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.

Welcome to 2025!

Normally the first FAAB Factor of the year comes out the Sunday before Opening Day, when job battles are a little more settled, but the Tokyo series between the Dodgers and Cubs may have some fantasy leagues doing an earlier FAAB run. As a result, this week's column will just be a teaser of sorts, highlighting names that have seen their job prospects or fantasy outlook increase significantly since spring training started, rather than being an exhaustive list of every ongoing closer battle or competition for an open spot in left field that hasn't really changed much over the last few weeks.

For the sake of the many, many leagues that haven't drafted yet, the bid recommendations in this week's column can also be viewed as auction bid recommendations, and I've added in a 'Reserve' notation for players who might be worth stashing when you're assembling your initial roster.

Starting Pitcher

Kris Bubic, Royals: Alec Marsh was penciled into the fifth starter spot heading into camp, but a shoulder issue has prevented him from seeing any Cactus League action so far. That's opened the door for Bubic to get a look, and the 27-year-old lefty has looked this spring with a 13:3 K:BB and only one homer allowed in 13 innings. Bubic has struggled as a starter in the majors in his career, but a shift to the bullpen last year after he returned from Tommy John surgery may have helped him settle on a more effective pitch mix, and he did have some pedigree once upon a time – he was the 40th overall pick in the 2018 Draft. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: Reserve; 12-team AL: $2

Richard Fitts, Red Sox: Boston appears as though it will head into the season with Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito and Kutter Crawford all on the shelf, testing the organization's pitching depth early. Fitts is one of the next guys up after delivering solid ratios in his big-league debut last year, albeit with only nine strikeouts in 20.2 innings. The right-hander's minor-league numbers suggest he should be able to generate a few more whiffs than that over a bigger sample, and he's certainly demonstrated that in the spring, posting a 13:4 K:BB in 10.2 Grapefruit League innings. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: Reserve; 12-team AL: $1

Emerson Hancock, Mariners: With George Kirby set to begin the year on IR due to a cranky shoulder, perennial sixth starter Hancock will be pressed into duty early. The 25-year-old righty is what he is, and while a 10:2 K:BB in 9.2 spring innings is nice, it doesn't erase his career 4.71 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 5.6 K/9 in the majors. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: Reserve

Jack Leiter / Kumar Rocker, Rangers: Texas did its best to try and buy its pitching prospects some more time, but seemingly to no avail. Jon Gray and Cody Bradford have both broken down this spring, while for that matter Tyler Mahle and Jacob deGrom remain ticking time bombs from a health perspective, so Leiter and Rocker seem ticketed for the Opening Day rotation. Both young righties have fought their control at times in camp, with Leiter posting a 13:6 K:BB in 10.2 innings and Rocker stumbling to a 4:4 K:BB in 4.1 innings and needing a start on a back field to iron out some mechanical issues. Both guys have legit upside, though – Leiter struck out 110 batters in 77 Triple-A innings last year, while Rocker fanned 47 in 29.2 innings between Double-A and Triple-A as he raced up the ladder ahead of his MLB debut. As this week's SP dart throws go, these are the two that could potentially have the biggest impact on your season... or be easy to cut in mid-April after struggling to find the plate. If I had to pick one over the other, I'd lean Rocker, but right now there isn't much to separate them. Leiter or Rocker – 12-team Mixed: Reserve; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Quinn Priester, Red Sox: Picked up from the Pirates last season, Priester posted a combined 78:19 K:BB in 72 innings between the two teams' Triple-A affiliates but was much less effective in the majors. The 24-year-old righty has a five-pitch arsenal but no real plus pitch, so while you can dream on a Seth Lugo-like breakout, that may not arrive until 2029 or so. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: Reserve

Marcus Stroman, Yankees: New York tried to trade Stroman away and get out from under his contract in the offseason, but they might be thankful they didn't after Luis Gil and Gerrit Cole went down. The veteran sinkerballer posted a groundball rate below 50 percent for the first time in 2024 while also seeing his strikeout rate bottom out at 16.7 percent, which isn't a great sign for his value, but he's still got a rotation job and a strong offense behind him. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Will Warren, Yankees: One of the other winners in the Yankee pitching injury epidemic sweepstakes, Warren offers more fantasy appeal than Stroman does after posting a 136:39 K:BB in 109.2 innings at Triple-A last year, albeit with 19 homers allowed and a 5.91 ERA. The 25-year-old righty's numbers for New York in 2024 were much the same – 29:10 K:BB in 22.2 innings, five homers, 10.32 ERA. He's at least kept the ball in the yard this spring, surrendering just one long ball with a 16:3 K:BB in 15.2 IP, and if he's found a third pitch that's effective against lefty bats to complement his fastball/sweeper combo, he might take a step forward. 12-team Mixed: Reserve; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Hayden Wesneski, Astros: Part of the haul Houston got from the Cubs in the Kyle Tucker trade – we'll get to that in a minute – Wesneski will open the season in the rotation as the team continues to treat Luis Garcia with kid gloves after his May 2023 Tommy John surgery. Wesneski has had his moments in camp, but a 14:7 K:BB in 9.2 Grapefruit League innings indicates he's still got some things to work out. The Cubs had all but given up on the 27-year-old righty as a rotation option, but the Astros have made a habit out of unlocking upside in their arms. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: Reserve; 12-team AL: $3

Relief Pitcher

Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox: While I said I wasn't going to do a dive on every unsettled ninth-inning situation, this one has gotten a little clearer of late. Liam Hendriks simply hasn't look good this spring, which is understandable considering he's missed nearly two full seasons of action, and while manager Alex Cora insists he's not worried, Hendriks will only be able to groove so many hittable mid-90s fastballs over the heart of the plate before he gets consigned to a lower-leverage role. Chapman is 37 years old and his control hasn't gotten any better, but he can still hit 100 mph when he rolls out of bed and has 10 Ks in 5.1 spring innings. Hendriks might be a factor for saves later in the year if he begins to find his old form, but right now Chapman has to be the favorite to close for Boston. If Cora does want to think outside the box, Garrett Whitlock (7:0 K:BB and a 0.00 ERA in four spring innings) might be the next man up. 12-team Mixed: Reserve; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Marc Church, Rangers: Chris Martin has been viewed as the favorite to close for Texas, with offseason pickup Robert Garcia as a dark horse and David Robertson still floating around unsigned, but manager Bruce Bochy surprisingly dropped Church's name as an option a couple weeks ago. The 23-year-old righty does have high-leverage stuff, and he's dominated this spring with a 10:2 K:BB in seven innings. Hmmm. Martin's also been fine in camp (Garcia less so), but the 38-year-old has 14 career saves for a reason and is simply better suited for a setup role. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: Reserve

Mike Clevinger, White Sox: Chicago will probably only have a couple dozen ninth-inning leads to protect this season, so who the team's closer is may not matter all that much, but new manager Will Venable at least confirmed that Clevinger would be among his top options for saves. The veteran right-hander has been almost exclusively a starter throughout his career, so how he adapts to relief and whether his stuff will play up very much are all very valid questions, but he's at least posted a 4:0 K:BB in three innings this spring, for what that's worth. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: Reserve; 12-team AL: $2

First Base

Ty France, Twins: An afterthought free-agent signing at the beginning of camp on a bargain-basement one-year, $1 million – MLB minimum is $760,000 in 2025 – France was tabbed as the Twins' starting first baseman by manager Rocco Baldelli, but I'm not sure anyone believed him. Well, all France has done this spring is bat .467 (14-for-30) with five doubles and two homers, so joke's on us, I guess. Much as it's tough from the outside to understand why the team would give playing time to a declining 30-year-old over guys like Edouard Julien or Jose Miranda, it does seem like France will be the guy at the cold corner in Minnesota for at least the first few weeks of the season. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Ben Rice, Yankees: The Yankees' pitching injuries have gotten most of the headlines, but Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu are also on the shelf, and Stanton in particular is just a wreck at the moment, getting treating on both elbows and somehow developing a calf strain while doing it. Rice is the most likely beneficiary, lining up for semi-regular plate appearances as the DH while backing up Paul Goldschmidt at first base. Rice struggled in his first look at big-league pitching in 2024, but the 26-year-old still has a lefty swing that seems tailor-made for Yankee Stadium's short porch, and he slashed .294/.428/.661 at Triple-A last year. There's real breakout potential here if he gets consistent playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: Reserve; 12-team AL: $3

Spencer Torkelson, Tigers: I'm sure anyone who got burned by Tork last year wants nothing to do with him, but it's too soon to give up on him yet. He slugged 31 homers in 2023 and has shown he still has that power in camp (four homers in 34 PAs), but he also has a clearer path to playing time than he did a few weeks ago. Even with Colt Keith shifting to first base, the Tigers' outfield injuries could require Kerry Carpenter's services in a corner spot, opening up DH at-bats for Torkelson. At least it'll be cheaper to roster him this time around. 12-team Mixed: Reserve; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Third Base

Oswaldo Cabrera / Oswald Peraza, Yankees: LeMahieu's latest injury – a calf strain after his first two Grapefruit League plate appearances – was a timely reminder that he absolutely can't be counted on this season for either playing time or useful production. One of the Oswald(o)s will take over at the hot corner, but it's not clear yet which. Cabrera is a switch hitter and has been marginally better at the plate in camp, although neither guy has stood out, so if you have to take a stab at one or the other, it should probably be him. Peraza has the more fantasy-friendly profile though after swiping 23 bags in 92 games at Triple-A last season. Cabrera – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1 / Peraza – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: Reserve 

Cam Smith, Astros: The big prize in the Kyle Tucker trade this offseason, Smith lit up the early part of the spring and had people wondering how he fell all the way to the 14th overall pick in the 2024 Draft. The 22-year-old has cooled off a bit as he's been exposed to better pitching, but he's still batting .409 (9-for-22) with two homers and a 5:5 K:BB in Grapefruit League action, and the Astros seem serious enough about considering him for the Opening Day roster that they've been giving him looks in right field, where he would have a much clearer path to a starting job. It's also possible third base opens up for him, if Christian Walker isn't quite ready for the start of the season and Isaac Paredes shifts across the diamond. The most likely scenario here is that Smith begins the campaign at Triple-A, but Houston won't hesitate to call him up and find a spot for him if, or maybe I should say once, he looks ready. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Shortstop

Chase Meidroth, White Sox: Meidroth changed the color of his laundry in the Garrett Crochet deal, and now the 23-year-old might find himself as Chicago's Opening Day shortstop. He hasn't exactly had a great camp, but he has drawn eight walks in 32 plate appearances against six Ks, a performance that lines up with his .293/.437/.400 slash line at Triple-A in 2024 with more walks (105) than strikeouts (71). Meidroth has little power and only a smidge of speed, but if he ends up hitting at the top of the order and getting on base at a good clip, he might end up scoring enough runs even in a feeble White Sox offense to have some value. Obviously, if you're in an OBP league he's more interesting, but that just makes him a potential 2.5 category guy instead of 1.5. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Roman Anthony, Red Sox: Wilyer Abreu has been sidelined with a gastrointestinal virus and lost some weight, putting his status for Opening Day in question. The Red Sox seem a little more confident he'll be ready in time than they were a couple weeks ago, but if he ends up needing an IL stint, it would be a great opportunity to get Anthony's feet wet in the majors. The 20-year-old hasn't looked overmatched in camp, batting .300 (6-for-20) with a 4:4 BB:K, and he's got immediate 20-20 upside if he were to win a starting job and keep it. More likely, he'll begin the year back at Triple-A and try to force the issue with his play, but as a high-upside hitting stash who might provide some immediate returns, Anthony could be your best option. 12-team Mixed: Reserve; 15-team Mixed: Reserve; 12-team AL: $3

Wenceel Perez, Tigers: Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling have both been ruled out for Opening Day and likely won't make their 2025 debuts until mid-April, giving Perez a clear runway to significant playing time for a few weeks. The 25-year-old switch hitter was useful in deeper leagues as a rookie last season, but back trouble has impacted his spring numbers (1-for-17 in six appearances). He still has some time to get his timing down at the plate before the games start to count however. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1