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 skills and role on an A-E scale. Shohei Ohtani would have been an "A" grade player last year – that mark will be reserved for similarly high-impact prospects stepping into 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.

AL FAAB | NL FAAB

Starting Pitcher

Paul Blackburn / Daniel Mengden, Athletics: Frankie Montas' suspension leaves a gaping hole in the A's rotation, and while eventually someone like Jesus Luzardo or Sean Manaea will fill it, in the short term Oakland will have to round up the usual suspects for auditions. Mengden and Blackburn are the top options – the former has been more successful this year with Triple-A Las Vegas, but the latter will be on turn for Wednesday's open slot. The team does have an off-day Monday, though, so they could always do a bit of shuffling if necessary. If you have to pick one of these guys up now before an official announcement is made, Mengden's probably your best bet, but neither is particularly appealing. Both – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jesse Chavez, Rangers: The 35-year-old swing man will keep on swinging, moving back into the rotation this week for Texas. His pattern has been to hit the ground running before fading as he tires later in the year (career splits: 3.86 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in the first half, 5.35 and 1.48 in the second half), and he does line up for a favorable two-start week, at Detroit and at Tampa, so a preemptive bid here to fill a hole in your staff and try to catch whatever hot streak he might put together makes a fair amount of sense. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Aaron Civale, Cleveland: Getting the call after Mike Clevinger wound up right back on the IL after his first start, Civale shut out the Tigers for six innings in his MLB debut – an impressive introduction for the 24-year-old, regardless of opponent. The right-hander started the year at Double-A Akron before making a couple of solid Triple-A starts, and while he doesn't have a true out pitch, his command allows his solid four-pitch arsenal to play up a little. Like Zach Plesac, he's got the kind of repertoire that could surprise, and if Clevinger needs to miss another turn with his ankle injury, Civale would get to face the Orioles on Friday. Juicy. His stay in the majors this time is probably going to be brief either way, although Adam Plutko is hardly locked into the No. 5 spot in the rotation. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Brian Johnson, Red Sox: Nathan Eovaldi only just started playing catch again, so Boston's fifth starter spot remains up for grabs as more than just a short-term assignment. Johnson gets another chance to fill it, and while a solid five innings against the woeful Jays on Saturday isn't exactly a resume-builder, it's better than the alternative. The southpaw has a classic crafty lefty arsenal, barely scraping 89 mph with his fastball most days, but that offers a nice contrast to the likes of Chris Sale or Eduardo Rodriguez, and Johnson's had flashes of success in the past. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Jakob Junis, Royals: The right-hander seems to have overcome his shaky beginning to 2019, posting a 4.32 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 37:12 K:BB over his last six starts and 33.1 innings. Junis is going to be a risky play against teams that can take him yard – which, this year, is just about everyone – but his nasty slider can still generate K's, and he shouldn't hurt your ratios in the right matchups. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Owned

Lance Lynn, Rangers: Lynn saw his quality start streak snapped at eight Saturday, but the veteran right-hander still has a 3.48 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 84:17 K:BB through his last 72.1 innings and remains on too many waiver wires – he's rostered in barely half of ESPN leagues. The 32-year-old's rough 2018 seems to have made everyone forget how useful he was with the Cards before that, and while Globe Life Park is always a dangerous place to pitch in the summer heat, Lynn's the kind of arm that can keep a fantasy staff afloat when injuries and absences begin to pile up. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Tommy Milone, Mariners: Milone's probably the fantasy equivalent of a ticking time bomb, but he's posted a 3.35 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 38:8 K:BB through 37.2 innings since joining the M's and assuming a starter/primary reliever role. The 32-year-old hasn't been particularly useful since 2015, posting a 6.38 ERA over the last three years while bouncing through four organizations, but if you want to try and ride the hot hand he's at least got a friendly home park. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Jordan Zimmermann, Tigers: Out since late April, Zimmermann rejoined the patchwork Tigers rotation Wednesday and delivered four mediocre innings in Pittsburgh, which seems about right. The 33-year-old did tease a career turnaround last year, so it's worth keeping an eye on him if he can stay healthy, but Zimmermann's days of being a fantasy stalwart are long gone. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

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

Chris Bassitt, Athletics (at STL, at LAA)

Dylan Bundy, Orioles (vs. SD. vs. CLE)

Andrew Heaney, Angels (vs. CIN, vs. OAK)

Brad Keller, Royals (at CLE, at TOR)

Adam Plutko, Cleveland (vs. KC, at BAL)

Clayton Richard, Blue Jays (at NYY, vs. KC)

Aaron Sanchez, Blue Jays (at NYY, vs. KC)

Relief Pitcher

Roenis Elias, Mariners: Seattle has started creating save chances again, and Elias still seems like the guy to handle them, if only by default. He's notched four saves in his last five appearances after going nearly a month without one, and while the southpaw's numbers aren't great, they're better than just about anyone else in the M's bullpen. The club also doesn't seem to be in any rush to bring Hunter Strickland back, so Elias should get at least a few weeks with the closer job to himself before real competition arrives. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Liam Hendriks, Athletics: Blake Treinen is nursing a sore rotator cuff, and while Oakland hasn't reacted like the injury is serious, it's probably been an issue for a while now given the massive downturn in his 2019 ratios and K-rate. Hendriks will fill in as closer for now, notching his first save of the season Saturday, but if he falters Lou Trivino and Joakim Soria are easy replacements. Hendriks is having a good year, though, cranking his fastball up to a career-high 95.6 mph and posting a 1.49 ERA thanks to a shockingly low 0.21 HR/9. The latter seems unsustainable in the current environment, but as long as he maintains a good strikeout rate he should be able to withstand some regression. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Chris Martin, Rangers: Martin's gotten a couple of saves in the last two weeks when Shawn Kelley was unavailable, and he's been generally great over the last month or so, posting a 0.84 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 13:0 K:BB in his last 10.2 innings. Jose Leclerc has also begun creeping back into the late-inning mix, though, so Martin's spot as the Rangers' second closing option might not be too secure. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Emilio Pagan, Rays: Diego Castillo's shoulder is bothering him and Jose Alvarado isn't ready to rejoin the team, so Pagan will handle closing duties for the Rays for now. The veteran reliever got the save Friday – his first in nearly two months – and has a 1.23 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 28:7 K:BB through 22 innings since the beginning of May, so the ninth inning should still be in good hands for Tampa. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Catcher

Willians Astudillo, Twins: La Tortuga is back in the majors with Mitch Garver nursing a heel injury and he hasn't been stuck on the bench, starting three of four games since his promotion, going 4-for-13 with a solo homer. Astudillo was hitting .526 for Triple-A Rochester when he got the call, so the only thing between him and consistent utility work in the majors is the Twins' overcrowded roster. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Zack Collins, White Sox: Collins, the No. 7 fantasy prospect for the White Sox, got the call to fill in while Welington Castillo is banged up, and while the current assignment is likely to be short term, there is a path to him assuming an Evan Gattis-like role for Chicago, seeing regular action at DH and only occasional starts behind the plate. Collins won't hit for a great batting average but does offer some power and patience, so if he gets a chance to handle regular playing time, he could offer some value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Dustin Garneau, Angels: Garneau and his .610 career big-league OPS will back up Jonathan Lucroy once again. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Austin Nola, Mariners: Aaron Nola's older brother is basically Seattle's answer to Astudillo, as he qualifies at catcher but can play all around the diamond. His .327/.415/.520 slash line for Triple-A Tacoma is impressive, but Nola is 29 years old and no kind of prospect. His versatility could allow him to see enough playing time to have value in deeper formats, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Max Stassi, Astros: Out nearly a month with a knee injury, Stassi is back as Houston's No. 2 catcher, offering the typical power potential at the cost of batting average. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

First Base

Bobby Bradley, Cleveland: Arguably the best power-hitting prospect left in the minors after Yordan Alvarez was called up, Bradley got his own promotion Sunday after slugging 24 homers in 67 games for Triple-A Columbus. The 23-year-old only compares to Alvarez in raw power, though. Bradley was still striking out too much (32.0 percent) this year despite an improved .292 batting average, so contact could be a major issue once big-league pitchers figure out the holes in his swing. He'll likely take over as Cleveland's regular DH, seeing occasional action at first base, and while he's obviously got significant upside, the range of outcomes here is volatile – from a sweet Pete Alonso-like debut to back riding buses in the International League in a month. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $21

Second Base

Luis Arraez, Twins: Minnesota is banged up at the keystone, so Arraez has come back up and collected a hit in four straight games. The upside is clearly there for the 22-year-old – so far in his brief big-league career, he's slashing .371/.477/.514 with a homer and a steal in 14 games to go along with an eye-popping 8:2 BB:K – but there's still no clear path to playing time for him once Jonathan Schoop and Marwin Gonzalez and 100 percent. Arraez remains a better keeper stash than a re-draft play for 2019, but he should have some short-term value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Brock Holt, Red Sox: The veteran utility player has fallen into the starting second baseman in Boston thanks to injuries that have forced Michael Chavis to first base, but Holt's taken full advantage by slashing .379/.433/.500 in June. That's not a sustainable pace given his career .708 OPS, but if you're just looking for short-term help up the middle, he should keep seeing consistent run-producing opportunities in a talented lineup. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

Jason Kipnis, Cleveland: Kipnis struggled early this season but seems to have found his power stroke, going 11-for-25 over his last seven games with three homers. You never really know what you're going to get from the 32-year-old even when he manages to stay healthy, but he still occasionally shows the form that led to his dynamite 2016 campaign. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Nicky Lopez, Royals: The 24-year-old has suddenly got the hang of the big leagues, slashing .333/.366/.436 over his last 10 games, and with Adalberto Mondesi sidelined, Lopez has moved up to the top of the order for the Royals. If he got dropped by an impatient GM a couple of weeks ago when his batting average was fighting to stay above .200, it's time to scoop him up. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Eric Sogard, Blue Jays: Weirdly enough, Sogard is basically the only constant for Toronto right now, as he keeps hitting leadoff regardless of what position on the diamond he's handling any particular day. He's even seeing action at DH to keep his bat in the lineup which, like I said, is just weird. Sogard's got a .382/.419/.603 slash line in June with three homers, a steal, seven RBI and 13 runs through 18 games, so you can hardly blame manager Charlie Montoya. Keep riding him while he's hot, but don't hesitate to cut him loose once the inevitable cooldown hits. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

Third Base

Michael Brosseau, Rays: With Yandy Diaz and Daniel Robertson both out, the Rays decided they needed a little extra depth at the hot corner and called up Brosseau for his big-league debut. The 25-year-old was having a big year for Triple-A Durham, slashing .313/.406/.579 through 66 games with 14 homers and 57 RBI, but he has yet to see any action for Tampa since his promotion. The power is a recent development for the semi-prospect, who mainly just showed a solid hit tool on his way up the ladder, so it's not clear if his bat will play in the majors if he were to see consistent playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Shortstop

Humberto Arteaga, Royals: The 25-year-old is filling in at shortstop for Mondesi, but he won't replace Mondesi's offense. Arteaga has gone 1-for-8 in his first three big-league games, and his .292/.323/.388 slash line at Triple-A Omaha barely qualifies as "solid". He did have 10 steals (in 15 attempts) in 58 games for Omaha, though, so he might contribute in that category is he can find a way on base once in a while. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Willie Calhoun, Rangers: With Hunter Pence and Joey Gallo on the shelf, Calhoun returned from his own IL stint to find a starting role waiting for him, and the 24-year-old has responded by slashing .261/.320/.478 through six games with a homer. There's never been much question about his offensive upside – just his attitude, work ethic and defensive limitations – but if he's still hitting when Pence gets healthy, the Rangers could have a dilemma on their hands that only a trade will resolve. Calhoun still seems like a good bet to somehow keep seeing consistent at-bats in the second half, if only because the club really needs to figure out whether he can be a key part of their rebuild ASAP. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Jake Cave, Twins: Cave is again filling in for a banged-up Byron Buxton, and while he did pick up two hits including a homer Saturday, they were his first hits in five games since his latest promotion. Occasional power remains his chief selling point as a fantasy asset, so don't consider him more than a short-term plug-in. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Terrance Gore, Royals: In most formats, Gore's limited playing time keeps him from fantasy relevance, but it can't be ignored that he's swiped six bases in seven appearances since June 11, even though he was only used as a pinch runner in three of them. If you're in a situation where it makes sense to essentially punt the other counting stats in a roster spot to add speed, Gore looks like he'll see consistent enough usage this season to move the needle in SBs. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Jordan Luplow, Cleveland: With Leonys Martin kicked to the curb, Luplow seems poised to move into a more consistent role, although the Bradley promotion probably keeps him from emerging as a starter. Luplow's splits suggest he's best deployed as a platoon option against LHP, but that would require Jake Bauers and Tyler Naquin to both be solid options against righties, which is far from guaranteed. More at-bats means more counting stats, though, so even if his batting average sags, Luplow's overall value should still rise if he breaks out of platoon usage. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Billy McKinney, Blue Jays: McKinney is back in the majors to provide some depth in the outfield and at first base while Justin Smoak is out. The 24-year-old wasn't doing much at Triple-A to earn a promotion, though, and his latest stint in the majors is likely to be a short one, although given how much of a mess the Jays roster is, you never know. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Danny Santana, Rangers: Santana keeps getting playing time and keeps raking, slashing .344/.354/.623 in June with three homers, three steals, nine RBI and 11 runs through 18 games. In leagues where players only need five games played to qualify at a position, his 1B/2B/SS/OF eligibility is extremely useful, and he's the kind of player that should be rostered even in shallow formats, as he can provide solid insurance for almost your entire active roster from one bench spot, freeing up more spots for upside plays. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned