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

Tyler Anderson, Mariners: The southpaw nearly became a Phillie but instead wound up in Seattle as part of Jerry Dipoto's "Hey guys, I really am trying to add to the roster and I totally believe this team can make the playoffs, honest" trade deadline flimflam. Anderson isn't good, but he's not terrible, and he'll plug a hole in the rotation for now until guys like Justin Dunn get healthy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Charlie Barnes, Twins: Minnesota cleared out a couple rotation spots at the deadline without having any obvious contenders waiting in the wings aside from perhaps Joe Ryan, which should create a competition between hurlers like Barnes, John Gant and Griffin Jax for that opening (or openings). Barnes was solid in his big-league debut July 17, albeit against the Tigers, and he's been passable at Triple-A this year, but he's a junk-balling lefty with limited upside. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jaime Barria, Angels: Barria's looked good since his latest promotion, allowing two runs in 13 innings over two starts, and with Andrew Heaney in the Bronx there's a clear path to him remaining in the rotation the rest of the year. Sure Reid Detmers is up for a look and Alex Cobb will be back soon, but the Angels prefer a six-man rotation and they could easily kick Dylan Bundy back to the bullpen. Barria is still only 25 years old and while he's never dominated at any level, he could prove to be a useful back-end arm. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Kris Bubic, Royals: Bubic has crept onto the mixed-league radar with three straight quality starts, posting a 2.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB in 18 innings over that stretch. The young lefty doesn't profile as a future ace, and there's no reason to expect a dramatic improvement in his strikeout rate, but he figures to be a mid-rotation stalwart for Kansas City for most of the rest of the decade. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Reid Detmers, Angels: The 10th overall selection in the 2020 draft, Detmers will make his big-league debut Sunday after tearing through the high minors (3.15 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and eye-popping 106:18 K:BB in only 60 innings). The 10 homers allowed in those 13 starts at Double-A and Triple-A allowed is a red flag and not that surprising for a pitcher whose best trait is his command of a very good, but not elite, four-pitch arsenal, but pitching in the majors could drive the 22-year-old to find another gear. The upside here is undeniable, but if he doesn't look ready Sunday, the Angels could also just send him back down and let him compete for a more permanent rotation spot in September or in the spring. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

John Gant, Twins: Picked up from the Cards in the J.A. Happ deal, Gant was stuck in a long relief/swingman role in St. Louis, but Minnesota might be willing to give him a longer look in the rotation. The 28-year-old has lost about two mph off his fastball this year though, and his 56:56 K:BB through 76.1 innings is abysmal despite a seemingly decent 3.42 ERA. Until Gant shows signs of better control, he's probably best left on waivers. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Matt Harvey, Orioles: Everything I said about Harvey last week still applies, only now he has that soft start against Detroit in the bank and has to face the Yankees in Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. Harvey plus Gallo and Rizzo plus short porch equals no thank you please. I don't care how long his scoreless streak has lasted. I suppose he's at least made himself a streaming option though, and is worth stashing for the schedule goes his way again. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Taylor Hearn, Rangers: The 26-year-old is slooooowly getting stretched out in the Texas rotation and worked his way up to 3.2 innings Saturday, which has him poised to last long enough to qualify for a win (and become worth looking at). Hearn has a 0.57 ERA through 15.2 innings in July, although that figure is a bit of a mirage as he got tagged with three unearned runs as well, but the Rangers have to real reason to keep a veteran scrub like Mike Foltynewicz in the rotation ahead of him now that the trade deadline has come and gone. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Spencer Howard, Rangers: The guy who might bump Hearn aside is Howard, though. The big prize from the Phillies in the Kyle Gibson/Ian Kennedy deal, he was in much the same boat Jesus Luzardo was in with the A's -- a once highly regarded prospect who didn't click as quickly as his organization hoped (in large part due to injuries) and became expendable. Howard's moments of success in the minors have been short but dazzling, and he managed only a 5.81 ERA in 52.2 innings for Philadelphia. That sample is way too small to write him off given his upside, and it wouldn't be a huge shock if he out-pitched Gibson over the final two months of 2021. He's dealing with a blister problem at the moment, so it's not clear when he'll make his Texas debut, but that could create a window to grab him as a cheap upside flier. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Griffin Jax, Twins: Jax made his third start of the year Friday against the Cards and it was his best one yet, as he allowed only one run over five innings. The right-hander posted solid numbers at Triple-A this season and might be the leading candidate among the borderline arms I mentioned earlier to lock down a rotation spot with the Twins over the final two months, but his upside remains questionable. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Daulton Jefferies, Athletics: The 25-year-old will get the nod Sunday in place of James Kaprielian, the guy who leapfrogged him on the depth chart earlier this season. Jefferies has struggled with the long ball at Triple-A Las Vegas this year, but he's not the first talented pitcher who can say that, and he has the talent to produce solid numbers if he gets a chance to stick in the majors. Kaprielian isn't expected to be out long though, so this could be a one-and-done for Jefferies, making him little more than a keeper stash. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Daniel Lynch, Royals: The young lefty was awful in May but outstanding in July after his latest promotion, posting a 1.93 ERA over 14 innings in two starts, one of which came against the Blue Jays. Lynch's scouting profile depends on who you talk to -- old-school types love his raw stuff, modern analysts aren't impressed with the lack of spin on his fastball -- but the upside is there if things are beginning to click for him. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Bailey Ober, Twins: Minnesota's trades created some rotation opportunities for other pitchers, but they also probably cemented Ober into a spot. The 26-year-old hasn't been allowed to pitch much more than about five innings in a start yet, but he posted a passable 3.97 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 25:8 K:BB through 22.2 innings in July and might have a longer leash now than the Twins are fully in rebuild mode. He doesn't have a tremendous prospect pedigree, but a strikeout in hand is worth two in the bush leagues, as probably nobody but me said before now. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Cal Quantrill, Cleveland: Don't look now, but that Cleveland pitching magic might be doing its thing again. Quantrill has delivered a quality start in three of his last four outings and has lasted at least five innings in all five of his July trips to the mound, posting a 2.86 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over that stretch. His 16:9 K:BB over 28.1 innings takes some of the air out of his balloon, but Zach Plesac didn't have a great K-rate in 2019 either before seeing it spike last season. (And then collapse again this year, but we're not talking about him right now.) There could be hope for Quantrill yet. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

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

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

Jordan Lyles, Rangers (vs. LAA, at OAK)

Eli Morgan, Cleveland (at TOR, vs DET)

Wily Peralta, Tigers (vs. BOS, at CLE)

Garrett Richards, Red Sox (at DET, at TOR)

Michael Wacha, Rays (vs. SEA, at BAL)

Relief Pitcher

Jorge Alcala / Alex Colome / Tyler Duffey / Caleb Thielbar, Twins: With Hansel Robles sent packing and Tayler Rogers potentially done for the year, the closer job is suddenly wide open for the Twins. Duffey has been the most reliable reliever of this bunch of the last few years, but his strikeout rate has cratered in 2021. Alcala has arguably the best pure stuff, averaging 97.4 mph with his fastball, but the 26-year-old still doesn't have full command of it. Thielbar is the top lefty if the team goes full committee, while Colome's experience in the ninth inning didn't count for much when he staggered out of April with an 8.31 ERA, although he's been marginally better since (3.72 ERA in July). If I had to pick one I'd lean towards Colome, if only because he has an option for 2022 the team might want to try and get out of by trading him in the offseason, but it's fairly wide open. Alcala - 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1 / Colome - 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4 / Duffey - 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2 / Thielbar - 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

JT Chargois / Andrew Kittredge / Chris Mazza / Drew Rasmussen / Jeffrey Springs / Matt Wisler, Rays: Look, if you want to throw FAAB bucks at random names in the Rays bullpen, knock yourself out, but even the "obvious" candidates for saves are mostly on the IL right now. All - 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jharel Cotton / Demarcus Evans / Brett Martin / Spencer Patton / Josh Sborz, Rangers: This situation is much like the one in Tampa Bay, except there are no obvious closing candidates, injured or otherwise. Cotton was once a somewhat interesting starting prospect who's making a comeback from a boatload of injuries, and his changeup could still be an effective weapon in relief. Evans is a bargain bin Josh James, a spin-rate darling with control issues. Martin is the only southpaw in the bullpen right now, so he could get save chances by default. Patton is a 33-year-old with a good strikeout rate, but he blew his first save opportunity in fairly spectacular fashion Saturday. Sborz also gets whiffs and has looked good at times this season, but he has a 5.87 ERA since the beginning of June. I won't even make a guess here. All - 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Yimi Garcia, Astros: The former Marlins closer now finds himself part of the setup crew for Ryan Pressly in Houston. Even if something were to happen to Pressly, Kendall Graveman might get first crack at replacing him in the ninth, but Garcia should at least be a solid source of holds down the stretch. 12-team Mixed: Rostered; 15-team Mixed: Rostered; 12-team AL: $1

