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

Shane Bieber, Blue Jays: The 31-year-old right-hander may be finding his form, just in time to boost Toronto's playoff push and/or make himself a more attractive trade asset. Bieber tossed six scoreless innings against the White Sox on Saturday, setting season highs in innings and Ks with six. Generally I don't put this much stock in one good outing, but Bieber's name value will draw attention on the wire, and pickings are a bit slim this week coming out of the All-Star break, since MLB teams didn't do anything transaction-wise for the first part of the week. He doesn't have the Cy Young upside he did earlier in his career, but Bieber could still put together a very respectable close to the campaign. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Ronel Blanco, Astros: Blanco's 2025 was a predictable step back from his breakout 2024, but the 32-year-old righty still profiles as a decent depth arm, and over 14 innings in the high minors on his rehab assignment he's delivered a 1.29 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 8:5 K:BB. With Lance McCullers jettisoned to Milwaukee and both Cristian Javier and Kai-Wei Teng apparently set to be long relief options, Blanco has a small window to establish himself in the rotation before the next wave of injured Houston arms (Mike Burrows and Hayden Wesneski) are set to complete their own rehab stints. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Jacob Lopez, Athletics: After a rough start to the season, Lopez got sent back down to Triple-A Las Vegas in June. His first two outings with the Aviators were more of the same, but something seemed to click in his last two starts as he gave up one run over 11.1 innings with a 12:4 K:BB. He was brought back up to fill a long relief role, but with Aaron Civale having been given the boot, Lopez will slide back into the rotation Sunday. Obviously how he performs against the Nationals (first in the majors in wRC+ and wOBA against southpaws...) will impact any bods on him, but he's worth a dart throw if he can find his 2025 form again. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Spencer Miles, Blue Jays: Toronto has indicated that Miles won't be pushed too hard this season, as the reason he was even available in the Rule 5 draft was due to a very checkered injury history, but the way things are unfolding, they may not have that luxury over the last couple months. Max Scherzer can't get healthy – when one body part recovers, another breaks down -- and at least at the moment, there doesn't seem to be any rotation help coming from the minors. The Jays could trade for a starter, but if they don't, Miles looks like the next man up. He stumbled Friday against the White Sox, but a 3.52 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 61:19 K:BB through his first 64 big-league is far better than the team had any right to expect when he was plucked from the Giants' system. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Ryan Weathers, Yankees: Max Fried and Carlos Rodon will be back eventually, and the Yankees could always add another starting pitcher at the trade deadline, so both Weathers and Will Warren are basically pitching for their jobs every time out. Weathers is the one with lower roster rates and is more likely to be available in your league, though, and he's got a promising two-start week on tap, taking on the Pirates (17th in wRC+ and 28th in K rate against LHP) at home and the Phillies (26th and 21st in those splits) on the road this week. He also hasn't served up a homer in four straight starts with a 21:5 K:BB in 17 innings, although his 4.24 ERA and 1.76 WHIP during that span are far less appealing. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Others:

Randy Dobnak, Royals 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Two-start options, Mon-Sun

Via RotoWire's Probable Pitchers grid

Luinder Avila, Royals (vs. SF, at DET)
Slade Cecconi, Guardians (vs. MIN, at TB)
Erick Fedde, White Sox (at TEX, vs. HOU)
Jeffrey Springs, Athletics (at ARI, at MIN)

Relief Pitcher

Ben Joyce / Ryan Zeferjahn, Angels: The Halos are one of the few teams who look like clear sellers at the trade deadline, and having a real GM makes it more likely they'll actually go through with moving out veterans. Kirby Yates, on a one-year contract and having compiled a 2.38 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 15:3 K:BB over 11.1 innings since June 9, figures to be an attractive piece for a contender looking to bolster its bullpen. That will muddy up the closer picture again, but there are two clear candidates to take over the job. Zeferjahn's been the team's most consistent reliever this season, and since the beginning of June he's produced a 0.93 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 32:13 K:BB over 19.2 innings. The other is Joyce, who has yet to pitch for the Angels this season due to shoulder issues, but he's been topping 100 mph with his fastball on his rehab assignment and could be activated by the end of the month. Joyce has always been seen as the organization's Closer of the Future, but he hasn't actually looked the part since 2024, so the door remains open for Zeferjahn (or even someone like Sam Bachman) to steal it from him. Joyce – 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $3 / Zeferjahn – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $2

Catcher

Elias Diaz, Rangers: Texas hasn't gotten much production from its backstops this season, but since Danny Jansen got hurt in early June, Diaz has been the marginally more productive option, and playing time could begin to tip in his favor as a result rather than being a fairly even split. Since Diaz joined the roster June 7, he's slashed .282/.288/.423 in 73 PAs with two homers and 11 RBI, while Kyle Higashioka has a .169/.279/.322 line in 68 PAs with three homers and six RBI. Jansen hasn't yet begun a rehab assignment, and his return date from a forearm issue remains fuzzy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

First Base

Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Orioles: The one-time slugging prospect was essentially the beta version of Sal Stewart, but the Reds couldn't work out the bugs in his swing and DFA'd him this winter before flipping him to the O's for cash considerations – a steep fall for a guy who posted a .331/.405/.637 slash line with 20 homers in only 67 games for Triple-A Louisville in 2023. Encarnacion-Strand is now 26 years old and had a .853 OPS this season for Triple-A Norfolk this year with 17 long balls in 62 games, but that production came with a 30.4 percent strikeout rate. Baltimore already has that guy on the roster in Coby Mayo, but with Blaze Alexander now on the IL, the team will let the two duke it out for the third-base job in the short term. There's a reason Alexander had the gig in the first place (Mayo's slash line since the beginning of June is .184/.245/.437 with a 39.4 percent K rate), so CES may even have the advantage simply by virtue of being the new, unproven guy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Second Base

Luisangel Acuna, White Sox: Acuna's mostly settled into a short-side platoon role that limits his fantasy ceiling, but he's proving to be very good at it. Since the beginning of June he's only gotten 48 plate appearances in 26 games, but he's batting .413 (19-for-46) with seven steals. It's a very specific skill set that can be worth a roster spot outside of AL-only or extremely deep mixed leagues, if batting average and steals happen to be your primary needs and you can afford to take an effective zero in HR/RBI in that roster spot. His 2B/3B/OF eligibility makes that easier to pull off, and if you have a deeper bench or daily lineup transactions, stashing Acuna so you can plug him in only when he's most likely to get a start will give him that much more utility. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Rostered

Third Base

Tommy White, Athletics: With Nick Kurtz and Zack Gelof both on the shelf right now, the A's brought up prospect White for his big-league debut. The 23-year-old was a second-round pick in 2024 out of LSU, but over 76 games between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas this season he's produced a .303/.353/.465 slash line with 10 homers and an impressive 13.9 percent strikeout rate. The raw power he flashed in college and that earned him the nickname "Tommy Tanks" hasn't always shown up in the pros, but the fact that his hit tool has turned out to be better than expected has bought him more time to figure it all out. Given that he's probably destined for first base in the long run, the best-case scenario here might be for White to be showcased as a trade asset while he's up with the big club. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Shortstop

Donovan Walton, Athletics: Walton was plucked off waivers from the Halos to help out on the injury-depleted A's infield, and he's started two straight games at second base against right-handed pitchers, going 0-for-4 with drawing four walks and scoring a couple runs. The 32-year-old journeyman has suited up for six teams in the last five seasons and has no long-term appeal, and while his numbers with the Angels were inflated by a BABIP about 100 points better than his career mark, any consistent playing time in Sutter Health Park could pay some dividends. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Outfield

Carlos Cortes, Athletics: Cortes is heating up again, as the DH job for the A's remains fairly open with Brent Rooker lost for the season and the right field picture remains unsettled. Through nine games in July, the 29-year-old has gone 10-for-28 (.357) with three doubles and a homer, along with three RBI and five runs. Cortes is a strong-side platoon player nearly exclusively, but he's capable of posting impressive numbers for a couple weeks at a stretch in that role. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Steven Kwan, Guardians: Kwan's early-season struggles have left him on the waiver wire in too many leagues, as his roster rate is hovering around 50 percent on both ESPN and Yahoo. He's strung together three straight multi-hit performances though, and over his last 16 games Kwan's produced a sizzling .391/.481/.522 slash line with three homers and three steals. The Guardians dropped him down to the bottom third of the order to take some of the pressure off him, but now that he's getting back to his usual form, he should get bumped back up to a premium spot near the top. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: Rostered

Lucas Spence, Astros: Houston just keeps spinning its Wheel of Outfielders, hoping to finally land on one that can be a long-term help. Spence is getting the latest audition, but his minor-league numbers aren't all that encouraging – after a .269/.371/.433 slash line in 44 games at Double-A Corpus Christi, he struggled with a .246/.313/.386 line and 32.8 percent strikeout rate in 17 games after a promotion to Triple-A Sugar Land. He does have a solid defensive reputation in center field, but that only marks him as a potential fourth outfielder. Good defense might be all the Astros are looking for before making a splash at the trade deadline, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Lane Thomas, Royals: It's been a minute since we've seen this version of Thomas. Over his last 15 games, the 30-year-old is slashing .339/.391/.695 with nine doubles, four homers, a steal, 10 runs and 12 RBI. Injuries the last couple years kept him from ever building on his breakout 2023 with the Nationals, but it looks like he might be finding a groove again in Kansas City. As long as he stays healthy, there's little reason at this point to think Kyle Isbel is going to be able to wrest the starting job in center field back from him once he's back. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Kahlil Watson, Guardians: While Kwan has found his mojo again in left field, Watson is looking like a potential solution in right for Cleveland. Over his last 21 games, Watson's delivered a .268/.297/.366 slash line with a homer, five runs, 11 RBI, and nine steals in 10 attempts. The 23-year-old has more power than that, but it's those steals that are the big prize for fantasy teams, and the return of Angel Martinez from the IL in the next week or so may not have a big impact on Watson's playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Designated Hitter

Masataka Yoshida, Red Sox: This seems like a good time to scoop up Yoshida if you need some extra offense out of your Ut or DH spot. Since the beginning of June, the 33-year-old has a .280/.333/.467 slash line with five doubles and three homers in 81 plate appearances while working in a strong-side platoon role. Better yet, the Red Sox appear headed for a week with nothing but righties on the mound arrayed against them during a homestand against the O's and Jays. Boston's surging up the standings in the AL East, and taking care of business against the two rivals currently behind them would go a long way toward cementing their status as buyers at the trade deadline. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered