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 talent on an A-E scale. Luis Robert 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.

AL FAAB | NL FAAB

Starting Pitcher

Logan Allen, Cleveland: After getting sent down to Triple-A at the end of April, Allen was recalled to lend some support to the gutted Cleveland rotation and got the start Wednesday, working 3.2 unimpressive innings. The southpaw's numbers at Toledo were even worse than his ones in the majors, including a 13:12 K:BB through 17.2 innings at Triple-A, so there's little reason to expect things to suddenly click for him, and his red-hot spring seems like forever ago. Allen does line up for a two-step this week though (at Tampa and at home versus the Royals), if you're in a spot where taking that sort of risk makes sense. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Nestor Cortes, Yankees: Cortes will make his first start of the year in Sunday's twin bill against the Mets, and a successful outing could lead to a longer stay in the Yankees' rotation because hey, what have they got to lose at this point. The 26-year-old lefty has been a revelation in long relief, posting a 1.02 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 25:8 K:BB through 17.2 innings, but the last time he tossed at least three innings in an appearance was June 19 so his pitch count could be limited Sunday. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Mike Foltynewicz, Rangers: Sorting your league's free agents by their performance over the last two weeks could put Foltynewicz near the top of the pitcher rankings, so I'd better write him up. He's tossed back-to-back quality starts against the A's, who he lines up to face for a third straight time this week, and his 11:1 K:BB in 13 innings over that stretch is actually respectable. He's also been taken deep at least once in six straight outings, his 93.9 mph average fastball is well below what it was in 2018 (the last time he was good) and his 5.17 ERA on the year is rough, so buyer beware. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Michael King, Yankees: King has been getting a look in the rotation lately with middling results, but he dazzled in a long relief stint Saturday, tossing four scoreless innings against the Mets with nine strikeouts. With the Yankees getting close to desperation mode, that might encourage Aaron Boone to experiment with an opener ahead of the right-hander, which would provide a boost in value to a guy who so far has lasted at least five innings only once. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jordan Lyles, Rangers: The 30-year-old has delivered three straight quality starts and four in his last five outings to get his ERA below 5.00 for the first time since late April, and since May 17 he has a 3.78 ERA and 1.34 WHIP, ratios that could help most deep-league staffs. Lyles' 37:14 K:BB through 52.1 innings over that stretch is nothing special, but that's why he might still be on the wire. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Jose Suarez, Angels: The Angels continue to shuffle the deck chairs in their rotation, with Suarez now getting a shot in place of Dylan Bundy (or maybe it's Griffin Canning. Who can keep track?) Suarez has been sharp in relief since being called up and he tossed 5.1 innings in his last appearance, so he should be stretched out enough. His first start is against Boston though, which is a bit nervous for a southpaw (seventh in wOBA, ninth in wRC+ against LHP), and what prospect status the 23-year-old has left basically stems from a seven-start stint at Double-A in 2018 (3.03 ERA, 51:8 K:BB in 29.2 innings). His Triple-A numbers, and his big-league performance prior to this year, were much less exciting. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

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

Kolby Allard, Rangers (vs. DET, vs. OAK)

Kris Bubic, Royals (vs. CIN, at CLE)

Matt Harvey, Orioles (vs. TOR, vs. CHW)

J.C. Mejia, Cleveland (at TB, vs. KC)

Bailey Ober, Twins (vs. CHW, vs. DET)

Wily Peralta, Tigers (at TEX, at MIN)

Martin Perez, Red Sox (at LAA, vs. PHI)

Jose Urena, Tigers (at TEX, at MIN)

Relief Pitcher

Scott Barlow, Royals: Looks like it's Barlow's turn to handle the closer role for Kansas City. The right-hander picked up saves Friday and Saturday, his first ninth-inning action in a month, and since the beginning of June he has a 1.98 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 18:5 K:BB through 13.2 innings. He's been the team's best reliever for a couple years now, but so far that's mostly translated to high-leverage work rather than fantasy-friendly work. As with every time I talk about a K.C. bullpen guy, I need to remind you that the winds could change quickly here, and Josh Staumont or Greg Holland or Kyle Zimmer or, I dunno, Richard Lovelady could be handling the ninth next week. With Barlow though, at least you can have some confidence that he'll give you strong ratios even if he isn't giving you saves. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Adam Plutko / Cole Sulser / Dillon Tate, Orioles: Baltimore's closer picture remains as opaque as ever. Paul Fry hasn't recorded a save in a month, but Sulser has two in the last week. Tate got one June 29, after the O's extended their lead in the eighth inning and Brandon Hyde just let the right-hander finish things out, while Plutko nabbed a two-out save the day June 28 after Fry made a mess in the ninth. Tate, a first-round pick in 2015, has the most theoretical upside of the group and can look like a high-leverage ace in any given outing, and over his last 10 appearances he has a 3.60 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 19:6 K:BB through 15 innings. He's also very inconsistent though, and it's not clear if Hyde has plans to use him in the late innings on a regular basis. As per usual in this 'pen, you need to be really desperate for saves to dip your toes in. Plutko -- 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1 / Sulser -- 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4 / Tate -- 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Paul Sewald, Mariners: The M's seem to have a knack for turning other teams' discards into dominant relievers. Sewald showed little in four years as a Met, but with Seattle he's upped his slider usage significantly and emerges as a late-inning weapon, posting a 1.66 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and eye-popping 42.7 percent strikeout rate in 21.2 innings. His fastball is still only averaging 92.4 mph (a career high, but nothing to write home about), which marks him as more of a set-up man than a future closer, but the 31-year-old did pick up his first save of the year Thursday, against the Jays on Canada Day no less. Rude! If Kendall Graveman gets dealt, Sewald may become a regular part of the ninth-inning crew, although if Seattle is selling, Sewald could just as easily be flipped too. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Drew Steckenrider, Mariners: If there's a more likely candidate than Sewald to replace Graveman as first-among-closer-equals in this bullpen, it's Steckenrider, whose two saves on the year have both come since mid-June. The 30-year-old doesn't have the fastball he used to, averaging 93.3 mph, but the changeup he's added to his arsenal this season has been filthy. He's throwing it about 15 percent of the time, and batters have a .092 wOBA against it with a 34.3 percent whiff rate. That's a closer-worthy pitch. If you're stashing relievers ahead of the trade deadline hoping for saves, I'd make Steckenrider a priority. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Garrett Whitlock, Red Sox: On the other hand, if you're just looking for someone to protect your ratios, consider Whitlock. The 25-year-old Rule 5 pick has been a find for Boston, delivering a 1.58 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 43:11 K:BB through his first 40 big-league innings. He works longer stints (two innings in four of his last six appearances) but is now one of Matt Barnes' key set-up men, racking up a win and two holds in his last three outings and fanning multiple batters in six straight games. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Catcher

John Hicks, Rangers: Called up when Jose Trevino landed on the IL, Hicks made an immediate splash with three homers in his first two starts. The 31-year-old didn't play in the majors at all last season, but he did slug 28 home runs in 236 games for the Tigers from 2017-19, so the power isn't a complete surprise. he also slashed .241/.287/.401 while doing it, so if you pick him up now you may have already missed his one brief productive spurt. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Danny Jansen, Blue Jays: Jansen was activated off the IL on Saturday after being sidelined since early June with a hamstring strain. Reese McGuire is playing well right now though, and Jansen has a .526 OPS on the year, so the Jays will be in no hurry to move him back into the No. 1 role. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Roberto Perez, Cleveland: Perez also came off the IL on Saturday, in his case after missing two months with a broken finger, and he also didn't immediately slot back into the starting lineup. Austin Hedges is no real obstacle though, so the 32-year-old Perez should regain the top job quickly. Whether he can regain his 2019 form at the plate is another question. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

First Base

Ryan O'Hearn, Royals: O'Hearn has been on a nice roll since his latest promotion, batting .293 (12-for-41) with three homers and seven RBI in 10 games while playing nearly every day. The latter is perhaps the most important point -- as long as he's getting regular at-bats, he's on the radar in deeper mixed leagues. He also has a 0:11 BB:K over that stretch though, so the bottom could fall out for him quickly. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Frank Schwindel, Athletics: The 29-year-old former Royals farmhand surfaced with the A's this week and made an immediate splash with a homer in his first game for Oakland. With Mitch Moreland struggling, Schwindel could handle the short side of a platoon at DH, but he's got a fair amount to prove to be a viable option beyond that. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Second Base

Mike Brosseau, Rays: Brosseau bounced back up to the majors Tuesday and has all of six at-bats since. The Tampa infield is just too crowded right now, with Wander Franco up and Taylor Walls healthy, to see where Brosseau is going to find even semi-consistent playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Domingo Leyba / Ramon Urias / Pat Valaika, Orioles: With Freddy Galvis hurt and the other keystone contenders jettisoned, the O's are rotating these three guys through their two middle infield spots. Leyba is the youngest and does have a solid campaign at Triple-A Reno on his resume (.300/.351/.519 with 19 homers in 112 games), so if you want to go an extra buck for his "upside" knock yourself out, but there's no reason to think any of them will produce much while hitting at the bottom of this lineup. Any -- 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Third Base

Jake Burger, White Sox: A first-round pick in 2017, Burger made his big-league debut this week after an arduous, injury-plagued climb through the minors. He missed all of 2018 after tearing his Achilles, then didn't play at all in 2019 due to a bruised heel. Somehow, he didn't miss a beat at Triple-A this year, slashing .322/.368/.596 with 10 homers in 42 games, and the 25-year-old earned himself a call-up. He'll handle third base for now while Yoan Moncada nurses a bruised hand, but Burger could wind up as the regular DH with Yermin Mercedes no longer a thing. He's not a premium prospect, but he does have some intriguing skills and a path to consistent playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Shortstop

Ernie Clement, Cleveland: Clement has started six of the last seven games but done very little with the opportunity, going 4-for-21 with zero extra-base hits or RBI. Still, if he's getting playing time, he's on the AL-only radar, and you might luck into a steal or two. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Taylor Walls, Rays: Out since June 23 due to wrist tendinitis, Walls returns to a Tampa roster that now has a much better prospect locked into a starting job. Walls' defense could still earn him starts instead of, or alongside, Wander Franco, but his .220/.333/.329 slash line through his first 28 big-league games is nothing special. He did swipe three bags though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1 

Outfield

David Dahl, Rangers: Dahl's roster rate in the various leagues I check every week was hovering right around the point at which I wouldn't bother writing him up, but for the life of me I can't figure out why he was still being stashed by so many people. He has a .203/.235/.327 slash line through his first 45 games with Texas and missed over a month with a rib injury -- a common refrain for a guy who was never healthy enough to take full advantage of Coors Field while he called it home. The 27-year-old still has some prospect cache, I guess, and if Joey Gallo does get dealt the Rangers will need to give those outfield ABs to someone, but it's getting harder and harder to visualize Dahl's upside. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jarren Duran, Red Sox: Duran shot to the top of stash lists when Team USA manager Mike Scioscia made it known the Red Sox hinted to him that there was little point sending the 24-year-old to Japan for the Olympics if he'd just end up hopping a plane back to Boston. Duran's having a breakout campaign at Triple-A, slashing .279/.375/.594 with 15 homers and 10 steals in 40 games, and promoting him might help solidify an outfield defense that has to keep cycling through utility players like Danny Santana and Enrique Hernandez in center field. That's not to say Duran is a great defender, but he's at least been playing center consistently for a few years now. His bat is the draw here though, and if you can slip him onto your bench now, you'd avoid the big bidding war coming in a couple weeks. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Billy Hamilton, White Sox: The veteran speedster came off the IL on Tuesday but has started only two of five games since, as Tony La Russa has apparently realized what other managers before him figured out -- Hamilton's defense and the havoc he can cause on the basepaths don't make up for how infrequently he actually gets on base. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Tim Locastro, Yankees: Locastro is basically a slightly younger, slightly faster version of Hamilton, but the Yankees need someone who can handle center field defensively, so they brought him in from Arizona. The 28-year-old's season has gone south since his streak of successful steals was snapped. Since being caught stealing for the first time in his career April 17 (and getting hurt on the play to literally add injury to insult), Locastro's gone 7-for-66 (.106). Maybe a change of scenery will snap him out of it. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Oscar Mercado, Cleveland: A Cleveland squad desperate for outfield production called Mercado back up last week, despite the fact the 26-year-old was slashing just .216/.327/.392 at Triple-A, and it's not like he was heating up -- he'd gone 1-for-17 in the six games prior to his promotion. He does offer a bit of power and speed if he can get going, and with Josh Naylor out of action, there's plenty of playing time up for grabs. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Edward Olivares, Royals: Olivares has become this year's human yo-yo, going up and down from Triple-A at the whims of the Kansas City front office. Fantasy GMs salivate when looking at his minor-league production, including a .366/.433/.597 slash line with eight homers and 11 steals through 33 games for Omaha, but the Royals don't seem inclined to give him a real chance in the majors. You can hardly blame them with legends like Jorge Soler and Michael Taylor patrolling... oh no, wait, you can totally blame them. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Gavin Sheets, White Sox: Taken with the White Sox's next pick in the 2017 draft after Burger (an under-slot selection, allowing Chicago to shell out for Sheets -- say that five times fast), the 25-year-old made his big-league debut just a few days before Burger did, and had similar immediate success by going 6-for-15 with two doubles and two homers in his first four games. Sheets also isn't an elite prospect by any means, but the White Sox need warm bodies in the outfield and while he's a natural first baseman like Andrew Vaughn, he saw some work in right field before his promotion. The raw power promised by his 6-4 frame only just started showing up in late 2019, so he could be one of those guys who out-performs his minor-league numbers, but he could also wind up a platoon bat who never quite puts it all together. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5