MLB FAAB Factor: Call Me Up When September Begins

This FAAB article is in addition to the AL and NL FAAB articles that run Sunday. Bids are based on a $100 FAAB budget. Throughout the season, this column will have two goals:

1. Identify FAAB targets for fantasy managers in leagues with Thursday FAAB.

2. Offer a preview of FAAB targets ahead of Sunday's columns.

Major-league clubs don't stop churning their roster in the final weeks of the season, and neither should we. Much of the churn this past week, and therefore many of the names in this particular article, came as a result of the September roster expansion, which still provides us with a handful of exciting call-ups each year even if rosters only expand to 28 players, not 40. Additionally, we also have teams continuing to churn their closers, which is good news for anyone still scrambling to claim every possible remaining save.

Starting Pitcher

Alex Cobb, Guardians (21%)

Cobb hasn't had the age-36 season he would have hoped. Despite preseason reports that indicated he was ahead of schedule in his return from October hip surgery, he suffered setbacks with his elbow and shoulder in April and May, delaying his season debut to early August, by which point he'd been traded to Cleveland. He only made two starts for his new team before hitting the injured list again, this time with a fractured nail. His latest stay was a minimum-length one, and he returned to throw a six-inning gem (2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K) against the Pirates on Sunday. Since the start of the 2021 season, Cobb owns a 3.75 ERA backed by even better ERA estimators (3.26 xFIP, 3.58 SIERA), so he should be able to help a team in nearly every format as long as he can stay healthy for the remainder of the month. FAAB: $3 

MacKenzie Gore, Nationals (38%)

Gore remains several steps away from the future ace he appeared to be as a prospect, but the 25-year-old lefty continues to make steady improvements. His ERA over his three big-league seasons has decreased slightly, going from 4.50 to 4.42 to 4.32, while his SIERA tells the same story in a slightly more optimistic light, falling from 4.43 to 4.21 to 4.05. On the whole, he's a pitcher who doesn't need to stick on your roster in shallow and medium-depth leagues, but he's one who's worth holding onto when he's performing well, with his youth and past pedigree giving reason to be optimistic that a hot streak could be the beginning of a breakout. He's on one such streak now, with a 19:2 K:BB and 2.00 ERA over his last three starts. FAAB: $2 

Caden Dana, Angels (10%)

While it's hard to call the Angels a model organization, their aggressive promotion of prospects is something I'd love to see other teams adopt. While Dana didn't arrive quite as quickly as Nolan Schanuel, who showed up mere months after being drafted, or Zach Neto, who got to the majors in less than a year, the fact that he's in the majors a little more than two years after being drafted in the 11th round out of high school is quite an accomplishment. It also hardly looks undeserved, at least judging by his numbers in 23 starts for Double-A Rocket City, where he struck out 27.4 percent of opposing batters while walking just 7.3 percent en route to a 2.52 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. A win against the Mariners in his big-league debut on Sunday means he should have the chance to stick around the rest of the year. FAAB: $2 

Reid Detmers, Angels (10%)

Detmers was once an aggressively promoted Angels prospect, just like Dana, and it's safe to say it hasn't entirely worked out in his case. Since debuting late in the 2021 season with just 13 minor-league starts to his name, he's posted a passable but unimpressive 4.66 ERA and 1.34 in 71 starts. His 6.14 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 12 outings to open this year earned him a demotion in early June, and he continued to struggle for the next two months in the minors. After posting a 29:7 K:BB and with just three runs allowed over his last three starts in August, he earned a September call-up and looked good in his return to the majors, striking out 10 while allowing two runs on three hits and two walks in six innings against the Dodgers on Tuesday. FAAB: $1 

Relief Pitcher

Aroldis Chapman, Pirates (40%)

David Bednar has been unreliable for the Pirates all season, saving 23 games but struggling to a 6.06 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. The team has finally had enough, with manager Derek Shelton announcing last week that he'd temporarily been moved to a lower-everage role. Enter Chapman, who may not be who he once was but who is still more than qualified for the backup closer role he fills in Pittsburgh. The veteran southpaw's fastball still comes in at 97.8 mph, and he still strikes out 37.2 percent of opposing batters, enough to offset a 16.4 percent walk rate, leading to a 3.42 ERA. He's already picked up one save in this round of deputizing and should be good for at least a couple more before Bednar returns to the ninth inning, which might not happen before the season ends. FAAB: $6 

Luke Weaver, Yankees (16%)
Tommy Kahnle, Yankees (5%)
Mark Leiter Jr., Yankees (3%)

With Clay Holmes struggling to a 4.32 ERA and 1.56 WHP over his last 18 games, blowing six of 14 save chances, Yankees manager Aaron Boone indicated the team would get creative with the ninth inning going forward. Unlike in Pittsburgh, where the presence of a clear next man up makes the fantasy analysis straightforward, the situation is murky in the Bronx, especially with Holmes reportedly still a candidate for the occasional save chance. Boone didn't name any specific relievers who would be part of his committee, but the trio listed here are the likeliest to find themselves pitching in the ninth. Kahnle has been used in the highest-leverage spots among the group in recent weeks and has a 2.00 ERA and 1.17 WHIP on the season. Weaver (3.33 ERA, 0.97 WHIP) has been a shutdown setup man after serving as a starter for the bulk of his career, while Leiter (4.65 ERA but a 2.73 SIERA) is a righty with reverse splits who could see save chances when tough lefties come up for the opposing lineup in the ninth inning. All are talented pitchers worth scooping up in deep leagues, but the uncertainty should keep bids muted. FAAB: $1 for all three. 

