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

Daniel Lynch, Royals: Since being lit up by the Red on June 14, Lynch has been stingy, posting a 2.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over his last three starts, including outings against the Rays and Dodgers. The lefty only has an 8:6 K:BB through 18 innings over that stretch, so both his upside and his ability to keep up this level of performance are questionable, but a road start in Cleveland before the break isn't daunting. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Matt Manning, Tigers: Detroit's getting a wave of pitchers back from the injured list, and Manning was the first to rejoin the staff as he came one out short of a quality start Tuesday against the Rangers. He's never been able to regain the promise he showed in the minors before the pandemic, but if the 25-year-old can stay healthy he could settle in as a solid mid-rotation arm, not unlike current teammate and prime trade candidate Michael Lorenzen. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Kyle Muller, Athletics: Muller got called back up this week and provided five adequate innings against the White Sox on Saturday, which is about where you should keep your expectations. The southpaw's been homer-prone in the majors, serving up 10 long balls in 52 innings this season, but if you're looking for a sliver of optimism here, he did allow only one homer in 25 innings in the PCL in June, which is no mean feat. Of course, he still had a 5.40 ERA on the month, but PCL parks gonna PCL park. Muller's got some strikeout potential if he can figure things out, but he doesn't have much fantasy appeal until he does. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Cal Quantrill, Guardians: Quantrill's return from the IL bumped Logan Allen back to Triple-A, also Allen's inability to go deep into his starts didn't give Cleveland much choice but to replace him. Quantrill did little to show he deserves his spot when he made his first big-league start in a month Friday, getting tagged for six runs in 3.1 innings by the Cubs. He's not as bad as his 6.18 ERA on the year suggests, but even at his best he's little more than staff filler in most formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Tarik Skubal, Tigers: The lefty is set to make his season debut Tuesday, setting Skubal up for a two-start week before the All-Star break that features home outings against the woeful A's and inconsistent Blue Jays. He's been fantastic on his rehab assignment, racking up a 1.23 ERA and 20:3 K:BB across 14.2 innings at various levels, and he got stretched out to 68 pitches Wednesday for Triple-A Toledo. Skubal stands a good chance of hitting the ground running, despite the fact he last pitched in the majors Aug. 1 of last year, and his strikeout upside gives him some appeal even in shallow formats. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

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

Austin Cox, Royals (at MIN, at CLE)

Relief Pitcher

Shawn Armstrong, Rays: The journeyman right-hander has never been able to turn his minor-league success into consistent major-league performance, but leave it to the Rays to figure out how to make the 32-year-old useful. Since joining the bullpen in early June, Armstrong has a 1.20 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 15:4 K:BB through 15 innings. Now, those haven't been high-leverage innings – he doesn't even have a hold in 11 appearances, much less a save – but with Tampa scrambling to find reliable relief arms, Armstrong might work his way into the setup crew soon enough. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Cody Bradford, Rangers: Bradford's big-league debut May 15 went poorly, but in retrospect maybe facing Atlanta wasn't an ideal spot. The 25-year-old southpaw's looked better since being called back up in mid-June, and he's spotted in and out of the rotation when Texas has needed a sixth starter. Glenn Otto's now back to complete for that role, but with Martin Perez reverting to form there could be enough innings for both to have value as swingmen. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Joe Kelly, White Sox: The vultures are circling the White Sox's roster as the team lays flattened on the highway, and bullpen arms like Kendall Graveman and Liam Hendriks (once he's healthy again) could be prime candidates to get shipped out. Kelly's never been able to escape the setup man label and has only seven career saves, but he can strike guys out and there is a path for him to be the last man standing for ninth-inning duties in the second half. You could do worse as a potential saves stash. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Glenn Otto, Rangers: The right-hander was sharp on his rehab assignment, posting a 14:1 K:BB over 10 innings and three appearances, and Otto delivered a scoreless inning Friday in his return to the staff. Like Bradford above, he's likely stuck in a long relief/swingman role for now, but Texas has shown a willingness to spot in a sixth starter when the regular guys need an extra day's rest. Otto has a bit of upside and could have deep-league value after the break. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Trevor Richards, Blue Jays: Alek Manoah's collapse has left the Jays scrambling to fill the fifth spot in their rotation, but Richards has been a godsend over the last few weeks as an opener, or rather as the front end of a tandem arrangement with a rotating cast of partners. He's worked more than one inning in five of his last six appearances, lasting three frames in three of them, and since the beginning of June he's posted a 3.38 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 22:5 K:BB through 16 IP. The strikeouts and ratios give him some deep-league value, but he'd need to start being the second guy out of the bullpen and potentially grab some wins to be on the mixed-league radar. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Catcher

