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

Tanner Houck, Red Sox: The right-hander is on track to rejoin the Boston rotation in Houston at the beginning of the week, setting Houck up for a two-step that would also see him face the Dodgers in Fenway next weekend. He's looked great on his rehab assignment, giving up just two hits in seven scoreless innings over his last two starts with a 7:0 K:BB, but he only tossed 59 pitches in his most recent appearance Aug. 16, so Houck could have his workload capped out of the gate. Homer issues had inflated his ERA prior to his IL stint after he took a comebacker off the face in June, but the talent is there – over his last seven big-league starts, he has a 1.15 WHIP and 35:10 K:BB through 35.2 innings. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Cole Irvin, Orioles: Irvin has looked sharp over two starts since rejoining the Baltimore rotation, posting a 9:2 K:BB through 10 innings while allowing just one run on an Aledmys Diaz solo shot. He may not remain in a starting role for long – the O's are currently running with a six-man rotation, and John Means could be back in September – but he could provide useful innings while he is. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Ken Waldichuk, Athletics: The 25-year-old southpaw has had an erratic season, to say the least, but he's on a bit of a roll in August. Over his last three starts, Waldichuk has a 2.70 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 18:5 K:BB in 16.2 innings, useful numbers in most formats. Workload down the stretch shouldn't a concern, as he tossed 129.2 innings across all levels last year, and while pitching for Oakland won't give him much win upside, the ratios and Ks will play. 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)

Alex Faedo, Tigers (vs. CHC, vs. HOU)
Alec Marsh, Royals (at OAK, at SEA)
Touki Toussaint, White Sox (vs. SEA, vs. OAK)

Relief Pitcher

Jason Foley, Tigers: Detroit's last three saves have gone to Foley, while Alex Lange hasn't recorded one since July 23, so it's pretty clear how this bullpen is laid out at the moment. That doesn't mean Foley's a lock to keep the closer job – since the All-Star break he's got a 3.94 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 15:6 K:BB through 16 innings, but Lange has a 16:15 K:BB in 11 innings over the same stretch. If you only care about the saves though, Foley could be the best option available in the AL. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Michael King. Yankees: On the other hand, if you're looking for a reliever to steady your ratios without costing you ground in strikeouts, King's your man. His last three appearances have each been for two innings or more as he moves into a fireman role ahead of closer Clay Holmes, and since a couple bumpy outings after the ASB, King's posted a 1.32 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 20:2 K:BB over his last 13.2 IP while chipping in five holds and a win. This is the time of year when you have to really focus on whether it's worth the ERA/WHIP risk to try and snag a win from a streaming SP option, and having someone like King you can plug in instead can make those decisions easier, or at least raises the bar those volatile depth starters have to clear to be worth using. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Trevor Richards, Blue Jays: In a similar vein, Richards just came off the IL after missing most of August with neck trouble. Prior to landing on the IL, he'd posted a 2.30 ERRA, 1.28 WHIP and 25:6 K:BB over 15.2 innings since the beginning of July with a win and four holds. The Jays' rotation healthy again, so Richards won't be needed as an opener, and his plus-plus changeup makes him an intriguing multi-inning weapon in a bullpen that also features flamethrowers like Jordan Romano and Jordan Hicks. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Catcher

Carson Kelly, Tigers: Cut loose by Arizona earlier in the week, Kelly got signed by Detroit on Saturday and will take Eric Haase's spot on the roster. As with the D-backs, Kelly is stuck behind a backstop with a prospect pedigree on the depth chart, but Jake Rogers is much less of an obstacle to playing time that Gabriel Moreno was. The bigger issue is Kelly's own lackluster numbers at the plate, but he had gone 7-for-15 with a couple doubles to begin August after missing most of the season due to a fractured forearm. If the 29-year-old is healthy again, he could be a useful pickup in deeper two-catcher formats for the stretch run, and his 13-homer, .754 OPS campaign from 2021 is hardly ancient history. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Logan O'Hoppe, Angels: Shoulder trouble has kept O'Hoppe sidelined since late April, but the 23-year-old returned this week and is being handed the starting catcher job again, although he could split the workload with Matt Thaiss for a bit while he gets back up to speed. O'Hoppe's gone 0-for-9 since his return, but his .283/.339/.547 line before getting hurt was no fluke, and he has the upside to move the needle in September. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

First Base

Nolan Schanuel, Angels: The Halos got flak from some folks for their approach to the trade deadline – adding pieces at the margins rather than trading Shohei Ohtani -- but mainly from journalists who wanted the clicks that would have come along with a blockbuster deal. The fact of the matter is that the organization focus the last couple years, not just the last couple weeks, has been on making a push while Ohtani was still on the roster, and there was no reason to toss that out the window while a playoff spot was in sight, even if it's all but slipped away since and the moves mostly haven't panned out. That focus has also applied to the draft. Already this season, the Angels had bolstered their bullpen with a number of recent picks like Sam Baumann and Ben Joyce, and taking Schanuel with the 11th overall pick in 2023 was more of the same. He raced up the ladder and made his big-league debut Friday, and if you're worried that's short-sighted, consider this. What's more likely to encourage Ohtani to stick around, seeing a 21-year-old kid get hot down the stretch as a potential franchise building block, or giving more playing time to Eduardo Escobar (i.e., giving up)? Schanuel's power can charitably be described as unproven, but his contact skills and plate discipline seem legit. Ominously, there are a lot of superficial Casey Kotchman similarities here (he was also a first-round pick of the Angels, and he also debuted at age 21), but it's way too early to dump him in that bucket. Schanuel's gotten hits in each of his first three MLB games – all singles – while drawing a couple walks and scoring four runs out of the leadoff spot, and that placement alone gives him a bit more short-term fantasy value than his profile might otherwise suggest. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Second Base

Jonathan Aranda, Rays: Aranda has torn up Triple-A the last two years, racking up a .328/.421/.565 slash line for Durham with 43 homers in 199 games, but he hasn't yet gotten much of a chance in the majors due to the Rays' deep roster and his own defensive limitations. This might finally be his time, though. Taylor Walls still has no clear return date, while Wander Franco... yeah. Aranda got called up Tuesday but didn't make an appearance until Saturday's doubleheader, when he homered in the first game while getting the start at first base. Tampa needs a spark right now, and while the coaching staff isn't going to trust Aranda's glove at shortstop, he could work his way into a utility role that has some deep-league value. There's also a glimmer of keeper appeal here too with Kyle Manzardo now a Guardian, although the 25-year-old Aranda isn't a sure thing to be the team's first baseman of the future either – Yandy Diaz still has two years at a reasonable $18 million on his contract, with a club option for 2026. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Cavan Biggio, Blue Jays: Recent injuries all over the Toronto lineup pushed Whit Merrifield to the outfield and opened up some playing time for Biggio. The 28-year-old utility player has responded by slashing .270/.400/.378 through 12 games in August with a homer, a steal, six RBI and nine runs. Biggio's more useful in OBP formats, but even if traditional 5x5 leagues his flexibility (1B/2B/OF) makes him worth rostering when he's contributing with his bat. His window for value may have already closed with Kevin Kiermaier and Bo Bichette back from the IL, but if George Springer's struggles continue, the Jays will find ways to get Biggio into the lineup. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Lenyn Sosa, White Sox: The 23-year-old is getting another chance in the majors during Tim Anderson's suspension, but this might not be a temporary assignment. Sosa's got little left to prove at Triple-A, slashing .282/.330/.490 over 555 plate appearances for Charlotte the last two years with 26 homers, but that success hasn't yet translated to the top level. The rebuilding White Sox are currently getting by at the keystone with 34-year-old free-agent-to-be Elvis Andrus (who, granted, is red hot right now), so if Sosa can string together some hits, he could wind up being Anderson's double-play partner in September. After an 0-for-3 showing in his first game after his latest promotion, Sosa went 2-for-4 with two RBI on Saturday, which is at least encouraging. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Luis Urias, Red Sox: I generally try not to respond when a player has a very brief hot streak, but it's hard to ignore a guy who hits grand slams on consecutive pitches (one of them off Gerrit Cole no less), even if those pitches came two days apart. Also, for whatever reason, there just aren't a lot of tempting free agent targets this week in the AL. Adjust your Masyn Winn bids accordingly, mixed leaguers. Urias has been fighting for playing time with Pablo Reyes at second base lately, but the 23-year-old is the player the organization should want to take the job purely based on upside. He's never lived up to his hype from when he was a top prospect in the Brewers' system, but Urias' 23-homer 2021 campaign highlights his potential, and injuries have been the big story for him the last couple years. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Rostered

Third Base

Pablo Reyes, Red Sox: Speaking of Reyes, the 26-year-old has become an everyday player in August thanks to a .362/.412/.574 surge in August that features two homers, two steals, seven RBI and 11 runs in 14 games. He still profiles as a utility player, and in addition to splitting second base with Urias, he's still been seeing frequent work at shortstop while Trevor Story eases back into action. Once Reyes cools down though, it's hard to see him maintaining those at-bats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Shortstop

Osleivis Basabe, Rays: Tampa's had to go way down the depth chart at shortstop, but so far Basabe's held his own in the majors, batting .286 (8-for-28) over his first seven big-league games with three doubles, four RBI and six runs. Truth be told, the team will probably be happy if he just plays solid defense, but the 22-year-old was hitting well at Triple-A too, slashing .296/.351/.426 with 16 steals in 22 attempts over 94 contests for Durham. He has little power and is no replacement for Franco offensively, but Basabe could still have some value as long as he keeps getting regular playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Outfield

J.P. Martinez, Rangers: Martinez hasn't quite taken over a starting role in the Rangers' outfield yet, but if he keeps raking it'll just be a matter of time before he relegates Travis Jankowski to the bench. Martinez is batting .333 (8-for-24) through his first eight MLB contests, and while his power and speed haven't shown up yet, he had 12 homers and 33 steals in 67 games this year for Triple-A Round Rock. The 27-year-old Cuban has been in the Texas system since 2018, but it's not unreasonable to think it took him this long to acclimate and add enough skill to his athleticism to finally put things together. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Nelson Velazquez, Royals: Since he joined the Royals' roster Aug. 10, all Velazquez has done is go 8-for-26 (.308) with four homers. Nick Pratto began a rehab assignment Thursday, so competition for DH at-bats is set to increase, but Velazquez has been seeing most of his action in the corner outfield anyway as Kansas City tries to find some offense out there. The power surge may not continue much longer, and the batting average almost certainly won't, but enjoy the ride while you can. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4