This article is part of our AL FAAB Factor series.
STARTING PITCHERS
Armando Galarraga - Galarraga is back for another spin with the Tigers on Tuesday, but he's no guarantee to remain in the rotation after that, especially in light of Rick Porcello's fine outing on Saturday. At the end of the day, he's fundamentally the same pitcher - a low strikeout guy that really relies on his defense and fortune. Break glass only in the case of emergency. Mixed: No; AL: $0.
Jeremy Guthrie - Guthrie hasn't been great this season, but he's been able to tread water in the ultra-competitive AL East on a team that's been anything but competitive. Should Guthrie get dealt at the trade deadline to an NL team, he's exactly the type of pitcher that would benefit greatly from the change of scenery, much like Bronson Arroyo or Ted Lilly or Carlos Silva before him. If you want to make a minimal investment in Guthrie before the trade deadline in hopes of him profiting from the change of scenery, it might just pay off. Mixed: $1; AL: $2 (if Guthrie's stats count after a cross-league trade).
Sergio Mitre - Mitre's return from the DL takes on a little bit more urgency in light of Andy Pettitte's groin injury, which looks as if it will keep him out for 4-to-5 weeks. This also raises the likelihood that the Yanks trade for another starter, but who will that starter be? Roy Oswalt also got banged up on Sunday and Cliff Lee is obviously gone. Do the
STARTING PITCHERS
Armando Galarraga - Galarraga is back for another spin with the Tigers on Tuesday, but he's no guarantee to remain in the rotation after that, especially in light of Rick Porcello's fine outing on Saturday. At the end of the day, he's fundamentally the same pitcher - a low strikeout guy that really relies on his defense and fortune. Break glass only in the case of emergency. Mixed: No; AL: $0.
Jeremy Guthrie - Guthrie hasn't been great this season, but he's been able to tread water in the ultra-competitive AL East on a team that's been anything but competitive. Should Guthrie get dealt at the trade deadline to an NL team, he's exactly the type of pitcher that would benefit greatly from the change of scenery, much like Bronson Arroyo or Ted Lilly or Carlos Silva before him. If you want to make a minimal investment in Guthrie before the trade deadline in hopes of him profiting from the change of scenery, it might just pay off. Mixed: $1; AL: $2 (if Guthrie's stats count after a cross-league trade).
Sergio Mitre - Mitre's return from the DL takes on a little bit more urgency in light of Andy Pettitte's groin injury, which looks as if it will keep him out for 4-to-5 weeks. This also raises the likelihood that the Yanks trade for another starter, but who will that starter be? Roy Oswalt also got banged up on Sunday and Cliff Lee is obviously gone. Do the Yanks go after the likes of a Jake Westbrook or Ted Lilly? Look for Mitre to get a couple of starts before that happens. Mixed: $0; AL: $2.
RELIEF PITCHERS
Michael Bowden - The conversion to the bullpen looks complete for Bowden, and the Red Sox could use his help bridging games to the back of the bullpen. Obviously his value as a prospect is no longer so shiny, but then again he hasn't missed a good number of bats as a starter since Double-A. Maybe being able to use more of a max delivery will give his strikeout rate a small hike. Watch from afar. Mixed and AL: No.
Shawn Camp - Camp came in to get the final out on Saturday to pick up the save against the O's after Kevin Gregg walked three batters. That doesn't necessarily mean that Camp is next in line, though - both Jason Frasor and Scott Downs had already pitched in that game. Camp has been good this year and competent in previous years, though in both cases he's not the type to miss a lot of bats. He's most effective when pitching to contact and inducing a lot of grounders - that skill doesn't necessarily translate well to the ninth inning, though some relievers have gotten away with it. I'd rather have Frasor or Downs first. Mixed: $0; AL: $1.
Jason Frasor - With Kerry Wood on the DL, the AL closer most likely to get traded may very well be Kevin Gregg, though Gregg's walk-a-thon on Saturday night might dissuade potential suitors from pulling the trigger on him. Frasor is probably first in line to close should Gregg get dealt, but keep in mind that the Jays have other options in Scott Downs and Shawn Camp, who relieved Gregg on Saturday. Frasor so far has been better as a set-up pitcher than a closer - his component numbers always seem to outpace his overall results. Is he the new LaTroy Hawkins, or is his ninth inning struggles in the past meaningful at all? Mixed: $2; AL: $6.
Jensen Lewis - This is covered ground, so we'll keep it short. Lewis once showed promise as a potential back-end of a bullpen guy, but instead he's ended up more like a Quad-A reliever, able to dominate Triple-A hitters but unable to maintain a level of success in the majors. Mixed and AL: No.
Chris Perez - Kerry Wood's blister injury pre-empts the notion of trading for Perez at any sort of discount before a trade of Wood, and it also complicates matters a little bit for Perez in the future. What happens when Wood comes back? Does he take over the closer's role again if he returns after the trade deadline? As others have pointed out, surely he'll pass through waivers because of his contract, so effectively he has a later trade deadline. But at some point can't the Indians just "showcase" Wood in a set-up role and get busy with the business of moving on with Perez as a closer? Obviously he's gone in any AL-only league and any semi-competent mixed league, but if you're thinking of trading for him, be aware that his walk rate is still a bit of a problem. He has walked 19 in 36.1 innings, including six in his last four outings. He's an above-average reliever, but he doesn't project to be an elite one. Mixed: $10.
Jess Todd - Todd also came over from the Cardinals to the Indians in the Mark DeRosa trade along with Chris Perez. He had a rough indoctrination to major league hitting last year, getting cuffed around once the Indians called him up. He's bounced back with good numbers at Triple-A Columbus, albeit no longer in a closer's role, with a 2.75 ERA and 46:12 K:BB in 39.1 innings. He's not in line to close now, but should Perez fail down the line, Todd could be among the eventual contenders. There's no need to speculate now - just give him a glance when you get a chance. Mixed and AL: No.
CATCHERS
Dustin Brown - Brown got caught up in the slew of Red Sox catcher injuries last month, straining a ligament in his thumb at the same time that Victor Martinez, Jason Varitek and Mark Wagner were all down. Now that he's healthy, Brown replaces Gustavo Molina as Kevin Cash's backup behind the plate. He can't be much worse at the plate than Cash/Molina have been, but chances are he'll get no more than token playing time before Martinez returns. Mixed and AL: No.
CORNER INFIELDERS
Josh Bell - Bell is back up after a brief demotion, but how long will he be up with the big league roster this time? This is normally where I'd rail against the O's for his usage, but they are in the position of needing to showcase veterans before they can trade him, and with Luke Scott coming back on Monday, there's just no spots available. This team needs to trade the likes of Scott, Miguel Tejada and Ty Wigginton post-haste, though. It's pointless to be trotting them out in August and keeping Bell buried. Mixed: $0; AL: $1.
MIDDLE INFIELDERS
Yunel Escobar - Escobar ended his homer drought on Sunday with a grand slam, underscoring the Jays' interest in acquiring him. Yes, he hadn't hit for power and had some issues with the Braves' clubhouse due to his attitude and occasional mental lapses, but the body of work on Escobar suggests that he was far better than he had shown in 2010. He's probably more interesting in sim leagues than in roto leagues, as his power upside is probably no higher than 7-10 homers over the second half, with not a lot of stolen base potential. Mixed: $4; AL: $20.
Maicer Izturis - Izturis could come back from the DL as early as Tuesday, despite the lack of much of a rehab assignment. Kevin Frandsen has held his own at third base, at least hitting for average, but Izturis has a little bit of tenure advantage of Frandsen and my guess is that manager Mike Scioscia will use Izturis at third over Frandsen more often than not. He offers speed, the ability to hit for average and the likelihood of scoring a decent number of runs, but not much in the way of power. Mixed: $1; AL: $5.
OUTFIELDERS
Chris Gimenez - We're listing Gimenez at outfield here because he played 20 games there for the Tribe last year while catching just eight times. But for all intents and purposes now, he's a backup catcher, and truthfully has less of a future with the club than Lou Marson even in that capacity. He offers a little more power than Marson but less ability to hit for average, and Marson is considered a better defender. Mixed: No; AL: $0.
