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 upside on an A-E scale, prioritizing skills and talent above role and playing time outlook. Gunnar Henderson 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

Aaron Brooks, Athletics: Oakland has joined the ranks of teams who have more starting pitchers on the IL than they do in their rotation, and it's not like the A's had a lot of depth to begin with. As a result, Brooks – a 34-year-old journeyman who last saw significant big-league action in 2019 – got called up and surprisingly held his own against the Astros on Wednesday, giving up three runs in an efficient seven innings with a 5:1 K:BB. There's no upside here, but Brooks does line up for a two-step this week with two home starts, one against Colorado before a rematch with Houston. In an AL-only format where you're looking for bulk innings and Ks and aren't too worried about ratio risk, he could be worth a short-term add. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Hunter Brown, Astros: Brown's awful start to the season got him kicked to the curb by a lot of fantasy GMs, but he's shown faint signs of turning things around, posting a 4.40 ERA and 17:7 K:BB through 14.1 innings in May. The 25-year-old right-hander won't get back to his first-half form from 2023 until he tightens up his control and command, but his upside makes him worth stashing. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Joey Estes, Athletics: It's only been a couple years, but the A's already don't have much to show for the Matt Olson trade. Cristian Pache is now a Phillie, and Ryan Cusick struggled badly in Double-A last year as his control deserted him. Shea Langeliers is doing alright as Oakland's starting catcher (and, to be fair, he has a higher OPS than Olson does at the moment, although that state of affairs might not last until June), but the deal still isn't looking great for the front office. Estes was the other piece picked up in that trade, so a lot hinges on whether he pans out or not. He's still only 22 years old, but the right-hander hasn't posted strong numbers since his 2021 stint at Single-A Augusta before getting dealt west. Estes' first looks at big-league hitters haven't gone well, but he still has mid-rotation upside if everything comes together given the movement on his fastball, his potentially plus command, and three off-speed pitches of varying qualities. At this stage of his career though, he's just a dart throw or dynasty stash for fantasy purposes. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Chris Flexen, White Sox: Since returning to the rotation from a stint in the bullpen, Flexen has been impressive, posting a 2.61 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 19:7 K:BB in 20.2 innings over his last four starts. The 29-year-old right-hander produced solid ratios for Seattle in 2021-22 before falling apart last season, so while he doesn't have much strikeout upside, Flexen could be a solid streaming option or staff filler if he's fixed whatever issue he had. 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)

Ben Lively, Guardians (vs. NYM, at LAA)
Casey Mize, Tigers (at KC, vs. TOR)
Michael Wacha, Royals (vs. DET, at TB)

Relief Pitcher

Bryan Abreu, Astros: With the season just passing the three-quarter pole (Todd Zola would never forgive me if I called it the "quarter pole" -- in horse racing you count backwards from the finish line, so the name of the pole represents how much of the race is left, assuming it's a mile and not... look, take it up with the racing folks if you don't like it), it's time for GMs in deeper 5x5 leagues to invest in a high-K reliever or two, even if it's a reliever who doesn't get saves, just so they have a safe fallback option when they don't have enough SPs with solid matchups to plug into the active roster. Abreu has been one of the best of the lot. His ratios are still mediocre due to some early stumbles, but over his last 15 appearances he's posted a 1.10 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 25:8 K:BB through 16.1 innings, grabbing a win and nine holds along the way. Josh Hader's struggles do give Abreu a plausible path to the closer role, but given how much the Astros invested in the left-hander, Hader will get plenty of chances. Meanwhile, Abreu will keep doing his thing in the seventh or eighth inning. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Garrett Cleavinger, Rays: Cleavinger hasn't allowed a run of any kind since April 16 and hasn't been tagged with an earned run since April 3, which I guess is pretty good. He's part of Tampa's late-inning mix, which will get him occasional save – he's up to three on the year, including one Saturday – but Pete Fairbanks should still be the main ninth-inning guy for Kevin Cash. During his scoreless stretch though, Cleavinger has a 0.89 WHIP and 26:8 K:BB through 14.2 innings with three wins and four holds in addition to his three saves. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Roansy Contreras, Angels: Contreras was supposed to be part of the Pirates' wave of young starting pitching, the warm-up act ahead of Jared Jones and Paul Skenes – he posted a 76:21 K:BB in 54.1 innings at Double-A in 2021 and followed it up with a 46:13 K:BB in 34.1 Triple-A innings in 2022. The strikeouts didn't carry forward to the majors and he struggled, prompting a shift to the bullpen this year, but it was still something of a shock to see Pittsburgh give up on him completely this week and designate him for assignment. The Halos quickly swooped in and grabbed him as a reclamation project. The 24-year-old righty still has a mid-90s fastball and two good breaking pitches, but the heater's been too hittable in his career and it's lost a couple ticks since his breakout 2021. There's nothing to see here for redraft leagues, but in AL-only keeper formats, you might want to stash Contreras away, just in case he's the latest Driveline success story in 2025. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Catcher

