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. Julio Rodriguez 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.

Starting Pitcher

Logan Allen, Guardians: I recommended trying to get the jump on Allen in last week's column ahead of his big-league debut, but his price tag probably shot through the roof after he held the Marlins to one run in six innings with eight strikeouts. The 24-year-old southpaw isn't even the top prospect in his own rotation – that honor now belongs to Tanner Bibee, who was a couple days behind him reaching the majors – but Allen's no slouch. The second-round pick in 2020 has been lights out in his second tour of the International League this year, posting a 1.26 ERA and 20:5 K:BB through 14.1 innings for Triple-A Columbus, and his command and extension allow his low-90s fastball, plus change and improved slider/sweeper to play up. If Allen bullies the Red Sox in Fenway this Sunday the way he stifled Miami last weekend, even these aggressive bid recommendations might seen quaint. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $21

Tanner Bibee, Guardians: Just think, Cleveland might have Gavin Williams (0.46 ERA, 26:6 K:BB in 19.2 innings between Double-A and Triple-A so far in 2023) in its rotation in a month or two as well. Good luck, rest of the AL Central. Bibee's debut Wednesday was just as spectacular as Allen's was three days before, as he fanned eight Rockies in 5.2 innings without walking a batter to earn at least one more start in the majors. A fifth-round pick in 2021 out of Cal State Fullerton, Bibee broke out last season and now boasts a mid-90s fastball that touches 99, which he mixes with a slider and changeup that both have the potential to be consistently plus as well as a solid curve. It's a plausible arsenal for an ace, and while the 24-year-old could have some growing pains – he's only thrown 89 innings in the high minors in his pro career – it's hard to imagine someone like Zach Plesac being a real obstacle to Bibee or Allen staying in the rotation if they're performing to their talent level. 12-team Mixed: $7; 15-team Mixed: $15; 12-team AL: $25

Yonny Chirinos, Rays: The 29-year-old righty is doing the bulk reliever thing to plug a rotation hole for the Rays while Taj Bradley adjusts his pitching schedule and Tyler Glasnow gets healthier, so this is purely a temp assignment, but Chirinos got a win Saturday in that role and pitched pretty well over 4.2 innings. Given how Tampa's playing, he might snag another win or two before he gets bumped aside. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Dane Dunning, Rangers: I mean, you didn't really think Jacob deGrom was going to pitch 200 innings this season, did you? The fragile ace has begun his first IL stint for the Rangers with ominous elbow/forearm issues, and Dunning will move into the rotation to fill in for him for now. The right-hander might only get one start if deGrom misses the minimum due to off days, but that seems like a poor bet, and Dunning has been stingy in long relief this year with a 1.77 ERA and 0.84 WHIP over 20.1 innings. That comes with an 11:5 K:BB though, so he's a risky pickup. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Easton McGee, Mariners: I'm always tickled when a guy I've barely even heard of gets promoted to the majors, but then when he actually plays like he belongs, well... I try hard to stay objective with these bids, folks, but the heart wants what it wants, and mine suddenly wants McGee shares. The 25-year-old righty was a fourth-round pick of the Rays way back in 2016, but he didn't make his big-league debut until last year when he became a footnote in the history books as the 61st player to appear in a game for Tampa Bay in 2022, tying the major-league record. McGee apparently got a taste for making history. The Rays made him a 40-man roster casualty in the offseason, and he bounced from the Red Sox to the M's before beginning the season in the rotation for Triple-A Tacoma. Called up to make his first MLB start Saturday, dude goes out and no-hits the Blue Jays – the Blue Jays! -- for 6.2 innings before Matt Chapman went and ruined things. I mean, COME ON. McGee's fastball barely breaks 90 mph and on the surface his repertoire says he's probably a swingman at best in the majors, but Seattle's got little to lose by seeing how long his BABIP magic can last. Well, they could lose a couple games, but they don't exactly have clearly better rotation options right now, so McGee should get a real shot. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Bailey Ober, Twins: Then there's Ober, who absolutely deserves to be in a big-league rotation but needed a couple injuries to get a regular spot in Minnesota's. The 27-year-old righty has plus control and an array of breaking pitches that allow his low-90s fastball to play up, and he's got a 1.59 ERA and 1.06 WHIP through his first two starts for the Twins this season. (It should be noted that those starts came against the Royals and Nationals though, who barely have offenses above Triple-A caliber.) 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Ryan Yarbrough, Royals: Yarbrough is basically the mirror image of Dunning, in the 'one's a lefty and one's a righty' sense not the evil and goateed sense. Yarbrough just got shifted into the rotation for Kansas City and while he hasn't worked more than four innings in an outing yet, he should be stretched out enough to be considered a real boy starter this week. He's got a 7:4 K:BB through 17 innings this season though to go along with his 6.35 ERA, and there's no reason to think significantly better days are ahead. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

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

Zack Greinke, Royals (vs. BAL, vs. OAK)
Michael Lorenzen, Tigers (vs. NYM, at STL)

Relief Pitcher

Yennier Cano, Orioles: Cano is beginning to look like this year's Felix Bautista, as the 29-year-old right-hander has come from out of nowhere to be one of the most dominant relievers in the league. Cano has five holds and a save in his first eight appearances, and incredibly has a 0.00 WHIP – not ERA, WHIP – through his first 9.2 innings with 10 strikeouts. The only thing keeping him from being completely perfect on the season is a hit by pitch Wednesday. Unfortunately for him, he's in the same bullpen as Bautista, so Cano's path to saves and needle-moving fantasy value in most formats is a narrow one. He should still be rostered though, just in case something happens to Bautista. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Kutter Crawford, Red Sox: If there's a theme in this week's column, it's long relievers who are either in the process of moving into the rotation, or who have clear paths to a rotation spot and who you may want to stash now. Crawford's in the latter group. He got two starts early in the season when Boston's rotation was in tatters, but since moving to the bullpen he's posted a 1.17 ERA, 0.46 WHIP and 12:0 K:BB through 15.1 innings. Now Garrett Whitlock has joined James Paxton on the IL and Brayan Bello has looked shaky, so Crawford could be closing in on another chance. The 27-year-old's stuff probably tops out as a back-end starter, but that's enough to make him useful in deep formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jeurys Familia, Athletics: If you really need saves, I guess you kind of have to bid on Familia now that he seems to be Oakland's closer, but I can't stress enough how bad an idea that is if you have any other options. His 6.57 ERA is actually lucky considering his 8:12 K:BB in 12.1 innings. I'll give the last word to Cap on this one. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Jason Foley, Tigers: After I wrote him up in last week's column Foley went out and got another save, so those sorting by 14-day periods and trawling for saves are going to see his name pop, but Alex Lange has been pitching better for the Tigers and seems to be finally locking down the closer job. Foley's pitching well too and has value in deeper formats, but in most leagues he's just a stash in case Lange falls apart. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Michael King, Yankees: Apparently it's going to be a thing this year that every couple of weeks I write up whoever seems the most likely candidate at the time to take the Yankees' closer job from Clay Holmes, only for Holmes to never lose the gig. At least King has value on his own even if he isn't getting consistent saves. The 27-year-old continues to work longer high-leverage stints, throwing more than one inning in all eight of his appearances so far but still posting a 1.72 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 17:3 K:BB through 15.2 innings. His fastball velocity is down from 2022, and he has just one save and one hold, but that's partially because New York is barely above .500. King might never close, but he can still contribute. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Chris Martin, Red Sox: The veteran right-hander is expected to come off the IL on Sunday after dealing with some shoulder soreness, just in time for Kenley Jansen's back to start acting up. Martin has an uncharacteristically poor 2:1 K:BB through seven innings to begin the year, but assuming his shoulder has something to do with that, he could bounce back to something like 2022's 32.9 percent strikeout rate if he's fully healthy. Martin's fantasy value will depend as much on Jansen's health as his own, but he could fall into a save right out of the gate Sunday. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Nate Pearson, Blue Jays: The dream of Pearson becoming an ace is probably dead, but he could still turn into a high-leverage bullpen weapon who pumps triple-digit heat past batters... if he can stay healthy. The 26-year-old righty got called up Monday, worked a scoreless inning Tuesday and hasn't pitched since, so the Jays seem to be babying him for now. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Chase Silseth, Angels: Silseth dominated at Double-A Rocket City last season before making his big-league debut, which didn't go so well. Sent to the blighted pitching landscape of the PCL to begin 2023, the 22-year-old righty dominated again with a 0.90 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 20:8 K:BB through 20 innings over four starts to earn another promotion. The Angels don't seem to think there's room for Silseth right now in their six-man rotation, but they also think Jose Suarez and his 10.26 ERA do belong in the rotation, so what do they know. It's only a matter of time before Silseth gets his shot, and this time he might be ready for it. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

First Base

Jake Bauers, Yankees: Sometimes, baseball just isn't fair. Bauers was once viewed as a prospect, albeit a marginal one, in the Rays system before being traded to Cleveland, but during stints in the majors between 2019-21 he put together a fairly brutal .213/.307/.348 slash line that would have been barely acceptable for a backup catcher, much less a guy in the 1B/LF/DH mix. After making some adjustments with his swing this offseason though, the 27-year-old came out blasting to begin the year at Triple-A, slashing .319/.460/.812 and launching nine homers through 21 games. Called up Saturday to provide some insurance in case Aaron Judge's hip put him on the shelf, Bauers was immediately inserted into the lineup in left field. Before he even made it up to the plate, he injured his knee making a spectacular catch in the corner in the first inning, sliding into the wall to rob Adolis Garcia of extra bases. Initial testing suggests it's just a knee bruise, but any injury could close his window before it even really opens. The Yankees could certainly use yet another surprising contribution from a reclamation project with Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson out, but Bauers may have to wait for the next opportunity to come along. That said, there's enough uncertainly on the roster in general that he could be worth stashing if his injury end up being less serious than anyone else's. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Nick Pratto, Royals: Pratto's probably going to keep bouncing between the majors and Triple-A all year, but with five hits in two games since his latest promotion, he's doing his best to break out of that cycle. He's not going to beat out Vinnie Pasquantino though, and the Royals have plenty of DH options already. With consistent playing time, Pratto could be a low-BA power source, but the 24-year-old might need a trade to reach even that modest ceiling. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Second Base

Zach McKinstry, Tigers: The 28-year-old has fallen into a strong-side platoon role at second base for Detroit, and to his credit McKinstry's making the most of the opportunity, slashing .296/.345/.500 with five doubles, two homers and four steals in 59 plate appearances. His competition for playing time is pretty lackluster too, mainly consisting of fading veteran Jonathan Schoop and the glove-first Zack Short right now. (The real threat is Justyn-Henry Malloy down in Triple-A, as his promotion would bump Nick Maton over to the keystone, but the Tigers haven't really hinted that's imminent.) As long as McKinstry keeping hitting righties he'll have some value in deeper formats, but he's seen all of three plate appearances against LHP pitching, so a full-time role seems unlikely. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Enmanuel Valdez, Red Sox: The 24-year-old rookie has taken advantage of nagging injuries to Christian Arroyo and Enrique Hernandez to get regular work in Boston's middle infield over the last week, going 5-for-16 with two doubles to begin his big-league career. Picked up in the trade with Houston for Christian Vazquez, Valdez doesn't have a lot of prospect shine but did bat .296 with 28 homers in 126 games last year between Double-A and Triple-A, so there is some upside here. Whether the Red Sox realize they're better off taking a look at a youngster like him rather than a retread like Arroyo is another question, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Third Base

Ezequiel Duran, Rangers: One guy who is breaking out of a platoon role is Duran. The 23-year-old has started the last two games at shortstop when righties were on the mound and he's been in the starting nine 10 times in the last 13 while bouncing around the lineup. Josh Smith's .557 OPS has him out of the picture as a Corey Seager replacement, while over his last 14 plate appearances Duran is slashing .395/.439/.632 with three doubles, two homers and two steals. He won't keep up that pace at the plate – he's got a 1:10 BB:K during that stretch – but he doesn't need to in order to secure consistent playing time, and he's got intriguing power-speed potential. With Seager still at least a couple weeks away from his return, Duran could be worth riding while he's hot. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Kevin Smith, Athletics: If strikeout rate for hitters was a fantasy category, Smith would be the most exciting prospect since Joey Gallo. The 26-year-old is getting a look as the starting shortstop for the A's, especially with Aledmys Diaz now banged up, and he's hit a semi-respectable .258 over his last 10 games with a double and two homers. He's also compiled a 1:12 BB:K during that stretch, good for a 37.5 percent K rate. Smith can run into a homer and steal an occasional base, but he can ruin your batting average in the blink of an eye and doesn't draw enough walks to salvage some OBP value either. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Outfield

Robbie Grossman, Rangers: Grossman's flipped the switch. The 33-year-old switch hitter has hit safely in 10 straight games, slashing .371/.425/.600 over that stretch with two doubles, two homers eight RBI and 10 runs. His on-base skills have gotten him looks near the top of the order, and he's carving out a starting role between left field and DH. He could go cold again soon enough, but as a churn-and-burn option you could do a lot worse, especially in OBP formats. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Corey Julks, Astros: The 27-year-old has found himself in a starting role the last couple weeks, and while that's partially due to Chas McCormick's injury, Julks batting .306 (11-for-36) while starting nine of the last 11 games has a little something to do with it too. Once McCormick and Michael Brantley are back, those at-bats could dry up, but Dusty Baker will likely try to find room for Julks somewhere if he keeps producing. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Edward Olivares, Royals: Is this finally the year Olivares becomes a full-time Royal? His merry-go-round career has became something of a joke (at former GM Dayton Moore's expense, not Olivares') as he just never seemed to get a real chance to stick around before being handed his next bus ticket back to Omaha, but the 27-year-old has hit safely in eight straight games and is slashing .291/.341/.494 on the season. Nobody else in KC's corner outfield/DH mix is doing much, either, so they have literally no excuse to deny him regular at-bats in 2023. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Kyle Stowers, Orioles: Stowers got called back up Sunday after spending the last few weeks at Triple-A, where he slashed .291/.423/.582 with five homers in 16 games. The O's couldn't find regular playing time for him to begin the year during his first stint on the roster though, and with everyone in the OF/DH mix healthy at the moment, it's hard to see where Stowers fits this time too. Baltimore's been reluctant to deal any of the young hitting talent it's hoarded, but Stowers seems like a guy who could definitely benefit from a change of scenery. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3