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

Charlie Barnes, Twins: The 25-year-old made his big-league debut Saturday in Detroit and looked pretty good, giving up only a solo home run to Robbie Grossman across 4.2 innings, but the Tigers can have that effect on pitchers. Barnes was a fourth-round pick in 2017, so he's not without some smidge of upside, but he's essentially the modern version of a soft-tossing lefty -- he sits around 90 mph with his fastball but relies heavily on a plus changeup that rarely breaks 80 mph while mixing in an occasional slider and curve. It's a back-end-of-the-rotation profile and he'll likely have some bumps in the road, but if the Twins clean house at the trade deadline (looking at you, J.A. Happ), there should be room for Barnes to stick around over the last couple months. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Brad Keller, Royals: Keller's had a rough 2021, but things were looking up in July before the All-Star break as he delivered two quality starts in two outings with a 1.93 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 16:6 K:BB in 14 innings. His strong campaign last year is still fresh enough that even that small sample will draw FAAB dollars, but remember that even when he's pitching well, he doesn't rack up a lot of strikeouts, limiting his value in shallower formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Rostered

Wily Peralta, Tigers: The 32-year-old continues to pitch shockingly well. Peralta has allowed six earned runs in 26 innings, and five of them came in his first start back on June 19 against the Angels. That's right -- he has a 0.46 ERA since over 19.2 innings, although his 13:4 K:BB is nothing to write home about. He doesn't have the fastball he used to, sitting at 93.4 mph, but a career-low 6.9 percent walk rate has made up for it. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Cal Quantrill, Cleveland: The Cleveland rotation will eventually get healthy, so right now all the guys who aren't Zach Plesac are just trying to build a case for sticking around. Quantrill has moved ahead of some of his competition with three solid outings in July sandwiched around the All-Star break, posting a 3.86 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 9:5 K:BB in 16.1 innings. The lack of K's remains a concern from a fantasy perspective, but at least he's lasting long enough to qualify for wins. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

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

Spenser Watkins, Orioles (at TB, vs. WAS)

J.C. Mejia, Cleveland (at HOU, vs. TB)

Relief Pitcher

Tanner Houck, Red Sox: The 25-year-old has had a fairly disappointing 2021, but the promise he showed last year still sits just below the surface of his numbers. For instance, Houck has posted a 5.14 ERA for Triple-A Worcester this year -- not great, Bob! That ERA comes along with a 26:7 K:BB in 21 innings and a 0.43 HR/9 though, leading to a 2.67 FIP. Boston will use him in a long relief role this time around and he picked up a three-inning save in his first big-league appearance since April, blanking the Yankees over three frames. Even with Chris Sale on the mend, the back of the Red Sox rotation is shaky enough that Houck could push his way into the mix if he keeps dealing, which makes him worth considering as a stash candidate in much the same way Michael Kopech has been all year. (Patience, folks with Kopech shares. Patience.) 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Catcher

Roberto Perez, Cleveland: Perez has started three of the last five games and homered in each of them, which is hard to turn your nose up at from a catcher. The 32-year-old will split time with Austin Hedges, but as long as the power is there, he has some value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Rostered

Cal Raleigh, Mariners: Raleigh was having little trouble with Triple-A pitching when he got called up, slashing .324/.377/.608 through 44 games for Tacoma with nine homers. Things haven't been as easy in the majors, but the sample is small and you'd think the Mariners would be committed to giving him a long look, so there's no reason to shun him as an upside play yet just because of a little 0-for-12 hiccup. If you want a reason for caution, it's that Luis Torrens is slashing .273/.400/.515 in July, but Raleigh has a higher ceiling and a more established prospect pedigree as a third-round pick in 2018. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Jake Rogers, Tigers: Another third-round pick, although from the 2016 draft, Rogers hasn't flashed the offense Raleigh has in his career. He really only had success at the plate in the minors for a 28-game stretch at Double-A in 2019, but Rogers is swinging a solid stick for Detroit in July, slashing .292/.393/.667 with two homers in 28 plate appearances. Wilson Ramos is out of the picture and Eric Haase is seemingly being transitioned into a utility player, leaving a clear path for Rogers to lay claim to the starting backstop job. He's only 26, so it's possible he's just coming into his own as a hitter, the way so many other catchers before him have. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4 

First Base

Chris Gittens, Yankees: Luke Voit's hurt again, so Gittens is in the majors again. The 27-year-old has yet to prove he's anything more than a Quad-A slugger, hitting .120 through his first 31 big-league plate appearances, but his power upside remains intriguing if things do begin to click for him. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Second Base

Nicky Lopez, Royals: The 26-year-old continues to rake in Adalberto Mondesi's absence, and over his last 25 games, Lopez is batting a blistering .370 (30-for-81). Unfortunately, 27 of those hits were singles, and the other three were doubles -- he simply doesn't have any power, and with only two steals, nine RBI and 14 runs over that stretch, he isn't exactly a fantasy dynamo. We're at the point in the season where targeting batting average specifically can pay off if you have little to lose in the power cats (in much the same way to can target saves if you don't stand to lose ground in wins and K's), but it's a tricky needle to thread in shallow leagues. If you're set up for that strategy though, Lopez is a perfect fit. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Third Base

Christian Arroyo, Red Sox: Arroyo has started eight straight games since coming off the IL prior to the All-Star break, slashing .310/.355/.621 with two homers. The promotion of Jarren Duran hasn't had an impact on him yet, largely because Marwin Gonzalez and Danny Santana are both on the shelf, but the infield in Boston could get crowded once everyone is healthy. Then again, those other two veterans have a .583 OPS and .523 OPS respectively, so if Arroyo keeps producing, his playing time is probably fairly safe. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Isaac Paredes, Tigers: Detroit keeps churning roster spots hoping one of its youngsters can stick, and it's Paredes' turn again. The 22-year-old has more upside than a quick glance at his numbers would suggest -- check that BB:K, both in the majors this year and at Triple-A -- but until he starts turning that zone control into hard contact, his fantasy value will be limited. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Shortstop

Hoy Jun Park, Yankees: Part of the Yankees' ill-fated 2014 international free agent class, Park got a seven-figure signing bonus but has made a slow climb through the system. After posting a .325/.475/.541 line through 44 games at Triple-A this season though, he finally got the call to the majors when the roster was gutted by the COVID-19 protocols. The 25-year-old looks like a future bench player, offering a bit of power, speed and defensive versatility, but the team seems content with Tyler Wade in that role for now. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Greg Allen, Yankees: The former Cleveland spare part got kicked off the 40-man roster at the end of spring training, but he's back now with the Yankees scrambling for outfield depth, especially in the wake of Tim Locastro's season-ending knee injury. Allen's speed has always been enticing, especially after he swiped 21 bags in 91 games in 2018, but he doesn't get on base enough to make full use of his wheels. At the moment though, the Yankees don't seem to have any better options. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Trey Amburgey, Yankees: The other emergency stop-gap in the Yankees' outfield is Amburgey, a 26-year-old who's put together a solid .283/.341/.514 slash line through exactly 162 career games for Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre with 29 homers and 97 RBI. A lot of that production has come this year, which explains why he got passed over in the Rule 5 draft over the winter, and until recently his athleticism hasn't translated into good numbers (or for that matter, positive defensive reports). Maybe he can become the next Mike Tauchman, but even that might be optimistic. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Adam Eaton, Angels: It didn't take long for Eaton to find a new employer after being cut loose by the White Sox, as the Angels continue to grab every veteran outfielder they can get their hands on to avoid rushing their top prospects. Joe Maddon says the 32-year-old will get regular at-bats, but much as I did earlier in the season when I had to write up a guy like Juan Lagares, I can't help but point out that Jo Adell has a 13-game hitting streak going for Triple-A Salt Lake right now, batting .400 (22-for-55) over that stretch with three homers, four steals and a semi-respectable 3:12 BB:K. The Halos are a game over .500 as I write this and in the wild-card hunt, so turning to Adell and hoping he can provide a jolt makes some sense, but the front office might also decide to wait until Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon and Justin Upton are healthy before making that call. In the meantime, Eaton and his .216/.294/.366 slash line over that last two seasons will keep cashing checks. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jarren Duran, Red Sox: Duran looked good in his big-league debut Saturday, singling off Gerrit Cole and drawing a walk. He isn't in Jarred Kelenic's class when it comes to pure upside, but few guys are, and Boston's No. 3 fantasy prospect has a plenty high ceiling of his own. Duran will get a long look as the starting center fielder, although he could slip into a platoon if he struggles against southpaws, and the 24-year-old's power surge this year at Triple-A was no fluke. 12-team Mixed: $11; 15-team Mixed: $21; 12-team AL: $31

Derek Hill, Tigers: The 25-year-old got called back up when Detroit gave up on Nomar Mazara, but Hill likely isn't going to see a lot of playing time behind Akil Baddoo and, when he's healthy again, Daz Cameron. In the long run, Hill's probably a bench player despite his strong showing in 33 games for Triple-A Toledo this season, but he does have enough steals potential to be worth a bid if that's an area of need for you. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Victor Reyes, Tigers: Reyes was the other part of Detroit's latest roster shakeup after turning things around at Triple-A. The 26-year-old slashed a stunning .385/.462/.564 through 20 games for Toledo with a homer and five steals, and the 2018 Rule 5 pick has always had the athleticism to potentially turn into a fantasy asset. Don't count on him for more than a handful of stolen bases, but Reyes could supply decent numbers in other categories as well if he has figured something out. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3