Danny Jansen, Blue Jays: Jansen remains woefully under-rostered given that he's the clear No. 1 catcher for the Jays and is swinging a hot bat. He's started 10 of 13 games in May between C and DH, slashing .342/.381/.632 on the month with two homers, five RBI and eight runs. Alejandro Kirk, meanwhile, has just 14 plate appearances in May. There's simply no reason for Jansen to be on the wire in any two-catcher format. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Rostered

Korey Lee, White Sox: Speaking of guys who should be rostered, Lee has started five of the last eight games for the ChiSox and is batting .350 (7-for-20) with a homer and a steal. The 25-year-old was a first-round pick of the Astros in 2019 before getting swapped for Kendall Graveman at last year's deadline. It's not quite Jeff Bagwell for Larry Anderson, but the deal's already looking like a steal for the White Sox, and Lee should only solidify his hold on the starting job from here. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Rostered

Second Base

Zack Gelof, Athletics: Activated from the IL on Tuesday, Gelof has started five straight games at second base for Oakland, batting either fifth or sixth. The time off didn't allow him to figure things out at the plate, though – since his return he's gone 2-for-17 with nine strikeouts. Gelof displayed his upside last year with 14 homers and 14 steals in 69 big-league games, but he'll be a batting average risk until he dials back the Ks. The A's have been the mix-and-match kings in 2024 when it comes to lineups, but Gelof should start just about every day and a hot streak could show up at any time. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Third Base

Tyler Freeman, Guardians: I wrote up Freeman about a month ago as a spec play, and the breakout that seemed to be brewing in mid-April might finally be happening. The 24-year-old has hit safely in five straight games and had a four-hit effort Saturday, and over his last 11 contests he's slashing .306/.419/.472 with a homer and three steals while hitting consistently in the leadoff spot for Cleveland. As long as he's at the top of the order and getting on base, the fantasy value should follow, although Steven Kwan's eventual return could create some competition there. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Rostered

Gio Urshela, Tigers: Urshela has started three of four games since coming off the IL, reclaiming his spot at third base, and he shook off the rust Saturday by going 3-for-5 with two doubles. The 32-year-old has only two homers over his last 84 big-league games dating back to Opening Day 2023, but he's batting .297 during that time. His ceiling is limited, but you know what you're getting with Urshela. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Shortstop

