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.

<p align="center"><b>AL FAAB | <a href="https://www.rotowire.com/baseball/showArticle.htm?id=58736">NL FAAB</a></b></p>

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Starting Pitcher

Andrew Albers, Twins: Albers has given Minnesota one good start and one good long relief appearance, and that's probably enough draw some bids. He's a 35-year-old with a sub-90 mph fastball, so there's no real upside here, but the Twins will keep him in the rotation as long as he's effective. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Logan Allen, Cleveland: The 24-year-old has a strong spring to earn a rotation spot and two decent outings to begin the season, but Allen quickly flamed out and has been a disaster at Triple-A since. Cleveland gave him a third chance though (he was up in late June/early July and gave up seven runs in seven innings), and he actually delivered a quality start against the Red Sox on Friday. He probably won't keep it up, but the southpaw does have good stuff -- he just hasn't shown the control or command to deploy it consistently. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Matthew Boyd, Tigers: Boyd has been out since mid-June, but he was activated from the IL to take the mound Sunday. The veteran lefty was having a solid season before straining his tricep -- good enough that he likely got held onto in some leagues, even shallow ones -- but if he's available, he should be useful down the stretch. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Daulton Jefferies, Athletics: Jefferies was called up Friday just to provide some length for the A's staff, but there are a couple paths to an immediate rotation spot available to him as Cole Irvin isn't 100 percent, and Paul Blackburn isn't very good. Jefferies offers more upside than either, but with Oakland trying to climb back into a playoff spot, the team might just elect to go with whoever is getting the job done. As such, the 26-year-old should be viewed as a good keeper stash candidate, but only a lottery ticket in re-draft. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Corey Kluber, Yankees: Kluber won't officially be activated from the IL until Monday, which shuts him out of being eligible for bidding in some formats, but in less strict leagues where you have a crying need for pitching, it's probably worth jumping the gun. His Cy Young days are behind him, but the 35-year-old seemed to be coming around before his shoulder broke down in late May, posting a 1.78 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 36:9 K:BB while winning of four of five starts, a stretch capped by that no-hitter against the Rangers. If he can find that form again, he can move the needle in September -- and more importantly, there likely won't be anyone else with Kluber's track record available the rest of the year, or a young pitching prospect with the pedigree to plausibly offer that kind of upside. 12-team Mixed: $11; 15-team Mixed: $21; 12-team AL: $35

Glenn Otto, Rangers: Picked up from the Yankees in the Joey Gallo deal, Otto was having a breakout campaign in the minors and didn't miss a beat in his big-league debut Friday, blanking the Astros over five innings while fanning seven. The 25-year-old righty doesn't have elite stuff, sitting 92-94 mph with his fastball and mixing in a curve, slider and developing changeup, but cleaner mechanics have led to a big step forward in his control and command and allow all his pitches to play up. It's a solid mid-rotation profile, giving him some keeper appeal, and while pitching for Texas doesn't give him a shot at many wins, he otherwise has a real shot at posting solid numbers down the stretch. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

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

Chris Ellis, Orioles (at TOR, at NYY)

Bailey Ober, Twins (at DET, at TB)

Jose Quintana, Angels (vs. NYY, vs. TEX)

Relief Pitcher

Andrew Kittredge, Rays: Kittredge has picked up saves in his last two appearances, but he worked two innings in each, which isn't exactly typical closer usage. Meanwhile, Josh Fleming and Chris Mazza (since optioned down) got three-inning saves last week, and Collin McHugh was asked to get five outs for a save Aug. 21. Nobody on the Rays has gotten a "normal", one-inning save in the last two weeks, which should give you pause before you blow out your remaining budget on Kittredge. He's still worth picking up in shallower formats -- dude has a 1.43 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 11.8 K/9 through 50.1 innings, he should be rostered everywhere -- but pick him up because of those numbers, and view any other saves he might get you over the last month or so as simply a bonus. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Reynaldo Lopez, White Sox: This is the time of year when you need to be ruthless in deciding whether players on your bench can actually help you, and dumping those that can't for guys who can. If you're in a situation where wins and saves don't really matter for you, but you can gain ground in ERA and WHIP, what you want is a guy who works multiple innings regardless of his role with strong ratios. That description fits Lopez to a T -- he's got a 1.57 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 26:5 K:BB through 23 innings in August, most of them coming in long relief. He could yet move into the rotation, but given his current form it doesn't seem to matter how he's deployed, he mows down the opposition all the same. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Adam Ottavino / Hansel Robles / Garrett Whitlock, Red Sox: Matt Barnes' flameout has left the Red Sox scrambling in the ninth inning. The good version of Ottavino has shown up again, and the 35-year-old has reeled off six straight scoreless appearances with two saves and two holds. He also has a 4:6 K:BB during that stretch, so that success could be very fleeting. Robles also got a save Tuesday but then imploded Wednesday against the Twins and hasn't pitched since, which isn't encouraging. Whitlock has two wins and a hold in his last three appearances in his usual high-leverage role but hasn't gotten a save chance... yet. Any of these three could wind up seizing the closer job and running with it, or Barnes could right the ship and reclaim it, but if you need saves you almost have to take a shot om someone here. If keeping your ratios intact is any kind of priority though, I'd recommend playing it safe with Whitlock and letting the chips fall where they may in the ninth, rather than gambling on his more volatile veteran bullpen-mates. Ottavino -- 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15 / Robles -- 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11 / Whitlock -- 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7 

Sergio Romo, Athletics: Lou Trivino is another closer facing a late-season collapse, as the 29-year-old has taken the loss in three straight appearances and blown his last two save chances. Romo stepped in Saturday for his first save of the year but served up a two-run homer to Aaron Judge doing it, which is a little bit yikes. The 35-year-old had only been scored upon once in 22 appearances since the beginning of July before that, however, so maybe he was just due. Romo's 1.42 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 20:7 K:BB through 19 innings since the All-Star break are hard to ignore and give him a seemingly safe floor (as much as any reliever can have one), as well as positioning him to swoop in if Trivino does get removed from the ninth-inning role. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

First Base

Jake Bauers, Mariners: With Jake Fraley out of action, Bauers could find himself on the good side of a platoon with Dylan Moore in an outfield corner. Bauers has been marginally better with Seattle than he was in Cleveland, posting a .253/.314/.295 slash line through 51 games, but that lack of power is glaring. The opportunity could also be a very temporary one if Kyle Lewis is finally ready to begin a rehab assignment. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Bobby Bradley, Cleveland: Out since Aug. 6 due to a knee injury, Bradley rejoined the lineup Saturday and went 2-for-5 with two strikeouts, which seems about right for him. The 25-year-old offers power upside down the stretch at the expense of batting average (his .219 BA on the year is fully supported by his 35.8 percent strikeout rate), but that's a profile that can fit a lot of rosters in September. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Rostered

Second Base

Jonathan Arauz, Red Sox: Arauz has started two straight games since Boston lost Enrique Hernandez and Christian Arroyo to the COVID list, and manager Alex Cora's comments suggest the duo actually had positive tests and may even be symptomatic, and weren't just close contacts. That would keep them on the shelf for a while, and give Arauz some deep-league appeal, even if he doesn't have the power or speed to offer real upside. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jahmai Jones, Orioles: Baltimore continues to churn through middle infield options hoping someone, anyone, stands out from the pack. Jones is the latest player to get an audition, but the former Angels prospect had a .238/.329/.417 slash line at Triple-A prior to his promotion, so don't get your hopes up. His athleticism has at least started to translate into some production, though, as he had 10 homers and nine steals over 69 games at Norwich. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Ramon Urias, Orioles: Urias has put together a nice little run lately, batting .406 (13-for-32) with five doubles and two homers over his last nine games before getting Sunday off. The 27-year-old's minor league numbers don't offer any support for the notion he'll keep that up, but Urias also put together a bit of a hot streak during his brief time with the O's in 2020, so who knows, maybe this is one of those "big-league coaching unlocked something in him" situations. It won't cost you much to find out. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Third Base

Kelvin Gutierrez, Orioles: The 27-year-old never got much of a chance in Kansas City, but Gutierrez seems ticketed for a starting role down the stretch in Baltimore with Maikel Franco cut loose. He's shown a decent hit tool in the high minors with a bit of speed but not a lot of power, which is a profile that screams bench player in the majors. Still, he'll get the playing time, and in deeper formats that could be all you're looking for right now to plug a hole. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Emmanuel Rivera, Royals: The guy who is getting a chance at the hot corner in Kansas City has started to heat up, as Rivera is batting .318 (14-for-44) over his last 12 games. The 25-year-old flashed his power potential at Triple-A this year with 15 homers in 45 games, but so far that hasn't shown up in the majors as he has only one home run and a .354 SLG through his first 85 plate appearances. The Royals have enough lineup flexibility to sit him down if he slumps, but they also have nothing to lose by letting Rivera sink or swim down the stretch, and the upside is just intriguing enough to make him worth a look even in some shallower formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4 

Shortstop

Leury Garcia, White Sox: Garcia is the kind of player who, in an active league of the right depth, can end up spending time on every roster at some point during a season. He gets hot, or falls into a semi-regular role thanks to his versatility, and gets scooped up, only to be dumped when the hot streak ends or the playing time dries up. A few weeks later, the cycle begins anew. Right now, both green lights seem to be flashing, as the 30-year-old has started four of the last five games since returning from the concussion IL and gone 6-for-16 with a couple steals. It won't last -- you know it won't last -- but if you need to plug a hole for a week or two, you could do worse. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Outfield

Corey Dickerson, Blue Jays: Dickerson remains strangely under-rostered for a guy who's playing nearly every day in a potent offense. As the only lefty in an outfield otherwise full of right-handed hitters, the 32-year-old was getting a lot of at-bats anyway, but George Springer's latest injury has pushed Dickerson into a full-time role, and he's responded by slashing .306/.342/.661 over his last 11 games with three homers, seven runs and eight RBI. Springer could be back any day now, but it'll be tough for manager Charlie Montoyo to justify putting Dickerson on the bench instead of the slumping Randal Grichuk (.183/.284/.324 in August) unless a southpaw is on the mound for the opposition. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Rostered

Yairo Munoz, Red Sox: The 26-year-old is having a good season for Triple-A Worcester, slashing .318/.346/.461 through 83 games with eight homers and 18 steals, and while the Red Sox have mostly only used him as an outfielder, Munoz does have experience at three infield spots from his days as a Cardinal. That could come in handy with Hernandez and Arroyo on the COVID list, but until he starts getting consistent playing time and does something with it, he can be safely ignored in most formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Edward Olivares, Royals: Oh look, Yo-Yo Olivares is back up in the majors. The 25-year-old naturally homered in his return Friday (he did the same thing in his first start back Aug. 1 the last time he was promoted), and through 66 plate appearances this season for the Royals he's slashing .242/.273/.484 with five long balls. Kansas City could well be right that he isn't a long-term answer for the team, but he's done nothing but hit at Omaha this season (.298/.370/.524 in 63 games with 13 homers and 12 steals) and at the very least they owe him a chance to prove it one way or the other over the next month. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Leody Taveras, Rangers: Taveras is also getting another chance in the majors, but so far he looks just as lost as he did when he got demoted in April, going 0-for-16 with eight strikeouts since his promotion Tuesday. The 22-year-old still has upside, and not just because of his speed any more as he launched a surprising 17 homers in 87 games for Triple-A Round Rock, but until he starts making consistent contact, his impressive tools don't matter much. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3