NL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week

1. Identify likely free agents and discuss their strengths and weaknesses.
2. Estimate how much of your free-agent budget you should bid on them.

This year, we're incorporating 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 role on an A-E scale. Carlos Correa would have been an "A" grade player last year -- that mark will be reserved for similar high-impact prospects stepping into 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.

Rubby De La Rosa, Diamondbacks - A mark of a good fantasy player is his ability to see "what can go right" before the herd does. Heading into Thursday's short slate, my colleague Chris Liss mentioned De La Rosa as a good candidate to use if you wanted to find a cheap pitcher. Chris alluded to his velocity (average fastball is actually up a small tick so far to 94.5 mph), strikeout rate (10.65 K/9) and recent good results as signs that he might end up working out. I dismissed the notion too readily, worrying too much about the ballpark and the Cardinals lineup. By now you realize that Chris was right and I was wrong about De La Rosa, and he's starting to fulfill the expectations that some had for him at the beginning of the season. He draws the Marlins on the road in his next start, before getting a tough two-start week (at Colorado, home vs. San Francisco) in two weeks. Because of the tough two-step, the bid amount here will be modest. 12-team mixed: $4, 15-team mixed: $9; 12-team NL: $13

Jhoulys Chacin, Braves – Juan Nicasio isn't the only former Rockies starter to find some success so far this spring, as Chacin has emerged as a nice story with the Braves. Maybe there's something to the notion that it takes a full year to recover from pitching in that environment? Chacin is striking batters out at a career-high rate (23 strikeouts in 22 IP) while also walking considerably fewer. While the Braves are slowly purging their rotation of veteran innings-eaters, Chacin may have gained a little bit of job security with his good start. It'll be difficult for him to notch many wins given their historically awful offense and shaky bullpen, a bullpen that will get worse at the trade deadline as they trade away any of the veterans that show a glimpse of competence. 12-team mixed: $0, 15-team mixed: $1; 12-team NL: $3

Mike Foltynewicz, Braves – It appears that the Braves will call up Foltynewicz from Triple-A Gwinnett to replace Bud Norris in the rotation Tuesday against the Mets. If so, Foltynewicz will be working on nine days rest (one more than previously planned thanks to Saturday's rainout against the Cubs) which could prove to be problematic for his control, something that was already a concern (14 walks in 22 innings this year). Foltynewicz has managed to avoid major trouble with that walk rate by inducing a decent number of ground balls and not allowing any homers so far. The long ball was a major problem for him in 2015 in his first big league stint as a starter. He throws hard, but in the past has relied too much on that fastball. That could prove to be a tough combination against the Mets on Tuesday. 12-team mixed: No, 15-team mixed: No; 12-team NL: $1

Tim Adleman, Reds – Adleman is getting an emergency start for the Reds on Sunday against the Pirates after Raisel Iglesias was scratched with a tight shoulder (following an outing where his velocity was down). Adleman is a 28-year-old who had to pitch in independent leagues for a couple of years before getting picked up by the Reds organization in 2014. The Reds are going to plow through a lot of pitchers this year, but with Homer Bailey, Anthony DeSclafani and John Lamb all returning shortly Adleman probably will be up for just one or two starts. 12-team mixed: No, 15-team mixed: No; 12-team NL: $0

Robert Stephenson, Reds – Stephenson has already made two big league starts, but he might be up permanently soon. Raisel Iglesias might need to go on the DL, Alfredo Simon has been awful, Jon Moscot is hurt and has low upside, and John Lamb hasn't been consistently good on his rehab assignment. Even though the Reds are churning through many different starters now, the future remains bright with their collection of young arms. 12-team mixed: No, 15-team mixed: $1; 12-team NL: $3

Anthony DeSclafani, Reds – DeSclafani felt discomfort in his side Friday in his second rehab start as recovers from an oblique injury, which suggests that he might not return this week after all. This is your regular reminder that oblique injuries are tricky to predict, and you should take optimistic evaluations at the time of the injury with a grain of salt, as frequently pitchers need more time to recover from the injury than originally projected. 12-team mixed: $2, 15-team mixed: $5; 12-team NL: $10

Tyler Chatwood, Rockies – Chatwood improved to 3-0 with a 0.46 ERA and 0.92 WHIP on the road with Friday's win over the Diamondbacks. Todd Zola mentioned Chatwood in this space last week and while it holds that it's difficult to spot a pitcher for his road starts, I'm wondering if Chatwood is onto something with his ability to command his changeup. The other difficult aspect of using Chatwood is that even during his road starts he's not getting you that many strikeouts – only 14 in 19.2 innings. Still, I would use Chatwood over teammate Chad Bettis despite the lower strikeout upside. 12-team mixed: $0, 15-team mixed: $1; 12-team NL: $3

Eddie Butler, Rockies – Butler has been called up to replace the injured Jorge De La Rosa and gets two road starts this week against the Padres and Giants. Good things were once expected from Butler, but Coors Field beat him down like so many prospects that came before him. Last year was rough for Butler on the road as well, where he posted a 5.07 ERA and 1.73 WHIP. He's for thrill-seekers only. 12-team mixed: No, 15-team mixed: No; 12-team NL: $0

Justin Nicolino, Marlins – Nicolino beguiled the Dodgers in his 2016 debut last week, shutting them out over 7.1 innings on two hits and two walks. True to his track record, however, he struck out just two batters. In 12 big league starts last year, he struck out only 23 batters in 74 innings. In any league that uses strikeouts as a category, he's so difficult to use, especially if you have an innings cap. He truly fits the "crafty left-hander" stereotype, getting by on inducing weak contact and ground balls. 12-team mixed: $0, 15-team mixed: $1; 12-team NL: $3

Junior Guerra, Brewers – We're speculating that Guerra will get the nod to replace Taylor Jungmann in the Brewers rotation this week, and if that comes to fruition he'd first pitch Tuesday against the Angels at home, followed by a road start in Cincinnati. He's more likely to start than David Goforth ("…to serve the Brewers…"), who has already worked in relief upon his recall. Guerra is a 31-year-old that spent six years in independent ball, having been banished after a steroid suspension in 2009, before hooking on with the White Sox organization last year. He has precious little upside, but he's pitching better than the prospects that the Brewers have stashed at Triple-A Colorado Springs, most notably Jorge Lopez, who now has a 8.79 ERA and 13 walks in 14.1 innings there. 12-team mixed: No, 15-team mixed: No; 12-team NL: $0

Josh Hader, Brewers – Speaking of Colorado Springs, the Brewers would be wise to keep their prized prospects from pitching there. Hader, who was acquired in the Carlos Gomez deal, has been fantastic at Double-A Biloxi in five starts, posting a 0.78 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 32:9 K:BB over 23 innings. It's so tough for a team to have a Triple-A affiliate in a high-altitude place like Colorado Springs, and worse when it's a rebuilding franchise trying to develop pitchers. But I also believe that most pitching prospects need time at the last level of the minors as finishing school. It's a tough dilemma, as it's not as if there's a ready-make market to park a Triple-A affiliate in an alternative location to Colorado Springs, Reno, Salt Lake, Albuquerque or Las Vegas. It'll be interesting to see how the Brewers handle Hader, especially in light of Jorge Lopez's struggles this year. 12-team mixed: No, 15-team mixed: No; 12-team NL: $1

Adam Morgan, Phillies – Morgan has added back some of the velocity this year that he lost from his 2014 shoulder surgery, averaging 90.8 mph in his start Friday against the Indians. He was called up to replace the injured Charlie Morton, who is out for the season with a torn hamstring. Morgan might stick around for a while, as Jake Thompson is really struggling in Triple-A. The same problems that lie with investing in Reds and Braves pitchers also apply with the Phillies despite their surprising record so far, so there's a cap on how much Morgan can do for you. 12-team mixed: $0; 15-team mixed: $1; 12-team NL: $3

Chris Heston, Giants – Jake Peavy got blasted again Friday night and has a 8.61 ERA and 2.00 WHIP, and Matt Cain has a 7.00 ERA and 1.59 WHIP following Saturday night's strafing. The Giants are lucky that the rest of the NL West has scuffled, so that their 12-13 record actually puts them in a tie for first place. But they can't afford to keep giving away two of their five turns in the rotation. A perusal of the Triple-A rotation presents little potential relief in sight (Ricky Romero anyone?), and they don't have Yusmeiro Petit to plug in any longer. The recently demoted Heston is probably the best option for them, and he's back to being used as a starter in Triple-A Sacramento right now. I'd expect to see a change in the next couple of weeks, barring dramatic improvement from Cain or Peavy. 12-team mixed: No, 15-team mixed: No; 12-team NL: $1

Relief Pitcher

Daniel Hudson, Diamondbacks – Hudson allowed two baserunners in Saturday night's inning of work, skyrocketing his WHIP to 0.51 on the season. We've touted Hudson's skills in this space before, but we'll do it again before it's too late. Go find a way to add him before Arizona considers using him as the closer. He's all the way back from two arm surgeries and throwing harder than ever as a max-effort reliever, and profiles to be more effective in the long run than current closer Brad Ziegler. 12-team mixed: $2, 15-team mixed: $5; 12-team NL: $10

Josh Collmenter, Diamondbacks – Collmenter could rejoin the Diamondbacks by the end of the week. He has a three-inning appearance at High-A Visalia scheduled for Monday, with the possibility that he returns from his shoulder injury after one additional rehab appearance. With the way that the Diamondbacks have been shuffling various pitchers through their final bullpen slots, Collmenter could provide some badly needed stability, with an off-chance possibility of starting if their current starters continue to scuffle. 12-team mixed: No, 15-team mixed: No; 12-team NL: $0

Ross Ohlendorf, Reds – As the Reds fumble about for a possible closer, Ohlendorf could receive some consideration for the role. He's had two bad outings among 11 that have given him a high ERA, one of which was enhanced by J.J. Hoover allowing a grand slam after Ohlendorf had loaded the bases against the Pirates in the first week of the season. The Reds haven't had many leads to protect, and when they have had leads usually it's in a high-scoring game, making it less likely to provide a save situation. But if you want to speculate, chances are Ohlendorf could be had for a minimal bid. 12-team mixed: $0, 15-team mixed: $1; 12-team NL: $2

David Hernandez, Phillies – Hector Neris and Andrew Bailey have garnered more attention recently, but Hernandez has also pitched well after his Opening Day disaster. Friday's two shutout innings lowered his ERA to 3.97 and he has a 20:5 K:BB over 11.1 innings. He'll have to take a number to get back in the saves speculation line, especially because Jeanmar Gomez has already converted eight chances, but if you squint you can see the possibility of him closing again. 12-team mixed: $0, 15-team mixed: $0; 12-team NL: $1

Catcher

Tucker Barnhart, Reds – Devin Mesoraco is dealing with left shoulder stiffness and was scratched from Saturday's lineup as a result, giving Barnhart another start behind the dish and earning him another mention here. Barnhart is off to a good start, hitting .308/.372/.385 for the team in 43 plate appearances. He could get plenty of playing time this week, with the Reds playing seven games at home against the Giants and Brewers with the added bonus of missing out on Madison Bumgarner, but his overall outlook hasn't changed much since last week. 12-team mixed: $0, 15-team mixed: $1; 12-team NL: $3

Kevin Plawecki and Rene Rivera, Mets – Travis d'Arnaud's trip to the DL has created extra playing time, the majority of which have gone to Plawecki so far. Alas, much like in 2015, Plawecki has done precious little with that playing time, hitting just .192/.322/.192 in 31 plate appearances. Plawecki was considered a prospect of some repute on his ascent through the Mets system, but he's infrequently shown the power that many thought he would develop. Meanwhile, Rivera is coming off a season where he stretched the boundaries of how much value a pitch-framing catcher can have if he's not producing with the bat, hitting just .178/.213/.275 in 319 plate appearances for the Rays last year. Looking back at his career, 2014's .751 OPS with the Padres appears to be the outlier. Plawecki - 12-team mixed: $0, 15-team mixed: $1; 12-team NL: $3. Rivera – 12-team mixed: No, 15-team mixed: No; 12-team NL: No!

Corner Infield

Brandon Drury, Diamondbacks – Drury has started the last four games and six of the last seven for the Diamondbacks, playing all over the field. He now has three games at second base and nine in the outfield, making him likely to obtain eligibility at multiple positions soon. Drury has frequently hit for decent power in the minors, so his outburst this year isn't out of line with what could reasonably be projected from him. The one red flag so far is that he's drawn just one walk against 14 strikeouts, making him a batting average risk. 12-team mixed: $3, 15-team mixed: $6; 12-team NL: $11

Derek Dietrich, Marlins – Dietrich is the clear beneficiary of Dee Gordon's suspension, giving him a regular spot against right-handers. He's ideal to own in leagues with daily moves, as he has a huge platoon split. He currently qualifies at third base and outfield in most leagues, plus he's picked up four games at second base so far this year. He even hit leadoff Saturday against the Brewers. 12-team mixed: $7, 15-team mixed: $12; 12-team NL: $19

Colin Walsh, Brewers – Scooter Gennett's trip to the DL has created a playing time opportunity, and so far the Brewers have split the resulting time between Walsh, Hernan Perez and Yadiel Rivera. Walsh is a Rule 5 pick from the A's system and repeated Double-A as a 25-year-old last season. He has a great batting eye, walking a whopping 124 times, but hasn't hit for that much power in his career. He has struggled out of the gate for the Brewers, going 2-for-22, albeit with nine walks. When Walsh starts, Aaron Hill moves over to second base with Walsh manning third. 12-team mixed: No, 15-team mixed: $0; 12-team NL: $1

Josh Bell, Pirates – Bell is off to a great start at Triple-A Indianapolis, hitting .312/.411/.519 with nine extra-base hits in 90 plate appearances. The knock on Bell as a prospect has always been whether he'd hit for enough power at the big league level, so this is an encouraging start. Unfortunately for Bell, John Jaso is off to a good start for the Pirates, and while the Pirates just said that they'd like to preserve his ability to play the outfield, it's not as if there's going to be a job vacancy out there anytime soon, barring injury. 12-team mixed: No, 15-team mixed: $0; 12-team NL: $1

Matt Adams, Cardinals – Adams has started the last three games at first base for the Cardinals, with Brandon Moss moving to the outfield at the same time, giving the struggling Randal Grichuk days off two of the last three games. The Cards are going to frequently have to juggle between Adams, Moss, Grichuk and Jeremy Hazelbaker, with Matt Holliday also getting an occasional rest, so this isn't clear sailing ahead for Adams. He doesn't have the luxury of trying to play every day through a slump as he would on other teams. That urgency is magnified in the NL Central, where the Cubs have already opened up a six-game lead over the Cards. 12-team mixed: $2, 15-team mixed: $5; 12-team NL: $10

Middle Infield

Ozzie Albies, Braves – Albies was just promoted to the Braves' Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett after starting the season hitting .369/.442/.512 in Double-A. Albies is RotoWire's 46th-ranked prospect, best known for his speed, defense and plate discipline. The Braves are already tiring of the Erick Aybar experience, and Daniel Castro is not a long-term solution. We could see Albies up with the big club later this summer, though the team will have to figure out what to do with both he and Dansby Swanson, who just got promoted to Double-A Mississippi. 12-team mixed: No, 15-team mixed: No; 12-team NL: $1

Tommy La Stella, Cubs – Should Kris Bryant's ankle injury keep him out beyond this weekend's series against the Braves, La Stella could garner extra playing time at third base. La Stella is off to a great start, but has been having trouble finding regular playing time in the Cubs' loaded lineup, even with Kyle Schwarber out for the season. That's one of the hallmarks of a competitive team – they tend to have a lot more quality depth than their opposition. La Stella has superb plate discipline, will steal the occasional base and soon will add third base as an eligible position – useful to have in NL-only leagues. 12-team mixed: No, 15-team mixed: $1; 12-team NL: $2

Miguel Rojas, Marlins – Though Derek Dietrich is on the better side of a potential platoon split, Rojas could also see time at second base resulting from Dee Gordon's suspension. He offers much less offensive upside, however, with far less power and not much stolen base potential. 12-team mixed: No, 15-team mixed: No; 12-team NL: $0

Outfield

Ender Inciarte, Braves – Inciarte is close to returning from the DL after recovering from a hamstring injury. In leagues that don't have DL slots, he may have been cut by his previous owner, so give him a quick check on the waiver wire, especially if you need speed. The Braves are likely to send Mallex Smith down to make room for Inciarte, so regular playing time shouldn't be an issue for him. 12-team mixed: $2, 15-team mixed: $5; 12-team NL: $10

Matt Szczur, Cubs – Like teammate Tommy La Stella in the infield, all Szczur has done so far this season is hit, posting a .333/.400/.593 line after Thursday's grand slam against the Brewers. Manager Joe Maddon uses his bench a little more liberally than most managers, plus Jorge Soler is slumping, so there's a small path to playing time for Szczur. It'll be tough to deploy him in thin leagues, but in "only" leagues getting 200 at-bats from Szczur with the upside of 300 could be prove to be valuable. 12-team mixed: $0, 15-team mixed: $1; 12-team NL: $2

Cole Gillespie, Marlins – Gillespie will get to earn a major league paycheck for a few days at least as a result of Dee Gordon's suspension, but he doesn't project to play frequently or do much with his playing time. In 427 career major league plate appearances, the 31-year old has amassed a .253/.309/.366 line with six homers and seven stolen bases, with four of those steals coming last year. 12-team mixed: No, 15-team mixed: No; 12-team NL: $1

Nick Williams, Phillies – Williams started slowly at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, but has hit much better recently, giving him a .299/.324/.418 line overall. Plate discipline has always been Williams' weakness, and that hasn't changed much this year, with him drawing just four walks so far. But it's not difficult to envision him performing better than the current right field crew of Tyler Goeddel and Peter Bourjos, not to mention Opening Day starter Cedric "The Entertainer" Hunter. 12-team mixed: No, 15-team mixed: $1; 12-team NL: $2