Danny Mendick, White Sox: The 30-year-old utility infielder swapped placed with Bryan Ramos this week, both on the IL/26-man roster and at third base. Mendick's gone 0-for-7 since his return and doesn't have any upside, but he will get playing time until Ramos returns. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Dominic Canzone, Mariners: Canzone came off the IL on Wednesday and moved right back into a strong-side platoon role in the corner outfield for Seattle, going 2-for-6 with a walk and a double in three games. The 26-year-old has flashed some power in his limited playing time this season and has a .243/.300/.541 slash line in 40 plate appearances against RHP, but it's not clear how sustainable that is – he did slug 32 homers and 36 doubles in 2022-23 over 159 games for Triple-A Reno in the Diamondbacks' system before being dealt to the M's, but that's Reno, one of the PCL's better hitter's parks. There are better strong-side platoon options in the AL if that's what you're after – Ryan O'Hearn and Trevor Larnach come to mind – but Canzone could still be useful in formats with daily moves or a Monday/Thursday schedule like the NFBC. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Austin Hays, Orioles: Activated from the IL at the beginning of the week, Hays didn't make his first start until Saturday, and O's manager Brandon Hyde suggested Wednesday that the outfielder still wasn't 100 percent recovered from his calf injury. As such, it's tough to judge yet whether he has any chance of reclaiming a regular spot in the lineup. Colton Cowser's .596 OPS in May has opened the door for Hays at least a crack, though. The 28-year-old Hays had his best big-league season in 2023 with a .275/.325/.444 slash line, and I'm reluctant to write him off completely even if he clearly isn't part of the future in Baltimore. The best-case scenario here might be a run of playing time that showcases him for a trade, but that's plausible enough to make Hays worth stashing. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Corey Julks, White Sox: A huge spring in 2023 won Julks an Opening Day roster spot with Houston, but he couldn't keep the momentum going and eventually fell behind the likes of Chas McCormick on the depth chart. A lackluster start to the 2024 campaign at Triple-A Sugar Land got the 28-year-old booted off the 40-man roster, and the White Sox quickly snapped him up. It's tough to see where he fits in Chicago's outfield other than as a short-side platoon option, especially once Luis Robert is back, but there is some upside here – he slugged 31 homers with 22 steals for Sugar Land in 2022. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Dylan Moore, Mariners: With J.P. Crawford on the shelf, Moore has been Seattle's everyday shortstop, but it's only within the last couple weeks that he began to turn the playing time into production. Through 15 games in May, the 31-year-old utility player is slashing .280/.351/.600 with nine of his 14 hits (five doubles, a triple and three homers) going for extra bases. He's also chipped in nine runs, 11 RBI and a steal. Moore's track record doesn't suggest he'll keep that up much longer, and Crawford seemed to be on the brink of returning until getting hit on the hand by a pitch on his rehab assignment, but Moore could still have some short-term value. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Kevin Pillar, Angels: The journeyman outfielder wound up with the injury-ravaged Angels at the end of April, and all he's done in his new uniform is bat .432 (16-for-37) in 11 games with three homers and 14 RBI. There is simply no chance Pillar maintains his Mike Trout impression for much longer, but as a short-term plug-in for your fantasy roster, it's probably worth seeing if you can squeeze a few more games out of this hot streak. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Luke Raley, Mariners: Oops, I forgot to mention Raley among the better strong-side platoon hitters in the AL. He's slashing a blistering .350/.409/.600 through 44 plate appearances in May with three homers, two steals, eight RBI and nine runs, and he's been hot enough to even get a start against a left this week, going 1-for-4 against the O's with John Means toeing the rubber. Raley showed his value last season with the Rays, and while Tampa has handily won that offseason trade so far (they got back Jose Caballero), Seattle's end of it hasn't been a bust. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Max Schuemann, Athletics: Schuemann took over as the starting shortstop for Oakland sort of by default when Darell Hernaiz got hurt, but he's acquitted himself well at the plate, slashing .295/.392/.432 through 51 plate appearances in May with a homer, a steal, five RBI and six runs. The 26-year-old's minor-league track record suggests he has more to offer with his speed than his power, and he's more valuable in OBP leagues than standard 5x5 formats, but unless the A's want to give Nick Allen another chance, Schuemann seems to be locked into the SS job. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Kyle Stowers, Orioles: Overshadowed in the Baltimore system by, well (gestures broadly at 40-man roster), Stowers is a decent enough prospect in his own right and had slugged 11 homers in 36 games for Triple-A Norfolk prior to his promotion Monday. There's nowhere for him to play though, and it would take multiple trades or injuries for Stowers to move into a starting spot with the O's – or just one trade involving him. I mean, the corner outfield spots are mostly a wasteland in Miami, and the Marlins are said to be thinking about moving Jesus Luzardo... just sayin'. Grabbing Stowers right now is purely a stash play, but it could pay off even in redraft leagues, not just keeper or dynasty formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Designated Hitter

Jonathan Aranda, Rays: Finally activated from the IL on Tuesday, Aranda has seen regular playing time all around the diamond, appearing at first base, second base and third base this week in addition to his DH duties. His defensive reputation suggests he'll never be anything more than a backup option at any of those infield spots, but if he hits, Tampa will find ways to get him in the lineup. The "if he hits" part remains up in the air, though – he's gone 3-for-15 with zero extra-base hits since being activated. With Junior Caminero slashing a mere .306/.368/.484 in May for Triple-A Durham, the pressure is on Aranda to produce, something he has yet to do in the majors. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5