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. Julio Rodriguez 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.

Starting Pitcher

Brandon Bielak, Astros: The 27-year-old right-hander rejoined the Houston rotation Tuesday and celebrated his independence from the minor leagues by tossing seven scoreless innings against the Rockies. Bielak's just a back-end starter, and Jose Urquidy figures to begin a rehab assignment right after the All-Star break, but for now the No. 5 spot belongs to the 2017 11th-round pick. Bielak's ratios are nothing special but he does have decent win upside, even with a short-handed Astros offense at his back. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Cody Bradford, Rangers: The Rangers have been spotting a sixth starter in and out of their rotation lately, and Bradford's been the arm of choice in that role. Since the beginning of June, the rookie southpaw's delivered a 2.70 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 17:5 K:BB over 16.2 innings in five appearances, and he picked up his first career win Friday. If he keeps performing well, there's at least a small chance Bradford will graduate to a full-time member of the rotation. Martin Perez has turned back into a pumpkin after his Cinderella 2022, while Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney and Nathan Eovaldi – any of whom could break down at a moment's notice – have all started to wilt in the Texas heat and could be overdue for some kind of rest. Glenn Otto might also be an option to fill in, and the front office won't be shy at the trade deadline, but Bradford's got a path to consistent work in the second half. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Tarik Skubal, Tigers: I had an aggressive bid on Skubal last week ahead of his season debut, and he paid it off by being nearly perfect in his return to the rotation Tuesday, although he was held to only four innings and 57 pitches. (I was less aggressive on Matt Manning, who helped no-hit the Blue Jays on Saturday, but what are you gonna do.) Skubal figures to be stretched out enough to qualify for some wins once play resumes after the break, and it's his strikeout upside that makes him a better fantasy option than Manning. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11 12-team AL: $21

Ryan Yarbrough, Royals: The southpaw missed two months after being struck on the head by a line drive back in early May, but Yarbrough looked good on his rehab stint – 1.23 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 18:2 K:BB over 14.2 Triple-A innings – and he rejoins the Royals rotation on the final day before the ASB. There's no guarantee he hangs onto that role if he doesn't pitch well, as Brad Keller and Zack Greinke should be back soon after the break, but the latter at least is also a trade candidate. Yarbrough might end up being more swing man than regular starter, but the innings should be there either way. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Relief Pitcher

Jake Diekman, Rays: I highlighted Shawn Armstrong last week, but the Rays bullpen, as per usual, has plenty of options for solid staff filler. Diekman's had runs of dominance before, notably during the pandemic season while with Oakland, and he's been dialed in since the beginning of June with a 0.66 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 21:8 K:BB through 13.2 innings. It's possible you already missed the window for peak value from him, though – he hasn't picked up a hold in nearly a month, and the strikeouts have started to dry up. Still, unless the front office makes sweeping changes to the high-leverage corps at the trade deadline, Diekman will likely be in the mix. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Yimi Garcia, Blue Jays: Garcia held a 6.20 ERA at the end of May, but since then the veteran right-hander has gotten himself back on track, posting a 1.64 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 13:1 K:BB through 11 innings since the beginning of June. He's also snuck back into the high-leverage mix, grabbing a save, a win and a hold over the course of his current eight-appearance scoreless streak. Jordan Romano's locked in as closer, but with Erik Swanson hitting a rough patch over the last couple weeks, Garcia could work his way back into a setup role after the break. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Nick Pivetta, Red Sox: The Boston rotation is being held together by spit and prayers right now, which has opened the door for Pivetta to climb back out of a long-relief role and into a primary pitcher spot. The right-hander has worked 12.1 innings over his last three appearances with an impressive 21:5 K:BB, along with a 3.65 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, and the Red Sox don't seem inclined to mess with a good thing and shift him back a starting job. As long as he's getting Ks and wins, GMs in 5x5 formats won't care how he's used. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Catcher

James McCann, Orioles: McCann started two of five games after being activated from the injured list Tuesday while also giving Adley Rutschman a breather in Thursday's rout of the Yankees, so it looks like the O's are going to give the veteran backstop consistent playing time. McCann's basically just there to make sure Rutschman doesn't get worn down, and it's been a few years since the 33-year-old posted useful offensive numbers, but maybe being one of the graybeards on a roster full of kids will perk him up. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

First Base

Mike Ford, Mariners: Ford has gone HAM in July, kicking off the month by batting .440 (11-for-25) over eight games with three doubles, two homers and eight RBI. The surge doesn't seem particularly sustainable, though. His 16.7 percent Barrel rate would lead the majors (just edging out Aaron Judge) if he had enough PAs to qualify, and he's done that despite the fact he still can't hit breaking balls, so it seems inevitable that Ford will simply stop seeing fastballs after the break. You might be able to squeeze a little more juice out of him if you pick him up now, and even after he cools down he could still be the M's best DH option against right-handed pitching. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Second Base

Jonathan Aranda, Rays: Aranda got called up right before the ASB while Josh Lowe was away from the team on the bereavement list, but don't be fooled by his minor-league numbers. The best-case scenario here is that the 25-year-old is being showcased for a trade. Aranda's defensive limitations give him little chance of a regular role in Tampa Bay, but he could be a useful DH/utility player for a second-division club. His ceiling as a hitter is probably somewhere in that Alex Verdugo/Jeff McNeil territory where he hits for a good average and has some power spikes, but rarely at the same time, so there is some keeper league appeal here if Aranda gets dealt. He could even have redraft value in the second half if he lands with a team that can offer him regular at-bats. For now though, he's just a bench stash and lottery ticket. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Tony Kemp, Athletics: Kemp hit leadoff in two of the first three games after Esteury Ruiz got hurt and was at the top of the order against righties even before that, so it seems like, for better or for worse, the A's are going to ride the 31-year-old utility guy as far as they can. I hope it's just to increase his trade value. To his credit, Kemp is slashing .309/.373/.471 over his last 20 games with two homers, five steals, seven RBI and 15 runs, so it's not like he isn't contributing. There's just zero reason to think he'll keep it up, and a trade into a bench role on a contender would absolutely crater what fantasy appeal he has. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Rostered

Third Base

Yu Chang, Red Sox: The Wheel of Barely Adequate Infielders has landed on Chang as the Red Sox try desperately to fill the Xander Bogaerts-sized hole they have at shortstop. Chang did drive in a couple runs in his first start after coming off the IL this week, but this is a 27-year-old utility player with a career .628 OPS. He's not a real solution. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Shortstop

Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Yankees: IKF is a tough guy to evaluate in standard 5x5 mixed formats. He's getting enough playing time to be on the radar even in 12-team leagues, and he's got that sweet three-zone position eligibility right now where he can cover CI, MI or OF as necessary, but his actual offensive production just isn't there. Yeah, he's hitting .286 since the beginning of June, but he's managed only two homers, four steals, nine RBI and 14 runs in 29 games over that stretch. Kiner-Falefa remains, at best, a good bench piece to have when you want to go short on hitters and stock up on pitching options. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Outfield

Jo Adell, Angels: It's just Adell's luck that he would suffer an oblique strain just as the door was finally cracking open again for him to get consistent playing time in the majors. The 24-year-old had appeared to get his strikeouts under control at Triple-A, posting a 15.1 percent K rate over his last 16 games for Salt Lake while slashing .273/.438/.582 with five homers and five steals, although he whiffed in five of his first 10 at-bats after his most recent promotion. The most likely band-aid for the Angels in center field while Mike Trout was out was for Adell to be on the short side of a platoon with Mickey Moniak, but the team has also begun to experiment with Hunter Renfroe at first base., and Taylor Ward is slumping again in left field. If Adell's injury isn't serious, he could carve out a regular role in the second half and finally start to reach his ceiling, but those are two big ifs. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Akil Baddoo, Tigers: Baddoo missed about a month with a quad strain, but he returned Friday and slotted back into his usual spot in left field against RHP. The 24-year-old had been ice cold when he got hurt, going 3-for-29 over his prior 10 games, and he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in his return, so his mixed-league value remains sketchy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Oscar Colas, White Sox: When I wrote up Colas last week, I wasn't expecting him to get called up two days later. The 24-year-old started four of five games after his promotion in right field, going 4-for-16 with a double and a worrying 0:6 BB:K. Plate discipline was one of the things that got him demoted in April, and it wasn't something he actually solved at Triple-A – he just hit too well when he did make contact to stay in the minors. Colas still has significant upside, but he's liable to be streaky. On the bright side, if the White Sox do sell players off at the trade deadline, they have no excuse not to give him the playing time he needs to sort it out. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $21

Colton Cowser, Orioles: Cowser got the call soon after last week's column went up, and he started four straight games before getting a breather Sunday while bouncing between all three outfield spots. That's encouraging, but this is still an O's roster stuffed to the gills now that Ryan Mountcastle's back off the IL. Cowser will need to produce to stay in the lineup, but fortunately he's got the talent to do just that. While he has only two hits in his first 18 plate appearances, he's drawn four walks and crossed the plate in all four of his MLB games so far. The 23-year-old has hit sixth or seventh to begin his career, and Gunnar Henderson's locked into the leadoff spot right now, but if Cowser starts adding some hits to his patience, he could work his way to a prime spot in the batting order. 12-team Mixed: $11; 15-team Mixed: $21; 12-team AL: $35

Travis Jankowski, Rangers: Jankowski has once again claimed a consistent, if not quite full-time, role in the Texas outfield, going 11-for-27 (.407) over his last eight games with three steals and his first homer of the season. The 32-year-old is having a career-best campaign, and as long as he keeps supplying some kind of offense, his glove should keep him busy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Cody Thomas, Athletics: The 28-year-old made his season debut Saturday and went 2-for-4 with a double while getting the start in right field and batting ninth. As with most Oakland call-ups, he's less a prospect than a dart throw – Thomas was a 13th-round pick of the Dodgers in 2016 who got flipped to the A's in a minor trade ahead of the 2022 campaign – but he was posting solid numbers for Triple-A Las Vegas even after you account for PCL desert park inflation. Maybe he's a late bloomer? 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2