AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week

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.

This year, we're incorporating 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. Andrew Benintendi would have been an "A" grade player last year -- that mark will be reserved for similar 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.

Starting Pitcher

Miguel Almonte, Royals: Called up when Nathan Karns hit the DL, Almonte hasn't yet had a chance to pitch for Kansas City due to rainouts. He was dominating Double-A prior to getting the call, but, well, it's Double-A, and it's the first time Almonte's results have matched his raw stuff since 2013. The 24-year-old boasts a mid-90s fastball and solid changeup when everything's working, and some mechanical adjustments this season may have helped him unlock his talent. There's some upside here, and if the Royals start selling off veteran pieces Almonte could stick around for a while. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Alec Asher, Orioles: Ubaldo Jimenez finally got yanked out of the rotation, if perhaps only temporarily, so Asher will take his place Sunday on the road in Houston and perhaps beyond. The former Phillie gave the O's a quality start, in Fenway Park no less, the last time he made a spot start in early May, and he's pitched well out of the bullpen since. Asher doesn't have overpowering stuff, but it doesn't take much to be an upgrade on Jimenez. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jharel Cotton, Athletics: After a couple of dominant starts for Triple-A Nashville to get himself straightened out, Cotton was called back up Saturday to replace the injured Jesse Hahn in the A's rotation. The results were, well, about the same as before his demotion, and Cotton's control remains the biggest obstacle between him and success in the majors. The 25-year-old righty doesn't have one plus pitch, but his four-pitch arsenal should eventually play once he learns to trust it against big-league hitters. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Tyler Danish, White Sox: Danish was one of a number of pitchers to put up interesting numbers in a spot start this weekend as teams juggled their rotations to account for rainouts and doubleheaders. Tossing five shutout innings in your first big-league start is exciting; six walks, not so much. He was also sent right right back to Triple-A Charlotte after Saturday's start, which means he may be ineligible for a bid in many leagues. Danish doesn't have a big fastball, and his sinker/slider mix might play better in the bullpen, but given the state of the White Sox pitching staff he might get another look in the rotation later in the year, 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Buck Farmer, Tigers: Of all those spot starts over the weekend, none may have been more surprising than Farmer's. The 26-year-old had spent the prior three seasons bouncing back and forth between Triple-A and the majors, posting fairly mediocre numbers for Toledo and getting roughed up by big-league hitters, and then Saturday happened. Firing 6.1 shutout innings and fanning 11 has a way of changing people's perception of you. Now, that performance did come against the White Sox, and there isn't much in Farmer's profile to indicate he'll ever be able to repeat it, but still. You can't completely ignore a guy capable of that kind of start. The Tigers said they were going to send him back down right after his start, but given how poorly the back of their rotation has looked this year, they may re-think that decision. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Kyle Gibson, Twins: Gibson made two starts for Triple-A Rochester after his demotion, striking out 18 in 12.1 innings, then got called back up and went right back to being awful. There's really not much else to say about a guy whose 6.58 FIP would be a vast improvement over his actual results. The 29-year-old will give you some innings and the Twins offense is good enough to get him the occasional win (as it did Monday in his return), but he's really only worth looking at in very specific circumstances – say, a H2H league where you're punting ERA and WHIP. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

J.A. Happ, Blue Jays: Happ tossed three innings in a rehab stat at High-A on Thursday, and the clock is ticking on his return. The veteran lefty might get summoned back to the majors as soon as Tuesday, given that the Jays are running out of starting pitchers, but more likely he'll get one more rehab start before being activated. Happ had a 20:0 K:BB in 16 innings before his elbow got cranky, and if he got cut loose by an impatient GM when he hit the DL, grab him if you can. 12-team Mixed: $11; 15-team Mixed: $25; 12-team AL: Owned

Brian Johnson, Red Sox: Johnson is perhaps entitled to feel a little put out today. He gets called up Saturday and gives the BoSox a nine-inning shutout in Fenway, with his whole family in attendance, striking out eight with no walks... and then promptly gets sent back to Triple-A just because some David Price guy is set to come off the DL. As with Farmer, this might well end up being the best big-league start of Johnson's career as he doesn't have ace-like stuff, but the 26-year-old lefty has delivered solid numbers for Pawtucket this year and has at least now established himself as Boston's No. 6 starter, and the guy to get the call if a rotation spot opens up again. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Adalberto Mejia, Twins: Called back up when Phil Hughes hit the DL, Mejia turned in a serviceable outing Saturday, one that was more in line with his Triple-A efforts this year than his previous big-league starts. The 23-year-old lefty has a good fastball and improving changeup, and he may be competing with Gibson for the fifth starter spot once Hughes returns, giving him the potential to stick around if he can improve his control a little and just avoid being terrible. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Daniel Mengden, Athletics: The 24-year-old righty is expected to get called up to make a start at the beginning of the week once Kendall Graveman officially hits the DL. Mengden's looked very good in four start for Triple-A Nashville since recovering from a foot injury, but his stuff is just average and his numbers in the majors last season were ugly, so if Jesse Hahn makes a quick return from his own injury, Mengden will likely head right back to Nashville. On the other hand, if he does well in his spot start, the A's might decide to keep him around and option Cotton back down instead. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Ariel Miranda, Mariners: You could argue that Miranda is currently Seattle's ace, although that's far more a reflection of how gutted by injuries their rotation is than the lefty's actual performance. Still, if you toss out his clunker in Philadelphia, Miranda has a 3.06 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 9.0 K/9 on the year, and he's won his last three decisions. Those numbers would play in almost any format, and while you can't ignore the clunker potential for a guy who sometimes has trouble finding the plate or keeping the ball in the park, even in shallower leagues Miranda could be a nice streaming option when he's at home or facing a less threatening lineup. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

Brad Peacock, Astros: Peacock's strong effort Monday was good enough for Houston manager A.J. Hinch to hand him the fifth starter spot and push Mike Fiers to the bullpen. Peacock's teased being a useful starter before and flopped, but once upon a time the 29-year-old was a top prospect for the Nats, and it's possible he may have just needed a lot more development time than anyone expected. The key may be the slider he added to his arsenal once he joined the Astros. He's been throwing it better than 30 percent of the time as a reliever with good results over the last couple of years, and while he'll need to get his changeup back into the mix as a starter, the slider might finally be the offspeed pitch he needed to succeed. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

David Price, Red Sox: After two rehab starts (and poor ones at that), the Sawx have decided that Price is ready to rejoin the rotation, and he'll make his season debut Monday. He's probably not available in any league, but in a shallow format with few bench spots, anything's possible. The 31-year-old lefty didn't exactly pitch like an ace last year in his first campaign with Boston, but you probably won't see another pitcher with his upside enter the free agent pool until closer to the trade deadline if you're lucky, so there's no reason to hold back on your bidding. 12-team Mixed: $95; 15-team Mixed: Owned; 12-team AL: Owned

Tyson Ross, Rangers: Ross' first rehab start Tuesday went well, as he fired five shutout innings for Triple-A Round Rock with five Ks, and he could make his debut for the Rangers as soon as next week. As with any pitcher returning from surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome, expectations need to be kept low, but the 30-year-old righty with the nasty slider was putting up very good numbers for the Padres not that long ago and is probably worth a look. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

CC Sabathia, Yankees: Uh oh. Don't look now, but Sabathia is having one of his good stretches, winning three straight games with a 1.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and a 19:6 K:BB in 18 innings. While that's a good thing if he was already on your roster, in shallower leagues it now forces you to guess whether it's safe to pick him up and get a few more nice starts out of him, or whether he'll immediately implode as soon as you add him to your roster. Given that his next two starts are against the Blue Jays (with Jose Bautista back in form and Josh Donaldson off the DL) and the Red Sox, I'm recommending caution. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Rob Whalen, Mariners: Whalen got a start against Boston on Saturday and it did not go well. He might not get another, with James Paxton close to making his return, but the 23-year-old has put up some OK numbers the last couple of years in the high minors. He's still a right-hander who has trouble breaking 90 mph with his fastball, but he might eventually work his way into a swing man/long relief role in the majors. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Relief Pitcher

Matt Barnes, Red Sox: Barnes seems to have bounced back from his rough stretch at the beginning of May and has worked his way back into setup duties in front of Craig Kimbrel, a spot which could allow him to rack up a lot of holds quickly. Barnes has a 1.04 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB in his last 8.2 innings, numbers which look downright Kimbrelian, and in leagues where high-K relievers have value he should be rostered. If he isn't, fix that. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Cam Bedrosian, Angels: Bedrosian has finally begun throwing at the Angels' spring-training facility, and a rehab assignment shouldn't be far off. The 25-year-old has the stuff to close and has posted great numbers the last couple of seasons when healthy, but his inability to stay off the DL has cost him, and Bud Norris' performance while Bedrosian was on the shelf may force the younger hurler to settle for a setup role when he returns. Norris is hardly a lock, though, and has a bit of a knee issue of his own, so Bedrosian could just as easily find the ninth-inning role waiting for him. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $13

Edwin Diaz, Mariners: Well, that didn't take long. A little more than a week after being "removed" as Seattle's closer, Diaz was picking up another save. The M's clearly want the 23-year-old to be the guy heading their bullpen and he certainly has the raw stuff the thrive if he can keep his mechanics in sync, so even if he hits another bump or two it looks like he'll have a very long leash as closer. If he got dropped in a panic move by his previous GM, take advantage. 12-team Mixed: $11; 15-team Mixed: $33; 12-team AL: Owned

Shane Greene, Tigers: Greene's been outstanding at preventing runs and baserunners all season, but a recent spate of strikeouts has put him on the radar for GMs looking for high-K relief options. The righty now has a 0.61 ERA, 0.68 WHIP and 16:2 K:BB in 14.2 May innings, and the Tigers haven't yet settled on an eighth-inning man in front of new closer Justin Wilson so there could be some holds in Greene's future as well. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Will Harris, Astros: Harris picked up his second save of the season Saturday with Ken Giles unavailable, and appears to be the clear second option in the Houston bullpen right now due to Luke Gregerson's struggles. The rest of his numbers (2.49 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 22:3 K:BB in 21.2 innings, 10 holds) are pretty good too, and Giles can't yet be put in the lockdown category when it comes to closers. He's probably long gone in AL-only formats, but Harris could be worth a spec stash in shallower leagues if you have the room on your bench. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Keone Kela, Rangers: Speaking of second bananas, Kela has struck out multiple batters in five straight outings and picked up a save last Sunday, and now appears to be Matt Bush's main setup guy in Texas. The 24-year-old Kela had a rough, injury-plagued 2016, but mostly appears to be back in his 2015 form now, making him well worth a roster spot. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Huston Street, Angels: With Norris pitching well and Bedrosian close to making his return, Street may be the forgotten man in the Angels' bullpen. He's put together a couple of good rehab appearances for Triple-A Salt Lake, though, and should be back in the majors in early June. Will he close, even if just to showcase him for a trade? Anything's possible. I mean, this is a team that gave Bud Norris a try in the ninth inning. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Catcher

Mike Zunino, Mariners: Since getting called back up from Triple-A, Zunino has one hit and 10 strikeouts, but hey, at least the hit was a homer. He is who he is at this point, and no amount of time in the minors is going to solve his contact issues. If you can handle the damage to your batting average, he still offers some power upside at a thin fantasy position, but he's not suddenly going to develop into a good hitter. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

First Base

John Hicks, Tigers: James McCann's injury has Hicks back in the majors, this time backing up Alex Avila. He's played three games at catcher so far, and if he reaches 2017 eligibility at the position his bat will look really good behind the plate, even if his current .371/.389/.629 line isn't sustainable. McCann isn't expected to be out long, but he might be out just long enough to get Hicks those crucial two more appearances. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Rob Refsnyder, Yankees: With Jacoby Ellsbury on the concussion DL, Refsnyder will once again get sit on the Yankees bench. He has yet to get an at-bat since being called up Thursday, though, so don't expect much even if he has been hitting .303/.391/.454 at Triple-A this year. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Sam Travis, Red Sox: Travis isn't Boston's best hitting prospect – he may not even be their best first-base prospect, depending on how you rate Rafael Devers' chances of sticking at the hot corner defensively – but he was the closest to being major-league ready, and with Mitch Moreland in need of a platoon partner Travis got the promotion. The 23-year-old picked up two hits in his debut Wednesday and then hasn't gotten to the plate since, which should give you an idea of how much playing time he's likely to see during this callup. The Red Sox are also going to need a spot on the roster for Pablo Sandoval soon, so the clock could be ticking. Travis is a good stash in keeper leagues, as he projects to develop into a right-handed Brandon Belt with a good batting average and moderate power, but don't expect much immediate production. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Second Base

Jed Lowrie, Athletics: Lowrie continues to stubbornly insist on being healthy this year, and the result so far has been his best OPS since 2010. At some point the ride is going to end, whether through a DL stint or a Franklin Barreto promotion that takes away his starting job, but for the moment the 33-year-old switch hitter is providing plenty of value. If his lackluster recent track record still has him available in a shallow format, he'd look better on your bench (or even your MI spot) instead of on the waiver wire. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Deven Marrero, Red Sox: Marrero has become the default third baseman in Boston until Sandoval comes off the DL, but he's hitting just .190/.244/.310 in 13 games since stumbling into the starting lineup. He does have a homer, six RBI and eight runs during that stretch, though, and those occasional counting stats will give him some value in deep formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Third Base

Andrew Romine, Tigers: Ian Kinsler's lingering hamstring issue has pushed Romine back into regular duty, and he's responded by reaching base six times (four singles and two walks) over his last three games. The veteran utility man doesn't have any kind of upside, but in deep leagues at-bats is at-bats, especially at a thin position like MI. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Pablo Sandoval, Red Sox: I jumped the gun last week in thinking Sandoval would be back in the lineup by now, but he's now played a half-dozen rehab games for Triple-A Pawtucket and could be back in the Boston lineup as soon as Monday. Marrero hasn't been good, Brock Holt isn't making it back from his vertigo any time soon, and all of Boston's other third base options are hurt. The job is Sandoval's once he's off the DL, but whether he's able to do anything useful with it from a fantasy perspective is a panda of a different color. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $13

Shortstop

Nolan Fontana, Angels: He may or may not be the illegitimate son of Brian Fantana, but Fontana has been seeing steady work at second base since making his big-league debut as the Angels try to find a palatable alternative to Danny Espinosa. The 25-year-old hasn't shown much offensive upside in the minors, but as long as he's playing solid defense and isn't striking out 34.4 percent of the time, he might stick around. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Paul Janish, Orioles: The 34-year-old utility infielder was called up last Sunday to give the Orioles some bench help and has seen exactly two ABs since then. Expect Janish to get cut loose as soon as the team has a better use for his roster spot. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Dixon Machado, Tigers: Machado is effectively on the short side of a platoon at second base while Ian Kinsler is out. He does have a little steals upside if he somehow found his way into regular duty and put together a three-hit game Saturday, but that's as many base knocks as he'd had since May 9. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Andrelton Simmons, Angels: Simmons is on a roll, collecting a hit in 12 of his last 13 games with nine multi-hit performances, giving him a .415/.448/.604 slash line during that stretch with a homer, eight RBI and seven runs. The 27-year-old has four home runs through 51 games, putting him on pace for his second career double-digit homer campaign, and his current .739 OPS would be a career best for a full season. If you need help at middle infield, Simmons can provide short-term help and maybe more if he is indeed figuring things out at the plate. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Troy Tulowitzki, Blue Jays: Written up last week, Tulo had missed the last month due to a hamstring strain before rejoining the Jays on Friday. Given his lackluster numbers when he got hurt, he's yet another veteran who may have been cut loose in shallower formats, and while his numbers since coming to Toronto haven't been great he'll still play every day when healthy (which, granted, he's had trouble with) and should provide a decent batting average with some counting stats – a package that has plenty of value at a middle infield spot. 12-team Mixed: $8; 15-team Mixed: $21; 12-team AL: Owned

Outfield

Jorge Bonifacio, Royals: While they haven't traded away any veterans yet, Bonifacio's continued presence in the starting lineup for the Royals indicates that they're already looking to the future. Of course, a stretch of four homers in five games didn't hurt, nor does the 23-year-old's .324/.375/.703 slash line over his last 10 games. He's seeing most of his time in right field, but once the team cuts their losses with Alex Gordon, Bonifacio and Jorge Soler should become KC's starting corner outfielders. His development path in the minors was hardly linear, but Bonifacio looks ready to start tapping into his potential. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Adam Engel, White Sox: Engel's got speed to burn – he stole 45 bases across three levels in the minors last year – but he was hitting just .221 at Triple-A before being called up, and may not get on base often enough in the majors to use those wheels even if he does see regular playing time. More likely, he's only up to get his feet wet before Charlie Tilson replaces him on the roster. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Austin Jackson, Cleveland: Activated from the DL on Friday, the veteran was hitting pretty well in a part-time role when he got hurt, and it seems likely that he'll be back on the bench once he's activated, especially if Cleveland elects to give Bradley Zimmer a long look in center field. Jackson has zero home runs and two steals in 2016, though, so what fantasy ceiling he had in his youth may be long gone. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

JaCoby Jones, Tigers: The Tigers used Kinsler's DL stint as an excuse to remake their outfield, DFA'ing Tyler Collins, adding Alex Presley and calling Jones back up. The 25-year-old's numbers at Triple-A don't jump off the page, but he was making better contact and striking out less, and Detroit doesn't really have any better options in center field. Both Presley and Mikie Mahtook are in the picture, but Jones should see the bulk of the work unless he completely flops once again, providing a bit of power and some steals in the best case scenario. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $11

Jake Marisnick, Astros: Marisnick's hot bat has earned him some extra playing time lately and pushed his slash line on the season up to .277/.356/.569. A power surge in his age-26 season wouldn't be out of the question, but it's hard to see a path to consistent starts in the long term for him that doesn't involve a couple of injuries elsewhere on the Astros roster. Marisnick will return to the bench as a right-handed platoon option and defensive replacement as soon as he cools down, so don't go overboard bidding for those recent homers. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Cameron Maybin, Angels: Another outfielder enjoying a hugely productive stretch, Maybin's slashing .436/.542/.769 over his last 10 games with two homers, three steals, five RBI and an amazing 13 runs. That's what happens when you get on base a lot in front of Mike Trout. The power is new for Maybin – his career high in home runs is 10 – but he's had hot streaks before and should be a big three-category asset (BA/R/SB) while he's locked in, so any long balls he supplies as well are just a bonus. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Alex Presley, Tigers: Now on his fifth MLB organization, Presley had a weak .581 OPS at Triple-A Toledo when he was added to the big-league roster, but the Tigers figured the veteran was a better option than the disappointing Collins. Presley might pop the occasional homer if he gets much playing time in Detroit, but he'll more likely get cut loose once Kinsler recovers from his hamstring injury. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1