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. Wyatt Langford 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

Tyler Anderson, Angels: The veteran lefty is coming off a respectable 2024 season, and he's kicked off 2025 in even better fashion with a 2.87 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 15:10 K:BB through three starts and 15.2 innings. There's not much of a ceiling here, but the Angels' offense has been better than expected as well, so decent outings from Anderson could turn into a few more wins than projected. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Rostered

David Festa, Twins: The back of Minnesota's rotation was already begging to be churned, but Pablo Lopez's hamstring pushed the team to begin bringing up its top arms perhaps earlier than it planned. Festa will get first crack at proving he deserves to stick around after delivering an 8:2 K:BB in his first 8.1 innings at Triple-A. He produced similar results in his first MLB start Friday against the Tigers, giving up only an unearned run over 4.2 innings with a 4:1 K:BB. He was held to 64 pitches, so it wasn't inefficiency that led to an early exit but rather a fairly rigid adherence to avoiding that TTO penalty – Festa faced leadoff hitter Gleyber Torres a third time, gave up an RBI single, and promptly got the hook. The Twins will need to trust him a little more than that if he's going to have significant fantasy value, but his upside is legit after he posted a 77:23 K:BB as a rookie in 64.1 innings last year. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

J.T. Ginn, Athletics: After firing up a dazzling 19:2 K:BB through his first two starts and 11 innings at Triple-A, Ginn got the call for a start Saturday and stayed sharp, getting the win over the Mets with a 6:2 K:BB in 5.1 innings. There's some upside here despite his lack of velocity, as his two-seamer can generate grounders when needed and his slider has some swing-and-miss potential, and if he's found a mix and approach that works, he could surprise. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Ryan Gusto, Astros: Houston officially has an entire rotation on the IL with Spencer Arrighetti going down (joining Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers and J.P. France), so to say the team's depth is being tested early is a bit of an understatement. Gusto, an unheralded 26-year-old righty, shifted out of long relief to toss four innings Saturday against the Angels, posting an intriguing 6:1 K:BB and looking pretty good after a shaky beginning (three straight hits to lead off the game). A potentially plus changeup and good control are his calling cards, and the Astros' coaching staff has made do with less. His stint in the rotation could be short with McCullers a couple weeks away from activation, but given his track record, it's probably safest to not make assumptions about his timeline. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Kyle Hendricks, Angels: The long-time Cub flamed out in 2024, but Hendricks is off to a good start in 2025 as he tries to get his career back on track. Through two starts and 11 innings, the junkballer has a 1.64 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 8:2 K:BB. His game has always been about generating weak contact, but last year his walk rate rose to a career-worst 7.6 percent, which was simply too many extra baserunners for a guy who has to surf the BABIP waves to be successful. If he continues to limit walks, the inevitable regression might be tolerable. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Easton Lucas, Blue Jays: That's now two scoreless starts in a row for the 28-year-old southpaw with an 11:3 K:BB over 10.1 innings, and two straight wins. Lucas' arsenal is nothing special and there's a reason why he bounced through three different organizations last season, but maybe the Jays have figured something out with him – he's been successfully working the edges of the strike zone so far, and Statcast says he has yet to give up a barrel. Lucas' slider even shows some potential as a put-away pitch. He lines up for two starts this week, and neither is particularly intimidating as he gets home tilts against a struggling Atlanta offense and Seattle. If he holds up, bids could get silly, so might as well try to get him cheap-ish now. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Zebby Matthews, Twins: Matthews hasn't officially gotten called up yet, but the Twins might be considering a six-man rotation next week, and neither Simeon Woods Richardson nor Chris Paddack have a lot of job security. Matthews seems to have little left to prove in the minors, posting a 13:1 K:BB through his first two starts and 10 innings at Triple-A, so he should get a chance to prove he can make his hyper-control work in the majors sooner rather than later. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Lance McCullers, Astros: Once viewed as a future ace, injuries have derailed McCullers' career, and the 31-year-old righty hasn't pitched in the majors since 2022 and sitting out the 2023 and 2024 campaigns completely. He's closing in on a return though, tossing four scoreless, one-hit innings for Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday with a 5:1 K:BB. There's really no telling what kind of stuff he still has, and it's hard to imagine him handling a big workload this season given the long layoff, but the Astros need rotation help so he'll at least be part of the solution, and maybe before the end of the month. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $3

Martin Perez, White Sox: Every season, Perez has a spurt of productive starts that suckers some folks into rostering him. Of course, the "suckers" ended up with the last laugh in 2022, so maybe the 34-year-old southpaw has another good season left in him? He's leaned more heavily on his cutter and changeup so far in 2025, leading to a 1.59 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 18:9 K:BB through three starts and 17 innings, but that's about the only change to his arsenal – and that's a thin reed to hang a fantasy rebound on. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Clarke Schmidt, Yankees: The right-hander tossed four scoreless innings with a 4:0 K:BB for Double-A Somerset on Thursday, and with the Yankees' rotation getting perilously thin, they'll call him up for his season debut Wednesday rather than stretching him out a bit more. Schmidt nearly put together a breakout campaign last year if not for injuries, posting a 2.85 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 93:30 K:BB through 85.1 innings, and simply staying on the mound will be his biggest task in 2025. If he can, Schmidt should be a nice mid-rotation arm on a team with an offense that can slug its way to a win on a regular basis. 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)

Logan Allen, Guardians (at BAL, at PIT)
Sean Burke, White Sox (vs. ATH, at BOS)
Carlos Carrasco, Yankees (vs. KC, at TB)
Charlie Morton, Orioles (vs. CLE, vs. CIN)
Jeffrey Springs, Athletics (at CHW, at MIL)
Michael Wacha, Royals (at NYY, at DET)

Relief Pitcher

Liam Hendriks, Red Sox: Aroldis Chapman has held up fine so far as Boston's closer, posting a 1.50 ERA and 9:4 K:BB in six innings while converting both his save chances, so Hendriks might get a chance to ease into things in lower-leverage spots once he comes off the IL. The 36-year-old righty looked good in his first game action of the season though, striking out the side and giving up just one hit in a scoreless innings for Triple-A Worcester on Thursday. The Red Sox might want to test him out on consecutive days before activating him, but if he can regain his pre-injury form – something he hasn't shown since 2022, when he saved 37 games for the White Sox – he should still wind up in a key role in this bullpen. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Ryan Johnson, Angels: With Ben Joyce on the shelf, Johnson should get a chance to handle setup duties ahead of Kenley Jansen. While he doesn't have Joyce's ridiculous radar gun readings, Johnson's cutter is getting some whiffs in the early going, and the 2024 second-round pick's pedigree will get him chances from an organization that likes to see instant results from the kids it drafts. He picked up his first hold Saturday, and after a very nervous MLB debut he's got a 3:1 K:BB and 0.00 ERA over his last four appearances. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Justin Sterner, Athletics: Plucked off waivers in the offseason from a Rays organization that simply had too many relief prospects, the 28-year-old righty has looked great to begin 2025 in a setup role for the A's. Sterner has has yet to allow a run in 8.1 innings with a 12:4 K:BB, collecting three holds along the way. There's no clear caddy for Mason Miller as closer should he break down, but even with his current usage and performance level Sterner will have value in holds formats and deep AL-only leagues. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Catcher

Dillon Dingler, Tigers: I highlighted Dingler a couple weeks ago (and the week before that) as a breakout candidate, but things have changed a bit since then. With Jake Rogers now on the IL, Dingler is the unquestioned starter, and being behind the plate for Tarik Skubal's best start so far in 2025 put to rest any concerns about his defensive work. With his bat, all the 26-year-old has done so far is hit .387 (12-for-31) with two homers and eight RBI in nine games. His 0:10 BB:K in 32 plate appearances is a definite concern, but Dingler's power is legit, and even if he "only" turns into the next Cal Raleigh, that's still a huge win for early adopters. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Tyler Heineman, Blue Jays: The 33-year-old switch hitter is getting a chance to be a regular big-league backup catcher for the first time since 2022, and so far Heineman has more than looked the part. Hitting .500 (9-for-18) with a homer and a steal is pretty sweet, but of course it's unsustainable. What he can keep doing is making an impact with his defense. Heineman has thrown out three of the first seven guys to try and steal a base on him, and the pitching staff's shown no dropoff with him behind the plate. He's been alternating starts with Alejandro Kirk over the last week, and that kind of playing time has value in AL-only formats. Heineman's even got a career .273/.354/.402 slash line at Triple-A with a smidge of speed. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Carlos Narvaez, Red Sox: With Connor Wong on the shelf, Narvaez is getting the first chance to fill in as Boston's starting catcher. Picked up from the Yankees in the offseason, the 26-year-old doesn't offer much upside with his bat, but playing time is playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Omar Narvaez, White Sox: Before you ask, they're cousins. Narvaez got called up Thursday when Korey Lee went down, because why would the White Sox want to start the service time clock on Kyle Teel (who, granted, is struggling at Triple-A) or Edgar Quero (slashing a mere .333/.463/.429 for Charlotte... wait a minute)? That would just be silly. The elder Narvaez started back-to-back games after his promotion, collecting two hits and three RBI, and his career .252/.334/.373 slash line over 2,305 big-league plate appearances could be a lot worse. He hasn't really been a fantasy asset since 2021 with the Brewers, but you can make a solid case he's got more upside than Matt Thaiss if he sticks around. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

First Base

Ty France, Twins: France is showing that his big spring may not have been a fluke, slashing a productive .283/.345/.453 through 15 games with two homers and seven RBI. None of the Twins' younger hitters are doing much to push him for playing time right now, so at the very least the 30-year-old seems to have a lot more job security than you'd think for a guy that had to settle for a one-year, $1 million contract – barely more than MLB minimum – this offseason. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Nick Kurtz, Athletics: OK, this is already getting out of hand. Kurtz is on a rampage through the PCL to begin the season, slashing .386/.417/.860 over his first 13 games with six doubles and seven homers. Yes, that's 13 of his first 22 hits going for extra bases. The one yellow-bordering-on-red flag is his 3:14 BB:K, but you'd be swinging for the fences all the time too if you were reaching them that often. Perhaps more important than anything Kurtz himself is doing is how the A's plan to make room for him in the majors, and on that front Brent Rooker played right field Saturday, his first game at anywhere other than DH since May 30 of last season. The promotion's coming for the fourth overall pick in the 2024 Draft, it's only a question of when. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $5

Second Base

Edouard Julien, Twins: A five-game hitting streak has pulled Julien out of a sluggish start to the season, and the 25-year-old is now batting .286 (10-for-35) with three doubles and three RBI. Most of his playing time has come at second base, but with Brooks Lee about to come off the IL, Julien is likely to get squeezed down to mainly DH duties against RHP. That's currently Travis Larnach's main job, but Larnach's slashing .204/.298/.224, so the door should be open at least a crack for Julien if he keeps hitting. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Dylan Moore, Mariners: A torn bicep cut Ryan Bliss' season short before it really began, leaving Seattle searching for answers at the keystone again. Moore is usually the default in those circumstances, and the 32-year utility player has had a good start at the plate this season, batting .286 (8-for-28) with two solo homers, two steals and six runs. The M's seem to want to keep him in his current role though. Leo Rivas has started two straight games since his promotion, both against RHP, so Moore may not get the playing time boost you'd expect. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Leo Rivas, Mariners: Called up Wednesday when Bliss was placed on the IL, Rivas has started the last games at second base, both against right-handed pitching, and gone 1-for-5 with two walks and a steal. That's an accurate reflection of his skill set, so like Bliss before him, the 27-year could be a sneaky source of speed if he's able to secure consistent playing time – he swiped 51 bags at Double-A in 2023, and is already 3-for-3 in 10 games this season between Seattle and Triple-A Tacoma. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Third Base

Miles Mastrobuoni, Mariners: The former Cub has seen his playing time pick up this week with Bliss on the shelf, and Jorge Polanco still not able to handle defensive duties. Mastrobuoni has gone 4-for-11 with two runs and a steal while starting three straight games, and he has flashed some upside in the minors before, especially with his .300/.377/.469 slash line, 16 homers and 23 steals in 2022 at Triple-A Durham in the Tampa Bay system. There might be a window here for the 29-year-old to establish himself as a reliable big-league bench player, or better. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Shortstop

Gabriel Arias, Guardians: Arias has slugged his way onto the shallow-league radar with homers in back-to-back games this weekend, and an overall .286/.354/.524 slash line. As I noted last week, the 25-year-old had been in a sort of early-season limbo with regard to his position eligibility – we have him listed as a shortstop, but in most formats he only qualified as a third baseman coming into 2025, although he did pick up MI eligibility this week in most leagues with his 10th game played at second base. That's going to make him a lot more useful to most GMs, and his elite bat speed (95th percentile) could be turning into power as he matures. The big question in the long term is where he plays once the Guardians decide Travis Bazzana is ready, but if Arias is hitting, they'll find room for him. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Javier Baez, Tigers: Baez's days of being a 30-20 fantasy stud are long, long gone, but Detroit is desperate for warm bodies due to all their injuries, so the 32-year-old is getting playing time. He's turned it into a .286 batting average (10-for-35) with three doubles and four RBI, but Baez is still the same guy, he's just riding a .370 BABIP. Ride along if you want, but it probably won't end well. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jose Caballero, Rays: Last year's AL steals champ has been converted into a super-utility player this season, bouncing between shortstop, third base and right field, and he's responded by batting .333 (8-for-24) with a homer, seven RBI and three stolen bases, albeit on six attempts. Tampa's outfield injuries leave RF as his clearest path to playing time at the moment, and he's a threat with his legs every time he gets on base. The projected decline in his workload and fantasy value after he got a career-high 483 plate appearances in 2024 may have been overstated. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Brooks Lee, Twins: Activated from the IL on Sunday, Lee should immediately push for playing time at second base. The 24-year-old is a better defensive player than Edouard Julien, and the 2022 first-round pick still has plenty of untapped offensive potential after slashing .308/.368/.606 with eight homers in 25 games for Triple-A St. Paul last season. He won't be Royce Lewis at the plate, but the Twins will be happy if he can stay on the field and make a consistent contribution. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Zach McKinstry, Tigers: McKinstry's having one of his heaters, slashing .326/.412/.488 through 51 plate appearances with two triples, a homer, a steal, eight RBI and nine runs. He's seen playing time at five different positions already in 2025 (second base, third base, shortstop, and left and right fields) and should continue to plug in where needed until Detroit's roster gets a lot healthier. His bat will cool down, but the regular ABs should lead to counting stats. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Chase Meidroth, White Sox: Called up Friday, Meidroth make his case quickly to stick as Chicago's starting shortstop, collecting two hits and three walks in his first seven MLB plate appearances. The 23-year-old doesn't do much more than get on base and steal an occasional base, and the White Sox offense is about the worst one you can imagine for turning a plus OBP into runs, but Meidroth should still stumble into some value despite his supporting cast. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Kyren Paris, Angels: This is probably your last chance to board the... dammit, I'm trying to come up with some sort of Paris/Orient Express riff here, but it's not really coming together. Oh well. The 23-year-old's blistering spring has turned into a blistering start to the regular season, with Paris batting a cool .400 (14-for-35) through 13 games with a seemingly impossible five homers and five steals. His plate discipline's been passable too. Paris retooled his swing in the offseason, and the result so far has been a 93rd percentile barrel rate and 97th percentile hard-hit rate... and a 21st percentile AEV. Hmm, that's not quite adding up. The most encouraging change in his profile might be that his strikeout rate has dropped to 22.0 percent, a marked improvement on his prior swing-and-miss tendencies. If he's making more and squarer contact, that's more than enough to fuel a breakout, even if he doesn't maintain a (checks math on napkin again) 50-50 pace. 12-team Mixed: $7; 15-team Mixed: $15; 12-team AL: Rostered

Jacob Wilson, Athletics: It kind of pales in comparison to Paris' start, but all Wilson's done so far is hit safely in 15 straight games to begin the season. He's hit with a bit more authority than expected too, although of his two homers, one came at Coors and the other came with the wind blowing out in a big way at Sutter Health Field. Wilson's ultra-contact approach has value, especially given the tumble league-wide batting averages have taken in the early going, but this is still a guy with an 11th percentile hard-hit rate, eighth percentile AEV and FIRST percentile bat speed. Yes, Wilson's bat speed is the second-lowest in the majors. The lowest? Luis Arraez, and Steven Kwan is third-lowest. At least Wilson's in the right company for his approach at the plate. The 23-year-old still has to be viewed as a two-category guy until he proves otherwise, though. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Rostered

Outfield

Miguel Andujar, Athletics: The 30-year-old Andujar is another player who doesn't offer much more than a reliable batting average, but for some fantasy GMs, that's going to look very appealing right now. He's slashing .304/.347/.391 through 13 games with a double and a homer, plus six runs and six RBI. Andujar feels like he'll be the first guy to get bumped aside when the A's bring up a prospect though – Colby Thomas has had a nice start at Triple-A Las Vegas too, if not seven homers in 13 games good like Nick Kurtz – so picking the veteran up now should be viewed purely as a short-term play. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Rostered

Dustin Harris, Rangers: Harris' prospect status has faded away almost completely since he tore up the low minors in 2021, but while his ability to hit for average or power in the majors is now in serious question, he still swiped 35 bags at Triple-A Round Rock in 2024. With Wyatt Langford on the shelf, Harris will provide some depth in a Texas outfield that needs it, so he could get some chances. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Angel Martinez, Guardians: The switch-hitting Martinez got called up Friday and has made an immediate case to take over the starting center field job, racking up five hits in his first two MLB games this season with two doubles and three RBI. Repatriating Nolan Jones doesn't seem to be working out, and even before his wrist became an issue, Lane Thomas wasn't exactly making much of a contribution either. Martinez was off to a hot start at Triple-A, and while he doesn't offer a lot of power or speed, Cleveland would settle for a guy who simply gets hits right about now. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Kameron Misner, Rays: Unlike Jake Mangum, who's been exposed a bit with consistent playing time in the majors, Misner seems to be growing into a big-leaguer right before out eyes. A second-round pick of the Marlins in 2019, Miami's pitiful player development system couldn't help him solve his swing-and-miss issues, but the Rays got him to make some changes this offseason, and the 27-year-old suddenly has a 17.5 percent strikeout rate through 40 plate appearances. That's let his athletic tools come out and play, and Misner's batting .361 (13-for-36) with four doubles, a triple, a homer and a steal. He's taken over as the center fielder with Jonny DeLuca on the IL, and even when Tampa Bay's outfield gets healthier, it's going to be hard to get Misner out of the lineup if he keeps playing like this. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Joshua Palacios, White Sox: The outfield on the South Side might as well be Luis Robert and cardboard cutouts of Chet Lemon and Magglio Ordonez at this point. Even replacement-level guys (I'm being generous) like Mike Tauchman and Austin Slater have ended up on the shelf, leaving guys like Brooks Baldwin (written up last week) and Nick Maton (.161/.297/.355 in 37 plate appearances) to get way more playing time than they should be. Palacios figures to be next on that list, but at least he's got some theoretical upside given his career .302/.389/.482 slash line at Triple-A. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Michael Taylor, White Sox: Oh yeah, I forgot about Taylor. The veteran defensive whiz can still track down flies, and still offer a bit of low-BA power and speed, going 2-for-2 on the basepaths already. The pitching staff probably prefers seeing him out there, but the 34-year-old really has no business getting regular playing time on a team this deep in a rebuild. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Daulton Varsho, Blue Jays: Varsho lit up the spring while being limited to DH as he completed his recovery from shoulder surgery, but the Jays elected to play it safe with him and let him rehab in extended spring training rather than DH in the majors. He's about to begin throwing in extended spring games though, and a rehab stint should soon follow – which could be brief, since he looked just fine at the plate last time anyone got a look at him. Varsho will hit for power and swipe an occasional bag, and his career .225 batting average might not look out of place in 2025's offensive environment. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Drew Waters, Royals: There may be no purer Quad-A player in baseball right now than Waters. He's an athletic switch hitter who began the season slashing .370/.469/.741 at Triple-A Omaha... and then struck out five times in his first eight at-bats after being called up. Hey, maybe this is the year the 26-year-old finally figures out how to hit big-league pitching, you never know. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

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