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.

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 skills and role on an A-E scale. Rafael Devers 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

Carlos Rodon, White Sox: The 25-year-old lefty made his 2018 debut against the Red Sox on Saturday and had both good and bad moments, with 15 swinging strikes in 97 pitches being especially encouraging. Rodon had been outstanding on his rehab stint, posting a 1.42 ERA and 22:5 K:BB over 12.2 innings at Triple-A, but strikeouts have never been his problem. It's whether he can rein in his career 3.8 BB/9 and 1.1 HR/9 marks that will determine how much long-term success he has. Rodon's workload in his debut also suggests he won't have any limitations now that's he recovered from last September's shoulder surgery – assuming he doesn't injure something else, of course. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team AL: $25

Mike Fiers, Tigers: Fiers has put together a nice little run lately, delivering a 1.96 ERA and 18:4 K:BB over his last 18.1 innings. It's not like he's been feasting on the (rest of the) soft underbelly of the AL Central, either, as those three starts have come against the Angels, Yankees and Cleveland. You have to go back to 2015 to find a comparable level of performance for the 32-year-old, but the fact that he has had some success before offers some hope he could keep this up for a while longer. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

Steven Wright, Red Sox: The knuckleballer dominated the Tigers on Tuesday in his first start of the season and will get at least one more turn in the Red Sox rotation, a road start against the Orioles on Monday. When he heads back to the bullpen will depend entirely on how quickly Drew Pomeranz recovers from his biceps tendinitis, but Wright is more than capable of nabbing another win given the matchup. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Adam Plutko, Cleveland: The front office apparently decided that Shane Bieber isn't quite ready for another crack at major-league hitters, so Plutko will slot back in as Cleveland's fifth starter beginning Tuesday on the road against the White Sox. In fact, his upcoming schedule looks very friendly if he doesn't get skipped: at CHW, vs. MIN, vs. DET. Plutko doesn't have the arsenal to produce big strikeouts numbers and is essentially just a younger version of Josh Tomlin, but that's still a profile that can produce value with a World Series-caliber roster backing him. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Paul Blackburn, Athletics: Oakland's seemingly inexhaustible supply of fringy, back-of-the-rotation right-handers churned up another couple of starters this week, and Blackburn is the marginally more promising of the two. A forearm issue in spring training delayed the beginning of his 2018 campaign, but the 24-year-old looked good against the Royals on Thursday and should stick around for a few turns. Blackburn won't give you a lot of strikeouts, but when his sinker is working and the defense behind him is sharp, he can produce useful ratios. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5

Dylan Covey, White Sox: Covey's gone from "scrub temporary fifth starter" to "nominal ace of the White Sox staff" in the blink of an eye, and while he could go back the other way just as quickly, it's hard to ignore his recent form. Over four starts since being called up in late May, the 26-year-old has a 1.21 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 25:8 K:BB through 22.1 innings, shutting down the Red Sox and out-dueling Chris Sale in Fenway on Friday. He's averaging almost 94 mph with his fastball, which is a big step up from last year, and while he still doesn't profile with elite stuff, his numbers have been just as good at Triple-A this season. One word of caution if you want to take a chance on his current run continuing, however. Covey's next two starts set up to come against Cleveland, the one team that's had some success against him during his four-game stretch of relative brilliance. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Chris Bassitt, Athletics: Bassitt made his first big-league start since 2016 on Saturday and bossed around the Royals, but hey, it's the Royals. The right-hander missed most of 2016 and 2017 due to Tommy John surgery, and while his strikeout rate has bumped up a bit at Triple-A Nashville this season, his overall results haven't improved. Bassitt's mainly a sinkerball pitcher who doesn't actually generate a lot of groundballs, which is a very volatile profile, and he's probably looking at a swing man/sixth starter role for now if he does stick around in Oakland. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Artie Lewicki, Tigers: After getting roughed up by the Red Sox on Tuesday, Lewicki will make another start Sunday at home against Cleveland, but after that he's likely headed back to the bullpen or Triple-A Toledo. The 26-year-old has a typical back-end arsenal, with a low 90s fastball and average breaking pitches, and there really isn't much to get excited about here. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Relief Pitcher

Joakim Soria, White Sox: White Sox GM Rick Hahn must be getting trade inquiries about Soria, because all of a sudden the 34-year-old is closing again. He's converted three straight save chances since Tuesday, and he's been sharp since his mid-May flameout, posting a 0.00 ERA, 0.43 WHIP and 10:1 K:BB in his last 9.1 innings. Don't count on Soria for long-term saves – the better he pitches, the sooner he'll get dealt to a contender and become a set-up guy – but if you're jockeying for position in a tight category, every save helps. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Hector Rondon, Astros: The 30-year-old joined Ken Giles and Chris Devenski in the "Astros relievers with multiple saves" club this week, but don't assume he's going to completely take over the closer role. Rondon has pitched well this season, racking up a 1.57 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 26:5 K:BB in 23 innings, but manager A.J. Hinch isn't going to stop mixing and matching in the ninth inning just because one guy's had some success. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $3; 12-team AL: $7

Darren O'Day, Orioles: O'Day returned from the disabled list Saturday, giving him a small window to pick up a save or two as Brad Brach blew his last chance Thursday in spectacular fashion, while Zach Britton is still a few days away from being activated from the DL himself. Once the O's bullpen is intact again, O'Day should settle into a setup role, making him more useful in leagues that count holds. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Lou Trivino, Athletics: Trivino appears to be the new understudy for closer Blake Treinen in Oakland, getting the save Friday while Treinen was getting the night off. Trivino's 1.82 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 27:13 K:BB through 24.2 innings certainly warrant a prominent role, but unless Treinen flames out or breaks down, Trivino will be more valuable in holds leagues than in formats where he needs a steady stream of closing opportunities to be worth a roster spot. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Louis Coleman, Tigers: Coleman's quietly put up excellent numbers in middle relief for Detroit since his promotion in mid-May, posting a 1.72 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 18:5 K:BB in 15.2 innings with three wins and two holds. The 32-year-old journeyman averages less than 90 mph with his fastball, relying instead on a sharp slider he throws more than 50 percent of the time, and while he's not likely to sniff the ninth inning even if Shane Greene gets traded, he could provide some useful innings in deep formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Catcher

Kevan Smith, White Sox: Called up Tuesday, Smith has started four of the last five games for the White Sox, going 7-for-16 in the process. That playing time is as much due to Omar Narvaez's struggles as Smith's own abilities, and in the long run the duo will likely fall into a platoon with Smith on the short side, but for now the 29-year-old is offering some faint promise of production at fantasy's thinnest position. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team AL: $4

Josh Phegley, Athletics: The A's decided they didn't like what Bruce Maxwell was giving them as Jonathan Lucroy's backup, and swapped him out for Phegley this week. The 30-year-old does offer a smidge of power potential, but he's not going to see much playing time behind Lucroy. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Austin Wynns, Orioles: Not content with one rookie catcher on the roster in Chance Sisco, the O's called up another one in Wynns on Tuesday to be Sisco's backup. The 27-year-old doesn't offer much offensive upside beyond some modest power – he popped 10 homers in 105 games at Double-A Bowie last year, and had four in 32 games at Triple-A Norfolk to begin 2018. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

First Base

Jake Bauers, Rays: Man, the Rays are confusing. They can't find room for Willy Adames, but Bauers – who hadn't homered at Triple-A Durham since May 12 and had a merely decent .279/.357/.426 slash line on the season – was apparently considered enough of an upgrade on Brad Miller to get the call and boot the veteran off the big-league roster entirely. Bauers has gone 2-for-12 with a double and three K's in three games since his promotion, and while in the long term he does have some intriguing power potential, as well as some rare steals upside for a first baseman, there could be some lengthy development time ahead for the 22-year-old. Still, he'll get regular at-bats with Miller gone, although if he really struggles Tampa does have the option of using C.J. Cron at first base and turning their DH spot into a committee. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Daniel Vogelbach, Mariners: Vogelbach continues yo-yoing between Seattle and Tacoma depending on whether the M's feel they need another bench bat or bullpen arm, but the 25-year-old really has nothing left to prove in the minors given his .304/.445/.643 slash line through 33 Triple-A games this season. It'll take a significant injury to Nelson Cruz or Ryon Healy to give Vogelbach another chance at consistent big-league at-bats, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Second Base

Jason Kipnis, Cleveland: After finishing April with a sub-.500 OPS, Kipnis has slowly begun climbing out of that hole, but it's only recently that he's really begun to look like himself at the plate. The 31-year-old is slashing .283/.321/.509 over his last 13 games with three homers and two steals, and in shallow leagues where his ice-cold start got him kicked to the curb, it might be time to give him another shot. Kipnis was a fantasy force as recently as 2016, and if he's finally 100 percent healthy again, he's still capable of a strong final four months. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: Owned

Jose Miguel Fernandez, Angels: Andrelton Simmons' ankle injury finally created an opportunity for Fernandez to make his big-league debut Friday, and he's gone 2-for-6 since. The 30-year-old Cuban has a profile similar to Yulieski Gurriel's, featuring a quick bat and plus hit tool that could be able to produce strong batting averages and moderate power, but like Gurriel his best days were behind him before he ever got to MLB. If he looks good out of the gate, though, the Angels have nothing to lose by keeping him on the bench and working him in at first base, DH and second base when they can. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3

Nolan Fontana, Angels: Fontana was called up Friday for his second big-league stint of the season. He didn't get a start his first time around, and isn't likely to this time either with Simmons not expected to be out too long. Fontana's purely an emergency plug-in who might get you a random steal in very deep AL-only formats. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Third Base

Matt Davidson, White Sox: Davidson came off the DL on Tuesday and immediately went back to his windy ways, going 2-for-16 with six strikeouts in five games. The 27-year-old is what he is – a potent source of homers and a batting average liability on a team that doesn't provide him with a lot of RBI opportunities. If that's a useful piece for your roster, pick him back up, but he's not worth busting your budget over. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: Owned

Shortstop

Ronald Torreyes, Yankees: Torreyes got bumped back up the majors to provide some bench depth with Masahiro Tanaka landed on the DL, but the 25-year-old will likely head back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when the team needs pitching reinforcements. With younger and/or better players starting all across the infield, there aren't many paths to playing time available for Torreyes while he is with the big club. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Outfield

Dustin Fowler, Athletics: Fowler's bat has snapped awake in June, and the 23-year-old is slashing .370/.393/.704 through eight games this month with three homers and a steal. The power isn't that surprising, as he slugged 13 home runs in 70 games at Triple-A in 2017, and if he's finally getting comfortable in the majors Fowler has the talent to provide solid five-category for the remainder of 2018. If his poor start caused him to get dropped already in a shallow format, snap him up. 12-team Mixed: $7; 15-team Mixed: $15; 12-team AL: Owned

Randal Grichuk, Blue Jays: Last week, I suggested – implored, really – that Grichuk needed to show anything at all at the plate to hang onto a starting job with the Jays. How's .389/.450/1.056 in five games with three homers and seven RBI for "anything"? While it could easily just be a small-sample hot streak, it's important to remember that Toronto has a long history of turning other team's castoffs into potent sluggers. Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Donaldson, Justin Smoak... all of them blossomed with the Jays, and it's not hard to imagine Grichuk joining that list now that he's had a little time in the system to absorb the team's hitting approach. If you need a jolt on offense, the 26-year-old is a more than worthwhile gamble despite his paltry .627 OPS on the year. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15

Lonnie Chisenhall, Cleveland: Chisenhall came off the DL on Tuesday, and the surprising demotion of Bradley Zimmer seemingly ensures him a starting role in right field. The 29-year-old hasn't exactly hit the ground running, going 3-for-16 in four games, but he's capable of repeating last year's solid production with consistent playing time, especially given the strength of the lineup around him. 12-team Mixed: $2; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team AL: $11

Greg Allen, Cleveland: With Zimmer trying to sort things out at Triple-A Columbus, Allen finds himself as Cleveland's starting center fielder. The 25-year-old isn't doing himself any favors by promptly falling into an 0-for-12 slump over the last week, but he's still swiped two bases, which is mostly what anyone is going to roster him for anyway. Prior to the swoon, Allen was on a .341/.396/.523 tear over 13 games, and he's got the upside to be a prototypical old-school fantasy leadoff hitter, supplying strong three-category production without much of a contribution in HR or RBI. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9

Paulo Orlando, Royals: Orlando was called back up Thursday when Jon Jay was traded to Arizona and has started three straight games since, going 1-for-10 with four strikeouts. The 32-year-old was thriving at Triple-A Omaha, slashing .300/.333/.500 through 35 games, but he still profiles as a fourth outfielder at best, even on a roster as threadbare as Kansas City's. Ultimately, how much playing time he gets will depend on how often Whit Merrifield gets plugged in as the center fielder, as Orlando's bat probably isn't going to force the issue. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2

Ryan LaMarre, Twins: With Byron Buxton sidelined yet again, LaMarre is the current default starting center fielder in Minnesota, hitting .214 (9-for-42) over the last 12 games with 15 Ks. There's playing time here, but little upside, making the 29-year-old the kind of guy you include as an emergency bid when you miss on all your top FAAB choices. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1

Jake Cave, Twins: Cave was called back up Saturday to provide outfield depth, but with Buxton out and LaMarre struggling, there is a possible path to semi-regular playing time ahead for the 25-year-old. Cave would offer a little more offensive upside than LaMarre, but until he actually gets a chance to show it, he's just a deep-league lottery ticket. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1