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.

Starting Pitcher

Spencer Arrighetti, Astros: On May 8, Arrighetti had an 8.44 ERA through his first five big-league starts, and the "noodle-armed, uh-oh Arrighetti-O's" jokes were writing themselves (at least, for Houston fans of a certain age.) Since then, the right-hander has an entirely respectable 3.63 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 26:10 K:BB through 22.1 innings, and he's won three of his last four starts. The key to his improvement has been leaning less on his hittable mid-90s fastball, and instead mixing in a cutter more often to complement his curveball, changeup and sweeper. Arrighetti's issues in the minors were more about his control and command than his ability to generate whiffs, so I'm skeptical he'll keep this up, but the Astros know a thing or two about getting the most out of a pitcher. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Bowden Francis, Blue Jays: One of this year's poster boys for spring stats not mattering, Francis won a spot in the Opening Day rotation thanks to a strong performance in camp, and promptly got blown up when the game began to count. The 28-year-old righty got shifted to the bullpen, then the IL due to forearm tendinitis, but he's been sharp on his rehab stint (1.74 ERA, 11:2 K:BB through 10.1 Triple-A innings) and is poised to rejoin the big club this week. With Alek Manoah back on the shelf, Francis figures to start again, but the Jays might play it safe by using him as a bulk reliever or piggybacking him with Yariel Rodriguez once the Cuban is also healthy. Francis' spot in the rotation comes up twice this week, at home against the O's and on the road against the A's, so if you're in a gambling mood, he could be worth a short-term add. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Daniel Lynch, Royals: Lynch got called up for a spot start Thursday and didn't embarrass himself, giving up two earned runs in five innings against the Twins. The southpaw was promptly returned to Triple-A Omaha, but with Michael Wacha headed to the IL, he'll do a quick turnaround. Lynch has never lived up to his pedigree as a first-round pick in 2018, but he's the best option Kansas City has to plug a hole in the rotation. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2 

Luis Medina, Athletics: The 25-year-old right-hander has had a delayed start to his season due to a spring knee injury, but Medina seems poised to make his 2024 debut for Oakland on Sunday. He still boasts high-90s heat and a plus slider, but he doesn't always know where they're going, making him a risky fantasy option despite his upside. Really, the best path to value for Medina this season would come via a bullpen job that became a closer job following a Mason Miller trade, but that's a lot of dominoes that would need to fall to make him worth rostering. Unless he wows in his first start – and maybe not even then – he's probably better left on waivers. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Cody Poteet, Yankees: I will never see this guy's name without hearing Samwise Gamgee's voice in my head. Poteet moved into Clarke Schmidt's rotation spot Saturday and the Yankees didn't miss a beat, as the 29-year-old righty posted a 6:1 K:BB over five solid innings. He doesn't have premium stuff, but the offense supporting him gives Poteet good win potential so long as he can provide five or six decent innings each time out. Schmidt could be out a month or more, but Gerrit Cole could be ready before the end of June, which is the bigger threat to Poteet's role. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Mitch Spence, Athletics: Spence finally lasted at least five innings in his last start, so I feel a little more comfortable recommending him. The Rule 5 pick has been getting results since shifting to the rotation, posting a 2.08 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 12:5 K:BB through his last 13 innings, and on the season he's got a 12.1 percent whiff rate and 50.9 percent groundball rate, which is a solid combination. He's not going to become an ace, but Oakland will give Spence every chance to solidify a rotation spot. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

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

Joey Estes, Athletics (vs. SEA, vs. TOR)
Jake Woodford, White Sox (at CHC, vs. BOS)

Relief Pitcher

Yimi Garcia / Chad Green, Blue Jays: Time is a flat circle in the Toronto bullpen. The team began the year with Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson unavailable, and now here it is June, and Romaro and Swanson are once again not in the bullpen. Garcia's having an incredible season so far – he's been scored upon only once in his last 17 appearances, posting a 0.98 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and 22:6 K:BB through 18.1 innings over that stretch, and he's the most likely candidate to fill in as closer during Romano's latest IL stint. The bigger question is, will he keep the closer job when Romano returns? The latter is having the worst season of his career, and while Toronto has an organizational tendency to make changes slowly – too slowly, probably – if Garcia keeps dealing while working the ninth, it could be hard to move him back into a setup job. Green just came off the IL himself and hasn't struck out a batter in two scoreless appearances since his return, but he recorded two saves earlier in the year when manager John Schneider didn't want to remove Garcia from his high-leverage role, and the same thing could happen again. If you need saves help in a big way, Garcia's the one with season-long upside, but Green will be cheaper and is just as likely to get you a small handful of saves in the short term if that's all you're looking for. Garcia – 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered / Green – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Dany Jimenez, Athletics: Mason Miller's usage, and the A's reluctance to really push him given his injury history, leave him unavailable for a day or two more often than most other closers. That creates save opportunities for other guys in the bullpen – Lucas Erceg picked up a couple in late April-early May, and now Jimenez has one after getting the call in the ninth Saturday. The 30-year-old righty's control was going sideways when he was demoted about a month ago, but Jimenez has been sharper in Triple-A with a 12:5 K:BB in nine innings – not great, but better than the 12:13 K:BB he's stumbled to in the majors this season. Should Oakland pull the trigger on a Miller trade, Jimenez would be among the top candidates to replace him so long as he's finding the plate semi-consistently, and he did record 11 saves in 2022. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Will Klein / Will Smith / Angel Zerpa, Royals: James McArthur blew three of his seven save chances in May with a 9.00 ERA and 1.90 WHIP on the month, but he's still in the closer role for the Royals because all the team's other high-leverage options also sucked last month – John Schreiber had a 6.52 ERA and 2.17 WHIP, while Chris Stratton had a 5.73 ERA thanks largely to six walks in 11 innings. As a result, things could get very volatile in the KC bullpen over the next few weeks. Smith has turned things around, getting scored upon only once in his last 13 appearances with a 1.59 ERA and 0.88 WHIP, and he's got that closing experience managers seem to love, but a 5:3 K:BB over those last 11.1 innings isn't exactly reassuring. Klein was closing for Triple-A Omaha and his high-90s fastball and slider/curve combo seem like they could be a high-leverage arsenal, but he got tagged for two runs in one inning during his only appearance since his promotion in late May. Zerba has also been effective without being dominant as the top set-up lefty, getting scored on once in his last 14 appearances with a 0.71 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB in 12.2 innings. All these pitchers are just dart throws for now, but when it comes to saves, stashing guys early is a lot more cost-effective than waiting until they officially take over the job. Smith – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4 / Klein – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3 / Zerba – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

First Base

Jose Abreu, Astros: Abreu has been alternating starts with Jon Singleton since rejoining the big-league roster, and while the veteran has gone just 3-for-13 with six strikeouts so far, he did launch his first homer of the year Saturday off Joe Ryan. Singleton cooled off quickly when given a bigger workload and is slashing .208/.323/.283 over his last 16 games, so Abreu figures to get at least one more chance to secure the starting gig before the Astros look outside the organization for help. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Nick Loftin, Royals: Loftin has seen steady playing time since getting called back up last week, mostly at second base, but he's gone just 3-for-17 with a walk. Adam Frazier is also in the mix though (see below), and both players should continue to get looks as Michael Massey's replacement until one of them gets hot. Loftin at least was producing for Triple-A Omaha, slashing .309/.409/.489 over 24 games with three homers and three steals. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Second Base

Adam Frazier, Royals: Frazier's playing time has picked up with Massey on the shelf, and the veteran utility player has responded by batting .280 (7-for-25) over his last 10 games with a .357 OBP and a steal. He offers very little upside, especially in the power department, but if you need someone to get on base, score some runs and swipe an occasional bag, you could do worse. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Nicky Lopez, White Sox: Speaking of which, Lopez is batting .378 (14-for-37) since May 20, but he has little in the way of counting stats to shown for it – one double, one triple, two RBI, five runs and zero steals. The 29-year-old infielder did hit .300 over 565 plate appearances in 2021, but he's got a .230 batting average over the last two-plus seasons and is a brutal 2-for-7 on steal attempts this year. He's basically a one-category asset even when he's locked in, but if you need that batting average boost, Lopez could have some short-term value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Lenyn Sosa, White Sox: Sosa's not quite stuck in Quad-A purgatory yet, but he's running out of chances to prove he can contribute in the majors. The 24-year-old has a career .282/.333/.506 slash line over 631 plate appearances at Triple-A with 32 homers, but in the big leagues he's got a .183/.208/.307 line in 254 PAs. The White Sox have all kinds of playing time available if he does begin to click – their current starting infield features Lopez, Paul DeJong and Danny Mendick – but you're likely better off making him prove something before picking him up. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Enmanuel Valdez, Red Sox: Valdez is quietly having a breakout season when it comes to power, slugging six homers in 20 games for Triple-A Worcester and four in 31 games for the BoSox, including two Saturday off Matt Olson. He's not making much contact, but he's at least hitting it hard when he does. Valdez will handle at least a strong-side platoon role at second base while Vaughn Grissom is back on the IL, and he could be a sneaky-good add if you need the power and aren't concerned about your batting average. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Third Base

DJ LeMahieu, Yankees: DJLM has started four of five games since coming off the IL and gone 3-for-13 with three walks and four runs scored while mainly batting ninth. It's not clear exactly how much the 35-year-old has left in the tank, but he had hit double-digit homers in six straight seasons coming into 2024 and drawn at least 60 free passes in three straight, so at least you know what you're getting from him. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Daniel Schneemann, Guardians: I feel like bidding on this guy just based on that 65-grade name alone. I dare you to say it without adding about three extra e's into the middle. Schneemann isn't just a fun sound to make, though – the 27-year-old earned his big-league debut by slashing .294/.428/.556 with 10 homers and four steals in 53 games for Triple-A Columbus while playing all over the diamond. Cleveland already has one of those guys in David Fry, of course, but the Guardians never feel like they have too many utility players, and Gabriel Arias isn't exactly doing much to prove he should stick around, slashing .151/.207/.208 since the beginning of May. Schneeeeemann could be auditioning for his spot. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Gio Urshela, Tigers: The 32-year-old missed just under a month due to a hamstring strain, but he seems healthy now, homering in two of the last three games and batting .348 (8-for-23) over his last seven contests. Urshela tends to have trouble staying healthy, but he's got a solid stick when he's in the lineup. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Shortstop

Ryan Bliss, Mariners: The 24-year-old was called up Monday and has seen semi-regular action for the M's, going just 1-for-7 at the plate but drawing four walks against only one strikeout while scoring four runs and swiping his first two bases in the majors Saturday. Bliss, one of the prospects picked up in the Paul Sewald deal last year, might be a couple years away from really contributing as a hitter, but his speed can play right now – he's 48-for-58 on steal attempts for Triple-A Tacoma over the last two years. Jorge Polanco figures to be back soon though, and with J.P. Crawford also healthy, there may not be a spot for Bliss on the 26-man roster. He's better viewed as a dynasty stash than a redraft dart throw. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Aledmys Diaz, Athletics: Diaz made his season debut Wednesday after multiple lower-body injuries him sidelined him since the beginning of spring training, and he's started the last three games in his usual utility role, getting the nod once at shortstop and twice at first base. The 33-year-old would likely need an injury ahead of him on the depth chart somewhere to settle into a starting role at one position, but he should see enough playing time bouncing around the diamond to have theoretical value. The question is whether he does much with the at-bats – his .617 OPS last year was a career low, and he doesn't offer much power or speed. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

David Hamilton, Red Sox: Hamilton's roster rates remain too low given his upside and seemingly clear path to a starting job for the rest of the year. Over his last 15 games, the 26-year-old is slashing .341/.396/.523 with a homer and five steals, and Vaughn Grissom is back on the IL while Ceddanne Rafaela is back in center field. Even if the rest of his batting line regresses, Hamilton's speed is legit – he stole an eye-popping 128 bags on 149 attempts in the high minors in 2022-23. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Rostered

Garrett Hampson, Royals: Hampson's quietly in a bit of a groove, hitting safely in seven straight games while going 9-for-17 (.529) with two doubles, three walks and a steal. He's mainly worked a short-side platoon role, but between Michael Massey's injury and Kyle Isbel's struggles, the door to more playing time could crack open if he keeps producing. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Danny Mendick, White Sox: With Bryan Ramos returned to the minors to continue his development, Chicago's stuck with Mendick as its starter at the hot corner. The 30-year-old utility player's slashing .179/.220/.333 in 14 games since coming off the IL with a 1:12 BB:K, so that's really not a good idea, but the White Sox aren't really concerned with winning games this season. Yoan Moncada will be back eventually, and younger player like Lenyn Sosa could hit their way into more playing time, but for now Mendick will get ABs, if not much else. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Outfield

Miguel Andujar, Athletics: It's been a long, long time and a lot of injuries since Andujar's breakout 2018 season, but the 29-year-old might just be fully healthy again. He's come roaring out of the gate since making his season debut May 24, and if you made a token bid for him last week, congratulations – he's batting .448 (13-for-29) with two homers and 12 RBI in his first seven games. The easiest comp here might be to Jurickson Profar, another top prospect whose career got derailed by shoulder trouble but who has also had a resurgence in 2024. Andujar still has an awful lot to prove, and there are things to worry about in his profile (like a 0.2 degree launch angle...) but the sample size is still small enough that noise could be drowning out the signal. If you want rosier advanced metrics to hang an aggressive bid on, his 110.8 mph max exit velocity is a match for the likes of Teoscar Hernandez and Alec Bohm, while his 10.7 percent barrel rate sits between Ketel Marte and Elly De La Cruz. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Akil Baddoo, Tigers: Baddoo rejoined the big-league roster Wednesday and has started three of the last five games while hitting his first MLB homer of 2024. He has only one other hit since his promotion with a 0:5 BB:K in 12 plate appearances though, so it doesn't look like the 25-year-old has really figured anything out. With Parker Meadows looking much more confident at Triple-A (.288/.371/.627 over his last 15 games for Toledo with four homers and six steals), the clock is probably ticking on Baddoo's time in the majors. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Oscar Colas, White Sox: With Andrew Benintendi on the IL and Andrew Vaughn potentially about to join him, Colas was called up Saturday to provide some depth. The 25-year-old outfielder was showing signs of improved plate discipline at Triple-A, slashing .274/.423/.435 over his last 19 games for Triple-A Charlotte with a 14:16 BB:K, and even if Vaughn doesn't miss much more time, the White Sox might decide to keep Colas around instead of the struggling Dominic Fletcher. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Blue Jays: The 29-year-old utility player is doing his best to justify the head-scratcher of a contract he got this offseason -- two years and $15 millions doesn't sound like a lot for an established big-league player, but Kiner-Falefa came into 2024 with a career .660 OPS, and the assumption was that he was eminently fungible. IKF is instead putting together a modest career year at the plate, and he's even hotter right, batting .361 (13-for-36) over his last 10 games with three doubles, a triple and two homers. He won't keep up that pace, but his position flex (he's added second base to his portfolio this year after qualifying at third base and outfield from 2023) makes him useful while he's locked in at the plate. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Parker Meadows, Tigers: As mentioned above, Meadows seems to have done just about everything Detroit could have wanted to see him do when the demoted him in early May, slashing .288/.371/.627 over his last 15 games for Triple-A Toledo with four homers and six steals. With Kerry Carpenter on IL and Wenceel Perez having cooled off, there's a clear need for Meadows in the big-league outfield. The 24-year-old still has enough of a prospect sheen that bidding could be fierce when he does get promoted, so stash him now on the cheap if you can. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Max Schuemann, Athletics: The unheralded 26-year-old has seized control of the starting shortstop job in Oakland, and over his last 12 games he's produced five multi-hit performances (including four knocks Saturday in Atlanta) while slashing .333/.362/.444 and scoring a run in five straight contests. Schuemann mainly bats ninth in a weak lineup, but he does have some steals upside, having swiped 48 bags in 206 games in the minors over the prior two seasons. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Matt Vierling, Tigers: Vierling's coming off quite a week. The 27-year-old went yard four times in a two-day span (a two-homer effort, then a long ball in each end of a twin bill) as part of an active six-game hitting streak that's seen him go 12-for-26 (.462). The surge has boosted his slash line on the season to .292/.324/.509, and moved him into a full-time role as he bounces between right field and third base. A Meadows promotion likely wouldn't hurt him, and might even solidify his spot in RF if Perez is the player sent down to make room. Of course, Vierling won't keep up this pace, but his playing-time floor and position flex still gives him utility in shallower formats. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Jamie Westbrook, Red Sox: The 28-year-old will get his first taste of the majors, coming up to take Romy Gonzalez's spot on the bench. Westbrook has seen some time at the keystone during his minor-league career, so he could fill in as a short-side platoon partner for Enmanuel Valdez in the short term. Westbrook did post an intriguing .294/.400/.495 slash line with 21 homers for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2023, but his .267/.364/.436 line through 49 games for Worcester is a lot less appealing. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1