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.

The grid below allows readers to see at a glance how certain players stack up against others and what kind of bids they should command in a variety of formats. The grid, which is 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, which are already factored into the recommended bid. Nick Kurtz 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.

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 or on our Discord.

Starting Pitcher

Peter Lambert, Astros: If you'd asked me before the season started which ex-Rockies pitcher would become relevant after escaping his mountain prison, I likely would have guessed German Marquez. Instead, it's Lambert who's suddenly looking like a stud after spending 2025 in Japan. The 29-year-old right-hander has fanned eight batters in each of his first two starts since being an emergency addition to the rotation, posting a 16:4 K:BB over 11 innings to go along with a 3.27 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, and the remarkable thing is that he isn't doing much different than he did when calling Coors Field home. Houston hasn't radically altered his pitch mix or anything, other than emphasizing his cutter a little more; everything's just been more effective closer to sea level. Lambert's averaging a career-high 95.2 mph with his four-seamer, and he's posted whiff rates north of 40 percent with an incredible three different offerings (the four-seam fastball, his slider, and his changeup). The sample size is small of course, and the Cardinals and Guardians weren't the toughest opponents, but neither offense has been among the dregs of the league this year against RHP either. It's very possible the Astros have found something here. Lambert gets a tougher test with a two-step through the AL East this week and road starts in Baltimore and Boston, but that might just mean this is your last chance to get him cheap if he aces that test. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Davis Martin, White Sox: I keep waffling on writing up Martin, but his numbers are too good to ignore at this point. The right-hander has delivered four straight quality starts, and on the season he's posted a 2.01 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 26:7 K:BB through 31.1 innings. I'm not buying it, mind you – his K rate is a career-high 22.0 percent, but his swinging strike rate is a career-low 9.2 percent, to pick just one red flag – but he's not walking anybody and is keeping hitters off balance with a deep arsenal that's seen him use six different pitches at least 10 percent of the time so far, and that's the kind of profile that can provide a steady fantasy floor, even if he doesn't offer the ceiling his current ratios suggest. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Connor Prielipp, Twins: Called up to make his big-league debut Wednesday, the 25-year-old southpaw lasted only four innings and 82 pitches in a start, but a 6:0 K:BB is encouraging, even if it came against a Mets squad that was in a death spiral at the time. Prielipp has had two elbow surgeries since being a second-round pick in 2022 and threw just 82.2 innings in 2025, so the Twins are understandably cautious with his workload, but his four-seamer hums in at 95-96 mph and can touch the high 90s, and his changeup and slider can both flash plus at times. He's got some deception in his delivery as well and added a curveball to his arsenal at Triple-A, although he didn't use it much in his big-league debut. Prrielipp's control and command are both works in progress, understandable considering how much development time he's missed, but you can see the upside. Mick Abel may not miss much time with elbow inflammation, but if Prielipp does well in his initial audition, Minnesota could keep him around when Abel returns and bump a struggling Simeon Woods Richardson from the rotation instead. Prielipp gets two starts at home this week, but they're both against dangerous opponents in the M's and Blue Jays, making him a high-risk, high-reward add in redraft. Keeper and dynasty leagues GMs should make him a little higher priority. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Payton Tolle, Red Sox: Eleven strikeouts in six innings in your season debut is how you get people to blow their FAAB budgets on you. Tolle has plenty of upside, and with the Red Sox sending a very strong signal this weekend that they're about to view 2026 as a rebuilding year when they fired basically the entire big-league coaching staff from Alex Cora on down, the 23-year-old southpaw and Magnum PI cosplayer figures to be more than just a short-term plug-in while Sonny Gray is on the shelf. (Brayan Bello has minor-league options remaining. Just sayin'.) Tolle tore through four levels of the system last year, starting 2025 at High-A and finishing it in the majors, and his strikeout upside is real as he rides elite extension on a 96-97 mph four-seamer and developing toolkit of secondary offerings. 12-team Mixed: $15; 15-team Mixed: $25; 12-team AL: $45

Walbert Urena, Angels: Had Urena joined the rotation a couple days later than he did, he might be getting a lot more of a push in this week's column. His first career MLB start last Sunday was incredible, as he posted an 8:2 K:BB over a six-inning quality start while touching triple-digit velocity with both his four-seam fastball and his sinker. The 22-year-old right-hander got another turn Saturday in Kansas City, however, and while he was still popping 100 on the radar gun, five walks in 3.2 innings put the brakes on any fantasy buzz. Urena's an easy arm to dream on, but until he finds at least adequate control – he issued 77 free passes in 145 innings in the high minors last year – he carries too much risk in redraft and should be viewed as more of a deep keeper or dynasty lottery ticket. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Brandon Young, Orioles: The 27-year-old right-hander is a perfectly cromulent depth starter, and through two outings for the O's this year he's produced a 2.53 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 7:3 K:BB in 10.2 innings, winning both starts. Baltimore's offense is good enough that Young could keep stumbling into the win column with five solid innings, but he's just a temp until Dean Kremer gets healthy or someone like Trey Gibson takes a step forward at Triple-A. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Two-start options, Mon-Sun

Via RotoWire's Probable Pitchers grid

Shane Baz, Orioles (vs. HOU, at NYY)
Anthony Kay, White Sox (vs. LAA, at SD)
Jack Kochanowicz, Angels (at CHW, vs. NYM)
Jack Leiter, Rangers (vs. NYY, at DET)
Jacob Lopez, Athletics (vs. KC, vs. CLE)
Steven Matz, Rays (at CLE, vs. SF)

Relief Pitcher

Enyel De Los Santos, Astros: The right-hander has now converted three straight save chances and has been scored upon in just one of his last seven appearances, so De Los Santos appears to be the closer du jour for Houston. Josh Hader is still a month-plus away from coming off the 60-day IL, and the Astros offense has come around, so there could be plenty of saves to be had in this bullpen. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Jacob Latz, Rangers: Skip Schumaker is just messing with people at this point. Jakob Junis appears to be the manager's most trusted high-leverage arm at this point, but it's been two weeks since he got a save chance. Saturday it was Junis handling the eighth inning against the bottom part of the A's order with a one-run lead, while Latz got the ninth with Nick Kurtz due up third. It was the first one-inning save of Latz's career (he had one of the three-inning variety last season), and his 1.23 ERA, 0.48 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB through 14.2 innings certainly give him some late-inning appeal. Schumaker seems like he'll be playing matchups with his high-leverage arms, which could mean Cole Winn factors into the ninth at some point too, but Latz at least appears to be in the picture, even if Junis should still be viewed as the nominal favorite for saves. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Daniel Lynch, Royals: Lucas Erceg is still closing for KC, but his 5.23 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and especially his 7:8 K:BB through 10.1 innings have him on very shaky ground, not to mention his two blown saves in his last three chances. Carlos Estevez has yet to begin a rehab assignment, although he is throwing bullpens, and is probably at least a couple weeks away. If Erceg gets yanked from the ninth inning, Matt Strahm is generally viewed as the next man up, but it's actually Lynch who's been the Royals' best reliever so far. The 29-year-old lefty has a 0.87 ERA, 0.48 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB through 10.1 innings with three holds in 10 appearances, and his slider has a criminal 66.7 percent whiff rate. Lynch is the kind of guy who will at least give you good ratios even if he doesn't see save chances, and if you believe in rostering skills on your pitching staff and letting the role part sort itself out, he fits that profile perfectly. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Louis Varland, Blue Jays: After I wrote up Varland last week, he's collected his first two career saves – the first came on just one pitch when he got a double play to bail out Jeff Hoffman, while the second required a much shakier 30 pitches Saturday after Toronto manager John Schneider had made it official that Hoffman was out as closer, at least temporarily. Varland has been absolutely elite to begin the season, posting a 0.64 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 21:4 K:BB over 14 innings, and while Saturday's stumble at least create a little doubt whether he can handle the pressure of regular ninth-inning duty, it's far more likely that he settles in and seizes the role for the rest of 2026. 12-team Mixed: $7; 15-team Mixed: $15; 12-team AL: $25

Catcher

Travis d'Arnaud, Angels: Logan O'Hoppe took a foul tip off his left wrist Saturday, and while there's been no word yet on the severity of his injury (if any), his immediate reaction didn't look good. If he ends up missing time, d'Arnaud would almost certainly step into the starting spot for the Halos, considering they don't even have another catcher on the 40-man roster. d'Arnaud hasn't offered much fantasy appeal of late, but the 37-year-old did hit 15 homers in 99 games in 2024, so he might have a little something left in the tank. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Others:

Drew Romo, White Sox 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Second Base

Brice Matthews, Astros: Houston's running out of center fielders. Jake Meyers, Taylor Trammell and Joey Loperfido are all on the IL, and even Dustin Harris got hit in the hand by a pitch soon after joining the club. That's given the Astros an opportunity to take a longer look at Matthews, and he's started five straight games (three in center, two in left) while going 3-for-15 with two doubles and a 2:4 BB:K. The latter numbers are the most important – if the 24-year-old has improved his plate discipline to at least adequate levels, he's got the skills to be a fantasy asset after hitting 17 homers and stealing 41 bags in 112 games last season for Triple-A Sugar Land. Matthews is still just a dart throw, but an intriguing one. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Daniel Schneemann, Guardians: Cleveland's unheralded middle infielders have been absolutely raking of late. I wrote up Schneemann last week, but I wasn't optimistic enough. Over his last 12 games, the 29-year-old is slashing a stunning .441/.558/.794 with three doubles, three homers, eight runs and 10 RBI along with a 9:13 BB:K. The Guardians' roster is built to take advantage of hot streaks like this given their ability to shift guys around, so ride Schneemann while he's hot. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Others:

Zack Gelof, Athletics 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2
Leo Rivas Mariners 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2
Will Wilson, Mariners 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Third Base

Royce Lewis, Twins: For once, an injury didn't lead to a lengthy absence for Lewis. The 26-year-old missed the minimum with a knee sprain, and in four games since rejoining the lineup he's gone 3-for-16 with a homer and a 0:6 BB:K. Lewis has had a rough start to the season, and his spotty track record the last couple years has a lot of GMs understandably wary of him, but he's still got too much upside to be on the waiver wire in most formats. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Amed Rosario, Yankees: Rosario's another guy I've had on my list then dropped at the final cut in the last couple columns, and until he starts getting more consistent playing time against right-handed pitching he's tough to use in shallower leagues. It's hard to ignore the numbers though – Ryan McMahon has a putrid .570 OPS in 68 plate appearances, while Rosario has an .828 mark in 63 PAs. If you want to get ahead of a potential McMahon benching – which, to be clear, may not happen, as he does have four hits and a homer in his last three games – then stashing Rosario now is probably the play. (Or you can just cut out the middle man and grab George Lombard, who's slashing .329/.415/.600 at Triple-A while seeing occasional action at the hot corner, but I don't think the Yankees are quite there yet.) 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Shortstop

Brayan Rocchio, Guardians: Much like Schneemann, I wrote up Rocchio last week and then watched him get even hotter at the plate. Rocchio's hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games while slashing .410/.439/.615 with two doubles, two homers, a steal, six runs and 10 RBI. The shortstop won't keep that up, but his drastically improved contact rate means his modest batted-ball profile (his AEV of 85.4 mph is in the seventh percentile, and his 28.9 percent hard-hit rate in 12th percentile) gets more chances to compile value, and that does add up in the long run. The end result might be a J.P. Crawford-like line, but that's still a lot better than Rocchio was projected for a month ago. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Others:

Braden Shewmake, Astros 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Carlos Cortes, Athletics: Huh, I underestimated a lot of guys last week. Cortes remains stuck in a purely platoon role, limiting his counting-stat upside and his appeal in leagues with weekly moves rather than daily ones, but there's no denying the 28-year-old has been hitting the cover off the ball of late. Cortes has hit safely in six straight games, going 11-for-22 during that stretch with three doubles, three homers, four runs and five RBI. With Brent Rooker returning from the IL on Sunday, Cortes' playing time will take a hit, but the A's still have a spot open in the outfield and Zack Gelof clearly isn't the answer. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Tyler O'Neill, Orioles: O'Neill came off the IL on Saturday and slid back into his usual spot in right field. The 30-year-old can't stay healthy, but he slugged 31 homers in 113 games for Boston just two years ago, so it's not like he's completely washed. The upside is still worth stashing him on your bench if he manages to stay in the lineup and heat up for a few weeks. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Myles Straw, Blue Jays: Nathan Lukes is the latest Toronto outfielder to land on the IL, and neither George Springer nor Addison Barger have clear return dates yet, although both seem close-ish. That leaves a window for Straw to get regular playing time, and the veteran speedster has hit .324 (12-for-37) to begin the season with one steal in two attempts. He went 12-for-13 on stolen bases last season in 299 PAs, and the Jays could use a little extra juice on the basepaths as they try to spark the offense. Straw's just a short-term option, but he could contribute in valuable categories. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Others:

Daniel Johnson, Astros 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
Alejandro Osuna, Rangers 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2
Yohendrick Pinango, Blue Jays 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2
Colby Thomas, Athletics 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1