This article is part of our AL FAAB Factor series.
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.
AL FAAB | NL FAAB
| PLAYER | TEAM | POS | GRADE | 12-Team Mixed $ | 15-Team Mixed $ | AL-Only $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh James | HOU | SP | B | 3 | 7 | 15 |
| Tyler Skaggs | LA | SP | C | 1 | 4 | 9 |
| Trevor Bauer | CLE | SP | B | No | 2 | 5 |
| Aroldis Chapman | NY | RP | C | 5 | 13 | 29 |
| Andrew Miller | CLE | RP | D | 3 | 7 | Owned |
| Lance McCullers | HOU | RP | B | No | No | 2 |
| Juan Graterol | MIN | C | E | No | No | 1 |
| Yuli Gurriel | HOU | 1B | C | 8 | 19 | Owned |
| Sherman Johnson | LA |
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.
AL FAAB | NL FAAB
| PLAYER | TEAM | POS | GRADE | 12-Team Mixed $ | 15-Team Mixed $ | AL-Only $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh James | HOU | SP | B | 3 | 7 | 15 |
| Tyler Skaggs | LA | SP | C | 1 | 4 | 9 |
| Trevor Bauer | CLE | SP | B | No | 2 | 5 |
| Aroldis Chapman | NY | RP | C | 5 | 13 | 29 |
| Andrew Miller | CLE | RP | D | 3 | 7 | Owned |
| Lance McCullers | HOU | RP | B | No | No | 2 |
| Juan Graterol | MIN | C | E | No | No | 1 |
| Yuli Gurriel | HOU | 1B | C | 8 | 19 | Owned |
| Sherman Johnson | LA | 2B | E | No | No | 1 |
| Harold Castro | DET | 2B | E | No | No | 1 |
| Kaleb Cowart | LA | 3B | E | No | No | 3 |
| Aaron Judge | NY | OF | A | 19 | 39 | 69 |
| Austin Meadows | TB | OF | B | 8 | 19 | 39 |
| Robbie Grossman | MIN | OF | C | 3 | 7 | Owned |
| Leury Garcia | CHI | OF | D | No | 2 | 5 |
| Kyle Tucker | HOU | OF | A | No | No | 1 |
| Anthony Alford | TOR | OF | D | No | No | 1 |
Starting Pitcher
Josh James, Astros: James will get a spot start Tuesday in Toronto to provide the Astros' rotation with an extra rest day and set things up for the postseason, making him probably the most intriguing streaming option available if you are going all out for K's and wins – he's got a 24:6 K:BB through his first 16 big-league innings, 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: $15
Tyler Skaggs, Angels: The southpaw returned to the rotation Tuesday and was held to three innings, but he'll make two more starts before the end of the year, Sunday in Houston and Saturday at home against the A's, giving him a chance to stretch out enough to qualify for a win or two. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team AL: $9
Trevor Bauer, Cleveland: While Bauer is back on the mound, Cleveland is focused on the playoffs and isn't going to stretch the right-hander out too much. He could give you some useful innings, though. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5
Relief Pitcher
Aroldis Chapman, Yankees: Chapman's back in the bullpen, but as yet he's not closing for the Yankees with Dellin Betances picking up the save Friday. Chapman should see some ninth-inning duty over the final week, though, as the team looks to get set up for the playoffs. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $13; 12-team AL: $29
Andrew Miller, Cleveland: Surprisingly, Miller got Cleveland's last save Tuesday, and given the recent struggles of Brad Hand and Cody Allen, it's possible the team's closing hydra now has three heads instead of two. That makes Miller worth targeting is every save matters for you in the standings. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned
Lance McCullers, Astros: McCullers rejoins the Astros' staff, but he'll be working out of the bullpen over the final week and into the postseason. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $2
Catcher
Juan Graterol, Twins: Graterol will give Minnesota a little extra catcher depth to close things out with Mitch Garver officially out for the year. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
First Base
Yuli Gurriel, Astros: Gurriel's on a heater to close out the campaign, slashing .348/.380/.591 in September with four homers and 18 RBI in 17 games and making him a strong add if you need to stock up on counting stats. 12-team Mixed: $8; 15-team Mixed: $19; 12-team AL: Owned
Second Base
Sherman Johnson, Angels: With David Fletcher out, Johnson will get a brief taste of the majors as infield depth for the Angels. He only played 67 games between Double-A and Triple-A this season, managing four homers and three steals, so even if he gets playing time there isn't much value here. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
Harold Castro, Tigers: He gets the 40-man spot opened up when Michael Fulmer was placed on the 60-man DL, but Castro's .585 OPS in 74 Triple-A games this year isn't very enticing. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
Third Base
Kaleb Cowart, Angels: Cowart's never been able to hit in the majors, but he'll start at second base for the Angels over the final week, giving him a shot at some deep-league value. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $3
Outfield
Aaron Judge, Yankees: Judge returned to action Tuesday and has gone 3-for-19 with a double and an RBI in five games since. The Yankees will give him all the playing time he needs to try and get ready for a hoped-for run through the postseason, but having been out since late July, the slugger has a lot of rust to scrape off. Still, if you need homers and he got dropped, Judge might give you your best chance of finding a few. 12-team Mixed: $19; 15-team Mixed: $39; 12-team AL: $69
Austin Meadows, Rays: Meadows got his promotion after Triple-A Durham's season finally ended, and while the Rays don't exactly have an opening in their outfield, he's started two of three games since his callup, going 3-for-8 with a double and three RBI. The 23-year-old has plenty of upside, so if he gets consistent ABs he should make a contribution. 12-team Mixed: $8; 15-team Mixed: $19; 12-team AL: $39
Robbie Grossman, Twins: With Eddie Rosario ruled out for the year, Grossman is locked into regular playing time over the final week. He's been surging in September too, slashing .324/.434/.485 with a homer, seven RBI and nine runs in 20 games, and as usual, his value is only increased in OBP leagues. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team AL: Owned
Leury Garcia, White Sox: Garcia came off the DL this weekend to get in a few more ABs before the end of the year. With 12 steals in 78 games on the season, he could chip in an extra swipe or two next week, but he's not guaranteed to see regular starts. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: $2; 12-team AL: $5
Kyle Tucker, Astros: The Astros' prospect will hang out on the bench for the final week of the season, and could see a couple of starts with Houston looking to rest their regulars ahead of the playoffs. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
Anthony Alford, Blue Jays: Alford got called up Monday but has yet to see a start, and the Jays seem to have other young outfielders like Billy McKinney they'd rather look at over the final games. Don't expect him to get enough playing time to be useful. 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team AL: $1
