his last 14 games, and while he hasn't exactly moved the needle in counting stats (one homer, two steals, seven runs and eight RBI), that's a product of the lineup around him. If Zimmer and Bobby Bradley can inject some life into the offense, Ramirez would benefit, and he's out-hitting any number of bigger-name guys who remain fixtures in shallow-league lineups. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Rostered

Taylor Trammell, Mariners: The 23-year-old lit up Triple-A after his demotion and has stayed fairly hot back in Seattle, going 5-for-17 with a homer since being called up at the beginning of June. Trammell has a clear path to a starting role right now, but in the long run he'll be fighting with Fraley for a spot, so he'll need to keep his strikeouts in check to stick around. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Bradley Zimmer, Cleveland: After starting only once in his first five games following his promotion, Zimmer has now started five straight, going 5-for-18 with three steals. The latter number is going to draw some bids from GMs who need that speed, but we've been here before and Zimmer always seems to flop or get hurt before he can solidify his spot in the majors. Maybe, uhh, (checks notes, loses count) sixth (?) time is the charm. At the very least, the 28-year-old is good enough defensively to stay in center field even if he isn't producing at the plate. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Designated Hitter

Bobby Bradley, Cleveland: A fixture on Cleveland's prospect lists in recent years, Bradley's power could be a big addition to a lineup that won't have Franmil Reyes back for a while. Jake Bauers got cut loose, so it looks like Bradley will get a crack at the starting first base job, and it's hard to see Yu Chang and his .492 OPS as much of a threat if Bradley does anything at all at the plate. That said, the 24-year-old was hitting .196 with a 32.1 percent strikeout rate at Triple-A when he got promoted, so temper your expectations. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9