AL FAAB Factor: Fantasy Baseball 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.

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 upside on an A-E scale, prioritizing skills and talent above role and playing time outlook. Wyatt Langford 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.

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

Jonathan Cannon, White Sox: Cannon has found a groove of late, delivering three straight quality starts for the ChiSox and lasting at least six innings in four straight. His 3.20 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 11:2 K:BB in 19.2 innings during the QS streak aren't going to move the needle in any format, but if his control has taken a step forward, he could emerge as a reliable depth/streaming option. Cannon lines up for two starts this week, but they aren't favorable ones as he faces the Reds and Cubs on the road. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Rostered

Patrick Corbin, Rangers: The 35-year-old southpaw seems to be putting his long nightmare in the nation's capital behind him. After posting an ERA north of 5.00 for four straight seasons with the Nationals, Corbin has somehow produced a respectable 3.13 ERA and 1.39 WHIP through his first six starts and 31.2 innings for the Rangers. Those stats come with a 20:12 K:BB, so his comeback campaign may be on shaky ground, but on the other hand he's in the 90th percentile in hard-hit rate allowed. If he can keep generating weak contact, he'll be useful. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1 ; 12-team AL: Rostered

Ryan Gusto, Astros: Gusto's removal from the rotation didn't last long. Hayden Wesneski landed on the IL with elbow inflammation, dropping Gusto right into a two-start week that features a home start against the Royals and a road tilt against the Rangers. The right-hander was just getting fully stretched out when he got bumped – he threw 90 pitches in his last start April 29 – so he shouldn't have any workload limitations, and he was giving Houston good results, posting a 3.79 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 20:4 K:BB over 19 innings over his four prior turns through the rotation. At this point Wesneski's not expected to be out long, but it'll be a couple days before the swelling in his elbow goes down enough for a full battery of tests. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Dean Kremer, Orioles: Baltimore's rotation has been a dumpster fire to begin the year, but Kremer at least may be getting his act together in May. The righty has lasted seven innings in back-to-back starts while giving up just two total runs with a 10:3 K:BB. The key to any Kremer turnaround is probably going to come via his splitter – the pitch got a 36.0 percent whiff rate in 2024, but that's dropped to 15.4 percent this year. During his seven scoreless innings against the Royals on May 2 though, batters swung at half the 14 splitters he threw. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Chris Paddack, Twins: David Festa and Zebby Matthews continue to pitch well at Triple-A St. Paul, but the back end of the Twins' rotation isn't giving them an opening to come up. Paddack delivered his first quality start of the year Friday, and he's given up three runs or less in six straight trips to the mound, posting a 2.51 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 26:10 K:BB through 32.1 innings over that stretch. Injuries seemed to have derailed the righty's career since his impressive rookie season with the Padres in 2019, but if Paddack is finally healthy again, those numbers may not be a smallish-sample fluke. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Allan Winans, Yankees: The 29-year-old got mentioned as a potential rotation option for the Yankees by manager Aaron Boone after Carlos Carrasco got cut loose, but rain has played havoc with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's schedule this week, and Winans hasn't actually pitched since April 30. That would probably limit his workload if he does get called up this week, but piggybacking with Ryan Yarbrough would help alleviate those concerns. Winans has had an eye-popping start to the year at Triple-A, racking up a 24:5 K:BB over 14 scoreless innings, but he posted good numbers at Triple-A Gwinnett the last couple seasons as well, and he couldn't translate them to the majors. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Other two-start options, Mon-Sun (12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $1)

Via RotoWire's Probable Pitchers grid

Emerson Hancock, Mariners (vs. NYY, at SD)
Tanner Houck, Red Sox (at DET, vs. ATL)
Jackson Jobe, Tigers (vs. BOS, at TOR)
Jack Leiter, Rangers (vs. COL, vs. HOU)
Ben Lively, Guardians (vs. MIL, at CIN)
Cade Povich, Orioles (vs. MIN, vs. WAS)
Michael Wacha, Royals (at HOU, vs. STL)
Simeon Woods Richardson, Twins (at BAL, at MIL)

Relief Pitcher

Yariel Rodriguez, Blue Jays: Jeff Hoffman and Yimi Garcia stumbled badly last week, with both of them coughing up at least three runs in back-to-back appearances. Hoffman at least has already bounced back, striking out six straight batters in his two most recent games, but Garcia's hold on the job as the Jays' top setup man could be slipping. If it does, Rodriguez seems to be positioning himself to slide into the role. The 28-year-old righty has holds in his last two trips to the mound, and over his last 12.1 innings he's got a 2.92 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 15:5 K:BB. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Will Vest, Tigers: Vest picked up Detroit's first save in May on Friday, but it's not because the team hasn't been winning – they're 7-2 to begin the month and have scored an average of 7.6 runs a game, so close, late leads have been few and far between. Vest appears to be the top option when one comes up though, as with a completely fresh high-leverage crew at his disposal Friday, manager A.J. Hinch had Tommy Kahnle work the eighth and Vest the ninth. Kahnle has five saves to Vest's four on the season and has the higher roster rate on Yahoo (34 percent to 24 percent), but it's the latter who is the better fantasy asset, as the Tigers will eventually stop winning by routs all the time. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: Rostered

Ryan Yarbrough, Yankees: If Winans doesn't get called up, or even if he does, Yarbrough figures to be part of the solution as the Yankees try to fill their fifth starter hole. Yarbrough has been effective in long relief, and he built up to a season-high 64 pitches in his most recent appearance May 3. The southpaw's ceiling is limited, but any chance to be the pitcher of record when you have Aaron Judge and company backing you has some fantasy value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Catcher

Victor Caratini, Astros: With Yordan Alvarez on the shelf, Yainer Diaz has been able to DH more often, opening up playing time for Caratini. The veteran switch hitter has started three of six games since Alvarez landed on the IL, and he took advantage Saturday by going 3-for-5 with a home run. Over 559 plate appearances since 2023, Caratini has a .264/.335/.400 slash line with 17 homers, so he isn't your typical no-bat backup catcher. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Travis d'Arnaud, Angels: The 36-year-old is also seeing his playing time pick up in May, as d'Arnaud has started five of nine games to begin the month, in part because Logan O'Hoppe has been able to DH while Jorge Soler is banged up and Mike Trout and Gustavo Campero are both sidelined. While he's still looking for his 2025 homer, d'Arnaud has gone 5-for-16 with a couple doubles during that stretch, and he should still have some juice left in his bat. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Freddy Fermin, Royals: Salvador Perez has yet to see action behind the plate in May, bouncing between first base and DH while nursing a sore left hip. The Royals have had that luxury because Fermin's been productive lately, batting .283 (15-for-53) over his last 15 games with a homer, four RBI and five runs. As long as he's handling a starter's workload behind the plate, he should be rostered. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Matt Thaiss, White Sox: Chicago's been reluctant to use Edgar Quero at catcher in back-to-back games, so Thaiss has stayed more involved that expected since the top prospect's promotion. The 30-year-old is batting .273 (6-for-22) over his last eight starts with two doubles, two RBI, four runs and eight walks, and it's that sudden surge in plate discipline that's going to keep Thaiss in the lineup for a team trying to scrounge up whatever offense it can. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

First Base

Zach Dezenzo, Astros: Cam Smith's struggles opened the door, but it's been Dezenzo's own performance that has kept him in the lineup. The 25-year-old is slashing .311/.380/.489 over his last 14 games with a homer, a steal, seven RBI and 11 runs while bouncing from one outfield corner to the other. Jose Altuve also strained his hamstring Saturday, and while the Astros haven't indicated yet an IL stint is an option for him, his absence would further cement Dezenzo in the lineup. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Rostered

Tim Elko, White Sox: Called up this weekend after a blistering start to the year at Triple-A Charlotte (10 homers and a 1.084 OPS in 31 games) , Elko went 0-for-3 in his big-league debut Saturday. The 26-year-old could end up as a Quad-A player, but the ChiSox have nothing to lose by seeing if his breakout can carry forward. If the bar is only to be better than the 2025 version of Andrew Vaughn, it won't be hard to clear. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Second Base

Colt Keith, Tigers: The 23-year-old has caught fire, batting .333 (10-for-30) over his last 10 games while slugging four homers with nine RBI and 10 runs. Playing time will only get tighter with the Tigers – Matt Vierling is four games into a rehab assignment – but the team will find room for Keith in the 1B/2B/DH mix as long as it looks like he's beginning to love up to his prospect pedigree. This is a guy who slashed a combined .306/.380/.552 with 27 homers between 126 Double-A and Triple-A games in 2023, after all. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Rostered

Michael Stefanic, Blue Jays: Injuries and demotions have clarified the Blue Jays' infield picture considerably, with Ernie Clement getting regular run at second base while Addison Barger gets a chance to lock down the starting gig at third base. Stefanic was called up for depth after Andres Gimenez was placed on the IL, but he has yet to get a plate appearance in three games. Even if he does start seeing playing time, he offers little more than some solid contact skills and a bit of speed. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Third Base

Addison Barger, Blue Jays: Speaking of the Jays' infield, Barger's consistent hard contact has finally started to produce results. He's hit safely in four straight games, going 6-for-14 with three doubles, two runs and five RBI. The 25-year-old's Statcast page would be dripping red if he had enough PAs to qualify for the leaderboards, and after Saturday's game he sports a 96.6 mph average exit velocity – that's better than everyone in baseball except Shohei Ohtani. His 18.9 percent chase rate would also be around the 91st-92nd percentile, and his 27.5 percent pull/air rate (that's on all batted balls) would be right there in the top 25 in the league with sluggers like Kyle Schwarber. Basically, Barger looks like a player on the verge of a breakout, so this could be your last chance to get shares on the cheap. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Ernie Clement, Blue Jays: Clement doesn't have Barger's upside, but he's been a fixture in the Toronto lineup since late April and is batting .297 (11-for-37) over his last 11 games with three doubles, a steal, an RBI and five runs. After joining the dozen-dozen club in 2024, the 29-year-old is still looking for his first homer of 2025, but a good batting average, the occasional steal and some position flex has utility too. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Rostered

Ezequiel Duran, Rangers: Texas' roster shuffling has returned Duran to the big-league bench, after he absolutely raked during his stint with Triple-A Round Rock (four homers, five steals, 1.063 OPS in only 14 games). As long as everyone is healthy though, there's no clear path to playing time for the 25-year-old, especially with Josh Smith having established himself in a super-utility role. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

DJ LeMahieu, Yankees: LeMahieu has yet to make his season debut due to multiple lower-body injuries, which is ominous given how last year went for the 36-year-old, but he's looked great on his rehab assignment, batting .478 (11-for-23) over eight games between Double-A and Triple-A. The Yankees could use him with Jazz Chisholm on the shelf, and Jorbit Vivas hasn't done much so far at the keystone. LeMahieu's days of winning batting titles are long past, but he might supply a bit of power for however long he holds up. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Yoan Moncada, Angels: Moncada homered in back-to-back games after coming off the IL on Tuesday, and through five contests he's gone 5-for-17 with four runs and five RBI. That's nice, but the 29-year-old hasn't been much of a fantasy asset since 2019. The selling point here is that he's got little competition for playing time at the hot corner, although I can't help but notice that Carter Kieboom has been smashing the ball for Triple-A Salt Lake and might get a look as a 3B/DH option if the team runs out of outfielders they can slide through the DH spot. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Josh Rojas, White Sox: The veteran infielder has handled a strong-side platoon role at third base since making his season debut last weekend, although he hasn't done much with it, going 4-for-17 with a steal and zero extra-base hits. Rojas can swipe some bags, but he offers little at the plate, and the ChiSox would rather see Miguel Vargas heat up again and push him to the bench. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Shortstop

Daniel Schneemann, Guardians: Schneemann keeps racking up hits, and Cleveland hasn't had much choice but to keep him in the lineup against righties as a result. The 28-year-old utility player has hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games, slashing .353/.421/.706 over that stretch with three doubles, three homers, eight runs and eight RBI. Most of his playing time has come at second base while Gabriel Arias takes over at shortstop from the flailing Brayan Rocchio. Hot as he is, Schneemann is still just a strong-side platoon player with a limited track record, although he did post a .984 OPS and 10 homers in 53 games at Triple-A in 2024, so there may be some emerging upside here. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Nick Sogard, Red Sox: While from the outside, Rafael Devers' rage at Boston for daring to ask him to switch positions again was funny, it does leave the team without a first baseman (and without a way to get Roman Anthony a starting spot in the majors, but that's another discussion.) Jarren Duran's defense has been shaky this season in left field, so maybe... ? In the meantime, Sogard will take Romy Gonzalez's spot in the 1B mix, splitting time with Abraham Toro. Sogard was batting just .188 at Triple-A prior to his promotion, but he's capable of swiping the occasional base. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Trey Sweeney, Tigers: Seemingly every other Detroit hitter is locked in right now, so why not their glove-first shortstop too? Sweeney reeled off four straight multi-hit games last week, although three of them did come at Coors Field (hey, just because the Rockies can't hit there doesn't mean it's suddenly a pitcher's park). The 25-year-old is batting a slick .400 (14-for-35) in nine May contests with two homers, seven RBI and nine runs, and even batting ninth in a lineup has hot as this can have value. Sweeney did show power and speed in the minors, so while he hasn't been consistently productive in the majors yet, he might have more to offer than he's shown so far. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Find out who to target the rest of the way with RotoWire's MLB Rest of Season Projections!

Outfield

Miguel Andujar, Athletics: The roster shuffle that followed Nick Kurtz's promotion pushed Andujar to third base, a position he hasn't played consistently since 2018, but he's now started five straight games at the hot corner. The 30-year-old doesn't provide much more than a good batting average, but playing time is playing time in deep formats. Zack Gelof having a setback in his recovery from wrist surgery also buys Andujar more time, as Luis Urias is still needed at second base. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Evan Carter, Rangers: Texas finally gave up on Leody Taveras, opening up a spot in the majors for Carter to get another look. The 22-year-old didn't exactly force his way back to the majors though, managing just a .221/.333/.416 slash line in 21 games at Triple-A, although he did hit three homers and steal six bags. The most encouraging thing for Carter since he was called up Tuesday is that he's struck out just once in 17 plate appearances, but an average exit velocity of 80.9 mph is alarming, small sample or no. If the 22-year-old can't hit the ball with more authority, he simply won't have much fantasy appeal. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Willi Castro, Twins: Castro came off the IL on Monday and has started five straight games in the outfield corners, as the Twins cover for Matt Wallner's absence. The 28-year-old utility player hasn't gotten going yet this season, but Castro still has the same skills that led him to 21 homers and 47 steals the last two seasons. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Jonatan Clase, Blue Jays: Toronto's current revolving door in the lineup is in left field, with Clase starting two of the last four games there while Myles Straw and Nathan Lukes got a start each. Clase has been at his slap-hitting best with Triple-A Buffalo this season, batting .315 with 15 steals in 27 games, but he offers no power and is basically a cheaper switch-hitting version of Straw. There's almost no reason to keep both guys on a roster, much less having Lukes in the mix as well, but the Jays are gonna Jay. Until the competition gets cleared a little, Clase will be just a steals dart throw. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Sam Haggerty, Rangers: With Kevin Pillar on the shelf, Haggerty is up to provide depth in center field and a platoon partner for Evan Carter. That landed the former Mariner the thankless task of facing Tarik Skubal in his only start since his promotion. Haggerty was hitting .313 with seven steals in 22 games at Triple-A Tacoma, and the 30-year-old can still chip in with a stolen base now and then with semi-consistent playing time. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Matthew Lugo, Angels: With Mike Trout and Gustavo Campero on IL and Jorge Soler nursing some groin tightness, Lugo got called up and made his big-league debut Saturday. The 24-year-old was hitting a miserable .212 with a 29.2 percent strikeout rate at Triple-A Salt Lake, which is far from encouraging, but his overall track record in the minors suggests he's got some power and speed. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Leody Taveras, Mariners: Stop me if you've heard this one before. Seattle has scooped up a former top prospect with a strong defensive reputation in center field who was never able to hit enough to satisfy his old club. Last year, Victor Robles fit that bill; in 2025 it's Taveras, a 26-year-old switch hitter who came into the season with a career .240/.293/371 slash line in over 1,700 plate appearances for the Rangers. Taveras has hit safely and driven in a run in each of his first three games as a Mariner, but he's also struck out six times, so a Robles-like career resurgence isn't quite materializing just yet. Luke Raley's on the shelf for another month or so with an oblique strain while Robles probably won't be back until the All-Star break or later, so Taveras will have a long runway to try and prove himself. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Matt Vierling, Tigers: The 28-year-old utility player appears to have little left to do on his rehab assignment, hitting safely in three straight games for Triple-A Toledo and homering twice. Vierling's activation will likely cost Justyn-Henry Malloy his roster spot, but Vierling should be more than just a short-side platoon player for the Tigers. Jace Jung isn't hitting and Zach McKinstry has slowed down, so Vierling could get significant run at third base right out of the gate. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $3

Designated Hitter

Joc Pederson, Rangers: It took until May 10, but Pederson finally hit his first homer of the season. The veteran slugger has been coming around after his brutal slump to begin the year, slashing .263/.391/.500 over his last 15 games (46 plate appearances). He's still only a strong-side platoon player, but if he's hitting the way he's capable of, that's a role that can still provide value in shallower formats when the Rangers face a run of righties. If Pederson got cut loose while his batting average was still below .100 in late April, scoop him up now before he really heats up. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

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