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.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->

Starting Pitcher

Alex Faedo, Tigers: The 27-year-old right-hander is expected to get called back up for a spot start Sunday. Faedo's been shelled in his last two big-league starts, but he fanned nine over five innings in his most recent outing at Triple-A, and he's got some upside. Stashing him now could pay off if the Tigers deal away other starters, like Michael Lorenzen and Eduardo Rodriguez, before next week's deadline. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Nick Pivetta, Red Sox: Boston's rotation officially contains exactly two healthy arms right now in James Paxton and Kutter Crawford (Brayan Bello would be three, but he's on paternity leave.) Unofficially though, Pivetta might be the best pitcher they have after he no-hit the A's on Monday over six innings as a bulk reliever, striking out 13 to tie his career high. He was needed in a setup spot Saturday, which figures to bump his next stint as a primary pitcher, but in his last four outings in that role he has a 2.45 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 34:7 K:BB through 18.1 innings, winning two of them. Understandably, the Red Sox don't want to mess with a good thing. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Hyun Jin Ryu, Blue Jays: The 36-year-old southpaw is expected to make his return from Tommy John surgery this week, perhaps even in his old Dodgers Stadium stomping grounds, and after throwing 85 pitches in his last rehab start, Ryu shouldn't be facing any workload limitations. The Jays have a day off Thursday, then play 17 straight days to take them into mid-August, so it seems likely the team will run with a six-man rotation for at least part of that time, if not the whole two-plus weeks. Ryu will be battling with the flailing Alek Manoah and the inefficient Yusei Kikuchi for the last couple spots in the rotation once it settles back into a five-man unit. That's not the highest bar to clear, but if Ryu doesn't pitch any better than he did in 2022 before breaking down, he could find himself in long relief. If he is back in form though, he'll have value down the stretch – especially if the Toronto offense finds a groove at the same time. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Chase Silseth, Angels: After seeming to figure some things out in his last couple starts for Triple-A Salt Lake, Silseth rejoined the Halos rotation Wednesday and fanned a career-high 10 Yankees while falling just short of a quality start. The 23-year-old righty has the upside to be a reliable contributor if things are beginning to click, and the team's usual six-man rotation could get blown up if Shohei Ohtani gets shipped out before the deadline – I mean, if they don't need to accommodate his routine, they can just go back to a five-man set-up. It's not inconceivable that Silseth becomes the Angels' most valuable arm down the stretch. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

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

Brandon Bielak, Astros (vs. TEX, vs. TB)
Touki Toussaint, White Sox (vs. CHC, vs. CLE)
Ryan Yarbrough, Royals (at CLE, vs. MIN)

Relief Pitcher

Dany Jimenez, Athletics: It seems almost a given that Oakland will trade away just about anybody another team shows interest in at the deadline, including current closer Trevor May. If the ninth-inning gig opens up again, Jimenez might time his return from the IL perfectly to step into it. He hasn't pitched in the majors since mid-April, but he made his first rehab appearance Thursday and could be back in the bullpen by the beginning of August. Jimenez's stuff might not mark him as a high-leverage option in any other big-league bullpen, but he picked up 11 saves last season when the A's had no better options to close. Zach Jackson has more closer-like raw stuff if you feel compelled to throw a dart at this bullpen, but he's further behind in his recovery from elbow trouble than Jimenez is from his shoulder woes, and when you're scrounging for saves, opportunity should always be your primary focus. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Trevor May, Athletics: Speaking of May, he's become a reasonably reliable arm again, posting a 2.87 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 15.2 innings since the beginning of June despite a 15:13 K:BB. He's also converted all nine of his save chances in that time – that's more saves than Paul Sewald, Clay Holmes or Will Smith have managed during that stretch. If he gets dealt chances are he becomes a set-up man with his new club, but you never know. Maybe he heads to the Dodgers and takes over the job they'd planned to give to Daniel Hudson if he's been healthy. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Catcher

Kyle Higashioka, Yankees: With Jose Trevino out for the rest of the year, Higashioka suddenly finds himself atop the depth chart. The 33-year-old has some pop – 25 homers since 2021 in 576 big-league at-bats – but his batting average won't do you any favors in increased playing time. There's also the chance Ben Rortvedt, the new No. 2 backstop, gets hot and the Yankees go with a platoon for a while, with Higashioka on the short side. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Rene Pinto, Rays: Francisco Mejia's going to be out for a month or so, and Christian Bethancourt hasn't really done anything to suggest he's able to hold down a full-time job. Pinto has flashed some power at Triple-A – 35 homers for Durham in 162 career games with a .273/.319/.525 slash line – so if he can get steady playing time, he might supply some deep-league value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Ben Rortvedt, Yankees: Rortvedt's had trouble staying healthy the last couple years, but in 29 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2023 he's managed a .276/.387/.495 slash line with six homers. The 25-year-old hadn't shown much power in the minors prior, and what fantasy appeal he had came from the possibility he would supply a decent batting average or OBP if he got a chance in the majors, but it's possible his bat is coming around, and Higashioka isn't a big obstacle to significant playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

First Base

Jake Bauers, Yankees: After missing a couple weeks with shoulder trouble, Bauers got activated from the IL on Sunday and immediately slotted back in as the starting right fielder, batting leadoff no less against Royals right-hander Jordan Lyles. Bauers was providing solid low-BA power numbers when he got hurt, and that's the fantasy niche he should fill down the stretch in a strong-side platoon role. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Second Base

Vidal Brujan, Rays: With Taylor Walls on the shelf due to an oblique strain, Brujan will get perhaps his last chance to prove he has a real future in the majors – either in Tampa Bay, or somewhere else if a rebuilding team likes what they see. The 25-year-old has defensive versatility and patience, but despite his speed he's been caught stealing way too often the last two years in Triple-A (42-for-63, a 66.7 percent success rate) and he may not have a real defensive home as a starter. If you pick him up now, you're counting on a trade somewhere he might blossom into something like the next Jorge Mateo. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Jordan Diaz, Athletics: Diaz has found some success at the plate in July, slashing .295/.347/.455 in 14 games with two homers. The A's have been occasionally spotting him in at the infield corners, but mostly when he's not at second base he's been the DH. With Zack Gelof also needing starts at the keystone and Esteury Ruiz and Ramon Laureano (unless he's traded) returning soon to push Seth Brown back into the 1B/DH mix alongside Tyler Soderstrom, Diaz will need to keeping hitting to get consistent action, but hopefully the front office clears up some of the roster crunch at the deadline. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Trevor Story, Red Sox: Story finally began a rehab assignment Friday, homering in his first game action since September but then striking out four times against Double-A pitching in his second contest. Boston needs some stability in its middle infield, but they won't rush the 30-year-old back, and it's not like Story set the town on fire in 2022 in his first season outside of Coors Field. He's close enough to returning to be worth stashing, but there's no telling what kind of numbers he might put up in the second half, so there's plenty of risk here. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5 

Shortstop

Oswald Peraza, Yankees: Peraza will have started five of the last six games after taking the field Sunday, getting the nod at third base three times and starting once each at second base and shortstop. That's encouraging usage in the wake of Josh Donaldson's latest long-term injury, and while the 23-year-old has gone just 2-for-13 since his promotion, Peraza has drawn five walks (against eight strikeouts) and stolen two bags. Especially if he keeps getting a look in the leadoff spot, he could develop some mixed-league value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Outfield

Trey Cabbage, Angels: The 26-year-old has gone 5-for-19 since making his big-league debut July 14, and while three of those hits came in the same game, Cabbage appears to be working his way into a strong-side platoon role at first base while Mike Moustakas is needed over at the hot corner. Brandon Drury seems close to returning, but he could get slotted in at second base rather than first – assuming he doesn't get traded at the deadline, should the Angels pull the plug on the season. For that matter, Hunter Renfroe could get shipped out too, opening up time in an outfield corner too. In general, I approve of the Halos surrounding Mike Trout with more players named after food (even Tim Salmon had Chili Davis as his side dish, after all), so I'm rooting for Cabbage to stick around. His .287/.358/.576 slash line in 81 games at Salt Lake this year isn't exceptional considering the hitting environment, but 23 homers and 24 steals (in 26 attempts) highlights his fantasy appeal if he continues to draw regular playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Aaron Hicks, Orioles: With Cedric Mullins hurt and Colton Cowser struggling to find his footing in the majors, Hicks is the O's starting center fielder again. The veteran outfielder has gone 7-for-27 (.259) since the All-Star break with a 2:11 BB:K, however, an ominous sign for a player that hasn't been consistently productive since about 2018. If the team doesn't feel comfortable waiting for Cowser to figure things out, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Baltimore pick up a different stopgap at the deadline. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Travis Jankowski, Rangers: Corey Seager's hurt again, which means Ezequiel Duran is needed at shortstop again. Jankowski was already seeing fairly regular at-bats in left field, but less competition can't hurt. The veteran speedster has a .372/.404/.465 slash line through 14 games in July with six steals in six attempts, but his lack of power has kept his roster rates lower than they should be all year. If you're jockeying for position in stolen bases, he's the perfect guy to plug into your lineup when your "better" options in the outfield have tough weeks. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Ramon Laureano, Athletics: The 29-year-old's had trouble staying healthy this season and hasn't been particularly effective when in the lineup, but Laureano should at least be able to come off the IL in time to salvage a little bit of trade value ahead of the deadline. He seems like the kind of player who could go on a tear if he gets a chance to start for a team in the playoff hunt, but "less reliable Kevin Kiermaier" isn't exactly a profile that's going to attract a lot of interest. Laureano's best shot at a big second half will likely come if he's picked up to be an outfield insurance policy that needs to be cashed in almost immediately. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Cade Marlowe, Mariners: It's not clear yet what the M's intend to do in left field while Jarred Kelenic is on the shelf, but Marlowe might have more fantasy upside than either Dylan Moore or Taylor Trammell if he can seize the starting job. The 26-year-old was a 20th-round pick in 2019 as a college senior out of West Georgia, so he's been old for his level every step of the way in the minors, but after solidifying his prospect status at Double-A in 2022 he's continues to show both power and speed at Triple-A Tacoma in 2023. Marlowe probably profiles as a fourth outfielder in the long run, and it shouldn't be overlooked that he's actually older than Trammell by about three months despite the wide gap in the amount of big-league experience they have in their careers. Still, Trammell's flopped more than once when given a look, while Marlowe remains a relatively blank slate you can scribble your hopes and dreams upon. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Matt Wallner, Twins: Wallner got called back up when Jose Miranda landed on the IL, and while that might have been simply a matter of him being on the 40-man roster and already having burned an option this year, the 25-year-old found himself getting consistent playing time this week when Joey Gallo and Willi Castro came down with pink eye. (Insert Scott Baio joke here.) Wallner did about what you'd expect with the opportunity, going 3-for-17 with five strikeouts. While he remains in theory a potential Gallo-esque slugger in the majors, the former Ranger made his big-league debut at age 21 while Wallner didn't see the Show until he was 24, and there's probably a good reason for that. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1