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 free-agent budget you should bid on them.

This year, we're incorporating 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. Carlos Correa 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

Scott Feldman, Astros: After doing solid work out of the bullpen over the last couple of months (1.85 ERA, 19:2 K:BB in 24.1 innings), Feldman got a spot start Tuesday and turned in five scoreless innings, prompting manager A.J. Hinch to consider keeping him around in the rotation at least through the All-Star break. There's not a lot of upside here, but in deep formats he could give you some useful innings and even steal a win or two if he does return to starting. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Chi Chi Gonzalez, Rangers: Gonzalez put up decent numbers in the majors last year but had been awful at Triple-A in 2016 prior to his promotion, posting a 5.04 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 54:25 K:BB in 80.1 innings for Round Rock. The Rangers, desperate for rotation arms, called him up anyway and the result were predictably terrible, as he gave up five runs on 10 hits in five innings Tuesday. Saturday's start was even worse, as he couldn't even escape the first inning. About the only good news for Gonzalez on Saturday was that Cesar Ramos was just as bad in relief. At least one of those two will be in the rotation by default until Yu Darvish returns, but you really don't want either one on your roster. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Chad Green, Yankees: Green's getting called up to make a spot start Sunday, but given his outstanding season at Triple-A so far (1.54 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 82:19 K:BB in 81.2 innings) and Ivan Nova's struggles, a good outing against the Padres could force the Yankees to re-consider sending Green back down. The scouting report suggests he's best suited for the bullpen in the long run due to a solid fastball/slider combo and shaky changeup, but that doesn't mean he isn't worth stashing, just in case something's clicked for him. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Rich Hill, Athletics: Profiled last week, Hill made his return Saturday from a month-long absence due to a groin strain and was his usual self, striking out six over six innings in a quality start. The 36-year-old lefty's performance this year has been just as amazing as his comeback last year was, so if he was cut loose due to the length DL stint you'll want to pounce. 12-team Mixed: $6; 15-team Mixed: $15; 12-team AL: $33

Drew Hutchison, Blue Jays: The team on the field is fun to watch, but the Jays' brain trust has been more of a clown car this season, the best exemplar of which was their bullpen usage during their 19-inning loss to the Indians on Friday. Rather than do what Cleveland did and use a starter on his throw day, they instead churned through every reliever in the 'pen before turning to position players for two innings, which went even worse than you'd expect (as Ryan Goins ended up on the DL with forearm tightness in addition to Darwin Barney serving up the game-winning homer). What does that have to do with Hutchison? Nothing, except that earlier in the day the team had said Hutchison wouldn't be coming up before the All-Star break, which probably explains why they didn't consider using, say, Aaron Sanchez in relief and then calling up Hutch to fill in for his next turn in the rotation. Well, surprise! One day after giving the game away because they ran out of pitchers, the Jays called Hutchison up anyway, but just to provide emergency long relief help. Last week's suggested bids on Hutch were aggressive, but were also based on the assumption that the Jays would use him logically in the second half. After what happened this weekend, I think we can toss that assumption out the window, so I'm scaling them back. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Wade LeBlanc, Mariners: Maybe LeBlanc is the next Rich Hill after all. Two starts into his comeback and the veteran lefty has a 1.50 ERA, stifling the powerful Orioles' and Cardinals' lineups in the process. In theory he's only keeping a rotation spot warm for Felix Hernandez, and both his starts did come at home, but LeBlanc's now been too good to completely dismiss. Next Wednesday's start in Houston will be a better test of whether his strong early results were a Safeco-fueled mirage, but in competitive leagues you can't wait too long to jump on any pitcher who could be an asset. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Sean Manaea, Athletics: Manaea had a solid return from the DL this week and while his numbers on the season still look bleak, his June performances (3.13 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 23:7 K:BB in 23 innings over four starts) look more like the potential future ace people were expecting. The lefty may be starting to figure things out and given his upside that makes him worth targeting. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Wade Miley, Mariners: Unlike some of the guys listed above, Miley's first start off the DL was a dud, as he gave up five runs on four innings. His struggles this season are what could open the door for LeBlanc to stick around if LeBlanc remains effective, and the M's have already shown with Nate Karns that they aren't afraid to bump someone from their rotation if they are stinking up the joint. Until King Felix is healthy though, any speculation on which left-handed Wade will keep their job is premature. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Shawn Morimando, Indians: Called up from Double-A after Friday's 19-inning marathon, Morimando was originally set to make a spot start but the Indians weren't sure he could make it to Toronto in time so they instead penciled Zach McAllister in for a spot start instead. Morimando did join the Indians in time for Saturday's game though and ended up pitching 3.2 innings of long relief in his big league debut. The 23-year-old lefty's almost certainly headed back down soon and his minor league strikeout numbers don't jump off the page, but he does have a cool last name that just rolls off your tongue, so he's got that going for him. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Sean O'Sullivan, Red Sox: Boston's arms crisis right now is such that they're giving O'Sullivan another chance in the rotation Sunday despite the fact that he's got a career ERA of 6.03 in over 300 innings since 2009. He's been effective this year for Triple-A Pawtucket though so sure, why not. Consider him the shrug emoji of pitchers. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Relief Pitcher