Freddy Fermin, Royals: Fermin isn't going to shove Salvador Perez aside, but the more he produces when he's given the chance, the more Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro will be willing to rest the 33-year-old Perez. Since June 14, Fermin's gone 12-for-29 (.414) with three doubles, a homer and 10 RBI, and the power seems legit – over the last two seasons he's slugged 20 home runs in just 101 games for Triple-A Omaha. Should something happen to Perez, Fermin becomes a must-add. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Tom Murphy, Mariners: The 32-year-old's also been taking advantage of his recent opportunities, collecting six hits in his last three starts and batting .360 (9-for-25) in June with two doubles and three homers. Murphy's 18 home runs in 76 games back in 2019 may not be that big an outlier after all, and while Cal Raleigh is entrenched as the starter behind the plate, his veteran backup has value too. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Carlos Perez, White Sox: Yasmani Grandal's another White Stocking who could get dealt before the deadline, and the 26-year-old Perez (not to be confused with the 32-year-old Oakland backup catcher) would inherit a significant role if that happens. Chicago's Perez only has 24 ABs in the majors so far, but he's slugged 32 homers in 168 games at Triple-A since the start of 2022. If you have room to stash a catching lottery ticket on your bench, especially in deep keeper or dynasty formats, he's an intriguing target. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Second Base

Jordan Diaz, Athletics: Back for his second kick at the can in the majors this year, Diaz was batting .348 (16-for-46) over his last 10 games for Triple-A Las Vegas to earn another promotion. The A's have absolutely nothing to lose by just leaving the 22-year-old at the keystone and letting him sink or swim, but heaven forbid veteran utility guys like Tony Kemp and Jace Peterson don't play every day. The team might fall off its 44-win pace. Diaz's hit tool remains his best asset, but he has flashed a bit of power in the minors too. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Andy Ibanez, Tigers: Ibanez just keeps raking, and since becoming a regular member of the starting nine in mid-June he's slashing .324/.361/.574 over his last 18 games with five doubles and four homers. The 30-year-old has very useful multi-position eligibility in most formats (2B/3B/OF) and, as long as he keeps producing, is an ideal bench guy when you want to stock up on extra pitching options. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $5

Third Base

Jose Miranda, Twins: With Royce Lewis headed back to the IL – "just" an oblique issue this time – Miranda will get called up Sunday and plugged right back into the lineup at third base. The 25-year-old had a solid June at Triple-A, slashing .287/.362/.436, and while he's not a lock to break out, he doesn't have strong competition for playing time at the hot corner as Willi Castro has cooled off completely (.231/.298/.269 over his last 20 games) and Kyle Farmer's coming off a .211/.274/.333 June. Miranda is the Twins' best offensive option, and offense is what the team needs. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Zach Remillard, White Sox: The 29-year-old has muscled his way into the picture at second base by hitting .382 (13-for-34) in his first 13 big-league games with six RBI and a couple steals. Remillard's track record at Triple-A is spotty at best, but if he continues to get playing time he could contribute in steals even if his batting average tumbles. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Shortstop

J.P. Crawford, Mariners: Since missing a few games in late June with a shoulder issue, Crawford's been dialed in at the plate, batting .308 (8-for-26) over his last seven games with three homers and a 7:5 BB:K – not bad for a 28-year-old who's never reached double-digit home runs in a big-league season. There's no telling how long the hot streak will last, but Crawford's always had his believers who thought every year would be the year he would finally break out as a hitter. Maybe this is the year they're finally right? Stacast might be on the bandwagon this time too – he's got a career-high 89.8 mph exit velocity and 38.9 percent hard-hit rate this season, and his 13.2 degree launch angle is his highest since 2018. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Jordan Westburg, Orioles: The 24-year-old shortstop has split his time between second base and third base since his promotion, but at least it's not because the O's have stuck by Jorge Mateo – Gunnar Henderson has started three straight games at short, so Westburg is sliding into Henderson's prior super-utility role. At least it's a plan. Westburg's looked good at the plate, going 5-for-16 (.313) to begin his big-league career, and it's only a matter of time before he collects his first homer and steal. If you need help in the middle infield, there's no reason to hold back on your bidding. 12-team Mixed: $17; 15-team Mixed: $31; 12-team AL: $51

Outfield

Oscar Colas, White Sox: The White Sox are one of the most interesting potential sellers at the trade deadline, if only because of the players who could begin to get reps in the wake of any deals. Gavin Sheets and Jake Burger don't look much like reliable everyday options, while Colas flipped the switch at the beginning of June, slashing .290/.347/.591 over his last 23 games at Triple-A with eight homers and a palatable 20.8 percent strikeout rate. It's only a matter of time before the 24-year-old gets another shot at the majors, so stashing him now could pay big dividends in the second half. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Kyle Isbel, Royals: Isbel returned to center field duties last week but8 unfortunately also returned to his prior futility at the plate, going 0-for-10 since coming off the IL. The 26-year-old has some power-speed upside, but he's increasingly looking like a fourth outfielder at best in the majors. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Max Kepler, Twins: It's kind of incredible that Kepler remains an everyday player for the Twins despite his .219/.308/.396 slash line since the beginning of 2020, but the organization just can't seem to quit him. The 30-year-old is having one of his occasional hot streaks, batting .303 (10-for-33) over his last 11 games with four homers, and if Minnesota's front office was smart it would flip him right now for whatever it could get, but in the meantime he might help you plug a roster hole until he inevitably goes ice cold again. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Rostered