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

Kris Bubic, Royals: Bubic has looked good in two appearances since the All-Star break, posting a 1.50 ERA over 12 innings. His 9:5 K:BB doesn't offer a lot of support for that success, and those two outings came against the Tigers and O's, but the 23-year-old southpaw does have some upside. It just feels like a trap to grab him now, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Matt Harvey, Orioles: There are a lot of Admiral Ackbar Specials in the AL pitching ranks this week, whether it's big-time prospects teasing their upside or less talented guys pitching above their heads, but none are bigger than Harvey. I do not care that he's tossed 12 scoreless innings while winning two straight outings. He hasn't fanned more than four batters in a start since late May, and his 6.65 ERA on the season is no mirage. He does face Detroit this week, so maybe you can squeeze one more useful turn out of him, but the downside is absolutely not worth the gamble. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Tanner Houck, Red Sox: The 25-year-old right-hander has looked very good since getting called back up after the All-Star break, giving up zero earned runs in two appearances and 7.2 innings with an 11:3 K:BB. Houck still isn't efficient enough to be a reliable source of, say, quality starts, but he's giving Boston no reason to remove him from the rotation. If he keeps dealing, it could well be the likes of Garrett Richards who loses his spot when Chris Sale is back. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Daniel Lynch, Royals: Another one of Kansas City's top pitching prospects will rejoin the rotation Sunday. Lynch was awful in a three-start audition earlier in the year and hasn't been much better at Triple-A, but he has the kind of stuff that could click at any time. Even if you need to gamble on upside pitching to make a move in the standings though, it's probably better to wait on Lynch and make him prove something rather than jumping in too early. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Matt Manning, Tigers: Manning's 5.79 ERA is still tainted by one terrible outing -- toss out his disaster against Cleveland on June 28, and the 23-year-old has a far more respectable 3.33 mark. That comes with an 11:10 K:BB in 24.1 innings though, which is just as terrible in its own right. Manning suffered a forearm strain last year at the alternate site and it's fair to wonder if that issue is still lingering, as his performance this season is night and day compared to his 2019 numbers at Double-A. He still has a tremendous ceiling if he can get right, but until the strikeouts show up, he's tough to roster. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Darren McCaughan, Mariners: An unheralded 12th-round pick in 2017, McCaughan made his big-league debut at Coors Field and emerged unscathed, allowing only one run over five innings. It's tough to project sustained success for a right-hander who rarely sniffs 90 mph with his fastball and lacks plus breaking pitches, but maybe McCaughan is the kind of guy who can get by on command alone. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Luis Patino, Rays: Patino got called back up for a start Thursday and didn't look any better than he had before his demotion. He's still only 21 and has a world of upside, and the Rich Hill trade could be a signal that the Rays want to keep him in the majors for the rest of the year, but they have other options if Patino can't get the job done and do have a pennant race to worry about. He could flick the switch at any time, but this could also just wind up being a developmental year for him. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3 

Cal Quantrill, Guardians: Just call me an early adopter on the team nickname. Quantrill has been solid in July, posting a 3.22 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with two quality starts in four outings despite a poor 11:8 K:BB through 22.1 innings. Cleveland's pitching mojo has disappeared this season (even for the guys they've traded away), but Quantrill is the closest thing they have to a success story right now and he should keep his rotation spot even when guys like Shane Bieber get healthy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Joe Ryan, Twins: The main piece coming back in the Nelson Cruz deal, the 25-year-old has a 75:10 K:BB in 57 Triple-A innings this season, and he should get the call as soon as the Twins find a taker for one of their current rotation arms. Ryan's biggest weapon is his command, which allows all of his pitches to play up, and while there's some question about whether his off-speed offerings are good enough to get outs in the majors, he has little left to prove in the minors. He's a strong stash candidate now that he has a much clearer path to consistent starts. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Spenser Watkins, Orioles: OK, look, I'm far from sold on Watkins yet, but if you're going to use him, this is the time to do it. The 28-year-old has a 1.65 ERA through his first 16.1 big-league innings despite an utter lack of prospect pedigree (not surprising for a 30th-round pick in 2014), and this week he gets a two-step: at home against the Marlins, then a revenge game in Detroit against the team that drafted him. Those two offenses sit 29th and 16th in wOBA against righties, respectively, and 23rd and 17th in wRC+. Those matchups are favorable enough to roll the dice. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $3

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

Tyler Alexander, Tigers (at MIN, vs. BAL)

Brad Keller, Royals (vs. CHW, at TOR)

