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.

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. Andrew Benintendi 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

Christian Bergman, Mariners: James Paxton's injuries has started dominoes a-tumblin' on the M's staff. Andrew Moore initially got the call to replace Paxton but following a rough relief outing Friday, Seattle swapped Moore out for Bergman, who may or may not get the start Tuesday after he too was needed in relief Saturday, pitching one inning. Bergman provided a few quality starts earlier in the year but also has separate appearances on his 2017 ledger in which he gave up nine and 10 earned runs, so calling him volatile would be an injustice to merely volatile things like nitrogylcerin. If he does get the nod Tuesday he'll be at home, which helps a little, but he'll also be facing an Orioles squad which sits just outside the top 10 in the league in wOBA against RHP and just got Chris Davis back. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Mike Clevinger, Cleveland: If an impatient GM in your league dumped Clevinger when he was temporarily removed from the rotation last week, they missed out on a gem from the right-hander Saturday – seven shutout innings with nine Ks. The 26-year-old will have his ups and downs, but he should be a fixture in the Cleveland rotation going forward with Josh Tomlin out until mid-September or later. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned

Dietrich Enns, Twins: When Minnesota acted as a foster home for Jaime Garcia for a hot minute, Enns was one of the Yankee prospects they wound up getting back after they flipped him. A 26-year-old Tommy John survivor, the lefty mixes a low 90s fastball, solid change, usable slider and show-me curve with a deceptive delivery that allows his stuff to play up a little. If everything is working for Enns, the full package isn't too dissimilar to what Garcia can provide at this point in his career, so in that sense it was a great trade for the Twins. He got a quick hook in his big-league debut Thursday, though, and while he should get at least one more start before Hector Santiago and/or Adalberto Mejia get healthy, it'll come Wednesday against a Cleveland lineup that's 10th in wOBA against LHP. Consider Enns more a deep dynasty league stash than someone to help in the short term. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Andrew Heaney, Angels: With Tyler Skaggs back in the rotation for the Angels their staff is finally beginning to get healthy, and Heaney should be the next arm to return to the fold. The lefty's last big-league start came the first week of April in 2016 due to Tommy John surgery, when he gave up four runs but posted a 7:0 K:BB in six innings against the eventual World Series champ Cubs. Heaney's been looking good in the final stages of his rehab, racking up a 14:4 K:BB in 17 innings over three Triple-A appearances, and he's set to take on the O's in Baltimore on Friday after he comes off the DL. Given the circumstances he's a better keeper stash than a re-draft pickup, but he could still provide some useful innings down the stretch in 2017. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Jake Junis, Royals: I remain a Junis skeptic given his smoke-and-mirrors arsenal, but Trevor Cahill's breakdown combined with his impressive last big-league start (one earned run and a 7:0 K:BB in eight innings against Seattle) figures to give the the 24-year-old righty another extended look in the Royals' rotation, and it's possible I may have been wrong about a player on rare occasions. If he produces anything close to his Triple-A numbers, he'll be worth a spot on any fantasy staff. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Reynaldo Lopez, White Sox: The White Sox finally bit the bullet on Lopez's promotion and the young fireballer didn't disappoint in his AL debut Friday, providing Chicago with a quality start and six Ks in six innings. He's already the second best arm in their rotation behind Carlos Rodon, and while the Sox will keep an eye on his pitch counts, his overall workload shouldn't be an issue – he threw 153.1 innings last year in the Nats system and is only at 127 IP so far in 2017, so no shutdown is imminent. Especially if you stand to gain more in strikeouts than you might lose in ERA and WHIP, Lopez should be a priority FAAB target. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $23

Jordan Montgomery, Yankees: Yankee starters keep dropping like deep flies into their right-field short porch, so Montgomery is back in the rotation after a brief hiatus that might have caused him to be cut loose in shallower formats. He's had a solid rookie campaign, but keep in mind the team doesn't want him throwing too many more innings in 2017 – he tossed 139.1 IP last year and is already at 120.2 this season, so as soon as a veteran hurler gets healthy (or the front office makes another trade) Montgomery could lose his spot again. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

Tyson Ross, Rangers: Ross returned to the Rangers rotation Saturday after about three weeks off to deal with a blister issue and was in peak 2017 form for him, which means he walked five batters in 5.2 innings. There's still some residual fantasy goodwill out there with Ross, but he's not the same pitcher he was a few years ago with the Padres. Don't get sucked in. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Chris Rowley, Blue Jays: As a West Point grad who returned to organized baseball after two years away from the game to fulfill his military commitment, Rowley made for an inspiring story when he made his major-league debut Saturday, but he actually proved he could hang with the big boys as well. The 26-year-old righty has a low 90s sinker and useful change and slider, which pegs him as more of a back-end battler or swing man in a big-league rotation than a future ace, but the rebuilding Jays have little reason not to give him a regular turn for the rest of 2017 to see what he can do. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Hector Santiago, Twins: Santiago was supposed to rejoin the Twins' patchwork rotation this week, but after walking six batters in his most recent rehab start, he'll be left at Triple-A for at least one more outing. That would still allow him to be activated in time to take the mound Sunday at home against Arizona and making him a plausible streaming option given the D-backs' struggles against lefties (26th in wOBA vs. LHP). The 29-year-old has been regressing for a couple of years now, though, so 'streaming option in favorable matchup' might be his fantasy ceiling once he does return. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Blake Snell, Rays: Like Clevinger and Montgomery, Snell was bounced then returned to his big-league rotation over the last week, but unlike the other two his demotion was performance-based and not the result of a roster crunch. He did give the Rays a quality start Thursday, though, and the lefty's talent isn't in question, only his ability to fully harness his upside. At this point, Snell is starting to look a lot like former Tampa lefty Matt Moore, a a guy who has teased with his potential but never quite paid it off. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Owned

Nick Tepesch, Blue Jays: If you look in the dictionary under "replacement-level right-handed pitcher", you'll see a picture of Tepesch mislabeled as a picture of Nick Martinez – that's how anonymous he is. The Jays have nobody better, though, and given that Marco Estrada could have one foot out the door, they could be stick with Tepesch in their rotation for the rest of the year. Yikes. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Relief Pitcher

Cam Bedrosian, Angels: Bud Norris' implosion has opened the door for Bedrosian to reclaim the closer role with the Angels, and he's responded with two straight save conversions. The right-hander's been on a roll for a while now, posting a 0.00 ERA and 10:4 K:BB in his last seven appearances, and as long as he stays healthy (no guarantee, given his history) there's little reason to think Norris will get the job back, or that someone like Blake Parker or Andrew Bailey will suddenly find themselves in the ninth-inning mix. 12-team Mixed: $4; 15-team Mixed: $9; 12-team AL: $19

Matt Belisle, Twins: Minnesota seemed to answer the question of who would be their closer going forward by handing Belisle their first three save chances in August, but then he blew the third one so maybe the matter isn't quite settled just yet. The veteran righty still looks the team's best bet, though, and had a 14-appearance scoreless streak going (with an 18:2 K:BB in 15,1 innings) before Saturday's hiccup. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $13

Dominic Leone, Blue Jays: Leone's putting together an impressive second half, posting a 1.35 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 15:2 K:BB in 13.1 innings since the All-Star break. He's also collected four holds in his last five appearances, although his role is more in the mold of a Chris Devenski than an eighth-inning setup guy, but either way he's providing deep-league value. The Jays also don't really have anyone else pitching particularly well in their bullpen right now, so if Roberto Osuna's recent stumbles keep multiplying, it's not out of the question for Leone to find himself seeing save chances. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Glen Perkins, Twins: Perkins' rehab has moved up to Double-A Chattanooga, and he could come off the DL as soon as next week. The Twins haven't given any indication of how he'll be used once he's active, but before the shoulder woes that cost him close to two full seasons he did rack up 120 career saves, so if he can get outs upon his return, the team may decide to slot him back into old role. Perkins remains a solid saves flier if you get shut out trying to pick up someone who actually has a closer job at the moment. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Catcher

Raffy Lopez / Miguel Montero / Michael Ohlman, Blue Jays: Russell Martin's injury has created chaos behind the plate for the Jays. For the moment, Lopez is the starter with Ohlman his backup, but once Montero comes off the DL he'll probably assume the larger workload and replace Ohlman on the roster entirely. None of the trio are great fantasy plays, although Lopez has some theoretical power upside if you're looking for dynasty stashes. Lopez – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2; Montero – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3; Ohlman – 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

First Base

Garrett Cooper, Yankees: Cooper was called back up last Sunday when Matt Holliday landed on the DL and made a quick splash, racking up eight hits and four RBI in four games. Chase Headley is the starter at first base, though, and the Yankees need the DH spot to handle their outfield overflow now that Aaron Hicks is healthy, so despite his enticing Triple-A numbers Cooper figures to mainly be a platoon bat for however long he stick on the big-league roster. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Third Base

Cheslor Cuthbert, Royals: Out since late June with a wrist injury, Cuthbert finally made it back onto the big-league roster Tuesday and promptly collected two hits and three RBI. For now, the 24-year-old is just a utility infielder for the Royals, but there's sneaky keeper value here with Mike Moustakas posting career-best numbers in his walk year and probably pricing himself out of the organization's future plans. If Moose is in another uniform in 2018, Cuthbert is likely the starting third baseman and could be ready to build on his solid showing last year. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Nicky Delmonico, White Sox: Profiled last week, Delmonico's been getting regular at-bats since thanks to Matt Davidson's injury and responded with an active nine-game hitting streak. He doesn't profile as much more than a utility player in the long run, but the rebuilding White Sox have little excuse not to keep trotting him out there to see if he can keep up this pace, which gives him some possible short-term value even in shallower formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Ryan Flaherty, Orioles: The veteran utility infielder should return to action any day now, but with Tim Beckham still on fire and J.J. Hardy also nearly ready to rejoin the roster, there's no obvious path to at-bats for Flaherty – not that his track record suggests he'd do much with whatever playing time he might get. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jefry Marte, Angels: Summoned back to the majors Thursday, Marte popped a solo homer as his only hit in his six at-bats this weekend with the Angels, which is about par for the course with him. He'll stick around as a backup corner infielder until Yunel Escobar gets healthy, unless Escobar's injury lingers into September in which case Marte will just stick around the rest of the year. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Outfield

Jay Bruce, Cleveland: The long-time Reds slugger will get his first look at the American League after a post-deadline deal sends him to Cleveland. For now, Bruce will get regular at-bats in right field in a productive lineup, but once Lonnie Chisenhall gets healthy there could be a playing time crunch in the team's outfield that costs the veteran a start or two a week, even if he works his way into the DH mix. Bruce is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career – his current .844 OPS is just a couple points shy of his previous best – but it's hard to overlook the rough adjustment he went through late last year after joining the Mets. Still, there aren't likely to be any more potential impact bats joining the AL player pool the rest of the way, especially with top prospects like Yoan Moncada and Rafael Devers already in the bigs. If you need a boost on offense, don't be afraid to shoot your shot with Bruce. 12-team Mixed: Owned; 15-team Mixed: Owned; 12-team AL: $39

Aaron Hicks, Yankees: An oblique strain cost Hicks about seven weeks in the middle of his breakout season, but he's now patrolling center field again for the Yankees and slugged a homer in his second game back. His .280/.387/.509 slash line in 63 games doesn't look out of place next to some of his minor-league performances, and at 27 years old he could just be coming into his prime. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $13; 12-team AL: Owned

Kevin Kiermaier, Rays: Kiermaier finally began a rehab stint Saturday, and the Rays haven't ruled out getting him back in the lineup by next weekend. While preseason hopes of a breakout haven't come to fruition, the 27-year-old defensive whiz still has a place on fantasy rosters in deeper leagues, if for no other reason than you know what you're getting from him – modest power and speed numbers, and an OPs somewhere in the mid-.700s. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

Matt Olson, Athletics: Having sent their former first baseman into the wild blue Yonder (cough), the A's called Olson back up Tuesday and he popped two homers in his first four games as the new starter at the cold corner. His contact issues (seven Ks in 15 ABs over those four games) will probably make him a batting average risk for his whole career, but Olson's power is legit and should give him value in deeper formats. Whether he can be anything more than the next Chris Carter remains to be seen, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Boog Powell, Athletics: The return Oakland got for Yonder Alonso, Powell will replace Jaycob Brugman in center field for now, working on the strong side of a platoon with Rajai Davis if he can't outright claim a full-time role. Powell looks like a prototypical fourth outfielder in the long run, flashing a good glove, a bit of speed and some ability to hit for average, but players like that can supply decent fantasy value when they land in starting gigs, and there's always the possibility he pulls a Billy Burns 2015 on us. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Alex Presley, Tigers: Activated from the DL on Saturday, Presley's playing time outlook is a lot murkier than it was when he got hurt. Mikie Mahtook has seized control of the center field job in his absence, and the 32-year-old Presley could soon have competition in right field from Nick Castellanos as the Tigers consider ways to get Jeimer Candelario into their lineup. As has been the case throughout his career, he seems destined to fade back to the bench, or off the big-league roster entirely. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Eddie Rosario, Twins: It feels like I write up Rosario every six weeks or so, as the streaky outfielder goes on another tear at the plate and works his way into shallow league consideration again. The cars on his roller coaster are climbing the hill once again (which, really, feels like a backwards analogy, since the best parts of a roller coaster are when it's screaming downhill not slooowly climbing into position) as he's slashing .333/.356/.762 in August with five homers and 12 RBI in 11 games. It won't last, but then again his cold spells have been less frequent in 2017 leading to a career-high .833 OPS, so maybe he can stay productive for the final weeks of the season. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned