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. Luis Robert 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.

AL FAAB | NL FAAB

Starting Pitcher

Griffin Canning, Angels: The 24-year-old right-hander still has a 5.19 ERA, which might have kept him on the waiver wire in some shallow formats, but Canning seems to have turned a corner, giving up just one earned run over his last two starts with a 13:5 K:BB in 11 innings. His upside has always been overstated a bit, as when he made his debut a couple years ago he was the top pitching prospect in an Angels system that wasn't exactly flush with top-end arm talent, but he should still be a solid fantasy asset who can collect wins and K's without knee-capping your ratios. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Rostered

Mike Foltynewicz, Rangers: Full disclosure – the former Atlanta hurler was on my 'do not want' list coming into the season, as there's been no adequate explanation offered for his steep velocity drop in 2020, nor for why Atlanta cut him loose just two seasons removed from an excellent campaign in 2018. Nonetheless, Folty's average fastball has at least returned to its 2019 levels, and a 3.75 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 20:2 K:BB in his last 24 innings are numbers that would be useful to a lot of fantasy squads. He's also served up six homers in that stretch though, and his 2.5 HR/9 on the year is ghastly. Even as a streaming option he'll be volatile, but this is the time of year when, depending on your situation, you might need to start taking those kinds of gambles. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Luis Garcia, Astros: The 24-year-old continues to post strong numbers as Houston's swingman, with four of his six appearances this season coming in the rotation. Garcia may only be a temp with Jake Odorizzi and eventually Framber Valdez in line as reinforcements when they get healthy, but that still gives him some short-term value, and even in the long run he should provide solid ratios and K's in long relief while still picking up wins here and there. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Rich Hill, Rays: The ageless portsider is back to doing his thing after a sluggish start to the season, delivering two quality starts in his last three trips to the mound with a 1.20 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 18:5 K:BB over 15 innings. The semi-consistent length is maybe the most surprising part of that equation, as between Hill's injury history and mileage, and Tampa's workload management tendencies, he seemed like a perfect fit for a bulk reliever role, but if the Rays are willing to let him take a regular turn in their rotation, there's no reason for fantasy GMs not to do the same. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Rostered

Cole Irvin, Athletics: The southpaw has been on fire over the past few weeks, winning three of his last four starts and just missing four quality starts during that stretch by two outs. Irvin's 1,42 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in that time can be chalked up to a small sample, but it's less easy to hand-wave away his 29:3 K:BB in 25.1 innings. The 27-year-old doesn't have any kind of prospect pedigree and is still flying under the radar, but perhaps there's a reason for that lack of enthusiasm. There's simply no clear driver of his success. He's throwing basically the same pitches he did last year and in 2019, he's just getting better results with them – particularly by walking fewer batters and serving up fewer homers – and that's a typical recipe for regression. Ride his hot streak while you can, but don't get too attached. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Zac Lowther, Orioles: I wrote up Lowther a couple weeks ago when he got his first callup, and I don't have much to add to that except to say that his disastrous first big-league start Saturday makes him even more of a deep-league keeper stash than someone likely to help you in 2021. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Daniel Lynch, Royals: Lynch got a lot of buzz when he was called up last Sunday, but his first two MLB starts dumped a big bucket of cold water on most GMs' desire to throw FAAB bucks his way. The 24-year-old still has significant upside though, and if his 18.56 ERA (!!!) keeps away other bidders, he could still pay dividends if you have a bench spot you can stash him in until he figures things out. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Nate Pearson, Blue Jays: Pearson hasn't been cut loose in too many competitive leagues (still 81 percent rostered in the NFBC), but he's getting called up to make his season debut Sunday. The flame-throwing right-hander fills an immediate need in Toronto's lefty-heavy rotation, but Pearson's control issues prevented him from really dazzling in 2020, and until he proves he's solved them he'll be a risky fantasy asset, albeit one with league-winning upside if things click for him. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure I wouldn't rather stash Alek Manoah on the cheap this week instead of getting into a bidding war for Pearson, but if you need immediate help on your staff or have a lot of ground to make up in categories like strikeouts, he could be your solution. 12-team Mixed: $25; 15-team Mixed: $35; 12-team AL: $45

Martin Perez, Red Sox: I... look. I'm not recommending you pick up Perez. I'm simply pointing out that he's been pitching pretty well recently (2.38 ERA, 13:2 K:BB over his last 11.1 innings, albeit against Detroit and Texas) and lines up as one of the more intriguing two-start options this week with outings in Baltimore and at home against the Angels. Do I want the veteran lefty on my roster for a Fenway start against Mike Trout? Nope. Are there situations where I'd have to roll the dice on him as a streamer anyway? Yup. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Garrett Richards, Red Sox: Richards' recent run of success has lasted a little longer than Perez's and includes a couple of legit offenses, so he might be a bit more appealing as a pickup. The right-hander has a 3.14 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 28:10 K:BB over his last 28 innings as he digs out of the ratio hole he dug for himself in his first outing of the season, and the 32-year-old has shown flashes of upside in the past between lengthy and frequent IL stints. Richards' velocity hasn't returned to its usual level yet, and he's not someone you can rely on for the next 4-5 months, but he's capable of providing solid numbers until his next breakdown. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Rostered

Jose Suarez, Angels: Suarez was supposed to get the start at Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday, but he was a late scratch after Alex Cobb developed a blister, a strong sign the 23-year-old could get called up to plug a hole in the Angels' rotation early this week. He has yet to see any success in the majors in his brief career and would line up to start in Houston, which isn't an accommodating spot for a lefty, but this is a guy who posted a 51:8 K:BB over 29.2 innings at Double-A as a 20-year-old in 2018, so don't completely write off his upside. He's better viewed as a stashing opportunity in keeper formats than as someone who'll give you short-term value though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

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

Jorge Lopez, Orioles (vs. BOS, vs. NYY)

Casey Mize, Tigers (vs. KC, vs. CHC)

Relief Pitcher

Tyler Chatwood, Blue Jays: Toronto's bullpen keeps hemorrhaging arms, but Chatwood has been one of the stabilizing forces with a 0.79 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 15:3 K:BB through 11.1 innings. He's now worked himself into a late-inning role, picking up four holds in his last seven appearances, and while Jordan Romano is expected to handle save chances while Rafael Dolis is sidelined, if manager Charlie Montoyo once again decides Romano is better off staying in high-leverage spots rather than shifting to ninth-inning duty, Chatwood is the logical next man up instead. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Pete Fairbanks / Jeffrey Springs, Rays: Diego Castillo's groin injury opens the door for the Rays to go back to their ninth-inning committee ways. Fairbanks, who just came off the IL himself, and Springs seem to be the top two options, although relievers like Ryan Thompson, Andrew Kittredge and Hunter Strickland could also see closing opportunities. Springs is the only one of the group that's gotten a save since Castillo went down, but Fairbanks struck out the side in his lone inning of work since rejoining the bullpen and has the arsenal to thrive in the role if given the chance. Fairbanks / Springs – 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Jordan Romano, Blue Jays: Here we go again. With Dolis out of action, Romano is yet again the presumptive closer, but he hasn't actually had a chance to prove it as the Jays have won their last three games by an average score of 9-4. After a bit of a hiccup in his first outing back from the IL in late April, the right-hander has been sharp, posting a 1.80 ERA, 0.40 WHIP and 4:0 K:BB over his last five appearances with two wins and a hold. There's no question Romano can get the job done as closer – the question is whether he'll be allowed to, or whether he's viewed as too important in a high-leverage role to lock into the ninth. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: Rostered

Patrick Sandoval, Angels: The 24-year-old was called up in early May and has been used in long relief, even picking up a three-inning save in his last appearance. Sandoval has struggled to keep the ball in the yard in his brief big-league career so far but has the arsenal to eventually become a solid mid-rotation arm, if the Angels eventually move him into that role. For now though, they seem to want to limit his workload, making him a keeper stash more than a re-draft asset. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Josh Sborz, Rangers: Mentioned as a closer candidate way back in early April, Sborz did indeed pick up a save Thursday – in the 10th inning, when Ian Kennedy had pitched Tuesday and Wednesday. Sborz has a 2.25 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 9:0 K:BB in eight innings since coming off the IL a few weeks ago, but unless Kennedy falls apart he's not likely to see too many more save chances. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Catcher

Austin Allen, Athletics: Allen takes over as the backup to Sean Murphy with Aramis Garcia on the shelf. Garcia was seeing a couple starts a week before falling ill, and while Allen saw the same workload in his first week, as a left-handed hitter he's actually a better platoon fit for the A's and could see a little more action if he strings together some hits. The 27-year-old does have three straight minor-league seasons with 20-plus homers on his resume, although they were compiled in big-time hitters' parks so the raw numbers likely overstate his upside in the majors. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Drew Butera, Angels: With Max Stassi hurt again, Butera was picked up from the Rangers for depth behind the plate and will back up Kurt Suzuki in the short term. The 37-year-old journeyman offers zero upside though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Grayson Greiner, Tigers: Greiner takes over as the starter for the Tigers in the short term while Wilson Ramos nurses a sore back. Aside from a flicker of power at Double-A in 2017, Greiner has never shown much with his bat, but he might stumble into some production with consistent playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Austin Hedges, Cleveland: It's the week of all-glove catchers taking over starting jobs! Hedges has a .607 career OPS, but with Roberto Perez out a couple months due to a broken finger, Cleveland has few other options. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Danny Jansen, Blue Jays: I had Jansen on my list for last week's column in the wake of Alejandro Kirk's injury but couldn't pull the trigger on a guy with an .044/.140/.067 slash line, no matter how much playing time he was set to get. Well, Jansen's now gone yard in three straight games, so I missed my chance to look like a genius. Of course, those are his only hits in those three games, so maybe my instincts weren't wrong. At the very least the 26-year-old has reminded folks he has some theoretical upside, and at catcher, playing time plus theoretical upside equals fantasy roster spot. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Reese McGuire, Blue Jays: McGuire isn't a player you're going to want too much exposure to (ahem), but with Kirk on the shelf for a while, he should get a couple starts a week behind Jansen. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Rene Rivera, Cleveland: Rivera will back up Hedges, and how bad do you have to be to get stuck in that role? To be fair, Rivera's .628 career OPS is a few points higher than his counterpart's – that's just not enough to make up the perceived difference in defensive value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jake Rogers, Tigers: Rogers was a third-round pick of the Astros in 2016 and still has some possible upside, but he hasn't really done anything at the plate since High-A and may not see much action behind Greiner. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

First Base

Rowdy Tellez, Blue Jays: Tellez didn't spend much time in the minors, getting called back after smoking a quick homer for Triple-A Buffalo, but the 26-year-old still doesn't quite have his timing down at the plate. He demonstrated his upside last year and should be back to seeing semi-regular at-bats while George Springer is on the IL again, but until Tellez shows something at the plate he can't be viewed as anything more than a bench stash. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Second Base

Michael Chavis, Red Sox: Chavis was brought up to the majors when Enrique Hernandez strained his hamstring, and while the 25-year-old can't take Hernandez's spot in center field, he can handle second-base duties. His contact issues make Chavis a low-BA power source at best, but he could provide a short-term boost. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Andy Ibanez, Rangers: The 28-year-old made his big-league debut last week after Brock Holt got hurt, and Ibanez could be a better option at third base than Charlie Culberson after slashing .300/.375/.497 with 20 homers in 121 games at Triple-A Nashville in 2019, as the Rangers try to get by at the hot corner until Josh Jung is healthy and ready. Culberson's surprising .816 OPS has him in the starting role for now, however. Ibanez could get bumped off the roster as soon as Holt is back, but if he shows anything at the plate, the club might try to find a permanent bench spot for him instead. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Danny Mendick, White Sox: The White Sox put Mendick in right field Saturday, meaning for that game their OF consisted of three converted infielders in Andrew Vaughn, Leury Garcia and Mendick. Somehow, Lance Lynn emerged from that potential defensive horror show unscathed. The 27-year-old also socked a homer in that contest and has generally hit well when given the opportunity this year, so the experiment likely isn't over. Mendick has a .271/.322/.416 career slash line in 180 MLB plate appearances, and with Adam Eaton the only healthy "real" outfielder on the roster for a while, he could offer some short-term value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Third Base

Jose Rojas, Angels: Anthony Rendon is hurt again, so Rojas is starting at third base again. The 28-year-old rookie's .660 OPS in his first big-league action is far from ideal, but he did hit his first career homer Saturday and has four hits and four runs over his last three games, so maybe there's a little more here than just a feel-good story involving a local Anaheim kid. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Outfield

Miguel Andujar, Yankees: Called up Friday to give the banged-up Yankees some depth, Andujar has gone 0-for-6 in two games. The promise he showed in 2018 is a distant memory, and he'll likely head back to Triple-A once someone like Luke Voit or Rougned Odor gets healthy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jonathan Davis, Blue Jays: Davis rejoined the Jays roster when Springer landed back on the IL, and he'll give the team a solid defensive option in center field. His .564 OPS in the majors is far less appealing, however. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Leury Garcia, White Sox: Garcia is back to being an everyday player in the wake of Luis Robert's hip injury. The 30-year-old doesn't offer much upside in that role, but he'll chip in an occasional steal and a handful of RBI and runs. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Phil Gosselin / Jon Jay / Juan Lagares, Angels: I just wanted to list these guys together so it becomes clear the lengths the Angels are going to not to promote Jo Adell right now. Adell. incidentally, has gone 4-for-14 through three games for Triple-A Salt Lake with two doubles, a homer and a steal, but his 1:6 BB:K is probably enough excuse for the team to keep him down there a while longer, no matter how clear an upgrade he might be over this parade of retreads. Meanwhile, the Twins have brought up both Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach to fill an outfield need, if you want an example of an organization actually trying to win at the moment. All three – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Robbie Grossman, Tigers: Grossman's still not on enough rosters. His roster rate is exactly 50 percent in the NFBC despite the fact that he's starting every day for the Tigers and has three homers, seven steals, 11 RBI and 14 runs in 33 games. OK, sure, he's much more useful in OBP leagues and yeah, fine, playing for the Tigers limits his counting-stat potential, but he's still exactly the kind of guy you want on your bench to sub in for a regular starter who's due to miss some ABs with a minor injury or skimpy schedule for the coming week. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Trevor Larnach, Twins: Kirilloff's wrist injury created an opening for Larnach, and to its credit the Twins' front office decided if the team was in for a penny on one prospect's service-time clock, it might as well go in for a pound on both. Larnach doesn't have Kirilloff's upside, but he's still got a solid ceiling in his own right, profiling as the kind of guy who might supply numbers at the high end of Jay Bruce's range at his peak. If he hits, he could stick around even after Kirilloff gets healthy, provided the Twins are comfortable with one of them in right field (which would allow Max Kepler to cover center in Byron Buxton's absence). 12-team Mixed: $8; 15-team Mixed: $15; 12-team AL: $25

Nomar Mazara, Tigers: Mazara came off the IL on Saturday and jumped right back into the starting nine, going 1-for-4 with a walk, a triple and two runs scored. The 26-year-old never made good on the promise he showed as a Rangers rookie half a decade ago, but with Victor Reyes out of the picture, Mazara should get consistent at-bats and provide decent power numbers. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Josh Naylor, Cleveland: The 23-year-old is on a bit of a heater, slashing .325/.386/.575 over his last 11 games with two homers, six RBI and eight runs. Cleveland is again desperate for outfield production, and while you have to squint to see a significant fantasy upside with Naylor, he could be emerging as a solid four-category contributor. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered 

Harold Ramirez, Cleveland: Ramirez is another attempt by Cleveland to find a decent outfield bat on the cheap, and the former Marlin started five straight games last week following his promotion, going 5-for-20 with three doubles. He might become a bargain bin Michael Brantley if he can hang onto a steady gig, but that's about his ceiling. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Hunter Renfroe, Red Sox: Finally, one of Boston's offseason pickups is starting to get going at the plate. Renfroe has gone 10-for-31 with two homers and eight RBI over the last seven games, and his competition for playing time got a little thinner when Hernandez went down. Renfroe should keep starting as long as he's raking, and probably for a little bit afterward given the options available to the Red Sox. 12-team Mixed: $4; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Rostered

Taylor Ward, Angels: I exempted Ward from the clown car full of fourth and fifth outfielders above, but that doesn't mean he's a better option than Adell or Brandon Marsh when the latter gets healthy. The 27-year-old Ward has been getting big-league chances since 2018 and has only a .631 OPS to show for it, but he has nothing left to prove at Triple-A, and the Angels have to be hoping he can become the next Jared Walsh. He's started four straight games in right field since his promotion, going 2-for-13 with a homer, and occasional pop is all you should be counting on from him. As soon as Adell is deemed ready, Ward won't be in his way. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Designated Hitter

Khris Davis, Rangers: Davis came off the IL this weekend and collected a pinch-hit single in his first game back. That might be the role he finds himself in more often than not – Davis is only a DH, and the Rangers have little incentive to start him over Willie Calhoun, although the two could settle into a platoon, especially if the veteran provides some steady power. His days as a consistent 40-homer threat appear to be over, however. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2