Cam Bedrosian, Angels: Angels manager Mike Scioscia said something interesting when Joe Smith came off the DL. He made it clear that Smith would not be handed back his setup duties right away and that the team would use a committee approach in the late innings to get to closer Huston Street, but when it came to who would be in that committee, the only pitcher he named specifically was Bedrosian. Now, the Angels never seem to be big sellers at the trade deadline but if they do deal away Street, it's very easy to imagine Bedrosian and not Smith getting the first crack at replacing him as closer. After all, the kid's got a 95 mph fastball, a first round draft pedigree, and the genetics for the job (his dad, Steve Bedrosian, won a Cy Young award while saving 40 games for the Phillies in 1987), not to mention a 1.29 ERA and 29:8 K:BB in 28 innings this year. That's about the best profile for a spec saves play that you will ever see, at least until Mariano Rivera Jr. gets to the majors. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Dylan Bundy, Orioles: Quietly, the Orioles have been stretching Bundy out in long relief. Through six appearances in June he averaged 42 pitches a game while posting a 1.23 ERA and 15:2 K:BB in 14.2 innings. Given his prospect pedigree and the awful shape the back of Baltimore's rotation is in, it seems only a matter of time until he slides into the rotation. To make that case even stronger, manager Buck Showalter even said in the spring that Bundy would be a rotation candidate if he was able to pitch 30 or 40 innings out of the bullpen without breaking down. Well, he's now thrown 35.2 innings and hasn't had any arm issues. Expect Bundy to be starting after the All-Star break, which means you want to grab him now before the O's make it official and his price goes up. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Xavier Cedeno / Ryan Garton / Erasmo Ramirez, Rays: Alex Colome's biceps strain leaves the back of Tampa's bullpen in tatters. What's worse, they've had only one ninth-inning lead to protect since Colome got hurt and, to put it politely, it didn't go well as Garton and Ramirez combined to allow eight runs to the Tigers while recording one out between them. Note that while Ramirez was considered the favorite to take over the closer role due to being the better-known name, it was Garton who started the ninth inning on that ill-fated Thursday. Cedeno could also be in the ninth-inning mix against a predominantly left-handed set of hitters. Given the overall uncertainty though, plus the fact that Colome could return as soon as next week (his DL stint got backdated to June 19), there's no reason to blow your budget on any of these guys. Cedeno – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3; Garton – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $4; Ramirez – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Edwin Diaz, Mariners: Joaquin Benoit is struggling right now, posting an ugly 7.45 ERA over the last month while being scored upon in five of 10 appearances, so there could soon be a changing of the guard in Seattle when it comes to eighth-inning duties. Diaz is the obvious candidate given his electric stuff and 16.3 K/9 through his first 14.1 big league innings, and that would put him just one Steve Cishek meltdown away from being the closer. Diaz also has four holds in his last five games, making him an attractive grab in leagues that use holds as a category. The strikeouts alone make him worth rostering though. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $6

Trevor May, Twins: Brandon Kintzler has been reasonably adequate as the Twins' interim closer, but May is the guy the team would probably like to see seize the job for the long term. Before his back started to bother him May reeled off a very impressive April (2.57 ERA, 21:8 K:BB in 14 innings) and based on his rehab stint at Triple-A it looks like he's back in that form, as he's got a 6:1 K:BB in 3.2 frames, so expect him to be activated from the DL at the beginning of the week. As with Diaz, the strikeout potential earns him a roster spot in most formats even if he doesn't end up closing, but that path to significant additional value makes him worth stashing right away. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $6

