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

Mike Clevinger, White Sox: After missing about six weeks with biceps inflammation, Clevinger was back in the saddle Saturday and looked very good in shutting out Cleveland over five innings. The White Sox's fire sale is already underway, and the 32-year-old right-hander figures to be the next to go if Chicago gets any kind of decent offer for him. That gives him some risk as a pickup in archaic AL-only formats where you can't hang onto players sent to the NL, but a trade to a contender would improve his wins outlook. Just don't expect him to regain his pre-injury form of a few years ago – Clevinger's 9.7 percent swinging strike rate this season is a career low. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Luis Medina, Athletics: The 24-year-old righty has been giving Oakland quality innings lately. Over his last six appearances (five of them starts), Medina has posted a 2.90 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 33:18 K:BB through 31 innings. He's also picked up two wins in that time, somehow. That WHIP points to his volatility, but right now he looks like solid staff filler, and Medina has some upside if he can sharpen his control and command. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Hyun Jin Ryu, Blue Jays: The 36-year-old southpaw is finally set to make his season debut Tuesday, and the Jays figure to go a few turns using a six-man rotation before they start getting off days again and have to make some decisions on who has to go to the bullpen. Ryu pitched pretty well on his rehab stint, including a 10:1 K:BB in 11 Triple-A innings, but it's a little worrying that he also served up three homers during his time with Buffalo. The wild card here is the Toronto offense – it appears to be coming to life, so Ryu could be a good source of wins even if his ratios are more like his 2021 numbers than 2020. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Max Scherzer, Rangers: The first really big name to come over from the NL at this year's trade deadline, Scherzer may not have a whole lot left in the tank at 39 years old, but he does have a solid 3.53 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 61:16 K:BB through 51 innings over his last eight starts. Mad Max will also be re-united with Mike Maddux in Texas, his pitching coach when he won back-to-back Cy Young Awards with the Nationals in 2016-17. If anyone can help find another gear in Scherzer's arm, it's probably Maddux. AL-only GMs who have been keeping their FAB powder dry for the deadline will have a tough choice this weekend – bid big on Scherzer, knowing he probably won't be the ace he used to be, or hope someone better becomes available for bidding next week? 12-team Mixed: Rostered; 15-team Mixed: Rostered; 12-team AL: $35

Noah Syndergaard, Guardians: I have no clue why Cleveland took Syndergaard back in the Amed Rosario trade, but the 30-year-old righty figures to come off the IL and make his Guardians debut Monday after being out since early June due to issues with his finger (blisters and a cracked nail). The injuries themselves weren't serious, but he was pretty terrible this year even before they cropped up. I guess the idea here is just to get some extra depth so the team doesn't have to lean so heavily on its trio of rookie hurlers in Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen down the stretch, but at this stage of his career I have a hard time imagining Syndergaard actually contributing anything more than some very volatile innings. He does fall right into a two-start week at least, at Houston and then at home against the White Sox, so if you're embracing the risk he's at least got the upside to justify it out of the gate. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Touki Toussaint, White Sox: Speaking of volatile innings... Chicago's sell-off has left Toussaint holding down a rotation spot, potentially for the rest of the season, and he does have a decent 3.46 ERA and 1.23 WHIP through 26 innings since the beginning of July despite a mediocre 21:14 K:BB. The 27-year-old has become a big-league vagabond for a reason though, bouncing through four different organizations over the last three years, and his shaky control and command make him a ticking time bomb on fantasy rosters. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jose Urquidy, Astros: Urquidy's kind of been forgotten about in the wake of all the other injuries on the Houston staff, but the right-hander will make his final rehab start Sunday before rejoining the rotation next week. He's been out since late April and had a rough start to 2023, but if he's healthy he should be a solid source of low-K ratios with a decent win potential. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Ryan Yarbrough, Royals: Yarbrough keeps working his way into this column thanks to a 2.55 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over three starts since coming off the IL right before the All-Star break. The southpaw only has a 10:2 K:BB through 17.2 innings during that stretch, so his upside is limited, but he'll be solid staff filler... right up until he isn't. 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)

Zack Greinke, Royals (vs. NYM, at PHI)

Relief Pitcher

Dylan Floro, Twins: Minnesota's once again trying to remake its bullpen on the fly, with Floro now joining the setup crew in front of Jhoan Duran. The right-hander does have 32 saves and 25 holds since 2021, but he also has a 6.10 ERA and 1.94 WHIP since June 24, and that seems a little more relevant to his current value. GMs in holds league might consider picking him up, but he's no threat to Duran's job. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Yimi Garcia / Tim Mayza / Erik Swanson, Blue Jays: Jordan Romano's back trouble has landed him on the IL, leaving the ninth-inning picture in Toronto a little murky. Garcia's been the guy getting saves in Romano's place recently, and the veteran righty has a 1.86 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and sparkling 22:1 K:BB since the beginning of June, so he should be the one to step into the closer role. Swanson, who has had an uneven first season with the Jays, and Mayza, the team's top left-handed reliever, could also be in the mix if manager John Schneider elects to deploy a committee instead. If you want a true long shot in deep formats, Nate Pearson could always begin to put things together too. Garcia – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5 / Mayza – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1 / Swanson – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Chris Murphy, Red Sox: Boston seems to have this whole bulk reliever thing figured out. Nick Pivetta is killing it in that role, but Murphy's been effective too, posting a 1.80 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 26:11 K:BB in 25 innings since making his big-league debut in early June. The 25-year-old lefty picked up his first MLB win last Sunday, but it's not entirely clear how he'll be used one Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck are back in the mix. Pairing him up in a tandem with one of those right-handers might not be the worst idea, and Murphy's win outlook would be solid if he's the second man up rather than the first. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Gregory Santos, White Sox: Chicago's stripping its bullpen down to the studs at the trade deadline, but that metaphor could end up being a little more concrete in Santos' case. The 23-year-old sports a fastball in the high 90s and his control has taken a big step forward this season, giving him the look of a high-leverage option, and while Liam Hendriks still figures to be the closer when he returns, there's no telling when exactly that might happen. Santos got the save Friday following the Kendall Graveman trade, and while in theory Keynan Middleton could be in the mix too, the veteran's far more likely to be the next arm sent packing. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5 

Catcher

Freddy Fermin, Royals: Kansas City's running out of first basemen. Vinnie Pasquantino's done for the year after shoulder surgery, and now Nick Pratto's on the shelf with a groin injury. The team's response since Pratto went down has been to give Salvador Perez and Matt Duffy one start each at first base, but if the idea is to put together the best offensive team, finding ways to get Fermin into the lineup over Duffy should be the priority. The 28-year-old backstop has a .326/.356/.465 slash line in July, and he could start a few times a week if Perez gets deployed at 1B or DH more often. Fermin's got real upside as a hitter too, swatting 15 homers with an .845 OPS last year in 87 games for Triple-A Omaha. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Mitch Garver, Rangers: Jonah Heim's wrist injury is a tough pill for Texas to swallow, and it's possible the team makes a trade for a veteran catcher like Yasmani Grandal to cover for it in case the breakout star does miss the rest of the year. If the Rangers stick with what they have though, Garver's usage should tick up. The 32-year-old hasn't been able to find his power stroke consistently this season, but he does have five homers in 131 plate appearances while slashing .250/.336/.431, and he could heat up with consistent playing time – he's batting .316 (6-for-19) over his last six games. The big question mark with him is his defense, but Sam Huff may not be much of an improvement on that front. If that's the priority, the Rangers will probably have to look outside the organization. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Sam Huff, Rangers: Huff was promoted after Heim got hurt but before he was placed on the IL, and his one start since has come at DH while his one hit was a homer. The all-or-nothing slugger has a career 32.8 percent strikeout rate in the majors so far in his career, but Huff was making some progress at Triple-A Round Rock this season, managing a 24.6 percent K rate while posting a .298/.389/.546 slash line and 14 homers in 54 games. His power upside is tantalizing, particularly if you have a hole at catcher, but it's not yet clear if he'll get a real chance to prove himself this time around. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Ryan Jeffers, Twins: Jeffers has been on fire since the All-Star break, batting .407 (11-for-27) in nine games with a homer and, bizarrely, all three of his career stolen bases. Unfortunately for him, Christian Vazquez has also heated up at the same time, batting .333 (10-for-30) with two doubles and two homers since the break, but a timeshare is still a better spot for Jeffers than he was in earlier in the season. He's also got more offensive upside, so if Vazquez's bat fades away again, there is a path to Jeffers sliding at least into the 1A spot on the depth chart. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Tom Murphy, Mariners: It's apparently a good time to be a backup catcher. Murphy's batting .308 (8-for-26) since the All-Star break with three doubles and three homers, and while he won't displace a healthy Cal Raleigh, the senior backstop appears to be back in his 2019 form. In deeper two-catcher formats, you can do a lot worse. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Connor Wong, Red Sox: Unlike the catchers above, Wong remains the unquestioned starter for Boston, and his bat has started to come back around. Since the break, he's batting .342 (13-for-38) with two steals and seven runs in 11 games, and while he doesn't offer a lot of power, a catcher who can hit for a good batting average and chip in some stolen bases (his 76th percentile sprint speed suggests those pilfers aren't a fluke) has definite value. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered 

Second Base

Michael Massey, Royals: The keystone remains a black hole for the Royals, so anybody who provides a sniff of offensive potential will probably earn themselves a long leash to see if they can keep it up. Enter Massey, who struggled before the ASB after coming off the IL but now has four homers in his last seven games while hitting .321 (9-for-28). The sample size is small, but the 25-year-old did tease some upside last year too and had a terrific 2022 in the high minors. He's worth a dart throw if you need middle infield help. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Luis Rengifo, Angels: The Angels' injury maelstrom has taken out an entire starting lineup's worth of players, but it's also given Rengifo a chance to right his ship. Through 20 games in July, he's slashing .292/.370/.631 with five of his nine homers on the season, and even when players like Brandon Drury start returning to action, it's hard to imagine Rengifo losing his spot. His flexibility's an asset there too – he qualifies at 2B, 3B, SS and OF in most formats, giving him plenty of paths to playing time. Ride him while he's hot. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Trevor Story, Red Sox: Boston's been cautious with Story's return, but it looks like the 30-year-old will rejoin the lineup for next weekend's series against the Blue Jays. A middle infield that currently consists of the likes of Yu Chang, Christian Arroyo and Justin Turner (who hasn't seen this much action at second base since 2014) could desperately use Story at either spot, but he's gotten the start at shortstop for two out of his three rehab games with Triple-A Worcester (he DH'ed in the third.) It's less clear how much offense he'll provide after stumbling to a .737 OPS in his Red Sox debut last season, but even in a down year he managed 16 homers and 13 steals in 94 games. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Third Base

Gabriel Arias, Guardians: The Rosario trade opens up the shortstop job in Cleveland, and at least for now, Arias seems to be the first choice. It's not entirely clear why, though. The 23-year-old has a career .620 OPS in 230 big-league plate appearances so far, and while his minor-league numbers suggest he could supply some power, it hasn't shown up yet in the Show. If Arias continues to struggle, Tyler Freeman might get more work in the short term, but the real threat is listed below. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Matt Duffy, Royals: If Sal Perez remains at catcher for the most part, Duffy will be the Royals' first baseman pretty much by default. The 32-year-old utility player has a thoroughly mediocre .264/.321/.336 slash line on the season and offers little power or speed, but sometimes you just want a guy getting playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Yoan Moncada, White Sox: Moncada has started four of five games since returning from the IL, and while it's encouraging to see the White Sox haven't given up on the 28-year-old, he's really done nothing to deserve a consistent spot on fantasy rosters in a long time. Since 2020, he's got a .237/.324/.382 slash line, and pro-rating his production during that period over 162 games gives just 17 homers, 72 RBI, 76 runs and three steals – and he's actually played more than 104 games only once in those four seasons. At various points in his career he's flashed power, speed and plate discipline, so if you have a bench spot to churn he could be worth stashing in case he suddenly puts it all together, but there's really no reason to have him active outside of deep AL-only formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Shortstop

Brayan Rocchio, Guardians: Somewhat surprisingly, Rocchio didn't get promoted in the wake of the Rosario trade, but it should only be a matter of time before the starting shortstop becomes his. The 22-year-old is slashing .338/.440/.481 for Triple-A Columbus in July with an 11:8 BB:K, and while that comes with just one homers and three steals, Cleveland has a long track record of turning athletic shortstop prospects into productive major leaguers – to pick the most prominent example, Jose Ramirez never hit more than five homers in a minor-league season. Rocchio (probably) doesn't have that kind of ceiling, but then again, he slugged 18 homers between Double-A and Triple-A last year. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Outfield

Oscar Gonzalez, Guardians: Called up Thursday, Gonzalez wasn't lighting it up at Triple-A, but he does fill a need for a platoon option in the corner outfield to spell Will Brennan and/or Steven Kwan against tough lefties. It's a limited role, but one that could give him some AL-only value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Kyle Isbel, Royals: Isbel reclaimed a starting role when he returned from the IL in late June, but it wasn't until a couple weeks later that he started to earn it. Over his last 16 games, the 26-year-old outfielder is slashing .321/.345/.571 with five doubles, three homers and two steals, and he might finally be turning his athleticism into semi-consistent production. The Royals certainly have nothing to lose by letting him show what he can do over the final couple months of the season. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Matt Wallner, Twins: I wrote up Wallner last week and kind of dismissed him a bit, so he went and showed me up by slugging three homers in two games. He's still batting just .200 (8-for-40) since his promotion with a 34.8 percent strikeout rate, but the power is definitely legit if you don't mind the batting average risk, and Minnesota appears willing to give him a starting role for now. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4