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 upside on an A-E scale, prioritizing skills and talent above role and playing time outlook. Gunnar Henderson 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

Ronel Blanco, Astros: I hope you grabbed Blanco last week when I recommended him, because his price maaaaaay have gone up a smidge since then. While I do believe in the 30-year-old righty's upside, Monday's no-no against the Jays is very likely to be the high-water mark of his season, if not his career. Blanco's stuff is legit, especially now that he trusts his changeup, but the command he flashed against Toronto isn't something he's been able to sustain. He pitches Sunday against the Rangers, but these bids assume he doesn't completely fall on his face. If he does, you might be able to come in a bit lower, but keep in mind a lot of your fellow GMs are scrambling to fill big holes in their rotation right now. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $25

Cody Bradford, Rangers: The assumption has been that Bradford was Texas' No. 5 starter and would get bumped as soon as someone like Michael Lorenzen was ready. The southpaw is doing is best to change that narrative though, posting a 2.13 ERA and 10:1 K:BB over 12.2 innings while winning his first two starts. His stuff is far from elite, but Jon Gray has stumbled out of the gate, so if he's nursing an injury – or even if the Rangers just decide the veteran righty can try to turn things around in the bullpen – Bradford might hang onto his spot. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Mike Clevinger, White Sox: Clevinger's a known mediocrity and will be pitching for a bad team, but someone in your league will still be drawn to his fading name brand. The 33-year-old righty hasn't had a really good fantasy season since 2019, though. He also won't be joining the big-league rotation until May, so for now, he should be viewed as nothing more than a stash in a deep league with a big bench. He'll probably have some AL-only value eventually though, so if you have a spot, it can't hurt to grab him now. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Ben Lively, Guardians: Speaking of stashes, Lively threw three scoreless innings for Triple-A Columbus on Thursday, so he's pretty close to being ready to come off IL. The 32-year-old righty was probably ticketed for a long-relief role, but that was before Shane Bieber went down. Gavin Williams will be the eventual replacement in the Cleveland rotation, but his return date from elbow inflammation is fuzzier. Lively could get a start or two before Williams is activated, and it's not like Carlos Carrasco has a hammerlock on the fifth starter job. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Michael Lorenzen, Rangers: Lorenzen should made his season debut this week after throwing 70 pitches for Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, and he gets the cushiest possible opponent in the A's if he slots in Wednesday as expected. The 32-year-old righty has posted respectable numbers the last two years since being converted from a relief role, but his 7.0 K/9 during that time tells you everything you need to know about his upside. Pitching for Texas does at least give him decent wins potential, though. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

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

Tyler Anderson, Angels (vs. TB, at BOS)
Andrew Heaney, Rangers (vs. HOU, at HOU)
Cole Irvin, Orioles (at BOS, vs. MIL)
Michael Soroka, White Sox (at CLE, vs. CIN)
Alex Wood, Athletics (at TEX, vs. WAS)

Relief Pitcher

Andrew Chafin / Shelby Miller / Will Vest, Tigers: I just missed getting James Foley last week in my TGFBI league, and I'm feeling like I dodged a bullet. Since then, Alex Lange got his first save of the year, but only because he came in to get the final out in the ninth Friday after Andrew Chafin was given a save chance. Foley worked the eighth in that one, and he might be taking on the dreaded "highest-leverage relief ace" role rather than the closer job. Foley should still be viewed as the favorite to lead Detroit in saves based in what we've seen so far, but it looks like opportunities might be spread out more than expected by A.J. Hinch. In that scenario, the other late-inning options in the 'pen could fall into a handful on days when Foley is needed earlier in the game and Lange can't find the plate. All three – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Chad Green, Blue Jays: Jordan Romano is on track to return in a week or two, but Green picked up the save Friday and could get a couple more before the Jays' closer is back. Yimi Garcia and Tim Mayza are both still being deployed as high-leverage setup men – in fact, Garcia has yet to pitch later than the seventh inning this season, albeit in a tiny sample of three appearances. Green seems to be in that sweet spot as the best of the rest of the team's healthy relievers. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Chris Martin / Justin Slaten, Red Sox: Kenley Jansen is 3-for-3 in converting save chances with a 0.00 ERA, but he's also been out for a stretch with back trouble. That's a little disconcerting for a 36-year-old pitcher, as is his 6:5 K:BB through 4.0 innings. Should Jansen break down, Martin appears to be the most likely replacement as Boston's closer and has a 7:0 K:BB through 5.0 innings with a 1.80 ERA, but he's 37 himself. Meanwhile, Slaten – a Rule 5 pick from the Rangers' system – has a prime-time fastball and a 6:0 K:BB through his first 5.2 big-league innings. Oh, and he also picked up his first career save last Sunday when Jansen was unavailable. The 26-year-old righty has been used in more of a long relief role so far, but if he keeps delivering, he'll work his way into a high-leverage spot. Martin – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5 / Slaten – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

James McArthur / John Schreiber / Chris Stratton, Royals: Coming into the season, one of my theories on how the campaign would play out was that the relative closer stability we saw in 2023 wouldn't repeat itself, and the pendulum would in fact swing hard the other way. At least on the margins, that's been accurate so far, as the bullpens that were expected to be messes have been extremely messy. Will Smith, the nominal favorite for saves in KC, has an 18.00 ERA and a 3:5 K:BB through 3.0 innings. McArthur stepped up with his first save of the year Friday, but then Stratton got one Saturday, and I can't help but notice that manager Matt Quatraro has yet to use McArthur on back-to-back days. I'm tossing Schreiber into the mix because he's been the team's best reliever so far with a 0.00 ERA and 3:1 K:BB through 3.2 innings. I feel like I might say this a lot this season, but don't go bonkers bidding on any of these guys, no matter how convinced you are that they'll emerge with the closer job. There are a lot of bullpen that have the stink of a unit where the saves leader ends up barely creeping into double digits, and in the case of the Royals, I can't even say for sure it won't be Carlos Hernandez once he gets healthy. McArthur – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7 / Schreiber – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2 / Stratton – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Colin Poche, Rays: Pete Fairbanks was maybe perceived to be a safer bet than he actually was coming into the season after he collected 25 saves last season. His fastball velocity is down, and his 3:4 K:BB through 2.0 innings over three appearances helps explain his 18.00 ERA. Jason Adam is the most likely alternative, but the Rays are comfortable using the chaos approach when it comes to the ninth inning and plug in whoever their analytical alchemy suggests has the best arsenal to attack whoever is due up for the opposition. (Adam's also rostered in too many leagues already to make the cut for this column.) Poche got a save Saturday in a wild Coors Field contest, and as the top lefty in the bullpen, he might be the safest play for five-plus saves should the Rays go to a committee approach, although his odds of getting to double digits aren't great. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Ryne Stanek, Mariners: Stanek got a save Monday when Andres Munoz was used in a highest-leverage spot in the eighth, so while the latter's job as closer isn't in any danger, he might end up getting a lower percentage of Seattle's save chances than expected. With Matt Brash and Gregory Santos both on the shelf, that leaves Stanek as the next man up for now. The 32-year-old righty's had some flashes of success in the past and still sports an average fastball velocity of 98.0 mph, so it's not like he's miscast in the ninth inning despite having only five career saves to his name. He's just spent most of his career in bullpens that featured better arms. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Kirby Yates, Rangers: Jose Leclerc picked up his first save of the season Saturday, after giving up runs in three straight appearances to begin the season. His 2:5 K:BB and 13.50 ERA through 4.0 innings are pretty typical for him, and the right-hander's job security is effectively nil if he doesn't turn things around quickly. Robertson's closing experience makes him the next man up, but he faded late last season and at 38 years old, it's not clear exactly how much he has left in the tank – and like Adam above, his roster rate's too high already. That might make Yates little more than an intriguing deep-league stash right now, but he does have a 41-save season on his resume (even if it did come in 2019) and he showed he was healthy again last year with Atlanta. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Catcher

Carson Kelly, Tigers: Over the span of a few weeks dating back to late March, Kelly's gone from the clear backup to Jake Rogers, to being someone manager A.J. Hinch suggested would see some DH at-bats, to having a slight edge in playing time as part of a timeshare behind the plate. It's hard to argue with that split given their respective performances, as Kelly's batting .353 (6-for-17) while Rogers is batting .067 (1-for-15) with 10 strikeouts. The latter did slug 21 homers last year, but he struck out at a 32.3 percent rate. If Rogers' contact issues get the better of him, Kelly will get a real chance to repeat the numbers he posted in Arizona earlier in his career. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

First Base

Jared Walsh, Rangers: Nathaniel Lowe has begun taking batting practice, so the clock could be ticking on Walsh's stint in the starting lineup, but he's doing his best to demonstrate he's fully recovered from the health issues that derailed his last two seasons. The 30-year-old is batting .333 (10-for-30) to begin the campaign with two doubles, a homer, three RBI and eight runs scored in eight games, and if you've got a CI or Ut hole to fill for the next couple weeks, Walsh should be a primary target. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Rostered

Second Base

Justin Foscue, Rangers: Josh Jung's latest injury opens up a spot on the big-league roster for Foscue, but he still doesn't have a clear path to regular playing time as Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran will platoon at third base. That leaves Foscue as little more than a short-side platoon option at first base, or at DH if Evan Carter ducks a tough lefty and Wyatt Langford plays some defense. Foscue has a strong batting eye and decent power/speed upside, so he could contribute if he gets a chance. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Lenyn Sosa, White Sox: The White Sox have seen Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert go down in quick succession, but considering Sosa doens't play the outfield, he might be stuck on the end of the bench during this latest stint in the majors. The 24-year-old has a career .284/.336/.493 slash line at Triple-A with 27 homers in 134 games, but as yet that production hasn't translated to the highest level. It's plausible that at some point the rebuilding White Sox hand second base over to Sosa if he appears ready, but they might also prefer to have Nicky Lopez's glove out there instead and prioritize the pitching staff's development. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Shortstop

Ernie Clement, Blue Jays: The 28-year-old was the star of spring training for Toronto, and he's carried that over into the regular season by going 7-for-21 with two doubles, a homer, and only one strikeout. Clement's ability make contact has never been in much question, but suddenly that contact has become a lot harder, an adjustment that began last year at Triple-A Buffalo when he slashed .348/.401/.544 in 72 games, adding 12 steals in 14 attempts for good measure. The Jays have unsettled situations at both second base and third base, so if Clement keeps raking, he will find his way onto the lineup card. Despite his lack of prospect pedigree, there may be some real upside here. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

David Hamilton, Red Sox: Shocking no one, Trevor Story is hurt again, and rather than bring Ceddanne Rafaela in from center field, the Red Sox are going to turn to Pablo Reyes and David Hamilton to fill the hole at shortstop. It likely won't be a strict platoon, if only because Reyes is already the platoon partner for Enmanuel Valdez at second base, and the three infielders could wind up roughly splitting the playing time between the two positions until Vaughn Grissom gets healthy. Hamilton made his big-league debut last season and didn't do much at the plate, but he did steal 57 bags at Triple-A (in 71 attempts) so he could provide a short-term speed boost to your lineup. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Braden Shewmake, White Sox: I wrote up Shewmake last week as a spec play, thinking he might bump Paul DeJong aside at shortstop at some point this season, but DeJong could be accelerating the timeline by hitting .176 (3-for-17) to begin the season with a 0:10 BB:K. Shewmake is more of a glove-first prospect, but he's got decent power and speed and already has a homer and a steal in 14 plate appearances. The White Sox really have no reason to play the 30-year-old DeJong over the 26-year-old Shewmake if there's no meaningful difference between their defensive skill and reliability, and that might just be the case. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Josh Smith, Rangers: With Josh Jung on the IL, Smith should take on the strong side of a platoon role at third base with Ezequiel Duran. I only hedge on that because Smith has done little at the plate in his big-league career so far, slashing .191/.306/.287 in 485 plate appearances over the prior two seasons, and if those struggles continue he'll have plenty of competition for playing time from Duran and Josh Foscue. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Dairon Blanco, Royals: Kansas City is maybe the last franchise in baseball to keep a bench spot open for a guy who's primarily a pinch runner and late-game defensive replacement, and Blanco is the latest guy to take on a role previously held by the likes of Terrance Gore and Jarrod Dyson. After swiping 24 bags last season while getting only 138 plate appearances, Blanco's taken things to another level to begin 2024 by going 3-for-3 on the basepaths and scoring three runs while getting only two PAs. There aren't many roster builds in which someone like Blanco will make sense, but if you're overloaded on power and need some speed, he can be a nice guy to have available. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Colton Cowser, Orioles: Baltimore is arguably fielding an entire second big-league lineup at Triple-A, but even in the majors the talent is backed up. Cowser would be starting for a lot of other teams, but on the O's he's managed to get only 11 plate appearances so far, going 5-for-11 with two doubles. Meanwhile, Cedric Mullins is hitting .160 (4-for-25) with an 0:8 BB:K, while Austin Hays is doing even worse (2-for-23 with zero extra-base hits) and even Anthony Santander and Ryan Mountcastle are scuffling. At some point, either manager Brandon Hyde is going to see what Cowser can do in a bigger role, or the front office is going to send one of the veteran outfielders packing before their trade value completely craters. The 24-year-old Cowser's fantasy utility will skyrocket if/when that happens, so stashing him now could pay huge dividends. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Robbie Grossman, White Sox: Signed late in the spring, Grossman will suddenly be thrust into a significant role with both Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert on the shelf. He hit sixth in his first start for Chicago on Friday, but his on-base skills would make him a good fit for the top of the lineup if the team gets tired of Andrew Benintendi's .121 OBP in the leadoff spot. Grossman's upside is limited, but he's a handy depth guy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Gavin Sheets, White Sox: Sheets has been the other big winner in the fallout from those injuries, and he's started five straight games at DH while mainly batting fourth. The 27-year-old has had a solid beginning to the season too, hittng .286 (4-for-14) with a double, a homer and a 4:5 BB:K. He made some swing adjustments in the offseason after being absolutely dismal against fastballs in 2023, and if they pay off, he could earn a more consistent role in a corner OF spot even after Jimenez gets healthy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5