Darren O'Day, Orioles: The rock-solid, sidearming setup man is set to come off the DL next week and help stabilize the Orioles' bullpen behind Zach Britton. Brad Brach has been doing a fine job handling the eighth inning in O'Day's absence though, so the veteran may not immediately resume those duties. Even if he gets bumped back to the seventh inning though, he should remain a ood soruce of holds and ratios. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Joe Smith, Angels: He came off the DL on Friday, and if you smush the Bedrosian and O'Day notes above together, you'll get Smith's. The veteran righty will likely be at least as big a trade target at the deadline as the fading Street if the Angels do clean house, but wherever he ends up pitching he should give you holds and solid ratios, although not as good as O'Day's. There's also the chance Smith collects some saves in Anaheim if Street goes and he stays, although at this point I'd rate Bedrosian as the better spec saves play. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Catcher

Caleb Joseph, Orioles: Joseph got activated off the DL on Thursday but has yet to see any action in three games. Such is the life of a backup catcher. He is what he is, a low-BA backup with a bit of pop, but in the high-powered Orioles' offense any at-bats can be productive ones. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Sandy Leon, Red Sox: Leon's recent hot hitting has generated some speculation on what the Red Sox might do at catcher once Ryan Hanigan is healthy. Christian Vazquez was assumed to be the starter going forward due to his superior defense, but he's hitting just .210 over the last month and isn't supplying any power. Leon, meanwhile, is hitting .452 over that same stretch, albeit in half the at-bats. A Vazquez/Hanigan is still more likely behind the plate than a Hanigan/Leon one, but if Boston decides to send Vazquez back to Triple-A for a bit to work on his hitting, the latter combo is what we'll get. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Mike Zunino, Mariners: Welcome back, Mike. Turns out your dreams were your ticket out of Triple-A. After posting a .282/.366/.516 slash line for Tacoma, Zunino got promoted to the majors and slugged two homers against Baltimore on Saturday in his first game back. Before you go throwing every FAAB dollar you have left at him though, remember that power wasn't his problem at the plate. Zunino's 21.6 percent strikeout rate at Triple-A is certainly a huge improvement over the 33-plus percent rates he posted in the majors in 2014 and 2015, but if that remains an issue for him the home runs will once again come with a brutal batting average. Still, given the scarcity at catcher and his upside if he has in fact turned his contact rate around, you're probably justified in throwing most of your remaining FAAB dollars at him, if not quite all of them. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $25

First Base

Jefry Marte, Angels: Yunel Escobar's knee injury, as well as other bumps and bruises around the diamond, have conspired to give Marte regular playing time over the last few weeks but he's done very little with it. He's got a bit of upside, hitting .275 with 15 homers last year in 95 games for Triple-A Toledo, but so far he hasn't figured things out at the major league level. In deep leagues though, a bit of upside plus playing time equals a rosterable player. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Dae-Ho Lee, Mariners: The 33-year-old was supposed to just be a platoon bat at best for the Mariners this season, but his own strong play combined with Adam Lind's inconsistency have pushed Lee into a near full-time role lately. He's hit .318 with four homers and 19 RBI over 85 at-bats in the last month, and that kind of production deserves a good home even in shallower formats. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Second Base

Carlos Sanchez, White Sox: Sanchez got called up this week only because Matt Davidson is the unluckiest man alive and broke his foot in his first game back in the majors since 2013. Sanchez doesn't offer any kind of offensive upside but he doesn't offer it at multiple positions, which could be vaguely useful in deep formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Third Base

Brock Holt, Red Sox: Banging out two doubles in four at-bats is a good way to prove that you're recovered from your concussion. Holt will resume his duties as the starting left fielder, although he could see occasional action at third base if Travis Shaw starts slumping again, and while Holt should hit better than he did in the first half his multi-position eligibility for 2017 is definitely in jeopardy, which should factor into your bidding in keeper leagues. His usual production, a relatively empty .280 batting average, looks a lot better at 2B, MI or even CI than it does clogging up one of your OF spots. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Brett Lawrie, White Sox: Lawrie's been scorching hot lately, hitting .339/.373/.625 over the last two weeks with four homers and two steals, which combined with his 2B eligibility makes him worth grabbing while he's rolling. His track record makes it easy to say he won't keep it up, but he is only 26 years old so there's the tiniest possibility something might have clicked for him. Then again, he's got a 3:14 BB:K in 56 at-bats over those two weeks. Never mind. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Shortstop

Alex Bregman, Astros: The Astros sure know how to tease people. Bregman's hot hitting at Double-A (.297/.415/.559 with 14 home runs and a stellar 42:26 BB:K in 62 games) earned him a promotion this week... to Triple-A, where he's banged out seven hits including a home run and two doubles, six runs and five RBI in his first three games. He'll be in Houston soon enough, so your window for stashing him and securing a potential impact bat for the second half is rapidly closing. 12-team Mixed: $4; 15-team Mixed: $9; 12-team AL: $19

Marco Hernandez, Red Sox: He kept his 25-man roster spot after Brock Holt's activation from the DL, and Hernandez has actually been hitting pretty well in his limited opportunities, going 7-for-23 over the last two weeks. He also stole 22 bases in the minors as recently as 2014, so he's not a complete zero when it comes to fantasy upside. As utility options go, you could do worse in deep leagues, although not by much. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Lonnie Chisenhall, Indians: Chisenhall's been one of the standard-bearers for the Indians during their recent hot streak, hitting .396 with three homers and 10 RBI over the last couple of weeks to push his slash line on the year to an impressive .305/.358/.476. He's been a disappointment so far in his big league career, but the 27-year-old might just be having that long-awaited breakout campaign his minor league performances (he's a career .295/.360/.479 hitter at Triple-A in 643 at-bats across five seasons) suggested he had in him. 12-team Mixed: $4; 15-team Mixed: $9; 12-team AL: Owned

Coco Crisp, Athletics: Crisp has turned Billy Burns into something of an afterthought on the A's roster by hitting .318/.434/.636 over the last two weeks with 11 RBI and 12 runs scored, although to be fair Burns' .194 batting average over that same stretch helped a lot too. Crisp doesn't run much any more (his last steal came on May 23, and his last attempt on May 30) but as long as he's getting on base and crossing the plate he'll have some value, at least until his next DL stint. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Brett Eibner, Royals: Lorenzo Cain's hamstring injury yo-yoed Eibner back up to the major league roster, but he's only been used as a pinch hitter over the last week. The Royals' outfield is still too cluttered to afford him regular playing time, making him a keeper league stash only despite his solid minor league numbers. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Brandon Guyer, Rays: Profiled last week, Guyer came off the DL with a bang Wednesday, homering in his first game back. The 30-year-old was on his way to a career year when he tweaked his hamstring and he should get plenty of playing time given all the other injuries in Tampa's outfield, but eventually he'll probably settle back into a platoon role once the roster is at full strength.12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Tyler Ladendorf, Athletics: The 28-year-old utility player began his third stint on the major league roster this season Friday. He's never hit double digit homers in his minor league career and hasn't stolen double digit bases since 2010, so Ladendorf is pretty much just a warm body on the A;s 25-man roster who'll get optioned down yet again soon enough. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Josh Reddick, Athletics: Reddick returned from his thumb injury Tuesday and did little to hurt his trade value by going 5-for-16 in his first four games, although with just one RBI. He was having a great season when he got hurt, but given the nature of the injury there's no guarantee his power stroke will come back right away. He's a potential impact bat though, and if he got cut loose in a league with short benches you need to grab him if you can. 12-team Mixed: $7; 15-team Mixed: $17; 12-team AL: $39

Steven Souza, Rays: Souza came off the DL on Saturday after recovering from a hip injury, further bolstering the Rays' outfield. His terrible plate discipline will always make him a liability in batting average and he hasn't been running as much in 2016, although the hip issue likely contributed to his lack of steals. Nonetheless, he's got a career HR/FB rate of 23.1 percent, and in 611 major league at-bats he's hit 28 home runs with 67 RBI and 87 runs scored. He might never play a full season, but Souza's power potential is legit. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Designated Hitter

Miguel Sano, Twins: The young Twins slugger was on pace for his first 30 HR season when he strained his hamstring at the beginning of June, but Sano finally returned to the lineup Friday and hit a homer in his second game back. Although he was used mainly in right field prior to getting hurt, the emergence of Max Kepler and Byung-ho Park's demotion would indicate that Sano will see most of his action at DH going forward. Strikeouts and batting average remain an issue for him, but there's no reason to think he won't keep sending souvenirs into the bleachers on the regular. 12-team Mixed: $7; 15-team Mixed: $17; 12-team AL: $39