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

Jake Bloss, Astros: Bloss got called up in late June and immediately got hurt, and while the fact that Houston brought him right back into the big-league rotation is more a sign of the team's desperate need for healthy arms than it is a vote of confidence in the 23-year-old righty, it still looks like he'll have a spot until the front office goes out and gets some better options. Bloss began the year at High-A but zoomed through the system on the strength of a 1.64 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 63:21 K:BB through 66 innings. The 2023 third-round pick doesn't have a true plus pitch, but 86th percentile extension allows his whole arsenal (mid-90s fastball, slider, curve, and work-in-progress change) to play up. Bloss profiles better as a keeper dart throw than a redraft asset, but the Astros know what they're doing when it comes to pitching. If he sticks around, Bloss could surprise. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Carlos Carrasco, Guardians: A few weeks ago, Carrasco's rotation spot seemed to be hanging by a thread. Instead, Cleveland kicked Triston McKenzie and Logan Allen back to the minors to try and get sorted out, leaving the veteran righty to chew up some innings. He's been better than that lately though, giving up three runs or less in five straight starts with a 3.33 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 24:5 K:BB in 27 frames. The 37-year-old's days as a fringe ace are long behind him, but he still has a little left in the tank as useful fantasy staff filler. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Rostered

Cooper Criswell, Red Sox: Sent down to Triple-A in mid-June, Criswell racked up a 1.76 ERA in three starts for Worcester before returning to the majors with a back-door quality start (thanks to three unearned runs) against the Royals on Friday. The Red Sox may have made those moves to help monitor the 27-year-old right-hander's workload, as he threw only 117.2 innings in 2023 and is already at 83.2 IP this year, but Criswell is clearly the team's best option to fill out the rotation right now, even if his upside is limited. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Jack Kochanowicz, Angels: A third-round pick in 2019 who was given an over-slot signing bonus to buy him out of a college commitment, Kochanowicz's big-league debut Thursday went poorly, but the fact that the Angels jumped him straight from Double-A Rocket City is a strong sign they view him as a legit prospect and not someone they want to send through the PCL blender with Triple-A Salt Lake. He'd been on a roll for the Trash Pandas too, allowing two earned runs or less in five straight starts prior to his promotion with a 1.85 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 33:7 K:BB in 34 innings. An imposing 6-foot-7, Kochanowicz slings a power sinker from a three-quarter arm slot after the Halos re-worked his delivery, but he's still searching for reliable breaking pitches to complement it. That profile has a lot of future bullpen risk, but the Angels are probably willing to let him fail a lot as a starter before resorting to a relief role for the righty, so he's got some deep-league keeper potential. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Chris Paddack, Twins: Paddack came off the IL for a Monday start and produced five solid innings against the White Sox. He might've faced tougher lineups on a rehab assignment if he'd gotten one, but the Twins needed him right away and he held his own over 78 pitches. The right-hander has never come close to match his performance as a rookie in 2019 with the Padres, but he should fill a back-end rotation spot in the second half for however long he stays healthy – he also hasn't thrown more than 108.1 innings since his 2019 debut. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Relief Pitcher

Hunter Harvey, Royals: Picked up from the Nationals on Saturday in exchange for the 39th overall pick in this year's draft – the one Kansas City gets for being a small-market club – Harvey was generally seen as the closer of the future in Washington, but he's had trouble staying healthy and had been struggling since a late-June series in Coors Field. Over his last nine appearances, the 29-year-old righty has a brutal 11.25 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and 8:4 K:BB in eight innings. Harvey still boasts a 97.9 mph fastball and an 89.1 mph splitter with a 37.4 percent whiff rate this season, so he immediately becomes the highest-upside arm in the Royals' bullpen. James McArthur has been effective but not dominant of late, giving up only one run over his last 10 appearances with a 6:2 K:BB, and if he stumbles in the second half as the closer it wouldn't be surprising to see Harvey get some looks in the ninth inning. Really, his role and value in mixed leagues hasn't changed at all with the trade, but AL-only GMs looking for saves may want to stash him now. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: Rostered; 12-team AL: $5

Catcher

Freddy Fermin, Royals: Fermin's become a regular in the Royals' lineup, starting seven of the last eight games while bouncing between catcher and DH and batting .304 (7-for-23), although all the hits have been singles. That's still good enough for mixed-league value, and the 29-year-old does have some pop, launching 14 homers in 84 games between Triple-A and the majors last year. Salvador Perez isn't going anywhere of course, but Kansas City's roster is basically healthy at the moment, so Fermin's current role has been earned purely on merit. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Carlos Narvaez, Yankees: A quad strain has sidelined Jose Trevino, so Omar's cousin Carlos has returned to the majors hoping to finally make his MLB debut after spending a handful of days on the 26-man roster back in April and early May. Narvaez is having a solid season at Triple-A, slashing .269/.386/.443 with nine homers and a surprising eight steals in 71 games, but he'll remain behind Austin Wells on the depth chart until Trevino is back. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Christian Vazquez, Twins: Minnesota's injury situation is dire enough again that Vazquez has seen a couple games of emergency action at third base, but at least he's hitting well enough to deserve usage as a utility option. Vazquez has gone 7-for-22 so far in July with a double, two homers and five RBI, and an additional path to occasional at-bats can only help his mixed-league value. The 33-year-old's .519 OPS on the year is a career low, but his .674 career mark suggests positive regression is coming in the second half – in fact, it may have already begun. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Rostered

Austin Wells, Yankees: With Trevino down, Wells will move into an even bigger role in the short term. The 25-year-old was already pushing for a strong-side platoon assignment, and over his last 12 games he's batting .281 (9-for-32) with four homers, nine RBI and a downright respectable 4:7 BB:K. Wells' poor .220/.311/.384 slash line on the season is still masking his recent turnaround, and he's available in far too many leagues given his Cal Raleigh-level upside with the bat. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Third Base

Anthony Rendon, Angels: I'm still waiting for Rendon to embrace his destiny as a real-life Mr. Glass, using his vast baseball fortune to fund a career as a supervillain and save his fragile body from further damage, but I guess he's not ready to take that step yet. He skipped a rehab assignment after recovering from his latest, a torn hamstring that had sidelined him since April 20, but it makes sense – why would the Angels risk him re-injuring himself in games that don't matter? (checks standings) OK, maybe that logic doesn't quite hold up. Rendon's gone 4-for-23 with two doubles and four walks while shaking off the rust, and he's been hitting leadoff, so there's some modest potential here as a counting-stat compiler for however long he stays off the IL. Don't over-bid based on his name though – Rendon hasn't moved the needle since 2020. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Gio Urshela, Tigers: Urshela's one of those players who floats through a few different rosters every season in a fantasy league, getting picked up when he's hot or someone is scrambling for at-bats, and then getting dropped back onto the waiver wire when the need passes or he cools down. The 32-year-old is putting together a nice July, slashing .318/.348/.523 with two homers, six runs and eight RBI in 12 games, so if you have to plug a hole and want to risk him staying hot coming out of the All-Star break, Urshela's probably available. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Shortstop

Ernie Clement, Blue Jays: The 28-year-old utility infielder has filled in as the Blue Jays' regular third baseman while Isiah Kiner-Falefa has been on the shelf, and he's provided some solid production by batting .250 with two doubles, three homers and nine RBI in his last 12 games. Clement probably won't be an asset in batting average (and that goes double in OBP formats) but he can chip in some power while he's getting consistent at-bats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Rostered

Leo Jimenez, Blue Jays: Bo Bichette is battling a calf issue that has kept him out of the lineup for three straight games heading into Sunday, and even if he were healthy, his first-half struggles have drawn trade rumors to him like flies to a .596 OPS. Jimenez has made Bichette's absence easier to swallow by going 7-for-18 while starting six straight games and boosting his OBP with a couple HBPs. (That's not a fluke, by the way – the 23-year-old wore 15 pitches in 57 games at Triple-A this year, and he's been plunked at least 14 times a year dating back to 2021.) Jimenez doesn't have tremendous upside, but his defense his good at shortstop and he finds ways to contribute. If Toronto does elect to move on from Bichette, Jimenez is a viable replacement who could offer Orlando Arcia-like production in his peak years. Stashing him now could pay off in August. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Angel Martinez, Guardians: I had a really good feeling about Martinez last week, jumping him straight into 15-team mixed consideration, but he's exceeded even my expectations. The 22-year-old has started 10 straight games since his latest promotion, slashing .250/.386/.500 with three doubles, two homers, four RBI, six runs and a stunning 8:4 BB:K while taking over as Cleveland's regular No. 2 hitter between Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez. That's an awfully sweet spot in the batting order. Martinez has more walks than strikeouts at Triple-A this season as well, and he's already grown into legit power with seven long balls in 38 games across the two top levels. He didn't come into 2024 with a particularly high profile as a prospect, but he looks like he could be a significant building block for the franchise's future. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Outfield

Seth Brown, Athletics: A stress reaction in Tyler Soderstrom's wrist created an opening for Brown to return to the majors, although he's been knocking on the door pretty loudly with a .403/.416/.736 slash line over 16 games for Triple-A Las Vegas since a mid-June demotion. Even by PCL desert park standards, that's hard to ignore. Brown's plate discipline didn't improve though, and since rejoining the A's he's struck out three times in nine plate appearances against two hits, including a double. Having more Ks than total bases was what got him booted off the 26-man roster in the first place. Oakland's roster has enough holes in it that Brown will get plenty of chances to show he can contribute, but there's not much reason for optimism. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Lawrence Butler, Athletics: Butler also has consistent trouble making contact, but his upside is good enough to make the batting average risk more appealing. The 24-year-old is putting together a productive July, slashing .286/.324/.657 through 11 games with four homers, two steals, seven runs and 11 RBI, and his 29.7 percent strikeout rate on the month isn't a total eyesore. I'm not quite willing to say he's figured things out, but the arrow is at least pointing up. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Diego Castillo, Twins: Minnesota probably did this on purpose. The Twins have TWO Diego Castillos in the organization, but this one is the 26-year-old journeyman utility player, not the 30-year-old journeyman reliever. The hitting Castillo wasn't showing a whole lot at Triple-A other than strong plate discipline, slashing .269/.375/.399 with five homers, seven steals and a 39:37 BB:K in 71 games, but he's seen action at every infield position this year at St. Paul plus right field, so he offers some needed depth for an injury-ravaged big-league roster. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1 

Justyn-Henry Malloy, Tigers: Malloy appears to be finding a groove in the majors. While he's not playing every day yet, he's slashing .316/.395/.605 over his last 11 games with three homers and a semi-respectable 27.9 percent strikeout rate, which would be a big step up from the overall 34.9 percent mark he carries since getting called up. The 24-year-old is still growing into his power, but he slugged 23 home runs in 135 games for Triple-A Toledo in 2023. JHM could be poised for a big second half as part of a young Detroit roster that's starting to look like it could be a contender very, very soon. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Rostered

Mickey Moniak, Angels: Moniak's another 'break glass in case of hot streak' veteran, although his floor is a lot lower than Urshela's when the inevitable cooldown arrives. He's hot right now though, collecting multiple hits in four of the last six games and slashing .317/.317/.488 over his last 11 with a homer, two steals, five RBI and seven runs. The Angels also don't have any better options for an outfield spot, which is how Moniak's stumbled into 251 plate appearances this season despite a .588 OPS. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Rostered

Kyle Stowers, Orioles: Called back up after Heston Kjerstad took a Clay Holmes fastball off the back of his batting helmet and landed on the concussion IL, Stowers' short-term value remains questionable. The 26-year-old slashed .219/.325/.547 in 16 games after his last demotion, but five homers, 14 RBI and an 11:18 BB:K highlight his power and OBP potential. He's a likely candidate to get dealt for pitching help, which does give Stowers some intrigue as a stash even in redraft formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Ryan Vilade, Tigers: Vilade started back-to-back games after his latest promotion, both against left-handed starters, and it looks like he's set for the short side of a right-field platoon with Wenceel Perez for now. Vilade has three hits and his first big-league homer in those two contests, and he's slashed .286/.367/.470 at Triple-A this year with nine homers and 13 steals in 70 games. The 25-year-old doesn't have a lot of upside, but a consistent (if small) role in an improving offense has some deep-league value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1