Catcher

Ivan Herrera, Cardinals (2%)

When Willson Contreras broke his finger in late August, it opened a potential opportunity for Herrera, but it was hard to recommend him right away since it wasn't clear whether he or Pedro Pages (who had been serving as Contreras' backup while Herrera was stuck in the minors) would be the new starter. While Pages earned the first two starts after Contreras went down, it's now been Herrera behind the plate for six of the last 10 games. That's enough of a role to earn him looks in deep one-catcher leagues and any two-catcher format. Herrera hasn't done anything special at the plate this season, but he's a hair better than league average in terms of putting the ball in play (20.9 percent strikeout rate) and making quality contact (7.9 percent barrel rate), leading to a respectable 106 wRC+. At catcher, that's plenty. FAAB: $1

First Baseman

Kyle Manzardo, Guardians (6%)

Manzardo was a highly anticipated prospect, peaking inside the top 10 on RotoWire's top-400 prospect rankings, though his stock has fallen to the point that he ranks just 98th on the latest installment. That's partially due to his unimpressive cameo in May and June, when he slashed d.207/.241/.329 with zero homers in 87 plate appearances. He's back for another go after hitting .246/.411/.492 with more walks than strikeouts in 54 Triple-A games since his demotion. At his peak, Manzardo should be a hit-over-power first baseman, but with enough of both to make the whole profile work. It may take some time for him to get there, but he's playing everyday since his return and has a pair of homers and a pair of multi-hit games already this month, so the opportunity for a breakout is there. FAAB: $2

Anthony Rizzo, Yankees (19%)

It's possible Rizzo's days as an effective MLB regular are behind him. After posting an above-average batting line for 11 consecutive seasons, he slipped to a 98 wRC+ last year, and he's taken another step back this season, hitting .224/.286/.343 (good for a 79 wRC+) in 74 games. If you want to ignore him entirely, he probably isn't going to suddenly light the world on fire and make you regret it immensely. But when a player of his reputation returns from a long-term injury (a broken forearm, in this case) and is this widely available, he can't go unmentioned. If you're desperate for homers and RBI, you could do worse, though it's worth noting that Rizzo only has a large-side platoon role for now, which cuts into his counting stats. FAAB: $1

Second Baseman

Nick Gonzales, Pirates (7%)

Gonzales, the seventh pick in the 2020 draft, showed flashes after being called up in early May, but he wound up slashing .258/.293/.387 in 65 games before straining his groin in late July. He returned from the injured list in late August and hit the ground running right away, with four multi-hit games in his first seven contests. Gonzales' career .248/.287/.376 slash line with seven homers and four steals in 108 major-league games suggests a star turn isn't hiding around the corner, but he's also a career .301/.392/.531 hitter in 133 games at the Triple-A level, so he's a good bet to produce at around a league-average clip going forward while starting nearly every game, with the Pirates playing for the future at the point in the year. FAAB: $1

Third Baseman

Amed Rosario, Reds (11%)

Reds with regular roles are interesting fantasy options in most leagues as long as they bring anything at all to the table, with Cincinnati's home park consistently ranking among the most hitter-friendly in the league. That notion has earned veteran cast-offs Ty France and Santiago Espinal a mention here in recent weeks, and it's the same concept that applies to Rosario. The veteran utilityman (who maybe be eligible at 2B, 3B, SS and OF in your league) did his job well for the Rays up until the deadline, slashing .307/.331/.417 in 76 games, but he was subsequently dealt to the Dodgers and then cut just two weeks later, having appeared in just five games. He landed on his feet with the Reds, where he's started nine of 13 games since arriving, including each of the last five. FAAB: $1

Shortstop

Geraldo Perdomo, Diamondbacks (42%)

Perdomo is a steady, glove-first shortstop whose defense keeps him in the lineup often enough to keep him interesting in deep fantasy formats despite a merely average bat and a lack of power and speed — the National League version of J.P. Crawford, if you will. While there's generally been little reason to look his way in shallow and medium-sized leagues, he's also a 24-year-old who's been getting hot of late, slashing .298/.397/.491 with a pair of homers and three steals across his last 16 games. If this is the start of him establishing a new level of play, he could be a big boost to your squad down the stretch,and if he goes back to being respectable roster filler buoyed by an everyday role in a surging lineup, that's good enough for most formats. FAAB: $1

Outfielder

Victor Robles, Mariners (14%)

Robles broke out with 17 homers, 28 steals and a .745 OPS as a 22-year-old back in 2019, but he proceeded to post a .614 OPS with an average of six homers and 19 steals over the next four seasons and was eventually let go by the Nationals early this year. It seems to be the best thing that's ever happened to him in his career, as he landed with the Mariners and has since posted an .813 OPS with four homers and 18 steals in 59 contests. That earned him a two-year extension in mid-August, and he's only gotten hotter since then, hitting .409 with five steals in his last 13 contests. He can help just about any team when he's in this form, but if you need speed, make him a priority. FAAB: $4 

Seth Brown, Athletics (14%)

At his best, Brown is the sort of imperfect player whose heavy load of playing time makes him punch above his weight for fantasy purposes, such as when he had 25 homers and 73 RBI in 2022. In the first half, we instead saw Brown at his worst, as he was designated for assignment in mid-June after slashing .189/.251/.306 with five homers in 195 trips to the plate. The move appears to have worked. He went unclaimed on waivers, remained with the Oakland organization, and returned less than a month later after sorting things out in the minors. In his second stint in the majors this season, he's slashing .317/.377/.548 with eight homers in 138 plate appearances. FAAB: $3