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

Jonathan Cannon, White Sox: Cannon gets a two-step this week (at Houston, then in Detroit) on the heels of a strong seven-inning start in Seattle on Wednesday, so he's definitely on the streaming radar this week. The 23-year-old righty's arsenal is geared more toward weak contact than whiffs, but he's got an 11:1 K:BB in 10 innings since rejoining the big-league roster in June. Cannon could get bumped aside for Mike Clevinger by the end of the month, but if the younger hurler's pitching at least decently well, Chicago doesn't have much reason to turn back to the veteran. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Hogan Harris, Athletics: Another guy pitching juuust well enough to escape the 'other two-start guys' zone and get a writeup, Harris is set for home starts against the Royals and Twins this week. The 27-year-old southpaw had trouble finding the plate with Triple-A Las Vegas, but in three starts since being added to the big-league rotation he's delivered a palatable 15:6 K:BB in 16.2 innings to support a 1.62 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. Those ratios seem due to regression, but he could keep walking the high wire for another outing or three before falling off. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $2

Cade Povich, Orioles: The O's can't keep their rotation healthy, which just puts pressure on the front office to get that seemingly inevitable trade for another front-line pitcher done, but in the meantime Povich will plug the gap. The 24-year-old lefty struggled in his debut before blanking Atlanta over six innings with a 6:0 K:BB in his second start, and while that performance might owe a lot to the offensive struggles of the NL East squad, Povich still looked pretty darn good. Even if Baltimore does deal for a Jesus Luzardo or even just a Tyler Anderson, if Povich keeps pitching well, he could keep his spot while Albert Suarez moves back to the bullpen. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Yariel Rodriguez, Blue Jays: The Cuban right-hander will make one more rehab start Sunday before coming off the IL, but it doesn't seem like he needs it after four dominant innings for Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday in which he struck out 10 and built up to 67 pitches. The Jays intended to keep a very close eye on Rodriguez's workload this year, but he's only tossed 32.2 innings so far and we're in mid-June, so they may be willing to give him a bit longer leash this time around – before he went down with back trouble, he hadn't worked more than four innings in a start. The likely plan is for Rodriguez and Bowden Francis to piggyback in one rotation spot, but Rodriguez is the safer bet for ratios and Ks. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Drew Thorpe, White Sox: Thorpe's MLB debut went pretty well Tuesday, as he allowed just one earned run over five innings against the M's. The 23-year-old righty has a dizzying offseason, getting dealt to the Padres in the Juan Soto trade before San Diego flipped him to the South Siders as part of the package for Dylan Cease, but it's nice to be wanted. Thorpe relies on stellar command and a filthy chanegup to get strikeouts, and if his fastball gains a bit of velocity and his slider gets a bit sharper, he's got the potential to develop into a plausible ace down the road. Like Cannon, his rotation spot will depend on his performance with Clevinger close to a return, but the team has more invested in letting Thorpe cook, so his spot should be a bit safer. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Relief Pitcher

John Brebbia, White Sox: Brebbia's having a strong June, getting scored upon only once in eight appearances with a 1.23 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 14:1 K:BB through 7.1 innings. The 34-year-old righty was viewed as a possible closer by default in the White Sox bullpen this spring, and while Michael Kopech ultimately got the job, he's been just as erratic as a reliever as he was as a starter, and his contract (he's headed into his final arb year in 2025) makes him trade bait. Of course, Brebbia's contract has a $6 million mutual option for 2025, so he could get shipped out too. If Kopech goes and Brebbia stays though, he's the most likely candidate to take over ninth-inning duties. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Dany Jimenez, Athletics: Speaking of erratic closers on the trade block, Mason Miller's looking very human of late, getting tagged for runs in four of his last nine appearances with a 4.76 ERA and 15:7 K:BB in 11.1 innings. The A's could be able to get a strong return for him, and if he goes, the team doesn't have many other reliable relievers at the moment – Lucas Erceg has a 6.10 ERA since the beginning of May, and Austin Adams has a 6.35 ERA and 5:8 K:BB over his last nine appearances. Since rejoining the bullpen at the beginning of June, Jimenez has a 1.29 ERA and 9:5 K:BB in six appearances with a save and two holds, which is probably good enough. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Ryne Stanek, Mariners: Andres Munoz has a sore back, likely from carrying the Seattle bullpen all year, but that alone doesn't explain why he has zero saves and three holds in June. If Scott Servais is shifting him into more of a relief ace/highest leverage role, then Stanek's latest burst of fantasy relevance might be here to stay. The journeyman right-hander has saves in three straight appearances and has been scored upon in only one of his last 10 trips to the mound, collecting two wins, two holds and five saves in six chances during that stretch. His 3.00 ERA and 9:4 K:BB in that time aren't exactly elite, but he's getting the job done. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Michael Tonkin, Yankees: With Clay Holmes unavailable Monday, Aaron Boone elected to use Tonkin in the ninth inning, and the 34-year-old righty had little trouble securing his first save of the year. It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that he's on his third team of the season given how well he's pitching – he's been scored upon only once in 11 appearances dating back to May 11, posting a 1.13 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 18:7 K:BB in 16 innings over that stretch. Tonkin's not seeing consistent high-leverage work – he has just one win and zero holds in those 11 games – but that could be changing, and in AL-only formats, having relievers with strong ratios and solid K potential available becomes crucial as the season wears on and injuries pile up. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Catcher

Victor Caratini, Astros: A finger injury has limited Yainer Diaz to DH duties the last couple days and sidelined him a few before that, opening up playing time for Caratini. With Kyle Tucker on the shelf anyway and Yordan Alvarez seeing more work in left field, that arrangement could continue even once Diaz's finger feels better. Caratini isn't doing a lot with the playing time, but the switch hitter has 17 homers in 447 PAs against right-handed pitching since 2022, so he does have some pop. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Freddy Fermin, Royals: It's a similar situation in Kansas City. Hunter Renfroe's on the IL, pushing Nelson Velasquez into right field and opening up DH more often for Salvador Perez (who's dealing with a sore knee anyway), which in turn opens up playing time behind the plate for Fermin. The 29-year-old backstop is batting .300 (9-for-30) so far in June with two doubles and a homer, and he'll have mixed-league value as long as he's getting those extra ABs. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Jose Trevino, Yankees: Trevino remains in a timeshare with Austin Wells, but he's seeing a slight majority of the playing time and is thoroughly out-producing the younger catcher. Through 10 games in June, Trevino's batting .280 (7-for-25) with two homers and six RBI, and the Yankees trust his glove and pitch-framing more than Wells. The workload split should continue to shift in his favor as long as he's contributing with his bat. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

First Base

Jon Singleton, Astros: The Astros finally gave up on Jose Abreu, and while GM Dana Brown rather pointedly said the team would be looking to trade for a first baseman, for the moment the job belongs to Singleton, again. The 32-year-old is batting just .211 (4-for-19) in June though and hasn't had an RBI since May 21, much less a homer, so his leash figures to be very short. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Andrew Vaughn, White Sox: Vaughn's awful start to the season got him dropped in some shallower leagues, but since missing a few games with a sprained finger, the 26-year-old has been a completely different hitter. Through 12 games in June, Vaughn is slashing an eye-popping .340/.365/.680 with five homers – he had only four in his first 54 contests. There's no telling how long he'll keep it up, but he shouldn't be on your waiver wire. 12-team Mixed: $7; 15-team Mixed: $15; 12-team AL: Rostered

Second Base

Zach McKinstry, Tigers: With Javier Baez on the IL (and frankly not hitting well enough to deserve a starting job even when he was healthy), Detroit's gone with a timeshare at shortstop between Ryan Kreidler and McKinstry. McKinstry's got the platoon advantage but Kreidler has the better glove, so it'll probably be an equal division of labor unless one of them heats up at the plate. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Lenyn Sosa, White Sox: This is the third straight week the 24-year-old has gotten a write-up, but that's what happens when you get installed as an everyday player and slash .333/.388/.533 in June. Sosa's always had enough potential to be intriguing – he slugged 17 homers in 71 games for Triple-A Charlotte in 2023 – but third time might be the charm for him in the majors. Third base has been a revolving door all year for the ChiSox, but Sosa might be the answer, and if the team decides to give Bryan Ramos another look or start the clock on Colson Montgomery, Sosa can always just slide over to second base if he's still producing at that point. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Rostered

Enmanuel Valdez, Red Sox: While his strong-side platoon role does limit his appeal in shallow formats, it's hard to overlook the fact that Valdez is slashing .364/.432/.818 in June with six doubles, three homers, a steal, six runs and 13 RBI in 12 games. Vaughn Grissom doesn't have a clear timeline for his return yet and while Jamie Westbrook may be a heartwarming story of perseverance, he doesn't offer much beyond positive vibes. Valdez has a real chance to secure the starting job at the keystone. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Third Base

Jace Jung, Tigers: Gio Urshela is a solid place-holder for Detroit at third base, but his time in that role could be running out. Jung is slashing .326/.508/.628 through 13 games in June for Triple-A Toledo, and no that OBP isn't a typo – he's got a stunning 16:6 BB:K in 59 plate appearances. The 23-year-old isn't so much knocking on the door as kicking it so hard the frame is cracking, and a Tigers lineup that sits 25th in OBP could use him. Especially in fantasy formats that use OBP instead of BA, Jung should be a priority stash. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Shortstop

Ryan Kreidler, Tigers: Since getting called up Tuesday when Javier Baez landed on the IL, Kreidler's gone 2-for-9 with two walks and three runs scored. The 26-year-old's a better defender at shortstop than Zach McKinstry, and Kreidler did record 11 homers and 11 steals in only 49 games at Triple-A last year, but his hit tool probably isn't good enough to let him be a consistent contributor in the majors. If you have to gamble on one or the other to get the bulk of the playing time though, Kreidler's the better option. 12-team Mixed: No 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Orelvis Martinez, Blue Jays: Toronto's finally begun to commit to playing their kids and clearing the chaff off its roster, with Addison Barger and Spencer Horwitz replacing Cavan Biggio and Daniel Vogelbach. The organization's top hitting prospect remains at Triple-A Buffalo however, in part due to a poorly timed knee injury that slowed his momentum in May. Martinez is healthy and raking again though, slashing .375/.459/.656 over his last nine games with three doubles, two homers and a 4:5 BB:K. His shaky defense still makes it a question where he might play, but the easy solution would be to install him as the regular DH over Justin Turner and his career-low .659 OPS. If the Jays are going to entertain any thoughts of making a push for a wild-card spot and avoid being sellers at the trade deadline, Martinez needs to be into the lineup ASAP. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Outfield

Addison Barger, Blue Jays: The 24-year-old was called back up Friday and promptly collected his first career RBI in the majors Saturday. Barger got the start at third base in that one, but at Triple-A this year he's also seen time at first base, shortstop and both outfield corners, making him a nice defensive fit for the Jays' puzzle-piece roster. He's got some pop and on-base skills, and the team has little to lose by spotting him in regularly against right-handed pitching and seeing what he can do. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Mauricio Dubon, Astros: The veteran utility player has a nine-game hitting streak going and has played almost every day in June, as injuries and slumps have created multiple paths to playing time for him. Dubon doesn't offer a lot of fantasy upside – he managed 10 homers and seven steals in nearly 500 plate appearances in 2023 – but he can help in batting average, and he's even more useful in points leagues. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Rostered

Austin Hays, Orioles: The 28-year-old outfielder got squeezed out of a starting job earlier in the season due to the emergence of Colton Cowser, but Hays is doing his best to slug his way back into the picture. Through 10 games in June, Hays is batting .414 (12-for-29) with four doubles and two homers. The O's outfield remains overcrowded, but the team's pitching needs could lead to a trade that opens things up. It's not even out of the question that Hays himself gets dealt – he'll be heading into his final arb year in 2025 and will be due a raise from his $6.3 million salary. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Austin Martin, Twins: It's a run on Austins! Martin rejoined the 26-man roster Thursday after the Twins finally got tired of Alex Kirilloff's inconsistency, and the 25-year-old could stick around in the majors this time. Martin may not have much left to prove at Triple-A, slashing .290/.466/.387 through 19 games this season, and while the 2020 first-round pick doesn't offer much power he has swiped 20 bags in 78 contests for St. Paul over the last two years, adding four more in the majors during his first stint with Minnesota. There's no clear path to a starting role for him, but he should at least offer a platoon partner for Trevor Larnach and, when he's healthy, Max Kepler. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Mickey Moniak, Angels: Moniak's heating up again, hitting safely in seven straight games and going 9-for-23 (.391) with two doubles, a triple, a homer and two steals. He's exclusively a strong-side platoon option for the Halos – he's seen only nine PAs against lefties all year – but Moniak is a great short-term roster option when he's locked in. Just don't get fooled into thinking he's a real solution. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Drew Waters, Royals: Called up when Hunter Renfroe hit the IL, Waters has started two of the last five games, going 1-for-8 with two strikeouts. The 25-year-old's power and speed have never been in question, but Waters simply doesn't make enough contact – he's got a career 32.9 percent strikeout rate over nearly a season's worth of playing time in the majors dating back to 2022. Unless he shows dramatic improvement in that department, this stay in Kansas City is likely to be another short one. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Designated Hitter

Cooper Hummel, Astros: A swiss army knife of a player, Hummel is a switch hitter who can fill in at catcher, first base and both outfield corners. The 29-year-old has also been raking at Triple-A Sugar Land this year, slashing .301/.423/.509 with seven homers and eight steals in 45 games. With the Astros currently lacking a reliable first baseman, there's a chance Hummel gets a look if/when Jon Singleton stumbles. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Tyler Soderstrom, Athletics: Soderstrom's poor start to 2024 hasn't completely been wiped away, but the 22-year-old is suddenly hot at the plate, batting .300 (9-for-30) over the last nine games with three homers and six RBI. Strikeouts remain his biggest issue, but he may be reining them in just enough to let his big-time power play. More importantly, the A's have no better options at first base and nothing to lose by giving Soderstrom all the time he needs to figure things out. If he still has catcher eligibility in your league, so much the better. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered