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. Wyatt Langford 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

Luis F. Castillo, Mariners: Gee thanks Seattle, this won't confuse anyone. I wonder if the M's have a Bryce W. Miller or Julio Q. Rodriguez they could add to the roster too? This particular Castillo has been pitching in Japan the last couple years but didn't attract a lot of attention when he came back to North America, settling for a minor-league deal, and the 30-year-old righty needed 68 pitches to get through three innings in his first career MLB start Friday. There's no firm return date for George Kirby, so the other Castillo will get at least one more turn through the rotation. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Patrick Corbin, Rangers: A blister put a speed bump in the way of what was beginning to look like a breakout campaign for Jack Leiter, so Corbin will join the big-league rotation a little earlier than anticipated. The 35-year-old lefty has been fantasy poison for years now – he posted a 5.71 ERA and 1.53 WHIP over the last four seasons for the Nats – but he made at least 31 starts in each of those campaigns, so at least he's reliable, I guess? He gets a two-step right out of the gates, on the road against the Cubs and M's, but I'm not sure that's a good thing. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $2

Easton Lucas, Blue Jays: Pressed into rotation duty when Max Scherzer predictably broke down early, Lucas dialed up five scoreless innings Wednesday against the Nationals and had the hometown broadcast crew remarking that his delivery reminds the coaching staff of Cole Hamels'. That seems a little much for a guy's first big-league start after he's already been designated for assignment twice in his career. The 28-year-old southpaw has middling stuff and a difficult two-start week ahead, on the road against the Red Sox and Orioles, so the positive vibes could dissipate quickly. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $1

Other two-start options, Mon-Sun (12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $1)

Logan Allen, Guardians (vs. CHW, vs. KC)
Kyle Hendricks, Angels (at TB, at HOU)
Michael Lorenzen, Royals (vs. MIN, at CLE)
Shane Smith, White Sox (at CLE, vs. BOS)
Simeon Woods Richardson (at KC, vs. DET)

Relief Pitcher

Caden Dana, Angels: Dana is one of the Angels' top pitching prospects and figures to get a look in the rotation at some point, but for now he's getting a cup of coffee as a long man in the bullpen, making him a stash candidate in deep formats. He's got a nasty slider, but his fastball got lit up in the majors last year, so unlike most of their recent high draft picks the Halos might actually need to show some patience with Dana rather than just chucking him into the deep end. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Ryan Gusto, Astros: Between all the injured guys the Astros expect to get back at some point in 2025, the team might not need Gusto to handle a starting role for them. As a long reliever though, the 26-year-old righty could have some value. He's worked seven innings over three appearances so far, allowing one run with a 9:1 K:BB, and once Houston's offense wakes up, that kind of role could lead to some wins. If he does get a look in the rotation at some point, so much the better. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Tommy Kahnle, Tigers: The veteran right-hander got Detroit's first real save Tuesday (Brant Hurter collected a three-inning save the day before) and the team hasn't has another opportunity since, so at the moment the best available information says Kahnle's the guy. He briefly carried a Closer of the Future label earlier in his career with the White Sox, but injuries have prevented him from even establishing himself as a reliable high-leverage option. Beau Brieske's stumbled out of the gate though, and at the moment the Tigers don't have any better options for the ninth. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Gregory Soto, Orioles: Felix Bautista, perhaps predictably, hasn't regained his pre-surgery form yet. His average fastball is down about two mph from 2023 (to "only" 97.5 mph) and his control isn't there yet either. If the O's decide to let him get comfortable in a lower-leverage role, they have a wealth of options to handle the ninth, but Soto has looked the best of the group so far with a dominant 8:2 K:BB in four innings. He's got a 30-save season on his resume, and while Seranthony Dominguez and Yennier Cano might also be in the ninth-inning mix should the job open up temporarily, right now Soto looks like the guy to stash. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Catcher

Matt Thaiss, White Sox: Surprisingly, it's been Thaiss and not Korey Lee who's seen more playing time behind the plate for the White Sox so far. The former Angel has started five games to Lee's three, and while he doesn't have a homer yet, Thaiss has drawn five walks. He showed some vague offensive upside in the minors, posting a career .275/.366/.471 slash line at Triple-A Salt Lake – although to be fair, there's plenty of PCL desert inflation in there – and at one time the Halos gave some though to moving him out from behind the plate. The ChiSox's catching arrangement is just a temp job until the team decided to start the service clock of Kyle Teel and/or Edgar Quero, but if Thaiss has a strong-side platoon role or better, he should be rostered in AL-only formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No ; 12-team AL: $2

Second Base

Brooks Baldwin, White Sox: White Chicago seems content with Jacob Amaya at shortstop, Baldwin is being shifted into a super-utility role that could make him the more interesting fantasy asset. The 24-year-old switch hitter has seen action at short (four games), second base (two), right field (two) and third base (one) so far, and he's batting .318 (7-for-22) with a homer and five RBI. Baldwin slashed .321/.388/.457 in the high minors last season with a bit of speed, so while he doesn't have a tremendous ceiling, it might be better to grab the next Willi Castro cheap than pay full retail for the original. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Brendan Rodgers, Astros: Rodgers has made a solid early case that he can handle the keystone for Houston, at least for as long as the Jose Altuve in left field experiment lasts. The former Rockie is batting .316 (6-for-19) with a couple doubles and three RBI in his first seven games for the Astros, and that's more than enough to convince the team to keep Mauricio Dubon in a utility role. There isn't a lot of ceiling with Rodgers, but consistent playing time in an above-average offense will lead to counting stats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Third Base

Josh Smith, Rangers: Josh Jung's neck issues have landed Smith in the starting nine, and the 27-year-old has gone 4-for-14 with a double, a homer and two steals while starting five straight games at the hot corner. He's got some modest power and speed upside for however long he's getting consistent playing time. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Shortstop

Gabriel Arias, Guardians: Fantasy GMs looking to pick up Arias for middle-infield depth might have to wait just a little bit longer. While we have him listed at shortstop, he only qualified at third base in most formats coming into the year. He's cleared the five-game threshold at second base already in 2025, but in formats that use 10-game or 20-game thresholds, he's a week or three away. The 25-year-old is looking good at the plate though, batting .292 (7-for-24) with a double and a homer, and at different times in his minor-league career he's flashed both power and speed. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Zach McKinstry, Tigers: The Tigers love their Swiss army knives. McKinstry has already seen action at five different spots on the diamond for the injury-plagued squad, batting .280 (7-for-25) with a triple, a steal, two RBI and five runs. Once guys like Matt Vierling get healthy, McKinstry's playing time will get squeezed, but for now he's a near-everyday player who has a history of being streaky and going bonkers for a week or two every year. Will that happen this April? More importantly, wouldn't it be fun if it did, and you had him in your active roster? 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Kyren Paris, Angels: The Injury Gods keep trying to nudge the Angels toward doing the right thing with Paris. The 2019 second-round pick worked hard on his swing this offseason, and after a strong Cactus League performance he's batting .429 (6-for-14) to begin the regular season with a triple, a homer, three RBI, three steals and six runs. Yet somehow, he keeps losing playing time to guys like Tim Anderson, Kevin Newman and Nicky Lopez. Maybe Ron Washington doesn't like the kid's defense? Whatever the reason, I expect logic to win out at some point, and Paris to get a long look in a starting job at some point. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Tyler Tolbert, Royals: Kansas City and speedy pinch-running specialists go together like Kansas City and barbeque, or Kansas City and Taylor Swift. Tolbert's their latest jackrabbit, a 27-year-old who went 48-for-52 on the basepaths in 2024 between Double-A and Triple-A, and who stole second and third in Friday's game after subbing in late. Unlike guys such as Dairon Blanco, there's at least a tiny chance Tolbert could emerge as more than just a bench player down the road if he can learn to make more consistent contact. It probably won't happen this year though, or with the Royals for that matter, since Bobby Witt isn't going anywhere. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Jonny DeLuca, Rays: DeLuca remains on the waiver wire in too many leagues. The 26-year-old has an everyday job, a good minor-league track record, and is 4-for-4 on steal attempts to begin the year while batting .435 (10-for-23). The latter mark won't last of course, but DeLuca's speed is legit, and something like a slightly better version of Jacob Young's 2024 campaign is well within his capabilities. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Trent Grisham, Yankees: New York's fourth outfielder has gotten in on the early-season fireworks with three homers in his last three games. It would take an injury to get Grisham regular playing time, but Cody Bellinger is already nursing a sore back. Grisham seems like he's been around forever but he's only 28, and the issue for him has been contact, not his athletic tools – he hasn't hit above .200 in the majors since 2021. In the extremely early going in 2025, he's got a career-best contact rate (76.5 percent) and strikeout rate (19.0 percent). 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Heston Kjerstad, Orioles: With Colton Cowser on the shelf, Kjerstad has started four of the last five games and gone 5-for-14 with a double and three RBI. The 26-year-old will probably get platooned against lefties, but Ryan O'Hearn has done just fine in that kind of role for the O's, and Kjerstad's upside is undeniably higher – last season at Triple-A, he slugged 16 homers in only 56 games while slashing .300/.397/.601. Baltimore wants its young players to force the issue when it comes to finding room for them in the lineup, and this is Kjerstad's chance to do just that. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $21

Justyn-Henry Malloy, Tigers: The 25-year-old was the last cut when the Tigers were assembling their 26-man roster, but Malloy got his chance when Gleyber Torres got hurt. He's getting a look in the leadoff spot, not all that surprising for a guy who drew 110 walks at Triple-A in 2023, and Malloy has displayed that patience by coaxing six free passes in his first four appearances. Two of his three hits have also been doubles, and he seems like a player on the verge of a heater. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Jake Mangum, Rays: Josh Lowe's injury has opened the door for Mangum to prove he belongs in the majors. The 29-year-old made his big-league debut last Sunday, and in five starts this week he's gone a mere 9-for-19 (.474) with two doubles, three runs, four RBI and three steals. Kameron Misner's also played well over the last week, but it's not clear if there will be room for either one once the Rays' outfield is fully healthy. Lowe might be out into May though, and Richie Palacios doesn't have a firm date for his return yet. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Kameron Misner, Rays: In terms of tools, Misner's the better prospect than Mangum, but strikeouts have been the bane of his career. The 27-year-old whiffed over 150 times in each of the last three seasons in the minors, and while he's batting .364 (8-for-22) with three doubles and a homer to begin his season with the Rays, he's also fanned five times without a walk. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2