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

Jaime Barria, Angels: Griffin Canning's elbow injury will allow Barria to stick around in the rotation after a useful start in Arlington on Tuesday. The righty hasn't thrown a quality start all year while bouncing between the majors and the minors, though, and his 6.35 ERA with the Angels is a fairly accurate reflection of how he's pitched (5.66 FIP). 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Clay Buchholz, Blue Jays: The veteran hurler has lived up to his fragile reputation this season, as his last start for Toronto came May 5 before he was shut down due to shoulder trouble. Buchholz wasn't coming close to matching his 2018 performance before he hit the IL, but he'll at least give the Jays an excuse not to rush any of their upper-minors pitching prospects to the bigs. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Brock Burke, Rangers: Picked up from the Rays in the Jurickson Profar deal this offseason, Burke was sharp once again at Double-A this season but walked six batters in eight innings at Triple-A before getting the call to the majors, highlighting one of the areas he still needs to work on. The southpaw looks like a James Paxton starter kit – the 23-year-old stands an imposing 6-4 on the mound and slings the ball from a three-quarter arm slot but still needs to fill out a bit, and while his fastball and slider are both potentially plus pitches, he'll either need to add a reliable third offering or drastically improve his command in order to emerge as a mid-rotation arm. After blanking the Angels for six innings in his debut, he's all but locked into a rotation spot for the Rangers down the stretch, and his upside makes him an intriguing pickup if you need pitching reinforcements. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Felix Hernandez, Mariners: King Felix returned to the mound Saturday after being out since May 11 due to a slow-healing lat strain, but he once again looked ready to be deposed, issuing three free passes and serving up two homers in 5.2 innings. There's little reason to think Hernandez will turn back the clock in September, but Seattle doesn't have any better rotation options. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Brian Johnson, Red Sox: Johnson keeps falling back into a rotation spot for Boston due to injuries, no matter how badly he pitches when he's in the role. In six starts this season, he's got a 4.50 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and 14:8 K:BB in 20 innings – short outings which are as much a reflection of the way he's never really been given a chance to stretch out as anything. With Chris Sale out for the year, though, Johnson might finally get a chance to settle in. Whether that means he'll deliver better results is another question, of course, but he has shown flashes in the past. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Ivan Nova, White Sox: Look, I get it. Nova was awful in the first half and doesn't rack up K's, and you don't want to be the sucker in your league who finally picks him up only for him to immediately fall apart again. Nonetheless, he hasn't given up more than two runs in any of his last seven starts, posting a 0.94 ERA and 0.90 WHIP over that stretch. That's over a month of elite performance, at least in those two categories, and he's still rostered in less than a quarter of ESPN leagues. If you have ground to gain in ratios, it's past time to fix that. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

Trevor Richards, Rays: While it initially looked like Tampa would use Richards as a primary pitcher behind an opener, he's instead actually started in his first two appearances for the club and looked pretty good, posting an 11:2 K:BB in 9.1 innings. Having a plus-plus changeup as his only good pitch makes him volatile – if opposition hitters can lay off it, they'll punish his other offerings – but he showed his upside Friday with six scoreless innings against the O's. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Justus Sheffield, Mariners: Sheffield was a hot commodity as a prospect when he was sent west in the Paxton deal, but the young lefty has struggled this season in the Seattle system, pitching so badly at Triple-A Tacoma that he got sent back down to Double-A to get straightened out (and avoid the supercharged offensive environment in the PCL). It worked, though – Sheffield had a 2.19 ERA and 85:18 K:BB in 78 innings for Arkansas this year, and he'll jump straight over Triple-A to fill a rotation spot for the M's down the stretch. He's still trying to refine his changeup and command enough to be a starter in the long term, but his fastball and slider both flash plus, so he could be looking at an Andrew Miller career path in the long run. Seattle will give him every chance to stick as a starter, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Brock Stewart, Blue Jays: The Jays' patchwork rotation may have found another bit of colorful cloth to add in Stewart. The former Dodger has won three straight appearances as a primary pitcher working behind an opener, posting a 3.77 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 10:3 K:BB in 14.1 innings in August. There isn't a lot of upside here, but with an exciting young offense at his back, Stewart could be a cheap source of September wins. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Framber Valdez, Astros: Houston remains snakebit when it comes to finding a fifth starter, and there's now talk that Aaron Sanchez will move to the bullpen once he recovers from his pectoral strain. Gosh, what a tough break for the team with three aces at the top of its rotation. Valdez will once again slide into the role, and he's been on a strikeout tear at Triple-A, posting a 3.33 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 13.3 K/9 while winning four straight starts. Big-league hitters caught on to him pretty quickly in June when he first got his shot, but if he's made adjustments since then, the 25-year-old southpaw has some upside. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Drew VerHagen, Tigers: Of all the improbably impressive pitching performances this year, VerHagen's 11-K domination of the Twins on Friday is right near the top of the list. The right-hander made his big-league debut for Detroit in 2014 and has never shown much sign that he'd even be anything more than a swing man at best (5.09 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 176.2 career innings), and not too long ago he was stuck piggybacking on Daniel Norris' abbreviated starts. Now he's got a shot at putting himself in the club's 2020 rotation plans. He's still probably just another fungible arm, but if you want to get a jump on potentially the next Matthew Boyd, grab VerHagen now. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
 

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

Homer Bailey, Athletics (at KC, at NYY)

Aaron Brooks, Orioles (at WAS, at KC)

Andrew Heaney, Angels (vs. TEX, vs. BOS)

Brad Keller, Royals (vs. OAK, vs. BAL)

Yusei Kikuchi, Mariners (vs. NYY, at TEX)

Mike Montgomery, Royals (vs. OAK, vs. BAL)

Daniel Norris, Tigers (vs. CLE, vs. MIN)

Michael Pineda, Twins (at CHW, at DET)

Adam Plutko, Cleveland (at DET, at TB)
 

Relief Pitcher

Rafael Montero, Rangers: The former Met missed all of 2018 recovering from Tommy John surgery but has looked like a late-inning weapon since re-emerging with the Rangers, popping 96 mph with his fastball and posting a 1.08 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 19:5 K:BB through 16.2 innings with two wins and three holds in his last eight appearances. Montero was considered a possible closer in New York if he ever got shifted to the bullpen full-time, and he's flashing quality stuff in short bursts now. Texas' closer situation is still unsettled, so if he keeps delivering, he could work his way into the mix, either in September or next spring. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

A.J. Puk, Athletics: The talented young lefty made his big-league debut this week in a relief role and, well, it hasn't exactly gone smoothly. Puk's recorded only one out in two appearances, walking two batters and uncorking a wild pitch, but he's averaged 98.3 mph with his fastball and the A's still want his long-term future to be in the rotation. He's mainly worth targeting as a keeper stash as a result, but once he shakes off the jitters he could have some 2019 value as a high-K reliever. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
 

Catcher

John Hicks, Tigers: Hicks remains in a bench role for Detroit, seeing action in only 12 games so far in August, but he's slashing .295/.326/.545 with three homers. For a catcher-eligible player, that's worth paying attention to, and while the club seems committed to living with Jake Rogers' growing pains, the kid is hitting .119 since his promotion, potentially opening the door for a few more starts for Hicks while Ron Gardenhire gives Rogers some mental breaks. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Tom Murphy, Mariners: Scott Servais is such a card. Murphy's homered six times in his last four starts behind the plate, so naturally Omar Narvaez has started the last three games for the M's while Murphy can't even buy some DH at-bats over a slumping Daniel Vogelbach. The power surge has taken the former Rockie's slash line to .292/.323/.611 on the year, and while DJ LeMahieu has gotten all the attention for his outstanding performance now that he's away from Coors Field, Murphy's own improbably eruption shouldn't be overlooked. Even if it currently being overlooked by his own manager. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Kevan Smith, Angels: The 31-year-old missed two weeks with back spasms but is back in a timeshare behind the plate with Max Stassi. Smith does have a .273/.320/.374 career slash line in the majors, so he could help a bit in batting average down the stretch. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2
 

Second Base

Nick Solak, Rangers: The 24-year-old got called up Tuesday and played both ends of a doubleheader in his big-league debut, as strong a sign as you'll get that a club intends to give a prospect regular playing time. Solak's responded by hitting .333 (7-for-21) through his first six games with two doubles and a homer. He's played second base and DH so far, but Texas seems interested in trying him out at other spots and it's easy to see him handling the super-utility role Profar filled for the Rangers in 2018, or that Danny Santana has claimed this year, with similar success. Solak's offensive profile is driven by his hit tool, but he's got some pop and speed, too, although he hasn't run much this year (just five steals in seven attempts at Triple-A). Given his upside, path to consistent at-bats and possible positional versatility, he could end up being a key addition to your roster for the final stretch of the season. 12-team Mixed: $4; 15-team Mixed: $9; 12-team AL: $19

Joey Wendle, Rays: Wendle's had trouble staying healthy this season, and during his last IL stint the Rays picked up Eric Sogard and learned to trust Mike Brosseau, so it's not clear where the 29-year-old will fit into the Tampa roster puzzle down the stretch. Even though he hasn't been hitting the way he did last year, Wendle has still been running – he's got four steals in five attempts through just 46 games, and he could make a sneaky contribution in that category if he finds his way into the lineup often enough. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4
 

Third Base

Hanser Alberto, Orioles: For most of the year, Alberto's been a useful, if surprising, source of an empty batting average. Apparently, that wasn't good enough for the 26-year-old. Over his last 12 games, Alberto's slashing .300/.327/.660 with four of his 10 homers on the year, as well as 11 RBI and 13 runs. I'd say there's no way he can keep it up, but the dude never hit above .222 in the majors prior to this season, so all bets are way, way off at this point. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Abraham Toro, Astros: One of the year's top pop-up prospects, Toro raked at Double-A (.906 OPS and 16 homers in 98 games) and destroyed Triple-A (1.112 OPS and 10:5 BB:K in 16 games) to earn his promotion, and he'll handle third base for Houston while Alex Bregman again slides over to short to cover for Carlos Correa's latest IL stint. The 22-year-old switch hitter has a strong hit tool and solid batting eye, and while it's still not clear how much power he'll have in the long run, he won't need to be a 30-HR threat to have fantasy value with that profile, especially in the Astros' lineup. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15
 

Shortstop

Willi Castro, Tigers: Henry Ford would be proud – Detroit's utility infielder assembly line has cranked out another model. (The 22-year-old is probably good enough defensively at shortstop to avoid getting pigeon-holed as a utility player, truth be told, but I couldn't give up the joke). Castro – not to be confused with teammate Harold Castro – went 2-for-4 with a double in his big-league debut Saturday after slashing .301/.366/.467 with 11 homers and 17 steals through 119 games for Triple-A Toledo this year. From a fantasy perspective, his profile is similar to the Mets' Amed Rosario, only Castro doesn't quite have Rosario's athletic upside but does have a more refined hit tool to make up for it. He could start making modest but solid five-category contributions right away, and the Tigers have nothing to lose by giving him regular playing time down the stretch. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Mike Freeman, Cleveland: Jose Ramirez may have seen his season end Saturday due to a broken hamate bone, giving Cleveland limited options to fill in for him down the stretch at the hot corner. Hey, whatever happened to Gio Urshela, anyway... ? Freeman is probably the first man up, and the 32-year-old utility man has actually been decent at the plate this year in his first extended run in the majors, slashing .283/.371/.442 through 51 games. That's probably about his ceiling if he's pressed into regular duty, and additional exposure to left-handed pitching could drag those numbers down in a hurry, but Freeman should at least pick up some extra counting stats to compensate. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Ronny Rodriguez, Tigers: Shoot, I could have used the Henry Ford joke here instead. Oh well. Rodriguez is more in the Niko Goodrum vein than Castro is, but he had already pushed his way into the starting lineup even before Goodrum strained his groin. Over seven straight starts, Rodriguez is hitting .346 (9-for-26) with three homers and a steal, and the 27-year-old now has a career-high 21 home runs between Triple-A and the bigs this season. Especially if his strikeout rate returns to the 20 percent vicinity it was usually in during his minor-league career, Rodriguez could provide a useful bat down the stretch. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Andrelton Simmons, Angels: Out since the first game of August with an ankle injury, Simmons rejoined the Angels' lineup Friday. He's been producing at his usual pace this season despite the difficulty he's had staying healthy, hitting .271 with five homers and nine steals through 75 games, but he'll need to avoid aggravating the issue to have a strong finish to 2019. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5
 

Outfield

Jake Fraley, Mariners: Fraley came over from Tampa in the offseason as a seemingly secondary piece of the Mallex Smith/Mike Zunino swap, but after a breakout performance in the minors, he could end up being the headliner in the history books. The 24-year-old tore up Double-A with a .313/.386/.539 slash line, 11 homers and 16 steals through 61 games before getting bumped to Triple-A, where he lost 30-odd points of batting average but still showed an impressive power/speed profile with eight long balls and six swipes in 38 games. Fraley got called up to the bigs Wednesday and has started three straight games, going 2-for-12 with a double. There could be lots of competition for at-bats in the Seattle outfield in September once Mitch Haniger and Braden Bishop are in the mix along with Smith and the various utility players the team has been rotating through, but Fraley's glove in center field should keep him in the lineup even if he doesn't take off right away at the plate. The upside is there for him to make at least a four-category impact if things do begin to click for him, though. 12-team Mixed: $4; 15-team Mixed: $9; 12-team AL: $19

Scott Heineman, Rangers: The 26-year-old got called back up early this week and has seen semi-consistent playing time, starting five of seven games and going 3-for-18 with a walk, a double and two RBI. Heineman's ABs largely came because Danny Santana was banged up, though, and if Solak starts to see action in an outfield corner, Heineman path to a lineup spot becomes a lot murkier despite his big numbers at Triple-A. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2