Brad Hand, Blue Jays: The former Nationals closer was in a deep funk and was potentially in danger of losing his spot in the ninth inning anyway, but in Toronto he appears to be firmly behind Jordan Romano in the pecking order (Hand worked the eighth in his Jays debut Friday and gave up an unearned run, in part because he didn't cover home plate on Bo Bichette's throwing error. Way to make a good first impression, my man.) Romano's hardly a lock, and manager Charlie Montoyo has been creative with his high-leverage choices, but Hand will probably need to put together a string of good outings to be a serious saves candidate. 12-team Mixed: Rostered; 15-team Mixed: Rostered; 12-team AL: $3

Craig Kimbrel, White Sox: Of the three AL teams that added serious bullpen firepower at the deadline, none made out better than the White Sox. How he fits next to/ahead of Liam Hendriks isn't entirely clear yet, but at worst Kimbrel figures to be the 1A option for saves given his utter dominance this season. More importantly, if you were keeping your powder dry to add saves based on what happened at the deadline, he's by far your best bet right now. 12-team Mixed: Rostered; 15-team Mixed: Rostered; 12-team AL: $75

Joakim Soria, Blue Jays: Soria also joins the Jays' setup crew, coming over from Arizona. He's a battle-tested veteran arm, but he's probably only a marginal upgrade on Rafael Dolis, much less a threat to Romano's spot in the ninth. 12-team Mixed: Rostered; 15-team Mixed: Rostered; 12-team AL: $1 

Ryan Tepera, White Sox: Tepera beat Kimbrel to the South Side by a couple days, and his role shouldn't change with his new squad. Holds, Ks and ratio stability are what he'll contribute. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Catcher

Yan Gomes, Athletics:The 34-year-old gives the A's some veteran support for Sean Murphy. Gomes is having one of those mid-30s offensive upticks catchers have been known to have, slashing .275/.322/.459 with 13 homers in 93 games since the beginning of 2020, but his playing time will take a hit in Oakland. 12-team Mixed: Rostered; 15-team Mixed: Rostered; 12-team AL: $2

First Base

Ji-Man Choi, Rays: When the Rays picked up Nelson Cruz, they slotted him in third in the order and put Choi in the two hole. By a remarkable coincidence, Choi immediately went on a power binge, almost like he was suddenly seeing a lot of hittable pitches with a Hall of Fame bat looming in the on-deck circle. He's slashing .310/.375/.793 with four homers in seven games since gaining Cruz as a teammate, and while that level of performance is a bit over his head, Choi could easily stay very productive down the stretch. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Rostered

Anthony Rizzo, Yankees: Rizzo's already hit two homers in two games since being acquired by the Bronx Bombers (renewed emphasis on the 'Bombers' part), and he hasn't even played a home game at Yankee Stadium yet. It's not like you were going to get him cheap anyway though. 12-team Mixed: Rostered; 15-team Mixed: Rostered; 12-team AL: $75

Second Base

Jonathan Arauz, Red Sox: With Michael Chavis in Pittsburgh and Christian Arroyo and Marwin Gonzalez still on the shelf, Arauz has a window for consistent at-bats in one of Boston's utility slots. The 22-year-old has gone 4-for-14 in his limited big-league opportunities this year, but he doesn't offer a lot of power or speed, at least not at this stage of his career. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Aledmys Diaz, Astros: Diaz takes over from Abraham Toro as the fill-in at the hot corner for Houston while Alex Bregman is recuperating. He's hit the ground running since returning from his own IL stint, reeling off four straight multi-hit performances with at least one RBI and going yard three times in the last two games, but the 31-year-old will cool down eventually. He's worth a gamble on that happened a week or two from now though, rather than immediately. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Josh Harrison, Athletics: Harrison was the latest veteran utility player to have a career renaissance with the Nats, but they cashed in on this one at the deadline. He's hit safely in 12 of 13 games since the All-Star break, slashing a blistering .412/.464/.745 over that stretch, and with Jed Lowrie managing only a .234/.283/.319 line over that same period it may not be long before it's Lowrie who's the utility guy and Harrison the starter at the keystone. Don't bank on everyday at-bats here, but it is a definite possibility. 12-team Mixed: Rostered; 15-team Mixed: Rostered; 12-team AL: $15

Third Base

Jose Miranda, Twins: Minnesota couldn't find a taker for Josh Donaldson's contract at the deadline, but that doesn't mean the team won't bring up Miranda sooner rather than later. For one thing, he has little left to prove at Triple-A, ripping off a 1.063 OPS in 29 games with nine homers and a 13:23 BB:K. For another, Donaldson has trouble staying healthy, and a transition to DH (which is no longer the domain of Nelson Cruz) could be best for everyone. Miranda's purely a stash that might not pay off, but if you miss out on the two big sticks that came over from the NL, he might be your best chance at landing an impact bat for the stretch run. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Abraham Toro, Mariners: While the M's got a lot of flak for dealing their closer while in a playoff race, Toro is doing his best to make the front office look smart for flipping Graveman when they had the chance. The 24-year-old has hit safely in all four games since joining Seattle, going 6-for-14 with two homers and a double. His three starts have come at second base, not third, and the pending extra position flex is a nice little bonus for his fantasy value, but whether he's worth a roster spot will still come down to whether he can replicate even a portion of his minor-league success at the plate -- in a season's worth of PAs at Double-A he's slashed .282/.369/.468, adding a ridiculous .392/.497/.600 line in 33 games at Triple-A. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Shortstop

Andres Gimenez, Cleveland: Bad luck with Cleveland's schedule prevented Gimenez from getting promoted when Cesar Hernandez got dealt -- he's trying to establish permanent residency in the U.S., which means he can't leave the country, but the team has a road trip to Toronto this week, which would have been a road trip to Buffalo if the Jays hadn't finally been cleared to play north of the border again just this week. Ah well. Owen Miller got the call instead and took advantage with his first career homer Saturday, but I think Gimenez will be the guy at second base once Cleveland is safely back across the border, especially given his .382/.475/.588 tear at Triple-A over his last nine games. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Outfield

Starling Marte, Athletics: The AL's cumulative haul of players who switched leagues at the trade deadline really breaks down quite nicely. If you need saves, you go after Kimbrel. If you need power, you go after Rizzo (or wait for Kyle Schwarber to get healthy). And if you need speed, you go after Marte. (And if you needed starting pitching, you're SOL). The 32-year-old is still a big threat on the basepaths, swiping 22 bags in 25 attempts for Miami before succeeding on his first attempt in an Oakland uniform Thursday, and his .298/.399/.437 slash line with seven homers, 25 RBI and 53 runs through 67 games on the season offers a little something for everyone in just about every format. 12-team Mixed: Rostered; 15-team Mixed: Rostered; 12-team AL: $75

Chas McCormick, Astros: With Myles Straw somewhat surprisingly shipped to Cleveland, McCormick suddenly looks like the Astros' top option in center field. A 21st-round pick in 2017, he's been a big overachiever, but a .250/.317/.417 slash line with one homer in 15 games through July doesn't exactly scream big-league starter. He did have that power surge in June, but I'm not sure lightning's going to strike twice. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Jake Meyers, Astros: Straw may not have been dealt to clear the way for McCormick, though. Meyers got called up to take Straw's roster spot after a dynamite .343/.408/.598 showing through 68 games in his first crack at Triple-A with 16 homers and 10 steals. He's no more heralded than his competition as a 13th-round pick in the same draft as McCormick, and Meyers could just as easily be a future fourth outfielder, but he might also be a late bloomer at 25. Of the two, Meyers looks far more like the upside play to me. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Edward Olivares, Royals: Third... err, fifth time's the charm? Olivares has bounced between Kansas City and Triple-A Omaha all year, but with Jorge Soler gone, this might finally be his chance to stick around. It's not like the 25-year-old has played particularly badly for the Royals, and Triple-A pitchers will definitely be glad to get rid of him. Olivares offers some power and speed, with perhaps more of the latter, and while he might not end up being anything more than the next Paulo Orlando, there is some upside here. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Brent Rooker, Twins: Rooker has quickly made it clear he has no intention of going back to the minors, hitting .281 in eight games since his latest promotion with three homers. The power isn't a big surprise, but the batting average is at the high end of what you can probably expect from him. The Twins have nothing to lose by seeing if he can keep it up, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Designated Hitter

Miguel Cabrera, Tigers: Miggy's on another heater, hitting safely in seven straight games coming into Sunday and slashing .300/.333/.540 with three homers and 15 RBI since the All-Star break. A bunch of career milestones are on the verge of falling -- Cabrera is three homers shy of 500, 10 doubles short of 600, and only nine runs away from 1,500 -- so Detroit will keep giving him playing time as long as he's healthy. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered