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

Aaron Brooks, Orioles: Picked up off waivers from the A's, Brooks slides right into the Baltimore rotation despite not having tossed five innings in a game since late April. He was one of the Oakland's seemingly inexhaustible supply of mediocre right-handers, offering a low-90s fastball and a decent assortment of breaking pitches in a swingman role, so while his fantasy outlook does improve a bit as a starter, he'll still be pitching for a team that won't get him many wins and in a home ballpark that punishes homer-prone pitchers (1.74 career HR/9). 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Ryan Carpenter, Tigers: The southpaw is expected to return to the Detroit rotation this week and fall right into a two-start week against Cleveland (25th in wOBA vs. LHP) and Toronto (23rd), which gives Carpenter some definite streaming appeal. His recent Triple-A performances have been encouraging too (17:5 K:BB, one run allowed in 12 innings) but as yet he hasn't had much success in the majors with his deep, but fairly average, arsenal. As a long-term option, Carpenter still has an awful lot to prove. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Andrew Cashner, Red Sox: Boston didn't exactly make a big splash to kick off trade season, but adding Cashner for rotation depth counts as the kind of move a playoff-minded team would make. The right-hander is expected to solidify the back of the rotation, and his five straight quality starts prior to the All-Star break would qualify as a huge upgrade over the scrubs the BoSox have been churning through lately. That hot streak got Cashner's ERA under 4.00 for the first time all season, though, and his 6.2 K/9 points to his limited fantasy upside. Plus, it's not like his luck in the win column can get any better – he was already 9-3 for a team that's only won 28 games all year. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Matt Harvey, Angels: Harvey returned to the rotation for the first time since May 23 on Saturday and made a credible showing for himself, falling one out shy of a quality start. The right-hander's 3:3 K:BB wasn't good, but it was par for the course for him on the year, and his 6.88 ERA still puts him far away from being a trustworthy arm even in deep formats. Harvey's just never been the same since his thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, and there's no reason to think the ace-level form he flashed in 2013 and 2015, or anything even close to it, is ever coming back. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Adam Plutko, Cleveland: Plutko moved into a long relief role in late June, but with Cleveland's schedule getting busy again, the right-hander will reclaim a starting assignment beginning Monday – lining him up for a potentially lucrative two-start week that features home outings against the Tigers (30th in wOBA vs RHP) and Royals (22nd). His merely OK stuff marks him as a back-end starter and not the next Mike Clevinger, but Plutko can still provide value in the right spot, and pitching in the AL Central still provides plenty of the right spots. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Framber Valdez, Astros: The southpaw's return to the rotation Thursday was an absolute disaster, as he failed to get out of the first inning, and after a couple of quality starts in June, Valdez has now been tagged with 15 runs over seven innings in his last three big-league outings. Ugh. The Astros are surprisingly running out of internal options for that fifth starter spot, though – next man up might be Josh James or Collin McHugh getting stretched out again – so for the moment it seems like Valdez will be allowed to right the ship if he can, giving him a chance at a two-start week. That's assuming the front office doesn't pull the trigger on a trade before then, of course. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Ryan Yarbrough, Rays: It's still not entirely clear what Tampa is doing with their rotation for the second half – Brendan McKay got sent down after Saturday's doubleheader despite doing everything he needed to do to prove he's ready for the majors – but assuming McKay spends the minimum 10 days at Triple-A before coming back up, the Rays will have four actual, bona fide starting pitchers in McKay, Blake Snell, Charlie Morton and Yonny Chirinos. That still leaves the fifth spot open for openers and bulk/primary relievers, and Yarbrough's recent performances likely make him the favorite over Jalen Beeks for regular work every fifth day. Yarbrough sports a 1.20 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB over his last 15 innings and four appearances, collecting two wins, and the soft-tossing southpaw still seems like the perfect pitcher to follow a flamethrower like Ryne Stanek as the opener. 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)

Tanner Anderson, Athletics (vs. SEA, at MIN)

Griffin Canning, Angels (vs. HOU, at SEA)

Dylan Cease, White Sox (at KC, at TB)

Andrew Heaney, Angels (vs. HOU, at SEA)

Jakob Junis, Royals (vs. CHW, at CLE)

Daniel Norris, Tigers (at CLE, vs. TOR)

Brad Peacock, Astros (at LAA, vs. TEX)

Martin Perez, Twins (vs. NYM, vs. OAK)

Zach Plesac, Cleveland (vs. DET, vs. KC)

Sean Reid-Foley, Blue Jays (at BOS, at DET)

CC Sabathia, Yankees (vs. TB, vs. COL)

Glenn Sparkman, Royals (vs. CHW, at CLE)

Trent Thornton, Blue Jays (at BOS, at DET)

Asher Wojciechowski, Orioles (vs. WAS, vs. BOS)
 

Relief Pitcher

Justin Anderson, Angels: The right-hander has struggled with reduced velocity this year – his 94.8 mph average fastball is a far cry from his 97.3 mph mark in 2018 – and while the lower tempo hasn't resulted in a big improvement in his control, it has led to more movement on the pitch and a spike in his strikeout rate, particularly in recent weeks. Anderson has struck out 10 batters in 3.2 innings in July (do the math, although he did pull the rare 'two K's in 0.1 IP' trick in his most recent appearance thanks to a wild pitch), and the earned run he gave up Saturday was his first in over a month. If the Angels are sellers at the deadline, the 26-year-old could eventually wind up closing, but for now assume he's just a high-K staff filler. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Diego Castillo, Rays: Castillo missed about three weeks with shoulder inflammation, including the All-Star break, but assuming the issue was responsible for his rough June and is now cleared up, he returns to a bullpen that is once again missing Jose Alvarado, leaving closing duties in his (and Emilio Pagan's) hands. Manager Kevin Cash seems to prefer using Pagan earlier in the game, though, so it seems likely Castillo will see at least the majority of save chances over the next month-plus. A trade to bolster the bullpen is always a possibility, but the Rays are always reluctant to give away cost-controlled prospects in blockbuster deals, so don't expect someone like Kirby Yates to suddenly land in Tampa. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $13

Nathan Eovaldi, Red Sox: We finally have a rough timeline for Eovaldi's return and move into the closer role, and it looks like the right-hander will join the bullpen next weekend or early the following week after a brief rehab assignment. That still leaves time for the front office to trade for a proven closer, but unless that happens it looks like Eovaldi will get a chance to see what his high-octane heat can do in short bursts. As I suggested last week, he could end up being more Joe Kelly than Craig Kimbrel in a relief role, but Eovaldi does have significant upside if he takes to the bullpen and can stay healthy. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Daniel Hudson, Blue Jays: Ken Giles is dealing with some nerve irritation in his elbow, which is kind of a good news/bad news scenario for the Jays – it reduces Giles' value in a trade, but it gives them a chance to showcase Hudson as the closer and increase his value on the open market. The veteran reliever converted his save chance Saturday against the Yankees, albeit in somewhat shaky fashion, and while Giles isn't expected to be out long, Toronto has plenty of incentive to be extra-cautious with him, opening the door for Hudson to get a couple more opportunities in the short term. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Colin Poche, Rays: Don't be fooled by Poche's huge strikeout rates – he doesn't have big-time stuff, but instead relies on a deceptive delivery to get the job done. Hitters who aren't fooled tend to hit him hard, so the lefty will be a bigger ERA risk than you might think, but the K upside is real in a middle relief role. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2
 

Catcher

Welington Castillo, White Sox: The veteran backstop is closing in on a return from his oblique strain, going 4-for-16 in four rehab games. James McCann has actually tightened his hold on the starting job since Castillo went down, slashing .311/.382/.508 with three homers and 10 RBI in his last 16 games, but Castillo should still see 2-3 starts a week as the backup, giving him some value in deep two-catcher formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Dustin Garneau, Angels: Jonathan Lucroy's concussion puts Garneau and Smith in a timeshare behind the plate for the next little while, although Smith has to make an early return from his own IL stint and may not be 100 percent yet, potentially giving Garneau the short-term advantage for playing time. The power the 31-year-old displayed coming up through the Rockies' system has never materialized in the majors – Garneau's last big-league homer came in 2017 with Oakland – but he could offer some limited production. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Kevan Smith, Angels: Smith missed just under a month with a hand injury, getting activated from the IL on Saturday as he swapped places with Lucroy. The 31-year-old offers some batting average upside – he hasn't hit below .283 in the last three years at the big-league level – and once he proves his hand is 100 percent, he figures to assume the starting role for the Angels until Lucroy recovers. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4
 

First Base

AJ Reed, White Sox: Reed seemed like a legit power prospect when he tore through the Astros' system in 2015 then slashed .291/.368/.556 in a half-season at Triple-A in 2016, but since then he's looked more and more like a Quad-A guy, drawing some walks and compiling 62 homers and 212 RBI in the PCL from 2017-18 but struggling to make consistent contact and completely flopping in his brief chances in the majors. Houston finally gave up on him, giving Chicago a chance to scoop him off waivers and see if he can be Jose Abreu's eventual replacement, or at least a possible answer at DH. Reed's still only 26, so he could just be a late bloomer, but the fact that he hasn't dominated the upper minors isn't encouraging. Despite his lingering prospect cache, he's little more than a lottery ticket at this point. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3
 

Second Base

Luis Rengifo, Angels: Tommy La Stella's injury has created a ripple effect that's landed Rengifo in the starting lineup in six of eight games in July, and his .409 batting average (9-for-22) has made it a bit easier to keep penciling his name onto the lineup card. The 22-year-old rookie has upside, swiping 41 bases across three minor-league levels last year, but his 0-for-3 showing so far in the bigs could keep the red light on for him in the second half. Rengifo remains more potential than production, but if he keeps getting steady playing time he'll be that much closer to proving whether or not he can make the leap. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5
 

Third Base

Matt Duffy, Rays: Duffy has yet to play a game in the majors this year, but his lengthy rehab from a hamstring injury might finally be coming to an end – although the last time he worked his way up to Triple-A, he lasted two games before being shut down again. The question right now is less when he comes off the IL, but where he plays when he does. The Rays' infield is already overloaded, and that's with Brandon Lowe and Daniel Robertson on the shelf and the coaching staff talking about trying Nate Lowe out at third base to create another path for him to get at-bats. A trade to clear up the logjam seems almost inevitable, but unless Duffy is one of the players heading out of town, it's hard to see him getting enough action to be useful in most formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
 

Shortstop

Aledmys Diaz, Astros: Diaz will begin a rehab stint Monday after being out since late May with a hamstring strain. Carlos Correa will also begin a rehab stint Monday, but as he can't return fro the 60-day IL until July 26, there may be a small window for Diaz to get semi-consistent at-bats before he moves back into a bench role. Then again, with Yuli Gurriel raking, Diaz might be stuck on the bench anyway once he gets activated. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3
 

Outfield

Hunter Pence, Rangers: The veteran outfielder is on track to rejoin the lineup Tuesday after missing a month with a groin injury. Willie Calhoun's hit only .209 in his place, so Pence should immediately reclaim a starting spot and try to find his first-half form again. Given how out-of-nowhere Pence's first half was, it's hard to rely on the 36-year-old to repeat it, but that doesn't mean he'll regress into obsolescence either. Nick Markakis still had some value after the break last year even if he didn't repeat his early-season .877 OPS, and a similar pattern for Pence seems reasonable. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Bubba Starling, Royals: The 2011 first-round pick finally made his big-league debut Friday and collected his first big-league hit and RBI on Saturday, so good for Starling for persevering. That still doesn't make him a particularly enticing fantasy add, though. His Triple-A numbers this year look good out of context, but the 26-year-old's .806 OPS only ranked fifth on the Storm Chasers among players with at least 100 at-bats, and didn't rank in the top 50 in the PCL. Starling's athleticism still gives him some mild potential as a power-speed guy, and his defense in center field is good, but becoming a bargain bin Michael Taylor could be his ceiling. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1