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

Logan Allen, Guardians: You could find no better example of "New Hotness" theory than what happened over the last week or so in prospect circles. With Cleveland's rotation in dire need of reinforcements, all the speculation was directed toward when/whether Tanner Bibee or Gavin Williams, both 2021 draft picks who made big splashes last year, would make their big-league debuts. Forgotten in all that hoopla was that the Guardians had another pretty solid starting prospect with a little more experience. Allen, a second-round pick in 2020, dominated in Double-A last season before stumbling in his first look at Triple-A, but he's been lights out in his second tour of the International League, posting a 1.26 ERA and 20:5 K:BB through 14.1 innings for Columbus. The 24-year-old southpaw will make his MLB debut Sunday against the Marlins, and if Allen does well he'll likely stick around for a while. In terms of raw stuff, he can't match Williams or Bibee, but until last year's Triple-A stint, Allen's command and extension allowed his low-90s fastball, plus change and improved slider/sweeper to play up. If everything comes together, he could be a dependable mid-rotation arm. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Taj Bradley, Rays: Bradley's price tag has only gone up since last week. The 22-year-old righty looks set for a long stay in the Tampa Bay rotation due to injuries, but he showed he belonged by tossing 5.1 scoreless innings with nine Ks against the Reds on Tuesday. Bradley's still searching for a reliable third pitch, but his fastball has plus movement and his cutter is downright vicious, and his command is exceptional given his age and experience. 12-team Mixed: $12; 15-team Mixed: $25; 12-team AL: $45

Griffin Canning, Angels: The 26-year-old righty has given the Halos two solid outings since joining the rotation, and the fact that he got stretched out to 100 pitches Wednesday makes it clear he isn't going to be babied despite his long layoff. Canning's still an iffy mixed-league option due to the Angels' usage of a six-man rotation, but his spot seems safer than Jose Suarez's right now. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Mason Miller, Athletics: Miller a tough prospect to judge for the purposes of redraft, as opposed to dynasty or keeper formats. His stuff is absolutely legit, and he routinely pops 100 mph with his fastball, but coming into this season the 24-year-old righty had thrown all of 20 professional innings since being a third-round pick in 2021. Through 13 innings across three levels this year, he's got a 24:1 K:BB, including five strikeouts in 4.1 frames in his MLB debut Wednesday. I think there are some reasonable questions to be asked about Oakland's seeming lack of a plan for Miller and the organization's ability to successfully develop starting pitchers in general – for instance, why has he pitched at three levels already in 2023? If you're sending him to Double-A to avoid the PCL hitter's havens, there was no need to have him make one start for Las Vegas; you could have just jumped him straight to the majors – and the team environment won't help him get many wins, but his upside can't be ignored, either. Think of Miller as an off-brand Hunter Greene (who, let's remember, has a 4.42 career ERA and only five wins in 28 big-league starts so far despite his triple-digit heat) and you probably won't be disappointed. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Bailey Ober, Twins: Ober will get called up for a spot start Sunday against the lowly Nationals, but given how much trouble Kenta Maeda has had staying on the mound in the early going, it wouldn't be a huge shock if that one-off turned into a longer stay in the majors. Ober's too good for a sixth man role anyway, and he was having little difficulty with Triple-A hitters this year during his exile to St. Paul. The 27-year-old righty has plus control and an arraying of breaking pitches that allow his low-90s fastball to play up, and he should be a mid-rotation starter for someone, even if it isn't Minnesota. Heck, he'd probably be the ace right now in Oakland or Washington. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

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

Matthew Boyd, Tigers (at MIL, vs. BAL)
Jhony Brito, Yankees (at MIN, at TEX)
Dean Kremer, Orioles (vs. BOS, at DET)
Jose Suarez, Angels (vs. OAK, at MIL)
Spencer Turnbull, Tigers (at MIL, vs. BAL)
Ken Waldichuk, Athletics (at LAA, vs. CIN)

Relief Pitcher

Jeurys Familia / Zach Jackson / Sam Moll / Chad Smith, Athletics: Oakland's bullpen has officially reached dumpster fire status. A.J. Puk is in Miami, Dany Jimenez is hurt again, Trevor May has stepped away from the team to seek treatment for mental health issues, and none of the leftovers can seem to find the strike zone. Smith has arguably been the team's most reliable reliever, but he'd be in a low-leverage middle-relief role on a contending squad. Even on the A's, he doesn't seem to be in the closer mix right now and is only a dart throw for saves because all the other options on the roster look much, much worse. Speaking of which, Familia got a save Friday as he begins his second stint in Oakland. He also has a 4:8 K:BB through 10 innings, and hasn't posted a WHIP below 1.40 in a season since 2018 (coincidentally, that was when he first played for the A's.) Jackson might be the next man up if (when?) Familia spits the bit, and his 12:8 K:BB through 9.2 innings at least has the benefit of matching up with his career 12.33 K/9. He's got the most upside if he figures out where the plate is on a consistent basis. Moll would be a fairly fungible LOOGY in a prior era, but he could end up seeing some situational save chances. Even playing the "who will the front office want to showcase for a potential deadline trade?" game doesn't lead anywhere useful. To be clear, I don't want any of these guys on any of my rosters, but if you're scrambling for saves, beggars can't be choosers. Familia – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4 / Jackson – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2 / Moll – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1 / Smith – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Josh Fleming, Rays: Since moving out of the rotation and into a bulk relief role, Fleming's looked pretty good, posting a 1.74 ERA and 9:4 K:BB through 10.1 innings. Tampa Bay's got plenty of experience handling southpaws who don't quite have the arsenal to thrive in the rotation (just ask Ryan Yarbrough), and until the team's staff gets healthier, Fleming could provide solid innings and stumble into a win now and then. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Jason Foley, Tigers: Detroit's bullpen is in marginally better shape than Oakland's, but it's still a Pete Campbell special. Alex Lange hasn't really locked up the closer role yet, posting a 7:5 K:BB through 8.2 innings, but nobody working ahead of him has put much pressure on him for the job either. Foley looks like the closest thing to an alternative, as the 27-year-old righty is averaging a career-high 97 mph with his fastball and has a 2.25 ERRA and 8:3 K:BB through eight innings with three holds. He even notched his first career save Tuesday in the nightcap of a doubleheader after Lange had pitched in the matinee. If you have a bench spot to churn, stashing Foley in case Lange implodes could pay off down the road. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jose Quijada, Angels: I feel like I'm writing up Quijada every week at this point, but that's mainly because I refuse to believe he's either the Angels' best option to close, or who Phil Nevin would think is his best option to close. Nonetheless, the 27-year-old lefty is up to four saves in five chances, and while the blown save came in his most recent appearance Saturday, he was pitching on consecutive days so he has a good excuse. What's happening to begin 2023 is kind of what happened after the Halos traded Raisel Iglesias last year – Quijada got the initial save in August, but other arms eventually emerged in the ninth. I still expect a similar pattern this summer, although it might take longer for Nevin to find someone he's comfortable with. In the meantime, the entirely adequate Quijada will have some value. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Catcher

Matt Thaiss / Chad Wallach, Angels: Logan O'Hoppe's shoulder injury leaves the Angels scrambling behind the plate. The team has avoided leaning too heavily on Thaiss for defensive reasons, but his workload can't help but increase now, and he could find himself on the strong side of a platoon with the 31-year-old Wallach and his career .199/.266/.309 slash line. A more even split in playing time is also plausible though, which would likely limit the utility of both guys to AL-only formats. Thaiss – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3 / Wallach – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Second Base

Jordan Diaz, Athletics: With the Oakland outfield down two bodies and Tony Kemp needed in left field on a part-time basis, Diaz got promoted and has started two of the last three games at second base. The 22-year-old isn't an elite prospect and would be a utility player on a lot of teams, but he can hit and the A's have nothing to lose by seeing if he can play good enough defense at second base to claim the starting job. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Third Base

Matt Duffy, Royals: The 32-year-old journeyman is beginning to see consistent action between the hot corner and the keystone for Kansas City as the team's other options like Hunter Dozier and Michael Massey struggle. Duffy's a temporary solution at best, but he could have some short-term fantasy appeal in AL-only formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Ezequiel Duran, Rangers: In a shocking twist, Josh Smith hasn't proven to be capable of handling shortstop on an everyday basis. As a result, Duran's worked himself up from the short side of a platoon into more consistent playing time this week, going 6-for-14 with a double, a homer and six RBI over the last four games. Corey Seager's still a few weeks away from returning, so while Duran's not a natural shortstop either, he could be demonstrating he's the marginally better fill-in. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Shortstop

Taylor Walls, Rays: Since recovering from an elbow injury, Walls has forced his way into the Rays' regular infield rotation, going 8-for-24 while seeing action in seven of the last 10 games with three homers, two steals, six RBI and 10 runs. The power probably isn't sustainable, but he's got wheels and the glove to earn the team's trust in a utility role. It would probably take an injury or two to get him a more conventional starting spot, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Outfield

Michael Brantley, Astros: The veteran outfielder appears to be a week or so away from returning, and he's been dropped in enough leagues to make it worth seeing if you can stash him. Brantley's all floor at age 35, but he'll help your batting average and score some runs without being a complete zero in HR and RBI. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Conner Capel. Athletics: Capel's taken over a starting role with Seth Brown and Ramon Laureano both sidelined, and the 25-year-old's responded by batting .333 (8-for-24) over the last eight games. He's got little counting-stat production to speak of aside from three steals in five attempts, limiting his appeal to deeper formats, but Capel could keep you afloat if you're trying to plug an outfield hole. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Jarren Duran, Red Sox: The 26-year-old got called up Monday and took over as Boston's center fielder, and he hit the ground running by hitting safely in five straight games. Duran's batting .368 since his promotion with four doubles, six RBI and a steal, and while he's never had a truly huge minor-league season, he's got the talent and power/speed skills to provide real fantasy value. Adam Duvall shouldn't lose his starting gig while he's hurt, but that doesn't mean Duran can't establish himself as Boston's center fielder of the present and future during Duvall's absence. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $21

Jake Meyers, Astros: Chas McCormick seems to be breaking down in a full-time role – first it was vision issues and then it was a sore back, as he's apparently 58 years old and not 28 – and that's opened the door for Meyers to get another shot. Meyers has hit safely in five straight games, batting .368 (7-for-19) with a homer, three runs and six RBI. Neither guy's a future stud, but Meyers has a career .330/.407/.566 slash line through nearly 500 PAs at Triple-A with 23 homers and 12 steals, and he's got the most fantasy upside of the two. He's worth stashing in case he seizes the starting job in center field and doesn't let go. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7