Relief Pitcher

Bryan Shaw, Guardians: Both Emmanuel Clase and James Karinchak have had some stumbles recently, and that opened the door for Shaw to notch a save last Sunday. The 33-year-old's career seemed like it might be over after a brutal run for the Rockies in 2018-19, but he's turned things around in his return to Cleveland and has been a far more reliable set-up option than Nick Wittgren. Shaw's more valuable in formats that reward holds of course, but if the two flamethrowers continue to sputter, he might find himself getting more ninth-inning work down the stretch. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Dillon Tate, Orioles: Tate is basically the platonic ideal of a pop-up closer. He's a former top prospect (fourth overall pick by the Rangers in 2015) who failed as a starter and has floated through a few different organizations with little success before potentially finding himself in the bullpen. The 27-year-old has a 3.38 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB through 24 innings since June 9, and he recorded the first "real" save of his career Saturday (his other one came after he tossed 2.2 innings with a 10-run lead). Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde has no compunction against mixing and matching in the ninth inning and five different relievers have saves for the club this season, so Tate's chances of seizing the job outright are slim, but it looks like he's now in the mix. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Matt Wisler, Rays: The 28-year-old is the latest reclamation project for the Rays. He's pitched for seven different teams in his career already with mostly middling results in a variety of roles (4.85 career ERA in 452.2 innings), but since heading to Tampa, Wisler has a 1.45 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and dominant 26:3 K:BB in 18.2 frames. he's collected two wins and four holds in 16 appearances for the Rays, and while he likely won't find himself as a regular closing option, he's in the high-leverage mix for manager Kevin Cash. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Catcher

Willians Astudillo, Twins: Astudillo got called up earlier this week to help fill in on the bench, and since then Alex Kirilloff was ruled out for the season and Nelson Cruz peddled to the Rays. There are at-bats to be had in Minnesota, and more will likely open up as the front office keeps dealing. Astudillo still retains catcher eligibility in most fantasy formats, and his career .283/.306/.417 slash line is a big step up from most of the backstops on waivers. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Grayson Greiner, Tigers: With Jake Rogers potentially out until mid-September, Greiner will back up Eric Haase behind the plate for Detroit. The 28-year-old Greiner has done little as a hitter in the majors and hasn't really flashed any power upside in the minors since 2017, so don't expect much. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays: I mentioned Kirk a couple weeks ago as a player who could be worth picking up in case he gets traded into a starting role, but an injury to Danny Jansen may have solved that problem without need for a trade. He offers a lot more upside at the plate for Toronto than Reese McGuire, and while the club could go with an offense/defense sort of platoon depending on the opponent and who the Jays are sending to the mound, Kirk's .321/.367/.491 slash line in 15 games for Triple-A Buffalo this year -- not to mention his electric 2020 big-league debut -- suggest he could be tough to keep on the bench. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Jose Trevino, Rangers: The 28-year-old missed about a month of action with a forearm injury, but Trevino was activated from the IL this weekend and got the start Saturday, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout. He doesn't offer much offensive upside, and Jonah Heim and eventually Sam Huff could eventually squeeze him out of the picture, but for now Trevino is probably Texas' starter at catcher. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

First Base

Ji-Man Choi, Rays: Choi has been locked in since late June, slashing .308/.400/.554 over his last 19 games with four homers and 16 RBI. There's no reason to think the 30-year-old can maintain that pace over the final two months of the season, but those numbers are good enough to be worth a short-term roster spot in shallow formats even if he doesn't quite play every day. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Curtis Terry, Rangers: A 13th-round pick in 2015, Terry has scratched and clawed his way up the ladder to finally earn a big-league promotion. He's gone 0-for-8 with four strikeouts in his first two games, but he hadn't seen action above High-A prior to this season, so that's probably not a surprise. Bat-first guys with little prospect pedigree like this come along every year, and most of them don't amount to much, but every once in a while they turn into J.D. Martinez. There's no reason to look Terry's way yet in redraft, but rebuilding teams in deeper keeper and dynasty leagues have little to lose by tossing a buck his way. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Second Base

Andy Ibanez, Rangers: Nick Solak is back in the minors trying to regain some confidence, which leaves second base open for Ibanez in Texas. The 28-year-old is riding a five-game hitting streak and has been fairly productive in July, slashing .273/.333/.445 through 15 games. You could do worse. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Third Base

Yu Chang, Guardians: Called back up after a couple blistering weeks at Triple-A (.310/.396/.524), Chang has gone 3-for-8 while starting two of four games for Cleveland, although he's also struck out four times. With Bobby Bradley getting a long look at first base, Chang will be used in a utility role at all four infield spots, likely not giving him enough playing time to have value in shallower formats no matter how he hits. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Shortstop

Willi Castro, Tigers: Injuries along the Detroit infield caused them to bring Castro back up a bit earlier than they probably wanted to, but the 24-year-old has gone 3-for-12 with a triple and a homer while starting the last three games. His BABIP-fueled 2020 performance was a mirage, but he does still have some value and power-speed potential, especially if you won't sweat the damage he might do to your batting average. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jose Iglesias, Angels: This is your periodic reminder that Iglesias is probably better than a lot of middle infielders rostered in leagues where he still sits on waivers. The veteran shortstop is slashing .299/.328/.429 with 21 homers over his last 1008 plate appearances -- those numbers will play, even if he isn't a sexy upside option. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Jack Mayfield, Angels: Mayfield's having a post-break power surge, going yard three times in the last seven games after only hitting two homers in his first 66 big-league contests. His minor-league numbers suggest this might not be a fluke -- he popped 26 long balls in 100 games for Triple-A Round Rock in 2019 -- and with Anthony Rendon still struggling to get healthy, the job at the hot corner for the Angels belongs to Mayfield for now. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Outfield

Greg Allen, Yankees: Allen has started seven straight games for the Yankees and has done about what you'd expect, hitting only .238 but swiping four bases in four attempts. Despite the regular playing time, it's tough to roster one-dimensional players in shallower leagues, but if you can afford the drag on your power numbers in exchange for a boost in SBs, he's worth picking up. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Harold Castro, Tigers: Castro moved into a semi-regular role for the Tigers just before the All-Star break and has been raking ever since, slashing .385/.393/.423 over his last eight games, albeit with only three RBI and four runs. He's been seeing most of his action lately at first base but has played everywhere but catcher and right field this season, giving him additional value in formats with generous eligibility rules. It can be tough to find a spot for a player like this in shallow leagues, as the rate stats might not compensate for the lower raw production due to the lack of a full-time role, but Castro is still only 27 and could push his way into more playing time down the stretch. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered 

Franchy Cordero, Red Sox: Called back up Thursday, Cordero definitely seemed to find his confidence again at Triple-A, slashing .331/.410/.548 with six homers and six steals in 43 games for Worcester. The 26-year-old lack of plate discipline and shaky hit tool have prevented him from taking advantage of his athleticism in the majors so far, but he got a little work at first base in the minors, giving him another path to playing time with Boston. He's one hit streak away from a starting gig somewhere on the diamond, but another slump away from getting demoted again. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Estevan Florial, Yankees: Florial has taken over as the Yankees' regular center fielder, going 5-for-17 since his promotion with two doubles, a homer and a steal. The 23-year-old still has some residual prospect sheen from his 2017 campaign in the low minors, but he hasn't been particularly impressive since. Still, the team doesn't really have any better options right now, so the playing time is there. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Brandon Marsh, Angels: Marsh got called up last weekend on the heels of a 12-game hitting streak for Triple-A Salt Lake that saw his slash .417/.481/.792. He hasn't carried that momentum into the majors however, batting .217 (5-for-23) through his first six games for the Angels. The 23-year-old's best asset right now is his speed, as his hit tool and game power are both still works in progress, but he's also good enough defensively to stabilize the team's outfield until Mike Trout gets healthy. The upside is there with Marsh, but if he keeps struggling he could just as easily swap spots with Jo Adell (.329/.376/.532 over his last 19 games for Salt Lake with three homers and four steals). Ideally, of course, the team realizes it's wasting its time with Adam Eaton and gives both kids starting gigs, but that seems like something that would have happened already if it was going to happen this year. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $21

Brent Rooker, Twins: Called up Friday to fill the hole left by Kirilloff's wrist injury, Rooker has gone 1-for-8 with a double and four strikeouts in two starts so far this weekend. He should see fairly consistent playing time down the stretch, especially if more veteran hitters head out of Minnesota, but as yet he hasn't shown his minor-league power will play in the majors. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Bradley Zimmer, Guardians: Zimmer's forced his way into a starting role thanks to a .333/.381/.538 slash line over his last 12 games with two homers and two steals. Cleveland remains desperate for outfield production, and at 28 years old Zimmer is desperate to prove he's still got a career ahead of him, so he could continue to provide useful numbers over the next couple months. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered