AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week

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 skills and role on an A-E scale. Rafael Devers would have been an "A" grade player last year -- that mark will be reserved for similar high-impact prospects stepping into 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

Jaime Barria, Angels: While the Angels have made liberal use of Barria's option to create a de facto 26th roster spot, the 21-year-old has done nothing when he's been on a big-league mound to suggest he's about to lose his place at the back of the team's rotation. Perhaps more importantly, Los Angeles doesn't seem to have much choice in the matter. Matt Shoemaker's return timetable seems to grow murkier after every doctor's visit, so unless the front office wants to accelerate its timetable for prospect Griffin Canning, Barria's pretty much it for that No. 6 starter role. He doesn't have the stuff or the strikeouts to be a huge fantasy asset, but he's in play as a streaming option. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Jaime Garcia, Blue Jays: The veteran left-hander came off the DL on Saturday and delivered his best start of the season, and his first quality start since early April. Garcia is always going to be a volatile fantasy option – that's par for the course for crafty southpaws, especially when they call the AL East home – but when he gets locked in, he's capable of providing some useful innings in deeper formats, and streaming starts in shallower ones. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Adam Plutko, Cleveland: With Josh Tomlin finally booted to the bullpen, the way seems clear for Plutko to become the new Tomlin in the Cleveland rotation, a soft-tossing righty who can keep hitters off-balance and provide a different look from all the power-pitching Klubers and Carrascos ahead of him. Don't expect a lot of strikeouts, and he could be prone to the occasional blowup given his lack of dominating stuff, but Plutko could also provide plenty of wins pitching in a top-heavy division and with Cleveland's offense at his back. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Daniel Gossett, Athletics: Gossett's been completely dominating Triple-A this season, so the A's are giving him another shot at their rotation after he washed out again to begin the year. The 25-year-old did put together a strong outing against the M's on Wednesday, but while a look at his numbers at Nashville (1.63 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 42:16 K:BB in 38.2 innings) might suggest he could be a future ace, his stuff (91-94 mpg fastball, solid curve and slider, work-in-progress change) paints him with mid-rotation upside at most. At least he doesn't seem scarred for life by the home-run barrage he had to endure last year as a rookie. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Wade LeBlanc, Mariners: LeBlanc has been aces since being added to Seattle's rotation, posting a 1.71 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 19:4 K:BB in 26.1 innings through five starts in May. His career numbers are, well, not that, and if you hop on board now you run the risk of having already missed his best run of the season, but the 33-year-old has at least locked down a regular role with his performance, giving him some value in deeper formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Nathan Eovaldi, Rays: I find the perception of Eovaldi to be among the most baffling things in all of fantasy baseball right now. It's one thing when an unproven prospect who can hit 99 mph is due to hit the majors, and people get all excited about his potential even though he doesn't have the command or the breaking pitch to go with that heat. It's quite another when the pitcher is a 28-year-old veteran returning from a year-long injury layoff, who has demonstrated fairly conclusively already in his career that his fastball isn't going to result in big strikeout totals or palatable ratios. Nonetheless, I keep seeing a steady stream of "should I stash Eovaldi? I need pitching help, is Eovaldi worth adding instead of Alex Reyes?" type questions. Unless Tampa has made some radical overhaul in his mechanics or arsenal, the answer is going to be no. With Eovaldi, the answer is always no. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

James Shields, White Sox: Shields has had his decent month for the season, posting a 3.27 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 26:10 K:BB in 33 innings through five starts so far in May, so I'm contractually obligated to mention him here. Please don't be fooled. He's 36 years old, his fastball now sits below 90 mph, and his K/9 has fallen below 6.0 along with it for the first time in his career. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Austin Bibens-Dirkx, Rangers: The minor-league veteran got cuffed around by the Royals, of all teams, in his first big-league start of the season, which pretty much tells you all you need to know. Bibens-Dirkx might score you big points in Baseball Scrabble, but he won't in fantasy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Blaine Hardy, Tigers: Hardy got a spot start early in the week and did OK against Twins, and he'll get another one Sunday against the White Sox which could also go pretty well, but he's just keeping a rotation spot warm for Jordan Zimmermann. The 31-year-old lefty was dominating Triple-A prior to his promotion, but there isn't anything in the veteran minor-league swingman's profile to suggest those kinds of numbers are sustainable. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Frankie Montas, Athletics: This is probably the guy with the big fastball you should be picking up instead of Eovaldi. Sure, his big-league numbers have been even worse, but the sample size is smaller so there's still some hope Montas will figure things out. More important is his short-term outlook. The 25-year-old pitches at home Sunday against the D-backs, and if he does at least OK in that spot start, he could stick around – which would line him up for back-to-back starts against the Royals to begin June. Tasty. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Relief Pitcher

Blake Parker, Angels: Parker seems to have emerged as the clear closer for the Angels in the wake of Kenyan Middleton's elbow woes. How long that lasts in a Mike Scioscia bullpen is impossible to say, but Parker's at least pitching well enough to deserve his spot – he's posted a 0.84 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 16:3 K:BB over his last 10 appearances (10.2 IP). At the moment, he's the clear top add in the AL if you need saves, at least until Tampa's situation gets sorted out. 12-team Mixed: $12; 15-team Mixed: $25; 12-team AL: $45

Jose Alvarado, Rays: With Alex Colome finally traded out of town, the closer spot is wide open for the Rays. Alvarado seems like the logical choice, but he's got two things working against him which making bidding big on him a bit risky. One, he's left-handed, and the team might prefer to keep him in a high-leverage role rather than a ninth-inning role. Two, it's the Rays. This is a coaching staff that's given Sergio Romo three "starts" this year. If you think they're going to play it by the book in the bullpen, you could be sadly mistaken. Still, from a skills and stuff perspective, Alvarado should be able to close effectively if he gets the chance, racking up a 2.95 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 23:9 K:BB through 21.1 innings this year. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $25

Ryan Tepera, Blue Jays: Tepera got the save for the Jays on Friday, but only by the skin of his teeth as he allowed a run on two hits, two walks and a wild pitch while trying to protect a two-run lead. He does average around 95 mph with his fastball, but it doesn't have a lot of wiggle, and the 30-year-old's stuff has always seemed better suited for a setup role. Still, with Roberto Osuna's future still up in the air and Tyler Clippard not getting the job done, it looks like Tepera is the next man up. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Ryan Yarbrough, Rays: One bad game against the Braves aside, Yarbrough seems to really be taking to whatever role it is the Rays have created for him. Pseudo-starter, maybe? Whatever you want to call it, he's picked up the win in four of his last six appearances, posting a 2.78 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 33:4 K:BB in 32.1 innings over that stretch. Those are numbers worthy of not just a starter, but one positioned at the top of a rotation, and the lefty's peculiar usage should allow fantasy GMs in leagues with SP/RP distinctions to get more quality innings into their lineup through that RP back door. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Jace Fry, White Sox: Hours after I wrote Fry up as a fungible high-K relief option in last week's column, he got a save and made my spec dollar bid recommendation moot. Thanks, buddy! That might end up being the only save he gets all year, but Chicago's closing situation seems to be devolving into a committee, and as the only lefty in the mix Fry could see some situational opportunities down the road. That makes him worth more than a spec dollar, but don't pick him up expecting him to emerge as The Guy for the White Sox. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Chaz Roe / Sergio Romo, Rays: If the Rays don't elect to just use Alvarado as their closer, these two are the next most likely suspects. Roe has bounced through five different organizations in his six big-league seasons while maintaining a solid K/9, but his shaky control and lackluster career numbers don't make him particularly appealing. Romo has closing experience from his days with the Giants, but that was a baseball lifetime ago, and he's currently putting together his worst statistical season in the bigs. Plus, it's hard to close a game when you start it. Given how the coaching staff seems to view Romo, as essentially a ROOGY, I could see some sort of time share developing between him and Alvarado, where the lefty handles the bulk of the save chances but gives way for Romo (when he's available) against a tough right-handed hitter or hitters. And hey, wouldn't it be fun to do the inverse of the usual SP/RP shenanigans, and be able to get some saves out of an SP spot if you need them? Roe – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2 / Romo – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Catcher

Omar Narvaez, White Sox: Welington Castillo's PED suspension installs Narvaez as the starting catcher in Chicago until mid-August, but that's not necessarily a good thing for anyone rostering him. The 25-year-old really offers nothing as a hitter, and the offense around him isn't going to lead to much production in the counting stats either. At best, Narvaez may not hurt you in batting average while occasionally stumbling across an RBI or run, but in deeper two-catcher leagues that profile might still provide a modest upgrade. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Blake Swihart, Red Sox: Boston's rather sudden decision to kick Hanley Ramirez to the curb is the best news for Mitch Moreland, but it's not bad for Swihart either. The former top prospect has been buried on the bench and hasn't gotten any kind of regular playing time for the Red Sox since 2015, but he now seems set to spell Moreland at first base against tough lefties. Swihart's upside as a hitter has really only ever emerged for one half-season at Double-A in 2014, but given his injuries and herky-jerky development path, that's hardly surprising. Hitters drafted as catchers, who don't work out as catchers, can sometimes take a while to regain their swagger as hitters once they leave the tools of ignorance behind, and while I'm not saying Swihart will definitely be the next Josh Donaldson, the Red Sox certainly still think he has that kind of potential – otherwise, they would have dealt him away ages ago. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Austin Romine, Yankees: Romine has the most invisible eight-game hitting streak in the league going, mainly because he typically only plays 2-3 times a week behind Gary Sanchez. The Yankees are looking for ways to give Sanchez a breather, though, using the slugger at DH when they can, and Romine's .458/.500/.958 slash line with three homers and nine RBI over those eight games (dating back to April 30) is providing a heck of an excuse to pencil his name on the lineup card. He won't keep it up – his career high in homers was only four coming into 2018 – but any extra playing time in that lineup still has value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jose Briceno, Angels: It took a full week after his promotion for Briceno to finally get into the lineup and make his big-league debut. He made the most of it, though, homering in Yankee Stadium on Saturday. There's nothing in his profile to suggest he's any kind of offensive threat, and his playing time should remain sparse, but he's got a heck of a story for the grandkids. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Alfredo Gonzalez, White Sox: He got called up as depth behind Narvaez only because Kevan Smith was hurt when Castillo's suspension hit. Gonzalez had a .470 OPS at Triple-A when he was promoted. Just, no. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

First Base

Mitch Moreland, Red Sox: The great thing about being a deep-pocketed team like the Red Sox is that you can eat big contracts like mints if you think you can put a player's roster spot, and at-bats, to better use. With Ramirez's .708 OPS (and let's be fair, a $22 million option for 2019 that would have locked in with another 300 plate appearances or so) out of the way, Moreland is set to take over starting duties for Boston and put his 1.046 OPS to work. Here's the funny thing, though. Moreland's a 32-year-old with a career OPS of .767, so how much of an improvement is he actually going to be if too much exposure to left-handed pitching cuts into his slash line? At some point, a platoon seems likely at first base, whether it's with Swihart, Sam Travis, or a trade pickup. Until then, though, expect Moreland's batting average to come down from its current heights while he picks up some extra RBI. 12-team Mixed: $11; 15-team Mixed: $25; 12-team AL: Owned

Greg Bird, Yankees: Bird's back, for now. How long the oft-injured first baseman can stay on the field this time is a question best viewed with a lot of cynicism, and it's worth noting that the Yankees elected to keep Tyler Austin on the 23-man roster as insurance, but he's still a left-handed hitter in Yankee Stadium, and the short porch will be beckoning. For all the stops and starts in his career, he still has 20 homers in only 95 big-league games, and that kind of power upside is what makes Bird worth picking up. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $13; 12-team AL: $29

Ronald Guzman, Rangers: No player better exemplifies the "tell us something we don't know, MLB" reaction to the league's look at the physics of baseballs better than Guzman. I mean, obvious the ball flies better in the bigs when a guy like this can homer in four straight starts. His streak ended Saturday, and he's still only hitting .231 in May, so don't get too excited just yet. The 23-year-old is getting consistent playing time, though, and his outlook for fantasy value looks a lot better than it did a couple of weeks ago. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Daniel Vogelbach, Mariners: Vogelbach was called up when Dee Gordon hit the DL, but with both Nelson Cruz and Ryon Healy healthy, there's no easy way for the 25-year-old slugger to get at-bats. He was tearing up Triple-A, though, and there's only so many times you can say "he has nothing left to prove at Tacoma" before you begin to wonder whether that's actually true. Maybe the thing he has to prove to the front office has nothing to do with his hitting. Maybe Vogelbach needs to prove he can still play the game with the joy of a small child, or that he is truly is the rightful heir to the Shannaran throne, before he'll get his shot. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Second Base

Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: Pedroia got activated off the DL on Friday, going 0-for-4 with a walk and a run in his first start this weekend. He'll slot back in as Boston's starting second baseman, although Eduardo Nunez remains on hand to give the 34-year-old all the rest he might need. Pedroia might not tease 20 homers again, but he should be able to produce a high batting average and OBP, and that should lead to plenty of runs in a potent Red Sox offense. His ability to stay healthy is the only real concern with him as a fantasy asset. 12-team Mixed: $15; 15-team Mixed: $33; 12-team AL: $65

Devon Travis, Blue Jays: The Jays' merry carousel of middle infielders has circled back to Travis, who started three straight games at second base after getting called back up before sitting out Friday and Saturday. He can't stay healthy, and his production took a tumble last season when he was in the lineup, but the 27-year-old still has a bit of four-category upside if he can stay in one piece and find his swing again. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Third Base

J.D. Davis, Astros: Davis and his .510 BABIP at Triple-A joined the Astros' bench earlier this week, so to capitalize on how locked in he was at the plate he... drew three walks in his first start? Hmm. His .382 OBP in the majors in a small sample is nice, but he only has five hits in 11 games, and they've all been singles. Without a clear path to consistent playing time, it's tough to recommend him as anything more than a stash in case he gets traded, no matter what kind of astronomical numbers he was putting up at Round Rock. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Andrew Romine, Mariners: While it's not official yet, it looks like Jean Segura will enter the concussion protocol after getting kicked in the head Saturday while turning a double play. Taylor Motter and his .646 OPS at Triple-A would likely be called up in that case, but Romine would also be in the mix at shortstop until Segura recovers. Neither of them are likely to provide much fantasy value, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Shortstop

Franklin Barreto, Athletics: Oakland seems trapped by their own relative early-season success. A truly rebuilding club would certainly have found a way to give Barreto a steady starting job by now, but instead the 27-25 A's are going to keep chugging along with Jed Lowrie and Marcus Semien, potentially sacrificing the development of one of their top prospects by having him bounce between Triple-A and the big-league bench. Until the team commits to giving the 22-year-old a starting gig, Barreto will remain little more than a keeper-league stash for a rebuilding club. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Outfield

Carlos Gomez, Rays: The 32-year-old has had a rough start in Tampa, but he's back off the DL and facing less competition for playing time with Denard Span now in Seattle. Gomez still offers some power and speed production, if he can get on base often enough to use the latter, and the Rays should give him all the at-bats he can handle even if it's just to showcase him for a trade. There's some positive regression possible with his batting average, too, as his .258 BABIP is about 60 points below his career rate. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Johnny Field, Rays: Poor old Johnny, a Ray. Sounded sad upon the radio, moved a million hearts... oh, sorry, wrong Johnny. This one actually has it pretty good right now, earning his way into a starting role for Tampa while slashing .296/.321/.519 in May with three homers in 16 games. I'm still not entirely convinced Field is anything more than a fourth outfielder in the long run, and that's the role he might return to once Kevin Kiermaier gets healthy, but for the moment he doesn't seem resigned to what his fate is – Field is far too young and clever – and what's he's producing right now is worth a roster spot in just about every format. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Tony Kemp, Astros: Kemp has gone from "Triple-A afterthought" to "starting outfielder for the defending world champs" in the blink of an eye, ripping of a very healthy stat line in nine games since his promotion. Injuries to Josh Reddick and Derek Fisher mat have created that opportunity for Kemp, but the 26-year-old doesn't seem inclined to give it back. He's got modest pop, good speed and strong plate discipline, and if he can stay hot and cement his spot in the Astros' lineup, he could end up producing numbers similar to what was expected from Dustin Fowler or Brett Gardner this season at a fraction of the price. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Melky Cabrera, Cleveland: Much like Kemp, injuries forced Melky into a starting role as soon as he joined Cleveland's roster. Unlike Kemp, Cabrera hasn't done much with his at-bats, and there's little reason to think he'll keep that starting job once Bradley Zimmer and/or Lonnie Chisenhall are back. He's a solid fourth outfielder in a good lineup, which will give him deep-league value, but don't go overboard trying to get him. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Charlie Tilson, White Sox: The White Sox farm system seems to have a never-ending supply of light-hitting center fielders with just enough speed to get fantasy GMs excited for no reason, and Tilson is the latest one off the assembly line. Maybe that should be re-assembly line – the 25-year-old was originally supposed to get his shot in 2016, but injuries cost him a chunk of that season and all of 2017. If he stays healthy and hits enough to stick around, Tilson could swipe double-digit bags on a team that likes to run, but neither of those first two conditions seem likely to be met, much less both of them at the same time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Robbie Grossman, Twins: As usually happens when the Twins have an injury in the outfield or DH mix, Grossman finds his way into enough playing time to be worth a look. He's stuck in a slump right now, though, going 3-for-21 over his last 10 games, so even with Joe Mauer out and Byron Buxton potentially getting banged up again Saturday, Grossman should be considered more of a contingency pickup than a priority add. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Jake Marisnick, Astros: Marisnick was called back up when Reddick landed on the DL, and the 27-year-old did homer in his one and only start since then. With Kemp getting a long look in the starting role, though, there isn't much playing time left over for Marisnick, and frankly no reason to give him some given his track record. A bid here is more fading Kemp staying hot than it is a bet on Marisnick's skills. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

John Andreoli, Mariners: The 27-year-old career minor leaguer managed to stay on the big-league roster after Span's acquisition, but Andreoli may not be so lucky when Gordon gets activated off the DL. It's cool when guys like this finally get their cups of coffee, but his odds of making a fantasy impact are very low. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Ryan LaMarre, Twins: LaMarre hopped back on board the Rochester-Minneapolis shuttle (it's a long commute) earlier this week, and has gotten all of one at-bat since. Unless Buxton needs another DL stint after his collision with the outfield wall Saturday, LaMarre will probably remain stuck on the Twins' bench until the team needs another bullpen arm or Joe Mauer gets healthy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1