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 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 include a very basic "player grade" column. This serves as a reflection of a player's skills and role on an A-E scale. Carlos Correa would have been an "A" grade player last year -- that mark will be reserved for similar high-impact prospects stepping into an everyday role.

Not seeing a certain player in the grid? Check to see if they were mentioned in last week's column. If there's a player not discussed in either article that you'd like to know about, feel free to ask about them in the comments.

Martin Perez, Rangers - The skills were better than the results last year would suggest (4.46 ERA, 3.40 FIP), but the opposite was the case in Perez's 2016 debut Tuesday. He walked four batters and only struck out three over six innings against Seattle, a result of failing to induce many swings at pitches outside the strike zone. The left-hander didn't give up a lot of hard contact, but there were more balls in the air. While there's still appeal here in a variety of formats, Perez needs to show more in his second season following his 2014 Tommy John surgery before becoming a viable starting option in mixed leagues.

A.J. Griffin, Rangers - Making his first start since 2013, Griffin held the Angels to three runs on six hits and two walks over six innings Friday en route to the win. It's a nice story, with Griffin returning after missing all that time with elbow and shoulder ailments, but he gave up a lot of contact in his debut, and a lot of it was hard contact. Further, with Yu Darvish (elbow) expected back sometime next month, the window for Griffin may shut in a hurry. He's merely an only-league consideration.

Cody Anderson, Indians - Trevor Bauer was presumed safe in a rotation spot throughout most of spring training, but the Indians decided last-minute to move Bauer to the bullpen and give Anderson and Josh Tomlin an opportunity to start. Anderson, slotted in as the No. 4 starter, was by no means dominant in his debut Saturday – striking out two after fanning just over 12 percent of the batters he faced last season -- but he only walked two. He has an intriguing repertoire of pitches which makes him interesting in deeper formats even with the lack of K's.

Hector Santiago, Angels - Angels fans haven't had a lot to cheer about over the first week of the season, but Santiago's performance against the Rangers on Tuesday was a positive. With his velocity up a couple ticks from last year in his first start of the season, Santiago fanned seven with only two walks over six innings. He's turned in useful strikeout rates throughout his career, but the walks have made him a WHIP liability. Expect more of the same, but he has a solid role and started really well last year.

Nick Tropeano, Angels - With C.J. Wilson (shoulder) and Andrew Heaney (forearm) on the DL, the Angels will turn to Tropeano to fill a rotation spot. Tropeano is expected to make his first start of the year Monday, but plans could change if he's needed for several innings in the series finale against Texas. As a 24-year-old last season, Tropeano struck out nearly four batters for every one he walked over a 37.2-inning sample with the big club, and only gave up two home runs. Matt Shoemaker is by no means secure in the rotation, so Tropeano could cement himself for a little while with a couple strong outings.

Mat Latos, White Sox - Who saw that coming? Latos gave up just one hit and one walk over six scoreless innings in his White Sox debut, earning the win in Oakland. He only fanned two batters, but now heads into a road matchup against a Twins team that's struck out 58 times through five games. Some will say "never again" after last year, but there are formats in which Latos makes sense.

Henry Owens, Red Sox - The walks were insurmountable during spring training, but Owens easily overcame three free passes in his debut with Triple-A Pawtucket on Friday. He allowed just one run and struck out eight in six scoreless innings. It was Opening Night for Pawtucket, and it seems pretty clear that Owens is next in line for a rotation spot, at least until Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) is cleared to return. There's not a ton of upside here, but a stash with a last bench spot in an AL-only league is justifiable.

Jose Berrios, Twins - Max Kepler was brought up Saturday night (more on that later) to provide a spark to the Twins' offense, and it's only a matter of time before Berrios attempts to do the same to the starting rotation. Many (myself included) believed Berrios was deserving of a promotion during the second half of last year, but the Twins opted against bringing him up due to concerns over his workload. Our lead prospect writer, James Anderson, is predicting Berrios will be up before the end of April, and Berrios has the potential to be the ace from Day 1. The 21-year-old should be owned in most formats.

Jesse Hahn, A's - An abysmal spring earned Hahn a ticket back to the minors to begin 2016, but the consensus among the team's beat writers seemed to be that it would be a short-term demotion. With the injury to Felix Doubront, Hahn's return could be expedited. Eric Surkamp may have earned another start with his performance against the Mariners on Friday, but he only went 4.1 innings and struck out two, while Hahn fanned five over six innings of two-hit ball in his debut with Triple-A Nashville.

Kris Medlen, Royals - Medlen's status hasn't changed since Opening Day, as he's yet to pitch, and chances are that he's owned in AL-only leagues. However, those in mixed leagues scouring for a two-start option should take note; Medlen is scheduled to face the Astros and A's in road matchups this week.

Chris Young, Royals - Like Medlen, Young is slated for two starts this week, weather permitting. Young's swinging-strike rate last year was pushing 10 percent, but expect the results to remain mediocre so long as he's handing out free passes at a nine-percent clip.

Ubaldo Jimenez, Orioles - Here we find ourselves once again with Ubaldo. The 32-year-old struck out nine batters (matching his single-game high from 2015) and only gave up one earned run over seven innings against the Twins in his 2016 debut. Keep in mind that the Twins have struck out a lot in the early going, and Jimenez had terrible numbers on the road last year (4.44 ERA, 1.49 WHIP). He faces two tough road matchups this week in Boston and Texas.

Blake Snell, Rays - The Rays say they're not worried, but Chris Archer's velocity has been down nearly two miles per hour in the early going this season. The word is already out as far as Snell's skills and potential, and he should already be stashed in AL-only and deeper mixed leagues. However, the little bit of uncertainty with Archer, in addition to the sketchy health histories of the other rotation members, may lead to Snell being picked up in some shallower mixed formats this week.

Relief Pitcher

Ryan Madson, A's - After Sean Doolittle gave up a homer to Jimmy Rollins in a non-save situation early in the week, things only got more frustrating for his fantasy owners. Manager Bob Melvin opted to use Doolittle a couple times in the eighth in subsequent appearances, allowing Madson to vulture a pair of saves, and the skipper said he will continue to use the lefty in the eighth inning depending on the matchups. That doesn't mean Doolittle won't see save opportunities, but Madson should probably be picked up this week in all leagues.

Trevor May, Twins - Glen Perkins' velocity was down around 91 mph during spring training and he labored through an inning in his debut Saturday, allowing two hits and a walk on 27 pitches. It was a non-save situation, but it was also not the type of showing that's going to ease nerves. Kevin Jepsen gave up three combined runs in his first two appearances (1.2 innings), while May surrendered a homer but fanned seven in his first four frames to open 2016. A change is not imminent, but May should be a popular speculative add this week.

Sam Dyson, Rangers - Rangers closer Shawn Tolleson earned his second save of the season with a clean inning Saturday, bouncing back from a disastrous outing in which he gave up five runs without retiring a batter. Dyson took the loss Thursday, giving up a run on three hits, but he also rebounded Saturday with a clean eighth. Keone Kela worked the seventh. As the next man up behind a pitcher who has already imploded once this year -- and a valuable source of ratios regardless of role -- Dyson needs to be rostered in AL-only leagues and deeper mixers.

Keone Kela, Rangers - The 22-year-old Kela has the look of a future closer. He throws a mid-90s fastball that he can locate and pulls the string on the curveball, but as mentioned above, it seems fairly clear that he's behind Sam Dyson in the pecking order for saves right now. Kela's a nice long-term stash in AL-only and keeper leagues.

Jake Diekman, Rangers - The lefty has pretty dominant stuff, but the walks have kept Diekman's WHIP at a harmful level throughout his major league career. He's a player to monitor – and really fun to watch -- but Diekman can probably be left for holds leagues and perhaps 12-team AL-only leagues for now.

Dylan Bundy, Orioles - Bundy made his debut Thursday after warming up and sitting down a couple times in the first few days of the season. He worked a scoreless inning on 11 pitches, setting up for Darren O'Day with Zach Britton off for the night. Perhaps he will continue to grab holds here and there, but he's pretty well buried in the bullpen right now (they have Brad Brach and Mychal Givens, too), so there isn't much to get excited about in single-season leagues. If he were to ever get stretched out enough to start, that would be a different story.

Catcher

John Ryan Murphy, Twins - Those scrambling to replace Kyle Schwarber may be tempted by the Jarrod Saltalamacchia types based on power, but Murphy is arguably the best AL option for those who simply want some help with counting stats without sacrificing batting average. Of course, the Salty's of the world do much more harm than good if they hit .220. While Murphy doesn't have the starting job, it may not be long before he overtakes Kurt Suzuki for the primary share of the workload in Minnesota.

Josh Phegley, A's - With the platoon advantage in his favor in most of his starts, Phegley has been able to maintain a palatable average in his time with the A's while also providing some useful pop. He's pretty close to Murphy in terms of fill-in options -- it's just a question of whether you think the additional home runs Phegley provides are worth the bit of accompanying batting average drain.

Bryan Holaday, Rangers - Robinson Chirinos went down Saturday night with a broken right forearm, leaving Holaday, whom the Rangers acquired from Detroit less than two weeks ago, atop the depth chart. Also, Chris Gimenez is on the DL with an ankle injury. Holaday has three homers in the majors, never hitting more than seven in a professional season, and there's always the chance the Rangers go out and trade for a catcher, so it would be wise to temper expectations regarding the 28-year-old.

First Base

Mark Canha, A's - Despite being relegated to a short-end platoon role to open 2016, Canha was the first A's player to hit a home run this season, launching one off the White Sox's Carlos Rodon on Wednesday. He is still expected to start primarily against lefties for the time being, and the A's are scheduled to face only one lefty this week.

Ji-Man Choi, Angels - The 24-year-old has logged five plate appearances in three games so far this season, going hitless with one walk. He's shown an ability to hit for a serviceable average in parts of three seasons at Triple-A, but he hasn't flashed a ton of in-game power to this point, so his opportunities may continue to be sporadic.

Second Base

Brock Holt, Red Sox - He's long gone in AL-only leagues, but Holt may command double-digit FAAB dollars this weekend in mixed leagues given his hot start and multi-position eligibility. With another hit Saturday, Holt now has seven, including two doubles and two home run in 17 at-bats, in addition to eight RBI. He's the primary left fielder over Rusney Castillo, and Holt is eligible at second base, third base and outfield in most leagues. As a bonus, he's even eligible at shortstop in some formats (11 games in 2015).

Jurickson Profar, Rangers - Once widely considered the top prospect in baseball, he missed the better part of the last two seasons due to a shoulder injury. Profar returned to action late last year and has gotten off to a nice start with Triple-A Round Rock this season, reaching base six times and scoring four runs in two games. Still just 23 years old, Profar could force the team's hand if he continues to hit and proves that the shoulder is strong on defense, although both Elvis Andrus and Rougned Odor appear safe in their roles right now.

Ryan Flaherty, Orioles - Manny Machado has already seen some time at shortstop, allowing Flaherty to slot in at third. A .215/.282/.364 hitter at the major league level, Flaherty should never bat higher than ninth for the Orioles, and as far as fantasy goes, he doesn't have enough power to offset the poor batting average.

Darwin Barney, Blue Jays - A light-hitting second baseman who only sees occasional starts against left-handed pitching, and who may be out of a job entirely once Devon Travis is healthy? That doesn't sound like the type of player many will want to target in fantasy leagues, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Hopefully you're not this desperate.

Shortstop

Jose Ramirez, Indians - Ramirez, an infielder coming up through the Indians' system, has made three starts in left field for the Tribe already this season. He's collected multiple hits in two of his starts (five hits in total), and hit as high as second in the order for one game. Michael Brantley (shoulder) may not be ready to return until the end of April, so there is a window for Ramirez to be useful as a deep-league starter. He's eligible at second base in most leagues as well, and even at third in some.

Luis Sardinas, Mariners - The Luis Sardinas Revenge Game happened this week, with Sardinas hitting his first career home run against the team that signed him as an international free agent back in 2009 (Texas). Sardinas' fielding and arm strength have him locked into a utility role with the Mariners this season, so he'll continue to see occasional at-bats. The 22-year-old posted just a .456 OPS in 36 games with Milwaukee last season with zero steals. He has a good amount of speed, though, so he just needs to get on base more to take advantage of it.

Third Base

Ronald Torreyes, Yankees - The 23-year-old's first start in pinstripes was a success, as Torreyes led the Yankees with three hits out of the nine-hole Saturday. He tripled in a pinch-hit appearance, driving in two runs, a few days prior. As a player that doesn't feature any standout offensive tools who bounced around quite a bit before landing with the Yankees (his sixth organization), Torreyes is a long shot to become relevant in fantasy leagues this year. That said, he could see additional time if Chase Headley continues to struggle.

Outfield

Nomar Mazara, Rangers - Well, we didn't even have to wait a week for the first big-ticket prospect to hit the FAAB auction block. Shin-Soo Choo was scratched from Saturday's lineup with a calf strain, and Mazara was subsequently pulled from his game with Triple-A Round Rock. The team has yet to confirm, but the expectation is that Mazara, who is on the 40-man roster, will be added to the active roster either Sunday or Monday. If promoted, Mazara would presumably take over as the primary right fielder while Choo is on the shelf, and he has the bat speed and approach to thrive against major league pitching right away even as a 20-year-old. He didn't miss a beat after making the jump to Triple-A for the final 20 games last season, and looked good during spring training. The only thing keeping Mazara from an "A" grade in the grid is the uncertainty surrounding his promotion and long-term role this season, but it's probably wise to just pay up for the talent while it's available.

Max Kepler, Twins - Word of Mazara's impending arrival may overshadow Kepler's promotion to the majors, but Kepler is an impressive prospect in his own right. He didn't exactly excel against major league pitching during spring training, going 7-for-30 (all singles) with one walk, but Kepler hit .322/.416/.531 with nine homers and 18 steals in 112 games with Double-A Chattanooga last season as a 22-year-old. The Twins didn't call him up to ride the pine, so expect Kepler to be in the lineup more often than not while Danny Santana is out, rotating between the three outfield positions – especially since left fielder Eddie Rosario has already drawn some criticism from manager Paul Molitor for his approach at the dish this season.

J.B. Shuck, White Sox - Shuck has started two of the White Sox's last three games, once in left and once in right. He didn't make the most of his opportunities, going 0-for-7 with two strikeouts. The 28-year-old has negligible power but some speed, although not nearly enough to make him relevant in mixed leagues. He's a desperation option in AL-only formats.

Nolan Reimold, Orioles - Penciled into the No. 2 spot in the order the past three days, Reimold has started the season 3-for-8 with a home run and a strikeout. So long as Adam Jones (ribs) is out, Reimold will likely be afforded regular time, with Joey Rickard shifting to center field, and if he's batting second, he may be impossible to ignore. For now, it's best to wait and see in most leagues.