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

Kade Anderson, Mariners: To be clear, I have no information suggestion Anderson will be in the majors any time soon. Seattle doesn't have any rotation injuries (although it's fair to wonder in Luis Castillo's case), and Bryce Miller could return from an oblique strain in a week or two after tossing seven scoreless innings over his last two rehab starts for Triple-A Tacoma with a 10:3 K:BB. If any minor-league pitcher doesn't belong at his current level though, it's Anderson. The third overall pick in the 2025 draft has begun his pro career with an aggressive assignment to Double-A, but he's completely overmatching Texas League hitters, posting a 0.37 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 38:4 K:BB over his first 24.1 innings. The M's tend not to put their top prospect arms through the PCL meat grinder at Triple-A, but there's only one other level they could bring Anderson up to if they want to challenge him. If you have some way to stash the 21-year-old southpaw with genuine ace upside now, that investment should pay off before the end of the year. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $3

Jake Bennett, Red Sox: The 25-year-old left-hander was called up to plug the rotation hole created when Garrett Crochet landed on the IL, and he held his own in his big-league debut Friday, allowing one run over five innings against the Astros with a 3:2 K:BB. Bennett doesn't have much strikeout or fantasy upside, and both Crochet and Sonny Gray are expected to have short absences, but he could give you another useful start or two in the meantime. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jose Berrios, Blue Jays: Berrios could be about to prove his La Makina nickname isn't juist hyperbole. The veteran right-hander has a stress fracture in his pitching elbow, but he's somehow pitching through it, and after another rehab start for Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday he could be ready to make his 2026 debut for Toronto. Berrios saw his usually reliable ratios take a step backward last season, and given the nature of the injury he's powering through there's no guarantee he'll bounce back, but the Jays need the rotation help so he should take a regular turn at least until Shane Bieber is ready to make his own return some time this summer. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Trey Gibson, Orioles: Gibson's getting called up for a spot start Sunday, and he could get shipped back to Triple-A Norfolk before you get a chance to bid on him. The 23-year-old righty has some upside though, and a good performance could allow him to stick around for a bit while the O's wait for Trevor Rogers and Dean Kremer to get healthy. Gibson's produced a 56:24 K:BB over 54 innings in his first 13 career Triple-A starts, although he's also served up eight homers, and he probably needs to take his command and control to the next level before he'll be a reliable fantasy option. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Nick Martinez, Rays: I can't really explain Martinez's roster rate on more casual sites. He'll only on about a third of Yahoo rosters, and just under a quarter of ESPN teams – and he even has dual SP/RP eligibility! What more does he need to do to get picked up? The 35-year-old right-hander has a 1.70 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 24:9 K:BB through six starts and 37 innings. Yeah, the strikeout upside isn't there and there will be some regression coming, but would it really be a shock if the Rays got a career year out of a guy like him? Tampa's had Martinez increase his sinker usage (32.1 percent, up from 17.1 percent in 2025 with Cincy) at the expense of his mediocre four-seamer while also trusting his offspeed stuff a little more, and the result has been a ton of weak contact – he's in the 89th percentile in hard-hit rate allowed, and 85th percentile in AEV allowed. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Elmer Rodriguez, Yankees: The biggest-name prospect to actually get added to a 26-man roster this week, Rodriguez made a spot start Wednesday on the road against the Rangers and showed some jitters, walking four batters in four-plus innings while giving up two runs and striking out three. The 22-year-old righty was a little more impressive at Triple-A to begin the year, posting a 1.27 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 20:7 K:BB over four starts and 21.1 innings. Rodriguez doesn't have elite strikeout upside, but his profile suggests he'll be a groundball-heavy hurler with solid ratios at his peak. Both Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon are closing in on their season debuts though, and the Yankees haven't had any weak spots in their rotation he could bump aside, so Rodriguez could only get one more start before heading back to Triple-A. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Others:

Patrick Corbin, Blue Jays 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2
Cade Povich, Orioles 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Two-start options, Mon-Sun

Via RotoWire's Probable Pitchers grid

Chris Bassitt, Orioles (at NYY, vs. ATH)
Shane Baz, Orioles (at NYY, vs. ATH)
Brayan Bello, Red Sox (at DET, vs. TB)
Noah Cameron, Royals (vs. CLE, vs. DET)
Luis Severino, Athletics (at PHI, at BAL)

Relief Pitcher

Kyle Finnegan, Tigers: Kenley Jansen has served up homers and blown saves in back-to-back appearances, and he's apparently dealing with a groin issue. That positions Finnegan as the next man up in the ninth inning, and a potential source of some short-term saves. The veteran righty has plenty of experience in the role himself, but while his 0.57 ERA looks great, Finnegan's 1.21 WHIP and 12:10 K:BB through 15.2 innings offer a better representation of his actual skills. Saves are saves though, especially this year. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Rico Garcia, Orioles: Ryan Helsley's also injured and fully on the IL, although Baltimore is downplaying the severity of his elbow inflammation. While Yennier Cano and Andrew Kittredge have gotten occasional looks in the ninth inning during their careers, the next man up for the O's appears to be Garcia. The 32-year-old righty has an absurd amount of red on his Statcast page, including a 99th percentile hard-hit rate allowed and 98th percentile rankings in AEV allowed and whiff rate, thanks to a strong movement profile on his mid-90s four-seamer and a changeup getting a filthy 60.9 percent whiff rate on its own. That's resulted in a 0.66 ERA, microscopic 0.37 WHIP and 15:4 K:BB through 13.2 innings, and a guy who could remain a useful high-K relief arm even when he's not in line to get save chances. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Jacob Latz, Rangers: The Wheel of Closers for the Rangers has landed on Latz, and the 30-year-old southpaw has the team's last three saves dating back to April 25. Latz had a tidy seven-appearance scoreless streak going, and on the season he's delivered a 1.02 ERA, 0.45 WHIP and 15:3 K:BB through 17.2 innings. His profile says regression could come quickly, though – he is getting a 48.4 percent whiff rate on his slider, but he's mainly getting by on a huge improvement in his walk rate and an unsustainable .093 BABIP. As long as he's got the ninth-inning job, he's worth rostering, but Texas manager Skip Schumaker's track record is that he won't hesitate to spin the wheel again if Latz stumbles. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Jack Perkins, Athletics: If you're looking for a guy who looks like a closer and has an actual clear path to keeping the job, Perkins should be your top target. The 26-year-old righty doesn't have Mason Miller's pure stuff – I mean, who does? -- but he's followed the same path to the bullpen as an injury-prone starting pitching prospect, and he's adapting well to his new role. He's converted his first three save chances in 2026, even if two of them were multi-inning jobs, and through 13.1 innings over nine appearances he's produced a 2.70 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 17:3 K:BB. Perkins has a multi-pitch arsenal that's becoming en vogue again among high-leverage arms, with a 96 mph four-seamer complemented by a sweeper, changeup and cutter, and the result has been the second-best chase rate in the majors at 44.6 percent, just behind Tanner Scott's 46.5 percent and just ahead of Miller's 42.4 percent. That's pretty good company. The fact that manager Mark Kotsay followed this exact same plan with Miller – breaking him in as a multi-inning relief weapon until he forces his way into closing duties – is just one more reason to be encouraged about Perkins' upside as a closer. 12-team Mixed: $7; 15-team Mixed: $15; 12-team AL: $25

Others:

Angels bullpen – Jordan Romano's been kicked to the curb, and there's no obvious candidate to replace him in the ninth inning. The current high-leverage crew for manager Kurt Suzuki includes Drew Pomeranz, who has a 9.26 ERA and has been tagged for runs in five straight appearances; Chase Silseth, who got talked up as a closer candidate by Suzuki a couple weeks ago but keeps getting used in the sixth or seventh inning and who has a 10:10 K:BB in 11.1 innings this season; and Ryan Zeferjahn, who at least looks the part with a sweeper that's generated a 42.1 percent whiff rate this season as well as a four-seamer and sinker that sit 96-97 mph, but who hasn't shown the control or command to be reliable. Sam Bachman arguably has the most classic closer-like arsenal with a 98.5 mph four-seamer and plus slider, but Suzuki doesn't seem to trust him yet. Kirby Yates has been shaky on his rehab assignment, while Ben Joyce just began his and is a little further behind. If I had to rank these guys for rest-of-2026 saves I'd put them Joyce, Yates, Bachman, but nobody here is worth more than a min bid dart throw at the moment.

Catcher

Travis d'Arnaud, Angels: Logan O'Hoppe landed on the IL last weekend with a wrist fracture he tried to play off as minor, which is definitely the kind of injury a catcher specifically can play through no problem. In the meantime, d'Arnaud has started five of six games and gone 2-for-14 with a couple walks and three runs. It's possible the 37-year-old is just about washed after posting a .598 OPS last year, his worst mark since he was a rookie in 2013, but d'Arnaud will at least get plenty of playing time in the short term. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Mitch Garver, Mariners: Cal Raleigh was a late scratch Saturday with an undisclosed issue that Seattle is describing as "general soreness", but they're also sending him out for imaging. (You'd think they'd have to have some specific body part in mind to do imaging on rather than just a general scan of his whole body, but what do I know, I'm not a doctor.) If he winds up missing significant time, Garver would be the next man up behind the plate. The 35-year-old hasn't had a great start to the campaign, slashing .200/.347/.225 with zero homers in 49 plate appearances, but he still has some thump in his bat – over the two prior seasons with the M's, Garver went yard 24 times in 201 games. Consistent playing time could allow him to get rolling, although whether he gets it won't become clear until we get some real information on what Raleigh's dealing with. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Others:

Jhonny Pereda, Mariners 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: $1
Drew Romo, White Sox 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Second Base

Travis Bazzana, Guardians: The first overall pick in the 2024 draft, Bazzana was called up Tuesday after slashing .287/.422/.511 in 24 games for Triple-A Columbus with two homers and eight steals in 10 attempts. The 23-year-old Australian's best asset right now is his ability to get on base, and I remain somewhat skeptical of his ultimate fantasy upside, but getting on base and swiping some bags is still a profile that will play in most formats, even if his power is lacking. The Guardians will also give him every opportunity to lock down the starting job at the keystone, so Bazzana would have to really flop hard to get sent back down. He only has one hit in his first 18 MLB plate appearances, but he's walked five times against four Ks, scored three times and stolen his first base. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $21

Zack Gelof, Athletics: Gelof may be getting comfortable in a super-utility role, at least offensively. The 26-year-old has mainly split his time between center field and second base this season, and over his last 12 games Gelof is batting .273 (9-for-33) with a homer and two steals. There's playing time to be had while Denzel Clarke and Max Muncy are on the shelf, and even when the roster gets healthier, the A's may keep finding ways to get Gelof in the lineup. His power/speed upside is held back by his plate discipline, but he's at least improved his K rate this year. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Hao-Yu Lee, Tigers: Detroit's lineup got hit by some attrition this week, with Gleyber Torres and Javier Baez both landing on the IL. Max Clark has cooled down at Triple-A, so a promotion for the top prospect seems unlikely – which means the Tigers will look at less exciting alternatives like Lee until the team's utility crew, including Zach McKinstry, gets healthy. Lee wasn't doing much at Triple-A when he got promoted, but in his first 11 big-league games half of his six hits have gone for extra bases, and the 23-year-old does have a bit of power/speed potential while he bounced between second base and third base. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Michael Massey, Royals: With Jonathan India lost for the rest of the season, the second-base job in Kansas City once again belongs to Massey. The 28-year-old has a career .241/.281/.382 slash line, and there's no reason to think he's suddenly about to find another gear, but he'll at least get steady playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Brice Matthews, Astros: Matthews has gotten hot on Houston's recent road trip, going 9-for-21 during his current five-game hitting streak with a double, two homers, a steal, four runs and six RBI. The 24-year-old also struck out eight times, and that remains the biggest flaw in his profile, but Matthews is the team's best option in center field right now, and he's got enticing fantasy tools after hitting 17 homers with 41 steals in 112 games last season for Triple-A Sugar Land. Matthews is the kind of short-term play who could emerge as a long-term solution. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11 

Third Base

Darell Hernaiz, Athletics: Hernaiz has been the biggest beneficiary of Muncy's injury, starting seven straight games with the last six coming at the hot corner. He hasn't done much with the opportunity though, going 5-for-23 (.217) with zero extra-base hits. Hernaiz has a career .308/.380/.435 slash line in 191 games for Triple-A Las Vegas with 24 steals in 27 attempts, and even accounting for desert PCL park inflation, the 24-year-old offers a smidge of upside in batting average/OBP and some speed, useful assets in most fantasy formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Others:

Brett Harris, Athletics 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
Jace Jung, Tigers 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Shortstop

Anthony Volpe, Yankees: Is New York giving up on Volpe? The Yankees are letting his rehab stint play out to the bitter end this weekend, and they haven't said definitively he'll be added to the 26-man roster when it's done, leaving open the possibility he'll be optioned to Triple-A instead. Jose Caballero's been adequate at shortstop – he's fine defensively, but his offensive contributions remain mostly limited to the basepaths – but the Ryan McMahon-Amed Rosario platoon at third base isn't really cutting it, and Cabarello can be just as adequate over there. Putting Volpe at Triple-A would also bring into question what the plan is for the recently promoted George Lombard, who's exclusively played shortstop with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. All that's to say that a healthy Volpe probably belongs on the 26-man roster, but the Yankees may prefer to have him build up some confidence in the minors first, with an eye on the long term. If he does join the big-league roster next week, he may have to fight for playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Outfield

Jasson Dominguez, Yankees: Playing time won't be a problem for Dominguez, at least as long as notoriously quick healer Giancarlo Stanton is sidelined. Still only 23 years old, Dominguez was raking at Triple-A with a .326/.415/.478 slash line, three homers and eight steals in 24 games this season, but since getting called up he's gone 2-for-13 with a 0:3 BB:K and zero runs or RBI. The upside is impossible to ignore, but it is a fact that Dominguez hasn't figured out the majors yet even after about a season's worth of at-bats. That's about half of what Jordan Walker needed before things finally started to click. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Dustin Harris, Astros: An emergency pick-up by Houston after a rash of outfield injuries, Harris is taking advantage of his latest opportunity in the majors, hitting safely in five straight games and going 7-for-18 with a triple, two runs, two steals and four RBI. The 26-year-old could make an impact in steals if he continues to get consistent playing time, but he's probably not a long-term solution. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Austin Hays, White Sox: The veteran outfielder has started two of four games since coming off the IL, going 3-for-11, and Hays has yet to find a groove with the White Sox. Everson Pereira is hurt again though, and Luisangel Acuna isn't working out, so Hays at least offers a solid floor in an outfield spot while the team sorts through younger alternatives – which is exactly the role he was signed to fill. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Trevor Larnach, Twins: Larnach's tough start to the season and perceived platoon role got him cut loose in a lot of shallower leagues, but it's past time to circle back and scoop him up. Over his last 16 games, the 29-year-old is slashing .288/.422/.442 while getting occasional starts against left-handed pitching, and while he's only homered once in that time, more power should be on its way. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Rostered

Alejandro Osuna, Rangers: Another setback for Wyatt Langford, and a nagging hamstring issue for Brandon Nimmo, are giving Osuna a prime opportunity to establish himself as a lineup regular for the Rangers. While the 23-year-old is restricted to a strong-side platoon role, he's gone 4-for-16 since his latest promotion with a double and a 4:4 BB:K. Osuna probably profiles best as a fourth outfielder in the long run, but in the high minors he's shown decent contact and on-base skills with a bit of power and a but more speed, so he could provide some deeper-league value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Wenceel Perez, Tigers: Perez has caught fire this week as the Tigers have needed him to handle a near-everyday role, going 7-for-18 (.389) in his last seven games with a double, a homer, three steals, four runs and four RBI. He's shown that he's capable of hot streaks in the past, and with Detroit patching together a lineup right now, the 26-year-old could provide some useful numbers in the short term. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Tristan Peters, White Sox: The 26-year-old is proving to be productive in a strong-side platoon role, slashing .407/.467/.481 over his last 11 games with a couple steals, four RBI and six runs. Peters showed double-digit HR and SB potential in the minors, and the White Sox don't have better options in the outfield right now. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Others:

Jarred Kelenic, White Sox 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
Matt Vierling, Tigers 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2