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 role on an A-E scale. Shohei Ohtani would have been an "A" grade player last year – that mark will be reserved for similarly high-impact prospects stepping into 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.

AL FAAB | NL FAAB

Starting Pitcher

Ryan Carpenter, Tigers: The Tigers have been trying to add Carpenter to their staff as the fifth starter for a while now, and the weather kept ruining those plans. The southpaw finally got onto the mound Thursday but even that start was delayed by rain and he predictably struggled against the Angels. Jordan Zimmermann hasn't started to ramp up his rehab, though, so Carpenter will probably stick around for a while, lining him up for two starts this week, albeit against risky competition (facing the Astros and A's at home). He's posted some solid K:BB numbers since his semi-breakout in the Rockies' system in the second half of 2017, so he might have some theoretical upside, but he'll need some luck on balls in play to really cash in on it in the majors. 12-team Mixed: $1 (as streamer); 15-team Mixed: $1 (as streamer); 12-team AL: $1

Lucas Giolito, White Sox: Giolito's put together a couple of strong performances since recovering from a hamstring strain, posting a 2.19 ERA and 15:5 K:BB through 12.1 innings in May. His elevated strikeout rate is definitely encouraging, as is the uptick in velocity on his fastball to 93.5 mph, and while it's perfectly understandable if GMs in shallower leagues want to see a longer stretch of success before taking the plunge on a pitcher with such an erratic resume, the 24-year-old still has some lingering prospect cache. If you have holes on your staff, you may have to move quickly if you want Giolito to plug one of them. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Corbin Martin, Astros: So, Collin McHugh has lost his spot in the rotation, at least temporarily, but Forrest Whitley – y'know, only the top pitching prospect in baseball – has served up seven homers in 18.1 innings in his first exposure to Triple-A hitters, and Josh James is only just beginning to find his footing again in low-leverage usage. What's an organization to you? In the Astros' case, the answer is to not even sweat it a little bit, because they're constantly producing big-league arms seemingly out of thin air. McHugh's rotation spot will instead go to Martin, a 23-year-old who solidified his spot in the club's future plans with 103 strong innings at Double-A in 2018. He's been even better at Triple-A Round Rock to begin this year, and he'll now make his big-league debut Sunday. Martin doesn't have the overpowering stuff of a typical Houston prospect, but as he's improved his command his four-pitch arsenal has become too much for minor-league hitters to handle, and he now profiles comfortably as a mid-rotation guy down the road. Of course, if he struggles out of the gate he could find himself back at Round Rock before the month is out, and even if he pitches well he could just end up keeping a spot warm for Whitley once he makes the necessary adjustments, but there's also a reasonable chance Martin makes 20 starts the rest of the year for a World Series contender, which gives him significant upside in standard 5x5 formats and points leagues. 12-team Mixed: $4; 15-team Mixed: $19; 12-team AL: $19

Daniel Mengden, Athletics: The 26-year-old will come up Sunday to make a spot start and give the rest of the Oakland rotation a bit of extra rest, something Mike Fiers in particular needs after his 131-pitch no-hitter. Mengden is one Brett Anderson injury away from a regular role on the A's staff, but in the short term he'll quite likely head back down to Triple-A Las Vegas after this weekend's outing. Either way, he's a prototypical swing man/back of the rotation arm who lacks the strikeout upside to make a big fantasy impact. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Felix Pena, Angels: Pena is thriving as a primary pitcher working behind an opener for the Angels. In three scheduled long relief outings, the right-hander has two wins with a 2.20 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and dazzling 20:0 K:BB through 16.1 innings. He hasn't faced the stiffest competition over that stretch (home against the Jays and injury-ravaged Yankees, and on the road against the Tigers), but that K:BB can't be ignored. He's pitching a little over his head right now, but even regression to the level of performance he showed in 2018 would still give him value in many fantasy formats if he keeps the strikeout rate up. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

Jefry Rodriguez, Cleveland: A quality start with six K's in six innings Tuesday was more than enough to lock Rodriguez into a rotation spot while Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger get healthy. I won't repeat what I said last week – just go get him already if he hasn't been scooped up yet. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

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

Andrew Cashner, Orioles (at NYY, at CLE)

Danny Duffy, Royals (vs. TEX, at LAA)

David Hess, Orioles (at NYY, at CLE)

Jonathan Loaisiga, Yankees (vs. BAL, vs. TB)

Shelby Miller, Rangers (at KC, vs. STL)

Brad Peacock, Astros (at DET, at BOS)

Trent Thornton, Blue Jays (at SF, at CHW)

Relief Pitcher

Cody Allen, Angels: Allen came off the IL on Tuesday and promptly gave up two runs in his first appearance, so, yeah. Ty Buttrey and Hansel Robles handled late-inning work just fine in his absence, so Allen likely isn't going to sniff a closing opportunity for a while, but if you've got a deep bench he could be worth a stash. Pitchers with 153 career saves tend to get more opportunities, even if it's not with the team they're currently pitching for. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Chris Martin, Rangers: In a development that, frankly, we all should have seen coming, Shawn Kelley got hurt pretty much the moment he moved into the closer role for Texas. Jose Leclerc is pitching better but hasn't quite done enough for manager Chris Woodward to put him back in the ninth inning again, so Martin will handle the assignment by default for now. He notched the save Wednesday in his only opportunity so far, and his 3.14 ERA and 15:3 K:BB through 14.1 innings suggest he won't have much trouble with the job until Leclerc gets his next chance. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Catcher

Anthony Bemboom, Rays: Injuries to Mike Zunino and Michael Perez have given Tampa a chance to look at some other options behind the plate and improve their organizational depth at the position, which is likely why Nick Ciuffo – a known quantity, relatively speaking – was only up for a few days before heading back to Triple-A. Bemboom, who better have the nickname "Bing" in the clubhouse and be using this as his walkup song, is one of those options to be evaluated. A 29-year-old minor-league veteran who has yet to make his actual big-league debut, he's never shown anything with the bat and will probably just be emergency depth behind Travis d'Arnaud until some other backstop gets healthy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Travis d'Arnaud, Rays: The brittle former Met was picked up from the Dodgers for cash considerations, which tells you how far his career has fallen since he slugged 16 homers in 2017. D'Arnaud might still have some power potential, but he's 30 years old and has had multiple arm surgeries – most recently, Tommy John surgery last April – so it's entirely possible he just has nothing left to offer. Still, he'll get some short-term playing time, which could allow him to stumble into some counting stats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Mitch Garver, Twins: Somehow, Garver is still only rostered in about a third of ESPN leagues, even though he's been a top-12 catcher. Sorry, did I say top 12? I meant top TWO, sitting behind only Willson Contreras in earned auction value to date. Sure, there may be playing time concerns now that Jason Castro and Willians Astudillo are both healthy again, but La Tortuga was already being shifted into a full utility role, and Castro is only an obstacle because of his defense and pitch framing. Garver's slashing .357/.438/.786 with eight homers in 22 games, and he's – I cannot stress this enough – a freaking catcher. What are you waiting for? 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $13; 12-team AL: Owned

James McCann, White Sox: Another guy who's criminally under-rostered, McCann has wrested the starting job in Chicago away from Welington Castillo with a .376/.418/.612 slash line. No, he won't keep it up, but unless you've got a true stud behind the plate like J.T. Realmuto or Gary Sanchez, McCann's probably an upgrade for you. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

First Base

C.J. Cron, Twins: The 29-year-old is on fire right now, slashing .393/.469/.857 over his last seven games with four homers, and Cron picked a good time to get hot with Miguel Sano inching closer to returning to action. The Twins' 1B/3B/DH picture will get crowded once Sano is back, as Marwin Gonzalez will need at-bats somewhere, but Cron should remain a lineup fixture while he's hitting like this. 12-team Mixed: $4; 15-team Mixed: $9; 12-team AL: Owned

Mitch Moreland, Red Sox: Another veteran first baseman delivering big numbers right now, Moreland's homered three times in the last four games and five times in his last nine contests, slashing .290/.410/.806 over that stretch. He'll stay on the fat and sassy side of a platoon with Steve Pearce, so his production will be somewhat schedule-dependent, but even in shallow formats he's capable of making an impact for a couple of weeks while he's locked in like this. 12-team Mixed: $4; 15-team Mixed: $9; 12-team AL: Owned

Matt Olson, Athletics: Olson hasn't exactly torn it up since coming off the IL, going 4-for-20 in five games with a double, but once he's shaken the rust off he should start going yard again. As I noted last week, though, hand injuries can impact swings and power, so he could need some time to get back to the form that saw him launch 53 homers over the last two seasons. 12-team Mixed: $8; 15-team Mixed: $17; 12-team AL: Owned

Second Base

Shed Long, Mariners: Called up to provide middle infield depth while Dee Gordon and Dylan Moore are banged up, Long was slashing a solid .276/.350/.504 with five homers through 32 games for Triple-A Tacoma. He profiles as a bench player, though, and this stay in the bigs will probably be temporary – even if the M's need help for a longer stretch, J.P. Crawford would get first crack at it. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Shortstop

J.P. Crawford, Mariners: Speaking of Crawford, he's gotten a chance to start with Tim Beckham manning the keystone in place of Gordon, and the former Phillies prospect has gone 3-for-8 in two games. Crawford was slashing.319/.420/.457 through 31 games at Tacoma with three homers and three steals, and he does have 15-15 potential if he gets a long look in the majors. That could happen even after Gordon is healthy – Beckham could move into a super-utility role, and in a pinch Gordon could always shift back to center field while Mallex Smith is regaining some confidence in the minors. Crawford's in that tough gray area for bidding where his chances of sticking around may seem low right now, but his upside is fairly significant if he forces Seattle to keep him around. How aggressively you go after him should depend on how much help you need at SS/MI, and how much you feel like you need to make upside gambles at this point in the season. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Aledmys Diaz, Astros: With Jose Altuve on the shelf, Diaz will get a chance to fill in at second base, although Tony Kemp could also see occasional action there. Diaz's .668 OPS isn't encouraging, but in the Houston lineup especially, consistent at-bats should translate into some value in the short term – he hit a grand slam Saturday in his first start in Altuve's place. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

Ronny Rodriguez, Tigers: I profiled Rodriguez a couple of weeks ago as an AL-only target, but he's made that recommendation look positively parochial since then, slashing .300/.344/.717 in his last 116 games with five homers. The 27-year-old has put up good numbers at Triple-A for a while now, and the Tigers have nothing to lose by turning shortstop over to Rodriguez for the summer and seeing if he can be this year's Niko Goodrum. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Outfield

Kole Calhoun, Angels: 12-team Mixed: Calhoun's the latest Angels outfielder to do a credible Mike Trout impression for a short stretch, slashing .333/.413/.704 over his last 15 games with five homers, 14 RBI and two steals. The 31-year-old has been a very unreliable fantasy asset the last couple of years, so don't get too attached, but there might still be time to catch the tail end of his hot streak in a shallow league. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Jonathan Davis, Blue Jays: Smartly, the Jays continue to churn the bottom of their big-league roster to try and find payers who might be able to fill out the lineup a couple years down the road when their second-generation starlings are finally stretching their wings. Davis is the latest outfielder to get a look, replacing Socrates Brito. The 27-year-old Davis isn't any kind of prospect, but he stole 26 bases in 30 attempts between Double-A and Triple-A last year before swiping three more in the majors in September, and his defense and potentially solid hit tool mark him as a prototypical fourth outfielder in the long run. On the Toronto roster in 2019, though, he could wind up as the next Kevin Pillar if things break right for him. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Hunter Pence, Rangers: I keep saying that Pence is 36 years old and hasn't had a 20-homer campaign since 2014, but he doesn't seem to be listening. Freed from AT&T Park (OK, fine, Oracle Park... the place has been branded with four different corporate names since it opened in 2000, how do they expect anyone to keep track?), the former Giant has been stringing together hits all year but is really feeling his oats right now, slugging homers in four of the last five games. With Delino DeShields Jr. on the outs in Texas again, the OF/DH picture is a little clearer, so there's a path for Pence to get consistent playing time while he's healthy and raking. Those are two big caveats, though. He's played more than 106 games only once in the last four seasons, averaging just under 10 homers a season during that stretch, so while Pence could certainly be the 2019 version of Nick Markakis, the odds remain stacked against him. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Christin Stewart, Tigers: Out since April 17 due to a quad strain, Stewart rejoined the Detroit lineup Thursday, going 3-for-14 with a couple of doubles since. The 25-year-old remains part of the Tigers' rebuilding effort, if not necessarily a key piece, so he should get regular playing time between left field and DH for the rest of the year. Expect solid power numbers with a middling batting average. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Charlie Tilson, White Sox: Tilson's been on the fringe of prospectdom for a while now, more by virtue of being in the White Sox system than purely on his own merits. Things finally seem to be clicking for him, though. The 26-year-old has gone 8-for-21 with three steals and four runs in eight games since getting his latest promotion, and the team has absolutely nothing to lose by giving him consistent playing time and letting him sink or swim. He still looks like a fourth outfielder in the long run, but as long as his main competition for at-bats comes from guys like Leury Garcia and Ryan Cordell, Tilson's speed will give him fantasy intrigue. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9