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

Jaime Barria, Angels: Barria has reeled off three straight quality starts since returning to the rotation after the All-Star break, posting a 2.29 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 19.2 innings, albeit with a mediocre 12:5 K:BB. He's still only 25 and has carried some perceived upside ever since making his big-league debut in 2018, but the strikeouts have never really been there, which limits him to a mid-rotation slot at best. Still, if he's figured things out, he could be useful over the final weeks. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Dylan Bundy, Angels: The 28-year-old is making a push to rejoin the rotation, blanking the Rangers over 6.1 innings Thursday. Bundy had a solid start to the season with a 4.00 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 10.0 K/9 through his first six starts before falling apart, so if he can regain that form he could provide some value down the stretch. The downside risk is significant though -- his ERA in his next seven starts after that hot stretch was 10.21. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Luis Gil, Yankees: Gil shut out the O's over six innings in his big-league debut Tuesday, and he'll get called back up for another go Sunday against the M's. The 23-year-old is a solid prospect but was struggling at Triple-A (37:23 K:BB through 29.1 innings) prior to his initial promotion, so take that debut with a grain of salt. With Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery, Luis Severino and maybe even Clarke Schmidt all closing in on returns from various injuries and ailments, it's hard to see Gil sticking around long until he gives the Yankees no choice in the matter. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Carlos Hernandez, Royals: Since the beginning of July, Hernandez has quietly put together a 3.63 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 25:9 K:BB through 22.1 innings as he gets stretched out in the Kansas City rotation. The young right-hander has lasted at least five innings in each of his last two outings, winning both and producing his first career quality start, and the Royals have nothing to lose by letting him sink or swim through September. His lack of a minor-league resume (his 26.1 innings at Triple-A this season is his only action above Low-A) kept him from becoming an elite prospect prior to his debut, but the stuff is there for him to become a real asset -- imagine German Marquez with an extra couple mph on his power sinker, and you have an idea of Hernandez's ceiling. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Spencer Howard, Rangers: Howard's Texas debut was disappointing, as he lasted only 2.2 innings and gave up three runs. He still has significant upside, but it looks like his issues while with the Phillies followed him south. He's a better keeper or dynasty stash than a redraft option right now. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Daulton Jefferies, Athletics: Jefferies made his second career last Sunday and was decent, allowing three runs in five innings, and he could stick in the rotation if James Kaprielian's shoulder remains balky. Jefferies has some upside, but without an injury there's no room for him on the Oakland staff. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Eli Morgan, Cleveland: Cal Quantrill seems to have already broken through, but Morgan could be hot on his heels as the next useful product to emerge from Cleveland's right-handed pitching factory. The 25-year-old has tossed back-to-back quality starts with a 12:2 K:BB, and since the beginning of July he has a 4.18 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 26:5 K:BB through 28 innings. The team doesn't have better healthy rotation options, so Morgan's spot seems pretty secure, even if he doesn't have front-line stuff. 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)

Kolby Allard, Rangers (at SEA, vs. OAK)

Charlie Barnes, Twins (vs. CHW, vs. TB)

Matt Harvey, Orioles (vs. DET, at BOS)

Jose Suarez, Angels (at TOR, vs. HOU)

Relief Pitcher

Joe Barlow, Rangers: The 25-year-old rookie has emerged as the Rangers' best reliever, setting a new franchise record with eight straight strikeouts across five appearances (Nolan Ryan only even fanned seven straight for Texas) en route to a 0.77 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 17:5 K:BB through his first 11.2 big-league innings. That dominance may not result in saves, though -- he does have three holds, but right now Spencer Patton is getting a look in the closer role, and Barlow might see flexible high-leverage usage instead. If he maintains those numbers though, he'll have value no matter how he's deployed, and Patton's been very iffy in the ninth so far. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Jake Brentz, Royals: Brentz became the seventh Royals pitcher to record a save this season when he worked a perfect ninth against the White Sox on Thursday. The 26-year-old seems to be the club's top left-handed option out of the bullpen, which does give him a path to a few more chances down the stretch, but the team just has too many alternatives to see him becoming a consistent saves source. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Zack Britton / Chad Green / Jonathan Loaisiga, Yankees: Aroldis Chapman's sore elbow has landed him on the IL, and thrown open the closer job for the Yankees. Loaisiga, who got his fourth save of the season Saturday, appears to be the top option, but Green or Britton could also get looks, particularly if Loaisiga is unavailable. Chapman also isn't expected to miss a lot of time, so picking up any of these guys is purely a short-term saves play, although Loaisiga might end up seeing save chances straight through September if the club babies Chapman ahead of a potential postseason run. Loaisiga -- 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered / Britton -- 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1 / Green -- 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Adam Cimber, Blue Jays: With Jordan Romano scuffling, one of the Jays' trade pickups has started getting work in the ninth inning. No, it's not Brad Hand, nor even Joakim Soria. Instead it was Cimber, the 30-year-old sidewinding righty, who collected his second career save Thursday, and against his former Cleveland club too. He then took the loss in extra innings Saturday against the Red Sox, but the phantom runner always makes that a dicey situation for relievers. Cimber has only given up one earned run in 15 innings with Toronto (but somehow doesn't have a hold), and manager Charlie Montoyo has shown in the past he isn't afraid to stick with what's working at the back of his bullpen regardless of the name on the jersey. The closer job is still Romano's for now, but if he can't turn things around, Cimber seems to be next in line. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Alex Colome, Twins: As I vaguely suggested last week ('predicted' would be far too strong a word for what I wrote), Colome has taken over the closer job for Minnesota, collecting saves in two of three August appearances. The veteran righty has a 3.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 10:4 K:BB through 12 innings since the beginning of July, and he came into 2021 with double-digit saves in five straight seasons. He needs six more to make it six straight, and I wouldn't out it past him. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Clay Holmes, Yankees: Holmes has been a godsend in middle relief for the Yankees since being picked up from the Pirates, posting a 1.23 ERA, 0.41 WHIP and 7:0 K:BB in 7.1 innings with two holds. His numbers in Pittsburgh, either earlier this season or over his career, were nothing close to that, but with Chapman out and roles being shuffled around, he could be a useful source of more holds in the short term. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Spencer Patton, Rangers: The 33-year-old is somewhat inexplicably getting first crack at replacing Ian Kennedy as the Texas closer despite no pedigree and not particularly top-notch stuff. Patton has blown one of his two save chances so far, and he's likely on a short leash, but opportunity is always the biggest driver of value when it comes to late-inning relievers. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Ryan Sherriff / Matt Wisler, Rays: It would be going too far to call it 'clarity', but since Diego Castillo was sent packing Wisler and Sherriff have gotten saves for Tampa, and they could be the righty-lefty combo manager Kevin Cash deploys in the ninth until guys like Nick Anderson get healthy. Or neither one could see another save chance the rest of the season. It's your FAAB budget. Sherriff / Wisler -- 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Catcher

Rob Brantly, Yankees: While Gary Sanchez is on the COVID list, Brantly will provide depth behind the plate alongside Kyle Higashioka. Higashioka's .688 OPS does open the door for some playing time for Brantly, but the 32-year-old's career .612 OPS will probably close it again quickly enough. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jonah Heim, Rangers: Heim has emerged as the starting backstop for the Rangers, starting five of seven games in August and getting the nod every time a right-hander is on the mound for the opposition. The 26-year-old's power surge last weekend (four homers in three games) can't be ignored, but he's gone 0-for-16 with eight strikeouts over his last four games, so don't view Heim as anything more than a low-BA option with occasional pop. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Wilson Ramos, Cleveland: The veteran catcher got called up after Roberto Perez hit the IL and promptly went 3-for-4 with a solo homer in his Cleveland debut. If the team prioritizes defense, Austin Hedges should get most of the work while Perez is on the shelf, but Ramos was an asset with his bat as recently as 2019, and in an 81-game sample since he still slugged 12 homers despite a .229/.277/.406 slash line. It wouldn't be a shock if he got hot and claimed a significant role down the stretch. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

First Base

Taylor Jones, Astros: With Yuli Gurriel and Alex Bregman both banged up, Jones should get his longest look yet at first base. The 27-year-old has done little with his 92 career plate appearances so far, but in over 800 PAs at Triple-A he's posted a .280/.372/.483 slash line with 32 homers. We've seen before that it sometimes takes Houston minor-league sluggers a while to figure things out (Abraham Toro waves from Seattle), so don't dismiss Jones' upside. Until he starts showing something in the majors though, he's just a dart throw. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Second Base

Marwin Gonzalez, Red Sox: Gonzalez missed about a month of action with a hamstring injury before returning to his utility role this week, going 2-for-14 while starting four of six games. The veteran doesn't have the power he once did, but his position flex is still useful in deep formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Yonny Hernandez, Rangers: The 23-year-old got called up for an audition and has gone 3-for-9 with two walks and zero strikeouts in his first three big-league games. Hernandez isn't a big-time prospect but does have some speed (22-for-31 on steal attempts at Triple-A this year) and has shown occasional flashes of a decent hit tool and batting eye, so he does have some fantasy appeal in a starting role. Whether he sticks at the keystone or cedes the job back to Andy Ibanez and slips into a utility role remains to be seen, but there's a chance Hernandez becomes the guy people thought Delino DeShields might be. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Andy Ibanez, Rangers: Speaking of Ibanez, in 20 games since the All-Star break he's slashing a respectable .262/.338/.475 with three homers. While he's seen most of his action at second base, the 28-year-old also has seven games each at first and third, and Texas could be viewing him as a possible super-utility guy. As long as he's supplying steady offense, he should keep getting at-bats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Third Base

Jake Lamb, White Sox: Lamb was getting semi-regular playing time when he landed on the IL in late June, but since then Eloy Jimenez has returned, Luis Robert isn't far behind, and real outfielders like Brian Goodwin have been added to the mix. It's hard to see Lamb being anything more than a pinch-hitting option for Tony LaRussa down the stretch. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Emmanuel Rivera, Royals: The 25-year-old made his big-league debut in late June and looked like he might get a chance to lay claim to the third base job after a strong showing at Triple-A, but he got hurt almost immediately and has been out since. Activated from the IL this week, Rivera's gone 2-for-15 with a double and five K's. As long as Hunter Dozier is needed in a corner outfield spot, there should be playing time for Rivera, but he'll need to start hitting to solidify his spot. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jacob Wilson, Astros: Wilson's up to provide some corner infield depth for Houston, and when Taylor Jones and Aledmys Diaz are the starters, that potentially creates a path to some at-bats. The 31-year-old has had a solid career at Triple-A, but the emphasis there is on 'career' -- he's got over 1,400 plate appearances at the level but didn't make his big-league debut until this season, and has already been waived once. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Shortstop

Andres Gimenez, Cleveland: Gimenez got called up Saturday but spent it on the bench, a fine reward for his .380/.436/.520 slash line over his last 12 games at Triple-A. Apparently, he'll have to prove he's a better option than (checks notes) Ernie Clement to win consistent playing time around the infield, but you'd think Cleveland would want to prove they at least didn't lose the Francisco Lindor deal by giving Gimenez lots of ABs. If he does move into a prominent role down the stretch, he could move the needle in steals, but his awful start to his tenure with the team is still pretty fresh. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Richie Martin, Orioles: Martin spent the first four months of the year on the IL, but he got activated Monday and has gone 1-for-9 while starting three games. He never had a high offensive ceiling to begin with and now has a lot of rush to scrape off, but he's Baltimore's best defensive option at shortstop, and that should keep him in the lineup. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jack Mayfield, Angels: Anthony Rendon is officially done for the season, leaving Mayfield as the Angels' likely starting third baseman for the rest of 2021. He's got a five-game hitting streak going coming into Sunday, homering in three of them, and that's continues a power surge that has seen him slash .284/.324/.657 with seven long balls in 21 games since the All-Star break. Mayfield flashed that kind of pop in the minors and now appears locked into playing time, so ignore the 30-year-old's lack of a prospecty sheen and just grab some hopefully cheap production. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Outfield

Jo Adell, Angels: Speaking of shiny new prospects, Adell returned to the majors Monday and went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, three RBI and a steal in his 2021 debut. The 22-year-old has nothing left to prove at Triple-A after slashing .353/.400/.647 with seven homers and five steals over his final (?) 25 games for Salt Lake with a palatable 24.5 percent strikeout rate, and he should be a regular part of the Angels' Mike Trout-less outfield for however long the superstar remains sidelined, and probably even after that. Despite his struggles in his first look at the big leagues last year, Adell's overall fantasy ceiling is still higher than Brandon Marsh's with his production skewing more towards power than speed, and if you got shut out of the bidding at the trade deadline last week he's far more than just a consolation prize. 12-team Mixed: $25; 15-team Mixed: $35; 12-team AL: $55

Seth Brown, Athletics: Ramon Laureano getting popped for PEDs re-opens a hole in the Oakland outfield that Starling Marte was supposed to fill. That allowed Brown to return to the majors, and he should see some platoon action against righties as the A's mix and match around Marte and Mark Canha. Brown's a batting average risk but does have some power, if that's a profile that fits your needs for the stretch run. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Corey Dickerson, Blue Jays: The veteran outfielder was on the IL when he was traded to Toronto back in July, but he got activated Tuesday and has seen perhaps more playing time than some might have expected this week, going 4-for-15 with two doubles and zero strikeouts. Dickerson is the Jays' lone lefty in the outfield mix, which should ensure he's in the lineup against most RHP while one of the other sluggers gets a breather. In this monster lineup, a guy with modest power but good contact skills can pile up a lot of value in counting stats, and Dickerson could wind up being a lesser version of Michael Brantley if he pushes his average into the .300 range again -- something he's done in four seasons prior. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $13

Jordan Luplow, Rays: The 27-year-old was called up for his Tampa debut this weekend after Randy Arozarena landed on the COVID list. Luplow will be a short-side platoon option for the Rays, which plays right into his strengths as a hitter (1.001 OPS since 2019 against LHP), but it won't afford him much playing time, and his stay on the roster could be a brief one. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jorge Mateo, Orioles: Mateo is now on his fourth organization since 2017, a testament both to his athletic potential and his failure to capitalize on it. He'll get his best chance yet in Baltimore to prove he deserves a regular spot in a big-league lineup, but it increasingly looks like his ceiling might be as a utility player who has that one big steals season that fools everyone into thinking he's good for years afterward, not unlike... hmm, Delino DeShields. Apparently DeShields is the comp du jour. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

DJ Peters, Rangers: Picked up off waivers from the Dodgers, Peters will get a look in a much more significant role with the Rangers down the stretch. The 25-year-old hasn't really posted big minor-league numbers since High-A due to some big strikeout issues, and a 39.6 percent K-rate through his first 53 PAs in the majors isn't a huge shock. Unfortunately, while he replaces Joey Gallo's whiffs, he doesn't match the rest of the package. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Stephen Piscotty, Athletics: Piscotty could get another chance to carve out regular playing time for Oakland with Laureano out of the picture, but he was an afterthought before the Marte trade too, so swapping one out of the lineup for the other doesn't really improve Piscotty's outlook. The fact that he can't stay healthy and is hitting .171 since the beginning of July when he has managed to get on the field doesn't help, either. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Rob Refsnyder, Twins: The 30-year-old had a nice little run there in May before he got hurt, and with Byron Buxton and Alex Kirilloff still on the shelf, Refsnyder might see semi-consistent work again in August now that he's healthy. He went 3-for-7 with two walks and a double in his first two games back with the Twins, and his career numbers at Triple-A suggest his .902 OPS this season isn't that big of a fluke. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3