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

Drew Anderson, Tigers: Anderson threw 70 pitches in his last start Tuesday, so he's within range of lasting long enough in a start to qualify for a win. (Not to digress right from the jump this week, but when is MLB going to get rid of that silly rule? Why does a starter need to pitch at least five innings to be rewarded with a win, when any reliever only needs to get one out? The game's changed. Scoring rules need to change with it.) The 32-year-old righty has been solid basically all season, and since the beginning of July he's produced a 3.48 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 17:7 K:BB in 20.2 innings, but the boosted win chances makes him easier to roster in mixed formats while he's filling a spot in the rotation. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: Rostered

Kade Anderson, Mariners: There's effectively two big prospects names left in the AL who could get promoted at any time, now that their 2027 rookie status has been preserved – Anderson, and the Twins' Walker Jenkins. (Yes, I wrote up Franklin Arias last week as a possibility as well, and he's doing nothing at Triple-A to hurt his chances, but with Trevor Story cleared to begin a rehab assignment the pressure could be off the Red Sox to address their middle infield situation by starting the clock on their top prospect.) If Anderson's last start at Double-A was his final one in the minors, he went out in style, firing 5.2 shutout innings with a 7:1 K:BB and just two hits allowed. He's blanked the opposition in an impossible nine of his last 11 starts dating back to May 22, posting a 0.61 ERA, 0.57 WHIP and 84:8 K:BB in 59.1 innings over that stretch. Dominant simply doesn't begin to describe what the 22-year-old lefty has done this year in the Texas League, and the Mariners are committed to putting him in the rotation when he does get the call. That could mean bumping Bryce Miller (6.12 ERA over his last six starts) to the bullpen rather than a six-man unit, but Anderson's the kind of kid you find room for, no matter what you need to do. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $7

Chris Bassitt, Orioles: Bassitt came off the IL to take Friday's start and posted his usual respectable numbers. The 37-year-old righty gets by on guile and moxie for the most part, and his 4.65 FIP on the year isn't much better than his 5.11 ERA, but he could fall into a win or two down the stretch. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Cal Quantrill, Rangers: Injuries have moved Quantrill back into the rotation, and he tossed five innings of one-run ball against the Angels on Wednesday with a 6:3 K:BB. Over his last five appearances, the journeyman right-hander has a 2.21 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 18:8 K:BB over 20.1 innings, and while he won't maintain that pace with his ratios, he'll get at least another couple turns while Texas holds its breath on Nathan Eovaldi's elbow. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered

Jose Urquidy, White Sox: Cut loose by the Pirates before being flipped to the pitching-starved White Sox, Urquidy threw 52 pitches and 3.2 innings in bulk relief Friday and got the win despite giving up three runs. It's been a minute since the 31-year-old righty provided useful fantasy numbers over a long stretch (his big-league ERA since 2023 is 5.73 thanks to 13 homers served up in 75.1 frames) but with Chicago's offense at his back, taking a regular turn behind an opener might allow him to pocket a couple more Ws. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Two-start options, Mon-Sun

Via RotoWire's Probable Pitchers grid

Mason Barnett, Athletics (at KC, at HOU)
Shane Baz, Orioles (vs. NYY, vs. TB)
Luis Castillo, White Sox (at CHC, vs. NYM)
Erick Fedde, White Sox (at CHC, vs. NYM)
Cristian Javier, Astros (vs. LAA, vs. ATH)
George Klassen, Angels (at HOU, at TEX)
Daniel Lynch, Royals (vs. ATH, vs. DET)
Jack Perkins, Athletics (at KC, at HOU)
Will Warren, Yankees (at BAL, vs. TOR)
Brandon Young, Orioles (at TB, vs. TB)

Relief Pitcher

Ben Joyce, Angels: Joyce has secured the Halos' last two saves, and the flamethrowing righty has yet to allow a run in five appearances since coming off the IL, giving up just one hit in five innings with a 6:1 K:BB. His stuff has never been in question, just his ability to control it, and as long as he can find the strike zone semi-regularly he should finally take over the closer role the franchise has been waiting for him to claim since drafting him in the third round in 2022. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $21

Others:

Simeon Woods Richardson, Blue Jays 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Catcher

Mickey Gasper, Red Sox: With Masataka Yoshida headed to the IL, Gasper is expected to be called back up and could end up on the strong side of a platoon at DH given the lack of viable alternatives on the big-league roster. The 30-year-old switch hitter has been pummeling the ball at Triple-A this year, slashing .337/.450/.570 over 53 games with 18 doubles and nine homers, but his career .526 OPS in the majors should dump any cold water on thoughts of bidding him up. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Drew Romo, White Sox: The ChiSox have decided to go with a catching duo of Romo and Jake Rogers, who's now on his fourth MLB team of the season. That's... a choice, especially for a team still leading the AL Central. Romo seems to be the de facto starter, despite going 2-for-21 in August so far, but he does offer a bit of pop along with his batting average risk. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Others:

Jake Rogers, White Sox 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Second Base

Zack Gelof, Athletics: Activated from the IL on Monday, Gelof racked up five hits with two homers in his first three games back. The 26-year-old infielder has only been healthy enough to play 72 games this season, but his .273/.331/.490 slash line with 13 homers and eight steals has value even in shallow formats. Sutter Health Park is basically the AL version of Coors Field though, and Gelof's one of the A's hitters who you might be better off streaming only for home games and series – he's got a .929 OPS and 10 homers over 160 PAs in Sacramento this year, and a .661 OPS and three homers in 108 PAs on the road. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Jeff McNeil, Athletics: With Nick Kurtz likely done for the year, McNeil could be in line for a nearly everyday role while bouncing between first base and second base. The veteran utility player has earned that role by slashing an eye-popping .386/.413/.529 since the All-Star break with four doubles, two homers, five steals, 10 runs and 13 RBI over his last 22 games. The activity on the basepaths is especially surprising, considering that the 34-year-old had just one steal in his first 85 games this year, and his career high is 10. McNeil's first season away from the Mets has been a tough one, but he might be getting comfortable with his new squad. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Brock Rodden, Mariners: With Colt Emerson on the shelf and J.P. Crawford not quite to come off it, Rodden is the very temporary starting shortstop for Seattle. The 26-year-old switch hitter has gone 2-for-8 with two doubles and three RBI in his first two big-league games, but he's also struck out five times, and his minor-league numbers aren't especially enticing. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Others:

Cody Freeman, Rangers 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
Leo Rivas, Mariners 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Third Base

Charles McAdoo, Blue Jays: Toronto's trying to engineer a late surge to the playoffs despite trading away guys like Kevin Gausman and Daulton Varsho at the deadline, but that task got a lot harder when Vladimir Guerrero wound up on the concussion IL this weekend. McAdoo could get the first shot at replacing him this time, after having Kazuma Okamoto move across the diamond didn't really work last time Vladito was out. The 24-year-old McAdoo was having a solid but unspectacular season with Triple-A Buffalo, but 16 homers and 12 steals in 89 games carries some fantasy appeal, and he did go yard in his first game after being called back up Monday, batting .313 (5-for-16) in six contests since rejoining the Jays. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Shortstop

Others:

Jorge Mateo, Rays 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Brett Bateman, Blue Jays: Bateman's quickly taken over the starting center field job with the Jays, and he even got the start against three straight lefties before sitting Thursday versus Payton Tolle. The 24-year-old slap hitting has gone 11-for-35 (.314) to begin his career, but after swiping 20 bags in 23 attempts this season at Triple-A, he has yet to attempt a steal in the majors. Bateman will need to start running to have any kind of fantasy appeal outside of deeper formats, but he looks like he belongs in The Show. at least. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Brett Callahan, Tigers: With Riley Greene joining the ranks of Detroit outfielders on the IL, the team called up another youngster in Callahan to start alongside Max Clark and Zach McKinstry. Between Double-A and Triple-A this season, Callahan has managed a .268/.364/.444 slash line with 13 homers and 29 steals in 95 games, and the 2023 13th-round pick has done well just to get this far. Greene may not be out long, however, and Kerry Carpenter could also be back soon, so Callahan's time as a starter in left field could be brief. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Walker Jenkins, Twins: Minnesota is five games back in the AL Central and just one game back in the traffic jam for the last wild-card spot, and they made it clear they were making an effort to get to the playoffs both at the trade deadline, and when they promoted Kaelen Culpepper. Calling up Jenkins would be the next logical move – the 21-year-old has a .381/.435/.690 slash line in August for Triple-A St. Paul with three homers and three steals in 10 games, and the Twins haven't gotten much from any of their outfielders not named Byron Buxton. Trevor Larnach (.214/.276/.357 since the All-Star break) appears to be especially vulnerable to being upgraded. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $5

Tyler O'Neill, Orioles: With Taylor Ward out of the picture, O'Neill has become an everyday player, bouncing between right field and DH while slashing .278/.395/.528 over 12 games in August with three home runs. The 31-year-old slugged 31 homers in 2024 with Boston, but since coming to Baltimore he's struggled to stay healthy and productive. This warm streak may not last, but if you need power for your stretch run, O'Neill still appears capable of launching long balls in bunches. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: Rostered

Richie Palacios, Rays: He's still only on the strong side of a platoon, even if Tampa's options for the short side are running thin, but Palacios is raking in August, batting .367 (11-for-30) in 12 games with three doubles, a homer, a steal, six RBI and eight runs. The Rays are set to face just two LHPs over the next two weeks in 13 games, so the 29-year-old will get every opportunity to stay locked in. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: Rostered 

Cam Smith, Astros: I nearly wrote up Smith last week, but the weight of his awful first three-plus months this season made him one of the final cuts. He's stayed hot though, and through 12 games in August he's produced a .357/.386/.643 slash line with three homers, seven RBI and nine runs. The 23-year-old's athletic upside and talent have never been in question, but getting thrown into the deep end last year by Houston didn't do his development any favors. If he's been dropped in your league, this could be your last chance to grab him before he begins to put it all together. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Rostered

Others:

Daz Cameron, Blue Jays 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
Jahmai Jones, Red Sox 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
Corey Julks, Tigers 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
Jarred Kelenic, Rangers 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
Nelson Velazquez, Astros 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1