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.

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Starting Pitcher

Taj Bradley, Rays: The prized right-hander will make his return to the big-league rotation Sunday after spending all of August at Triple-A, where he posted a 2.91 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 24:11 K:BB in 21.2 innings. What were supposed to be Bradley's two best pitches – a mid-90s heater with movement and his cutter – were actually his worst during his first stint with Tampa, with the fastball producing a .344 xwOBA and the cutter a .364 mark, while his slow curve showed some promise as a third offering (.259 xwOBA), so I remain very bullish in the long run on the 22-year-old. The Rays need him to be reliable in September though, not 2024 or 2025, and that's a riskier proposition. If you need an upside swing to gain ground in the key pitching categories though, Bradley has the talent to put up ace-like numbers down the stretch if he starts to click – and more importantly, there's nobody else on the AL horizon with comparable upside. 12-team Mixed: $11; 15-team Mixed: $21; 12-team AL: $35

Michael King, Yankees: The Yankees are playing for the future, and while that means a raft of prospects filling the lineup around Aaron Judge, it also means they can afford to experiment with things like trying King out in the rotation. The 28-year-old got stretch out to four innings in his last appearance, and he blanked the Tigers with a 5:0 K:BB, so the experiment's working so far. He faces Houston on Sunday though, a much tougher test, and Jhony Brito's also pitching well out of the bullpen if King begins to struggle his second or third time through an order. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Matt Manning, Tigers: I was going to write up Manning last week, but then his back began to bother him and he was one of the last cuts. Apparently the issue was no big deal, because he went out Thurday and delivered his third straight quality start, blanking the Yankees over six innings. Manning's lack of strikeouts limits his fantasy upside – his season high is just six Ks, and his 15.8 percent strikeout rate just won't cut it in shallow formats – but his current form gives him some value as a streaming option. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

John Means, Orioles: Out since April 2022 due to Tommy John surgery, Means appears ready to rejoin the big-league staff after fanning six over five scoreless innings at Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday. Baltimore's currently running a six-man rotation that includes a struggling Cole Irvin, so it's not entirely clear if Means will get a regular turn down the stretch, but the 30-year-old southpaw is a decent keeper stash in deeper leagues if nothing else. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Mason Miller, Athletics: Miller threw three perfect innings Saturday for Triple-A Las Vegas, striking out four over 37 pitches, and the plan seems to be to have him rejoin Oakland's rotation next weekend. The 25-year-old won't be fully stretched out, making him an even poorer play for a win that is normal for an A's starter, but he's got significant strikeout and ratio upside given his triple-digit heat. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Cal Quantrill, Guardians: The 28-year-old righty returned to the mound Friday after getting past some shoulder woes and gave Cleveland a quality start, his first since mid-May. He also walked more batters than he struck out though (2:3 K:BB), so the lack of dominance that contributed to his 6.16 ERA on the season is far from solved. Quantrill won't be of much use in shallow formats where you need every pitcher to contribute in strikeouts, but he should post better numbers than he did earlier in the year, and the Guardians need him to be reliable – there's still no clear timeline for Shane Bieber or Tristan McKenzie to return. 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)

Kenny Rosenberg, Angels (vs. BAL, vs. CLE)
Jesse Scholtens, White Sox (at KC, at DET)
Ken Waldichuk, Athletics (vs. TOR, at TEX)
Joey Wentz, Tigers (at NYY, vs. CHW)

Relief Pitcher

Jhony Brito, Yankees: The 25-year-old has settled nicely into a long relief role, working essentially in a tandem with King and Luis Severino when they haven't been able to give the Yankees a lot of length. Brito's worked more than two innings in five straight appearances, and while one bad outing against the Red Sox during that time has left him with a 4.32 ERA, his 1.14 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB through 16.2 innings better reflect his performance. He also has two wins, and with the Yankees' offense showing flickers of life after a massive infusion of youth in September, he could plausibly fall into a couple more over the final weeks. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Jose Leclerc, Rangers: I wrote up Leclerc last week, got zero shares of him, then watched him nab a save Monday night. Figures. He's still probably third in the pecking order for the Rangers for ninth-inning duty behind Will Smith and Aroldis Chapman, but the fact that he's in the mix at all makes for a nice comeback story after his control issues derailed him following a dominant 2018 campaign. If you're looking at him as a possible keeper stash, Smith and Chapman are both free agents this winter while Leclerc has an affordable $6.25 million club option on his contract for 2024, but Texas also seems likely to throw a lot of money at someone like Josh Hader in the offseason. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Catcher

Sam Huff, Rangers: Speaking of keeper stashes on the Rangers' roster, Huff is back up for September after slashing .325/.491/.550 for Triple-A Round Rock in August with a 21.8 percent strikeout rate in 11 games (and a 23.6 percent walk rate.) The 25-year-old has legit big-league power – he took Jordan Montgomery deep in his first at-bat back in the majors Saturday – and if he's gotten his contact issues sorted, next year he could slide quite easily into the role currently held down by Mitch Garver. His playing time the rest of 2023 is likely to be limited, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Martin Maldonado, Astros: The veteran backstop is starting two out of every three games these days, as the Astros try to juggle his work behind then plate with the need to keep Yainer Diaz's bat in the lineup. Maldonado's at least supplying a bit of offense himself though, slashing .246/.310/.415 since the beginning of August with three homers, eight runs and 10 RBI. Those numbers aren't going to move the needle for anyone's fantasy roster, but he could represent an upgrade for you in two-catcher formats, with his recent production being disguised by his typically hideous season-long numbers. You don't need Maldonado to be useful for much longer, anyway. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Tyler Soderstrom, Athletics: Back in the majors as part of September roster expansion after a brief demotion to Triple-A, Soderstrom's 6-for-26 effort in Las Vegas didn't exactly suggest he's going to tear it up for Oakland this time around. The A's have nothing on the line except player development though, and the 21-year-old is a bigger piece of the team's future puzzle than Shea Langeliers, Ryan Noda or Brent Rooker, the guys blocking him at catcher, 1B and DH. The playing time should come; the only question is what Soderstrom's able to do with it. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Austin Wells, Yankees: Another bat-first catching prospect whose future fantasy outlook would change radically if MLB ever decided to adopt robo-umps and pitch framing became a relic of a prior era, Wells slashed .250/.351/.490 for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in August with five homers and 19 RBI, which was good enough to earn a big-league debut along with all the Yankees' other upper-minors position prospects. The 24-year-old has big-time power from the left side and could deposit a lot of souvenirs in the short porch at Yankee Stadium once he gets comfortable in the majors, but there's no reason to think he'll figure things out quickly. September could be more about making adjustments than delivering immediate production. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

First Base

Ryan Noda, Athletics: Noda's been a constant in the lineup since returning from the IL in late August, appearing in 12 straight games and slashing .308/.426/.436 with an entirely palatable 21.3 percent strikeout rate, plus one homer, five RBI and seven runs. Playing in Oakland makes him somewhat anonymous, otherwise his roster rates would be more in keeping with his production and role. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Second Base

Willi Castro, Twins: Minnesota's scrambling to find a center fielder again. Michael Taylor just landed on the IL, and Byron Buxton's knee acting up again on his latest rehab assignment, leaving some doubt whether he'll be able to play defense at all this season. That leaves switch-hitting utility man Castro, who just got activated from the IL himself Sunday, as the top option. The 26-year-old is basically a one-category fantasy asset, but his 29 steals on the year (in 33 attempts) is a career high, and he could add to that number significantly with regular playing time down the stretch. The biggest obstacle between that playing time and Castro in the short term is Andrew Stevenson (see below), but the latter's numbers at Triple-A this season are just good enough to make this situation a bit muddled. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Ernie Clement, Blue Jays: The right side of Toronto's infield has collapsed, with Bo Bichette and Matt Chapman both on the IL at least until next weekend. Clement's been the preferred replacement at shortstop, starting five straight games and going an out-of-nowhere 7-for-18 (.389) with a triple and a homer. The 27-year-old utility player was raking at Triple-A Buffalo this year too, posting a .927 OPS that dwarfs his career .571 OPS through 340 plate appearances in the majors, so maybe he's having one of those late breakouts you see from athletic infielders from time to time. Even if Clement's production is close to legit though, he has no clear path to playing time once everyone's healthy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Santiago Espinal, Blue Jays: With Clement handling short, Espinal's started three of the last four games at third base and collected two hits in each of those starts, but all three were against left-handed pitchers, while Davis Schneider got the nod against the lone righty during that stretch. Fortunately for Espinal, Toronto's road series in Oakland to start this week sees them facing two more southpaws in Ken Waldichuk and JP Sears. Espinal's purely a short-term stopgap, but at least he's swinging a hot bat. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Zach McKinstry, Tigers: McKinstry remains a fixture in the Detroit lineup, mostly getting starts at second base but also occasionally subbing in at third or shortstop. He's also picked things back up offensively, slashing .271/.368/.438 over his last 15 games with a homer and four steals. The 28-year-old doesn't offer a lot of upside, but if you're in a dogfight in stolen bases, he could provide a couple clutch pilfers. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Rostered

Davis Schneider, Blue Jays: The third member of the Jays' Emergency Utility Infielder kit, Schneider has become something of a folk hero in Toronto in relatively short order. Is it the moustache straight off an old-timey cigarette card from the 19th century? Maybe, but more likely it's the absurd .407/.522/.870 slash line through his first 67 big-league plate appearances with six homers and 16 RBI. To say that pace is unsustainable would be a wild understatement, but the 24-year-old has forced manager John Schneider (no relation) to get him into the lineup wherever and however he can. Over the last week, Schneider the player has seen three starts at second base, two at third base, and one each in left field and at DH. Yes, that adds up to seven starts in seven days. Of the three guys seeing consistent at-bats right now while Bichette and Chapman are sidelined, Schneider is by far the most likely to continue getting reps when the lineup's back at full strength... at least until he cools down, anyway. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Donovan Solano, Twins: Solano's been one of the streakiest players in the majors this season, but right now the roller coaster is gliding up another hill, and there's nothing but blue sky ahead. While filling in as the regular starter at first base, the 35-year-old utility player has racked up five multi-hit performances in his last seven games and is slashing .369/.397/.462 over his last 16. Those impressive ratios only come with one homer, zero steals, seven runs and eight RBI though, and he's little more than a one-category asset in 5x5. If batting average is what you need though, Solano can provide it, at least until the coaster start plunging downward again. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Third Base

Gabriel Arias, Guardians: Arias has won the shortstop battle in Cleveland so decisively, Brayan Rocchio – the better prospect according to just about everyone last winter – hasn't even gotten a September call-up yet. Arias is slashing .288/.319/.530 over his last 18 games with four homers, 10 RBI and 12 runs, numbers that should be rostered in just about any league, especially considering that he qualifies at first base, third base, shortstop and outfield in formats with a 10-game minimum. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Andre Lipcius, Tigers: I nearly left Lipcius off the list this week, but kept him on for a few reasons. One, he's seen action in both September games since his promotion, and he homered in his first start. Two, Detroit's got nothing to play for but the chance to evaluate options for the 2024 roster, so they might as well take a look at the 25-year-old. And three, his name sounds like a Roman historian with a weird focus on public baths. His minor-league numbers are nothing special, but he's got defensive flexibility, and if McKinstry gets yanked back to the outfield to help cover for Riley Greene's latest injury, Lipcius could take advantage. Think of him as a Brian Anderson starter kit. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Nick Loftin, Royals: Another somewhat marginal prospect with defensive flexibility, Loftin could end up on the short side of a platoon at second base with Michael Massey, although the Royals saw a lefty starter Friday and left Massey at the keystone while easing Loftin into the majors at DH. That could say something about how the organization views his glovework. His profile is similar to Lipcius' though (and Anderson's) – decent contact skills and plate discipline, but questionable power for a starting player, even on a non-contending club. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Shortstop

Kyren Paris, Angels: For a farm system that wasn't rated very highly this past offseason, the Halos do seem to keep cranking out prospect when they need them. Paris has started back-to-back games at shortstop with Zach Neto on the shelf, and while the 21-year-old isn't at Neto's level as a prospect, the 2019 second-round pick flashed a bit of power and a lot of speed at Double-A this season, popping 14 homers in 113 games and swiping 44 bags in 50 attempts. He's already stolen his first big-league base, but with Neto set to begin a likely brief rehab stint Tuesday, Paris' window for fantasy value could be a small one. Then again, they could always shift Brandon Drury over to third base and try Paris out at second as Neto's double-play partner. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Taylor Walls, Rays: Walls returned from the IL on Friday, but it's not yet clear exactly how the shortstop workload is going to be split up between him and Osleivis Basabe. Manager Kevin Cash seemed to indicate Walls' glove would make him the everyday starter, but it was Basabe in there Friday against a righty pitcher, while Walls got the nod Saturday against a lefty. A strict platoon seems unlikely, but Basabe was playing well enough that Walls might need to prove he can contribute at the plate too before being given the full-time gig. The 27-year-old has teased being useful with his bat at times and does have 20 steals in 21 attempts this season, but they come with a .211/.314/.358 slash line. A dreaded timeshare could be looming, or maybe Cash just didn't want to rush Walls back into action after a six-week absence. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Outfield

Michael Brantley, Astros: The 36-year-old made his long-delayed return from shoulder surgery Tuesday and immediately started doing Michael Brantley things, going 4-for-13 (.308) with a double and a homer. He'll likely only play against RHP, splitting his time between left field and DH, but he still looks like the ultimate floor option, compiling solid numbers in three categories and even being an asset in batting average/OBP. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Dominic Canzone, Mariners: Canzone's on a nice little roll, batting .304 (14-for-46) over his last 12 games with five doubles and two homers while holding down a starting job in a corner outfield spot. The M's are being aggressive with Jarred Kelenic's rehab stint, which indicates the team wants him back sooner rather than later, but that's understandable given the battle going on for the AL West crown. It's not clear where Canzone will fit into the picture when Kelenic's back, as they both hit left-handed, but he's at least swinging a hotter bat than Dylan Moore at the moment. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jasson Dominguez, Yankees: If Dominguez were to make Slim Whitman his walk-up song, he would immediately replace Ichiro! as my favorite all-time player. Still only 20 years old, the 2019 signing saw only nine games at Triple-A before making his big-league debut, but he went 13-for-31 (.419) with a 6:3 BB:K, so yeah, I guess he was ready. Dominguez is the centerpiece of the Yankees' current "Baby Bombers" roster (hey, that one's not on me) and could well be the team's Opening Day center fielder in 2024, and the Ronald Acuna comparisons are probably inescapable. His immediate production could be uneven for those in redraft leagues, but there's no chance you'll get him at a discount. Someone's probably going to throw their entire remaining budget at Dominguez, and it's a justifiable decision given his upside. 12-team Mixed: $25; 15-team Mixed: $35; 12-team AL: $55

Ramon Laureano, Guardians: A Cleveland team in desperate need of outfield production may have lucked into some with Laureano. After getting dumped by Oakland, the 29-year-old took a little time to get comfortable, but over his last nine games he's batting .289 (11-for-38) with two doubles and two homers, It's not much, but it's more than the Guardians have been getting from their other right field options. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Parker Meadows, Tigers: Meadows is still curiously under-rostered for a top-100 prospect who's started his big-league career with a .302/.388/.465 slash line through 12 games, but with Riley Greene hurt again, more eyes will likely be on the rookie. The Tigers seemed like they were going to give Meadows the starting job in center field down the stretch anyway, but now his main competition for at-bats is Matt Vierling. The batting average may come down, but Meadows could chip in with some homers and steals over the final weeks. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Ceddanne Rafaela, Red Sox: The 22-year-old completed his ascent from Double-A early last week, but Rafaela has seen sporadic playing time since getting called up, which is at least partially a product of the fact that the April version of Adam Duvall has resurfaced. Rafaela racked up 20 homers and 37 steals over 108 games in the upper minors this year with an aggregate .299/.347/.517 slash line, and his upside isn't in question. As long as Boston is in the wild-card picture and feels compelled to play the veterans though, his September outlook is sketchy, making for some wildly divergent bids whether you're in a keeper league or redraft. 12-team Mixed: No/$5; 15-team Mixed: No/$11; 12-team AL: $2/$25

Andrew Stevenson, Twins: A second-round pick of the Nationals in 2015, Stevenson was generally viewed as a future fourth outfielder who could handle himself defensively, slap some balls for hits and steal an occasional base. He fell short of even those expectations though, and over the last couple years in the minors he's retooled his swing to try and generate more power. It's worked, and over the last two seasons at Triple-A he's slashed .296/.366/.485 with 32 homers and 83 steals in just over a thousand plate appearances. With Minnesota running out of center field options, those numbers earned Stevenson a September promotion, and he promptly stole two more bags in his first game as a Twin. He'd be a defensive upgrade over Willi Castro in center, so if Stevenson can prove he's not an offensive liability, there's a chance he could emerge with the majority of the playing time until Taylor and/or Buxton are back. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2