FAAB Factor - AL: Mediocre Shortstops Abound

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 free-agent budget you should bid on them.

One size does not fit all, and we could never hope to encompass all league structures, so bids are based on:

• 12-team league (either AL or Mixed, we'll specify)
• 5x5 categories
• $100 FAAB budget

Starting Pitching

Alex Colome, Rays – Back from pneumonia, Colome was effective in his season debut this week, pitching five shutout innings with three hits, no walks and six strikeouts. He should maintain value going forward over the likes of Nate Karns and Erasmo Ramirez, and even when Alex Cobb returns. Last season he had a 3.77 ERA (3.10 FIP) at Triple-A Durham with 73 strikeouts and 30 walks over 86 innings. Mixed: $4; AL: $15.

Marco Estrada, Blue Jays – With the news that Daniel Norris will be demoted to Triple-A, Estrada now becomes a member of the Blue Jays' rotation. Last season he gave up an MLB-high 29 home runs and that was in Milwaukee. Now in Toronto, a home-run-friendly arena, this does not bode well for him unless he has developed a new anti-home-run technique. The strikeouts should be there, but again, there is major reason for concern as well. Bid with caution. Mixed: $1; AL: $5.

Zach McAllister, Indians – T.J. House was housed this week and now he's no longer in the rotation, which means we're likely to see McAllister back in. Before he was taken out of the role, he produced an unsightly 11.25 ERA in one start. Since then, he's been effective with a 2.13 ERA in 12.2 innings out of the bullpen. His velocity jump was the talk of spring training, and it would not surprise me if he initially has success, but he needs to command more pitches, which could be difficult. Mixed: $1; AL: $5.

Ricky Nolasco, Twins – Activated from the DL on Friday, Nolasco was mildly effective, as he pitched five innings with three earned runs, eight hits, one walk, and four strikeouts against the White Sox. He had battled an elbow injury and should not be viewed as anything other than a placeholder in AL-only formats. Last season he had a 5.38 ERA (4.36 FIP), as his appetite for destructive home runs showed no bounds. The 115 strikeouts and 38 walks over 159 innings were little consolation. Mixed: $1; AL: $5.

Chase Whitley, Yankees – Now that Masahiro Tanaka is out with a forearm injury, it appears Whitley has a chance to stick in the Yankees' rotation. He was effective as a replacement last week, as he gave up one earned run over five innings with six hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. Last season he posted a 4.76 ERA (3.81 FIP) with 43 strikeouts and 12 walks over 58.2 innings as a starter. I have serious doubts he'll be able to maintain value in mixed leagues and see him as an AL-only starter, at best. Mixed: $1; AL: $4.

Relief Pitching

Brett Cecil, Blue Jays – The Blue Jays closer role seems like it has gone back to Cecil this week after Miguel Castro was not able to hold it down. I fully expect for Cecil to take this opportunity and make the closer job his. He nabbed a save Tuesday, but most importantly has looked effective during most outings. He has the most experience and should be confidently viewed as the closer once again. Mixed: $5; AL: $15.

Catcher

Blake Swihart – The news that Ryan Hanigan will be out through the All-Star break with a broken hand means that Swihart is here from the minors and likely to stay for quite a while. He hit .338/.392/.382 with one stolen base over 74 plate appearances for Triple-A Pawtucket this season. He had 13 home runs last season between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket, so expect him to flash part of that skill set sooner rather than later, though he should also continue to hit for a reasonable average. He'll usually start over Sandy Leon and holds value in all AL-only and deeper mixed leagues or those that use two catchers. Mixed: $6; AL: $20.

First Base

Kyle Blanks, Rangers – Mitch Moreland's elbow injury has him out 2-3 weeks and Blanks was called up from Triple-A Round Rock to fill his role as the Rangers' DH. Over 869 career plate appearances in the majors, Blanks has a .233/.318/.408 batting line with 31 home runs. Though his power has waned due to injuries, Blanks showed a little with Round Rock this season with three home runs over 62 plate appearances. Then again, he's 28, so that's not really all that impressive. He figures to have a bit of value in AL-only formats. Mixed: $1; AL: $5.

Jesus Montero, Mariners – Montero has started the season off right, batting .321/.345/.488 with three home runs over 87 plate appearances at Triple-A Tacoma. Right now there's not a clear need for Montero, as Logan Morrison has started to pick it up the last few days, but even still, he's hitting .213 and has shown himself to be prone to injury. Montero's star has faded significantly since he was a prospect with the Yankees as a catcher. After his trade to Seattle, he's battled weight issues and moved to first base, though DH is probably his best-suited position long term. Don't forget about him if you're allowed to add players to your bench in AL-only formats. Mixed: No; AL: $3.

Nick Swisher, Indians – Swisher (knee) is getting closer and closer to returning and right now projects to be back by next weekend. Last season he produced some of his worst stats, as he hit .208/.278/.331 with eight home runs over 401 plate appearances. His power has slipped and so too has his plate discipline, so it's fair to be skeptical of what he might offer owners when he is back playing everyday. In mixed leagues, I'd leave him on the waiver wire unless it's a very deep league. Mixed: $1; AL: $6.

Second Base

Nick Franklin, Rays – Franklin is close to starting a rehab assignment this week, and he's expected to be activated in late May. He's coming back from an oblique injury and figures to reclaim his role as the Rays' starting second baseman. Last season between Triple-A Tacoma and Triple-A Durham, he hit .271/.366/.412 with 11 home runs and 11 steals over 466 plate appearances. Now is a good time to stash him in AL-only and deep mixed formats. Mixed: No; AL: $3.

Joe Wendle, A's – Eric Sogard continues to fill in for Ben Zobrist, and he's done a decent job so far with a .254/.275/.328 batting line and one stolen base over 71 plate appearances this season. Not much more should be expected from him, though if Sogard should slip and the team decides to go in another direction, Oakland could turn to Wendle, who is hitting .280/.329/.533 with three home runs and one stolen base over 83 PA with Triple-A Nashville. Keep him in mind if your league allows for minor leaguers to be stashed. Mixed: No; AL: $1.

Shortstop

Mike Aviles and Francisco Lindor, Indians – This week Indians GM Chris Antoinette came out and commented that Lindor's timetable has not changed despite the slow start of Jose Ramirez, who is hitting .175 over 70 plate appearances this season. His struggles have been enough that the team has started to give some of his playing time to Aviles, who has been decent with a .267/.353/.467 batting line and two home runs over 51 PA this season. Maybe more importantly, he started at shortstop both Thursday and Friday, hitting a double in both games. The long-term solution here though is Lindor, who is hitting .250/.326/.350 with one home run and six stolen bases over 90 PA at Triple-A Columbus. If Lindor can get his bat going, the team will likely feel much better about calling him up, that could happen very soon, as he's elite prospect that figures to make an impact right away in AL-only formats. Aviles Mixed: $1; AL: $5. Lindor Mixed: No; AL: $3.

Christian Colon, Royals – Alcides Escobar is on the 7-day DL with a concussion, leaving Colon with a small window to help owners. Colon has a .273/.333/.333 line with two stolen bases over 36 plate appearances this year. He has little power to speak of and not much speed either, though he's on the right team to show it with the Royals. Escobar should be back when his seven days are over, so don't make more than a minimum bid if you need a stopgap option. Mixed: No; AL: $2.

Ryan Goins and Jonathan Diaz, Blue Jays – Goins and Diaz are set to fill in for Jose Reyes while he's on the DL. Of the two, Goins figures to get the majority of the playing time, though he has yet to prove himself offensively with a .216 batting average and three home runs over 350 career plate appearances. Diaz isn't much better, as he has become something of a career minor leaguer with a .233/.350/.305 batting line over 1,455 PA at the Triple-A level. Avoid this situation if possible, as it's likely neither Goins nor Diaz is going to be much offensive help to the Blue Jays or fantasy owners. Goins Mixed: $1; AL: $4. Diaz Mixed: No; AL: $2.

Marwin Gonzalez and Jonathan Villar, Astros – Jed Lowrie's thumb injury has him on the DL through the All-Star break and Carlos Correa's not ready yet to assume the throne, which means the Astros are set to go with Gonzalez and Villar at shortstop. Of the two, Villar offers more upside to fantasy owners because of his speed, as he stole 17 bases over 263 plate appearances last year and 18 bases over 241 PA in 2013. He's not the clear choice to get the majority of the playing time though because he doesn't hit for contact and his defense can be suspect at times. Gonzalez is hitting .244/.262/.439 this season with one home run over 42 plate appearances and figures to be a more steady option to the team. Neither figures to be much of a mixed-league option. Both Mixed: $1; AL: $4.

Chris Taylor, Mariners – Brad Miller is in a 3-for-22 funk, which is good news for Taylor, as he's hitting .333/.393/.507 with two home runs and six stolen bases over 84 plate appearances at Triple-A Tacoma, putting his wrist injury behind him. The longer things go this way, the sooner we're likely to see Taylor get called up. Last season with the Mariners he hit .287/.347/.346 with no home runs and five stolen bases over 151 PA, so the power he's showing this season is encouraging for the 24-year-old infielder. Stash him if you can in AL-only formats. Mixed: No; AL: $3.

Third Base

Gordon Beckham and Matt Davidson, White Sox – Connor Gillaspie is still seeing regular playing time despite a slow start to the season that has him hitting .208/.250/.302 with no home runs and only two runs scored over 56 plate appearances. Beckham hasn't seen much playing time this season, but he's hitting .368/.500/.579 with one home run in 24 PA. He'll need to pick it up for the team to make a switch there. In the minors, Davidson is hitting .269/.329/.526 with five home runs over 85 PA at Triple-A Charlotte. Last season in Charlotte he showed decent power with 20 home runs, but he hit just .199. Keep both players in mind while waiting to see if Gillaspie pulls out of the funk that has lasted since the second half of 2014. Both Mixed: $0; AL: $5.

Outfield

Billy Burns, A's – The speedy Burns was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Saturday and all AL-only owners should take note, as he has great stolen-base potential. It's only a matter of playing time to showcase it. This season at Nashville, he had a .315/.378/.404 batting line with five stolen bases over 99 plate appearances. If he can hit leadoff, his chances for stealing bases goes up and he'll score plenty of runs as well. Most likely he'll fill in as a pinch runner, which may be to his benefit, as his on-base skills leave much to be desired. Mixed: $1; AL: $5.

Ezequiel Carrera, Blue Jays – Carrera came up this week when Dalton Pompey was demoted. He looks to play right field initially, though he may play all over the outfield. This season at Triple-A Buffalo he hit .325/.407/.400 with one home run and six stolen bases. Pompey will need some time in the minors to figure things out and get himself back, so Carrera should see plenty of action. Mixed: $1; AL: $4.

Josh Hamilton, Rangers - Traded back to the Rangers, Hamilton still has a long road to relevancy, and he has a shoulder injury to work through before he is even activated. When active, he will need to build on his fleeting power and contact skills. There is no way to tell how he has aged, but could be an asset to AL-only formats and deep mixed leagues. Don't hold your breath. Mixed: $5; AL: Owned.

Jake Marisnick, Astros – Already owned in AL-only formats, Marisnick might still be up for grabs in mixed leagues that aren't hip to what the Astros are doing. This season he is hitting .383/.433/.667 with three home runs over 68 plate appearances. Mixed leagues should view him as a source of runs, and he's one of three Astros tied for the AL lead with nine stolen bases. As long as he hits at the bottom of the lineup, his value will be capped, but right now it doesn't seem to matter, as the Astros are finding all sorts of ways to score. Mixed: $6; AL: Owned.

Note: If you have anyone else you'd like me to discuss, just drop a line in the comments section.