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

Caden Dana, Angels: The Halos are short a starter right now, so a call-up seems likely, and Dana seems like the most likely candidate after Sam Aldegheri was optioned to Triple-A on Wednesday and won't be eligible to come back up without an IL move to create a spot for him. Dana's numbers at Triple-A Salt Lake aren't great, but he's had two good outings in four starts, and his 6.75 ERA hides a 1.13 WHIP and 16:7 K:BB. The 22-year-old righty doesn't have a plus pitch or the elite control/command to compensate, so he's probably a back-end guy in the long run, but he could get dropped into a two-start week with a road start in Cleveland followed by a home start against the Dodgers as MLB does a rivalry weekend, so he could be worth a dart throw. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

J.T. Ginn, Athletics: A sore shoulder led to a couple bad starts for Ginn, but he seemed pretty healthy Thursday when he fired eight innings of one-run ball against the Phillies with an 8:1 K:BB. The right-hander has sneaky upside, and over six starts since moving into the rotation he sports a 3.26 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 27:13 K:BB over 30.1 innings. Toss out the start after his shoulder began to bother him, and he's got a 2.08 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 23:8 K:BB in 26 frames. Of course, if you could just ignore a pitcher's bad outings, Jesus Luzardo would win the Cy Young every year, but Ginn's recent performances have been very intriguing. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Tatsuya Imai, Astros: Imai hasn't looked particualarly good on his rehab assignment, but Houston has too many holes in the rotation to let him build up any further. The 28-year-old righty's introduction to MLB was rough, but he did strike out 13 batters in 8.2 innings before landing on the IL. If he got cut loose, Imai's a justifiable upside swing despite the 7.27 ERA and 2.08 WHIP in his initial, limited sample. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Stephen Kolek, Royals: With Cole Ragans on the shelf, Kolek will get a look in the rotation for Kansas City. The 29-year-old righty provided some useful low-upside innings when called upon last year, and his first 2026 start was more of the same as he delivered a quality start against the Guardians on Tuesday with a 3:0 K:BB in six innings. He also gets a favorable two-step this week with road starts against the White Sox and Cardinals. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Peter Lambert, Astros: The best of the two-start options this week, Lambert is looking like he should be viewed as more than just a streaming option, and his roster rate remains far too low considering his 2.42 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 23:11 K:BB through his first 22.1 innings this season. Seven shutout innings against the Dodgers his last time on the mound will likely make him a lot more popular this time around of FAAB, and he gets two home starts this week against the Mariners and Rangers. His arsenal – mid 90s four-seamer and occasional sinker with a changeup, cutter, slider and slurve – is showing better movement profiles basically across the board from his Rockies days, and he's the kind of guy whose career numbers should carry a lot less weight. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Bryce Miller, Mariners: Things are about to get crowded in the Seattle rotation. Emerson Hancock's pitched too well to lose his job, but Miller's poised to come off the IL this week anyway to make his season debut. The odd man out may end up being Luis Castillo, and Miller is expected to piggyback with the veteran in his first appearance after being activated, with the duo perhaps competing for one rotation spot. (Meanwhile, Kade Anderson continues to toy with hitters and bide his time at Doubke-A, so both Castillo and Miller could be on the outs over the summer if they don't step up.) Miller is coming off a rough 2025 and hasn't look great on his rehab assignment as he recovers from an oblique strain, but the M's haven't given up on him yet after he flashed his upside in 2024. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Others:

Griffin Jax, Rays 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
Ty Madden, Tigers 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Two-start options, Mon-Sun

Via RotoWire's Probable Pitchers grid

Brayan Bello, Red Sox (vs. PHI, at ATL)
Joey Cantillo, Guardians (vs. LAA, vs. CIN)
Erick Fedde, White Sox (vs. KC, vs. CHC)
Bailey Ober, Twins (vs. MIA, vs. MIL)
Jeffrey Springs, Athletics (vs. STL, vs. SF)

Relief Pitcher

Bryan King, Astros: Houston seems to have resigned itself to the fact that King is their only really semi-reliable high-leverage arm right now, and the southpaw has picked up saves in back-to-back appearances, throwing two innings in one of them. On the season, he sports a 3.45 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 15:5 K:BB in 15.2 innings. Meanwhile, Enyel De Los Santos hasn't gotten a save chance since April 22, and Bryan Abreu just got his ERA below 10.00 about a week ago. Josh Hader's begun a rehab assignment though, so King's window to collect any more saves figures to close quickly. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Kirby Yates / Ryan Zeferjahn, Angels: The Angels' murky bullpen picture is getting a smidge clearer. Yates was activated from the IL on Tuesday but didn't actually pitch until Friday, working a scoreless seventh inning in a relatively high-leverage spot with the Halos down 2-0. The veteran righty's velocity wasn't back, though – he topped out at 91.4 mph with his four-seamer after averaging 93.2 mph with the pitch in his bounce-back 2024 campaign for the Rangers. Zeferjahn, meanwhile, is having one of his good stretches with a 1.13 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 11:4 K:BB in eight innings over his last five appearances while collecting a win, a save and a hold. Of course, in the six appearances and nine innings before that, he had a 9.00 ERA and 1.67 WHIP, so consistency isn't Zeferjahn's strong suit. Yates's experience could eventually win out, but manager Kurt Suzuki just tried that with Jordan Romano and it didn't go so well. Sam Bachman also lurks in a set-up role, but for now Zeferjahn and Yates seem to be the most likely closing options for the team. Yates – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4 / Zeferjahn – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Others:

Franco Aleman, Guardians 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
Jose Ferrer, Mariners 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2
Daniel Lynch, Royals 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3
Cole Sulser, Rays 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Catcher

Patrick Bailey, Guardians: I'm not sure how smart it is in 2026 to simply punt a spot in the batting order and try to recoup that production on defense, but Cleveland's going to try it anyway. Acquired from the Giants on Saturday, Bailey has a career.224/.282/.329 slash line but a sterling reputation behind the plate, and he replaces the struggling Bo Naylor as the starting catcher, with Naylor bumped to Triple-A. A Bailey/Austin Hedges backstop tandem may not combine for a .600 OPS, but it's not like Naylor was doing any better. Bailey will get playing time, but he doesn't have much else to recommend him. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Brandon Valenzuela, Blue Jays: The 25-year-old has taken over the top job for the Jays over the last couple weeks, batting .391 (9-for-23) over nine games since April 29 with three homers and eight RBI. Alejandro Kirk is still iffy to return by the end of May, and he was only set to begin swinging a bat this weekend after thumb surgery, so Valenzuela could chip in a few more weeks of production before Toronto has to make a decision on whether he or Tyler Heineman will fill the No. 2 role behind Kirk. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Christian Vazquez, Astros: With Yainer Diaz on the IL due to an oblique strain, Vazquez will step in as the starting backstop for Houston. The 35-year-old had a strong start to the season but is already cooling off, slashing .200/.243/.286 over his last 12 games, so he may not offer much more than playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Others:

Jonah Heim, Athletics 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
Omar Martinez, Angels 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
Sebastian Rivero, Angels 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2
Cesar Salazar, Astros 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

First Base

Others:

Justin Foscue, Rangers 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Second Base

Sam Antonacci, White Sox: The 23-year-old appears to be getting comfortable in the majors. Over the last 10 games, Antonacci is slashing .353/.463/.441 with two steals, five RBI and eight runs, with his OBP buoyed by four HBPs. He still has an old-school leadoff profile with little power, but hitting for a solid batting average while contributing in runs and SBs still has some utility in most fantasy formats. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Rostered

Zack Gelof, Athletics: Gelof is settling in as the regular third baseman for the A's with Max Muncy the Younger out of action, which is probably a better fit for him defensively than getting on-the-job training in center field. Gelof appears more relaxed at the plate as a result, hitting safely in eight straight games while going 9-for-27 (.33) with two homers, six runs and seven RBI. Muncy hasn't begun a rehab assignment yet, so Gelof could have a longer runway than expected as he tried to rediscover his 2023 form. There's some upside here, and additional position eligibility as he's already seen action in 15 games in the outfield this season. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Michael Massey, Royals: Massey's quietly delivering some useful numbers since replacing Jonathan India as the starting second baseman. Over his last 15 games, Massey's slashing .277/.294/.574 with five doubles, three homers, nine runs and 10 RBI. It's a surprising power display from the 28-year-old, but maybe it shouldn't be after he belted 14 homers with a .449 SLG over 100 games in 2024. If he's fully healthy again, that seems like a level he can reach again. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Third Base

Ryan McMahon, Yankees: McMahon's slow start to the season had him in danger of losing his starting job to Amed Rosario, but the former Rockie has turned things around. Over his last 16 games, McMahon is slashing .327/.353/.510 with two homers and nine RBI. He's still stuck on the strong side of a platoon for the most part, but in formats where you focus on his home starts against RHP and sub in someone else in sub-optimal matchups, he's a useful roster piece. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Shortstop

Zach McKinstry, Tigers: With Gleyber Torres and Javier Baez both on the shelf, McKinstry has been Detroit's main utility infielder since he came off the IL, starting two games at second base and one at third base since being activated Tuesday. The 31-year-old has multi-position eligibility (3B-SS-OF from 2025, and he's one game short of reaching 10 at 2B this season) and some modest power-speed upside, making him a very useful guy to have on your bench or in a CI, MI or Ut spot for maximum flexibility. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Others:

Nick Allen, Astros 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
Taylor Walls, Rays 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Outfield

Addison Barger, Blue Jays: A bizarre stumble at first base a month ago led to Barger spraining both ankles at the same time, but the 26-year-old returned to action Saturday and looked pretty healthy when he unleashed a laser from right field to throw out Jorge Soler at the plate. His offensive performance to begin the season has been dismal, but it's only 28 plate appearances, and his bat speed is in about the 76th percentile and should rise quickly once he's playing regularly again. It's not that different from last year, really, when he clearly had the tools but was sitting on a .427 OPS on May 4 before the hard-hit balls started turning into hits. Expect a similar breakout in 2026, only this time it shouldn't take anyone by surprise. The limiting factor on his fantasy value is his strong-side platoon role, not his likely performance the rest of the way. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Zach Cole, Astros: It's a good week if you need Zachs in your lineup. Houston has three outfielders on IL and the Jose Altuve experiment has been ended, so while Brice Matthews is emerging as a starter and Cam Smith's tools and upside will keep him in the lineup, there's a spot in left field still up for grabs. Cole and Dezenzo, both called up this past week, appear set to battle for it, or maybe just settle into a platoon. A broken toe disrupted Cole's start to the season, but in five games since his promotion he's gone 4-for-13 with two homers and a double, and he's viewed as the better prospect. After an eye-opening debut last September that also saw him flash some power, Cole could make guys like Joey Loperfido and Jake Meyers superfluous. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Petey Halpin, Guardians: Halpin has started four of Cleveland's last seven games in center field, but since getting called up at the beginning of the month he's gone just 2-for-17 with two steals and four strikeouts. The 23-year-old has shown a bit of power-speed potential in the minors, but contact issues have prevented him from fully capitalizing on his tools. He did reduce his strikeout rate at Triple-A to 22.7 percent prior to his promotion, however, so Halpin does have some appeal as a deeper-league dart throw. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Spencer Jones, Yankees: Jasson Dominguez's latest attempt to stick in the majors ended when he crashed into the outfield wall Thursday, somehow hanging onto the ball despite being diagnosed afterward with an AC joint sprain in his shoulder. With Giancarlo Stanton predictably not back yet either, the Yankees have decided it's a good opportunity to let Jones get his feet wet in the majors. The 24-year-old looks like an Aaron Judge starter kit from the left side at 6-foot-6, but Judge never had his strikeout issues in the minors. Jones was whiffing 32.4 percent of the time at Triple-A when he got promoted – down from 36.6 percent at the same level in 2025 – and he's fanned in four of his first six MLB plate appearances. There's a reason why Judge is such an anomaly, and Jones may simply be reinforcing the idea that tall hitters generally don't pan out. Still, if sharing a locker room with the tall guy who did figure it out helps him unlock something, Jones certainly has the upside to break out. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Austin Martin, Twins: Martin has been hot for about a month now, but he's still not playing every day as Minnesota tries to find playing time for left-handed hitters like Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner. They may not be able to keep Martin down much longer, though. Over 79 plate appearances since April 10, the 27-year-old is slashing .354/.456/.477 with one homer, four steals, nine runs and 13 RBI in 22 games. He'll likely never be a big accumulator in counting stats, but Martin's minor-league profile suggests he can move the needle in batting average while chipping in some steals, and if he keeps hitting in the top third of the order, he could add runs as a third consistent category. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Luke Raley, Mariners: Another guy trying to break out of being a platoon bat, Raley has gone yard three times in his last three games and has eight homers in 106 plate appearances on the season, to go along with 23 RBI and a .258/.314/.567 slash line. All that damage has come exclusively against right-handed pitching – he's seen just four PAs against lefties – and with a ready-made platoon partner on hand in Rob Refsnyder, that's not likely to change unless the Seattle outfield gets wracked by injuries. Still, in leagues with daily moves or which otherwise make deploying platoon hitters more feasible, Raley has real value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Others:

Zach Dezenzo, Astros 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2
Randal Grichuk, White Sox 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Designated Hitter

Masataka Yoshida, Red Sox: Roman Anthony's wrist injury opens the door for Yoshida to get more playing time in the short term, and maybe even enough defensive work in left field that he can shed his Ut-only eligibility. The 32-year-old is still looking for his first homer of 2026, but in 77 plate appearances he's produced a .277 batting average and 11:8 BB:K. Lots of contact in a ballpark like Fenway tends to yield good results, even if it's not the hardest contact, and in four games since Anthony went down Yoshida's gone 4-for-15 with a double and three runs. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4