NL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week

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.

Bids in general are best guesstimates. With so much uncertainty at least initially, those values may be even greater estimates than usual. The FAAB chart below lets users easily see at a glance how certain players stack up against others and how much they should command in a variety of formats.

The chart, which is sortable by column (click on the header), include a very basic "player grade" column. This operates as a reflection of a player's skills and role on an A-E scale. An "A" grade is reserved for a high-impact prospect stepping into an everyday role.

If you have questions on players, I'm happy to provide my thoughts in the comments.

STARTING PITCHER

Dakota Hudson, Cardinals: Hudson's recovery from Tommy John surgery last September continues to progress towards him rejoining the Cardinals before the end of the season. He moved up to Triple-A Memphis on Friday, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and three walks while striking out two over 68 pitches and five innings. That outing came after Hudson made three starts at Double-A Springfield and one at Low-A Palm Beach. He looks ready to join St. Louis in a long-relief role and likely contend for a rotation spot in 2022. 12-team Mixed: $1, 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team NL: $7 (same spec return bid) 

Merrill Kelly, Diamondbacks: Kelly, out after testing positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 14, returned to Arizona and started Wednesday against LA. He pitched 4.2 innings and gave up four runs on 10 hits and two walks while striking out one and handling close to a normal workload at 82 pitches. Kelly wasn't sharp giving up double-digit hits for the second time this season while fanning only one batter and notching just four swinging strikes. He threw four innings and 66 pitches in a rehab start in the Arizona Complex League on Sep. 9 and tossed a bullpen session Monday before being activated. Prior to be sidelined, Kelly had posted a pristine 2.95 ERA and 1.08 WHIP while going 5-2 over his last 10 outings. He should remain in the Arizona rotation the balance of the season. 12-team Mixed: $3; 15-team Mixed: $9; 12-team NL: $14 (same return bid)

RELIEF PITCHER

Luis Cessa, Reds: Cessa, acquired just before the trade deadline from the Yankees, has been stellar out of the bullpen. He tossed 1.2 scoreless innings Friday, lowering his ERA to 1.42 and WHIP to 0.84 along with three holds over 19 innings for Cincinnati. Cessa should continue to be used in a middle-relief and setup role for the rest of the campaign. 12-team Mixed: $0; 15-team Mixed: $1; 12-team NL: $5

Luis Garcia, Cardinals: Garcia recorded his ninth hold in a win over the Padres on Friday. He continues to function as a highly reliable relief option for manager Mike Shildt, now having forged 22 consecutive scoreless appearances. The veteran righty has managed eight of his nine holds on the season over that span while coaxing his previously bloated ERA and WHIP down to 2.05 and 0.91, respectively. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team NL: $7 

Chris Stratton, Pirates: David Bednar was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain Tuesday. Despite throwing this week and reportedly pain free, there's no guarantee he'll return before the end of the year. Stratton has moved into the closer role seamlessly by going 1-0 with four saves in his last five appearances. He's now 6-for-9 in save chances along with eight holds, a 3.68 ERA and an 81:31 K:BB through 73.1 frames. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team NL: $18

CATCHER 

Nick Fortes/Payton Henry, Marlins: Fortes and Henry were promoted Friday with Jorge Alfaro (calf) landing on the IL. There's now four catchers on the active roster, with Alex Jackson and Sandy Leon rounding out the group. Playing time may be difficult to predict given all the options, but Henry received the start Friday while Fortes got the nod and homered Saturday versus Pittsburgh. A fourth-round pick in 2018, Fortes played at both Double-A and Triple-A this season. Most recently, he hit .237/.322/.378 across 152 plate appearances at Triple-A Jacksonville. Henry was acquired from the Brewers in exchange for John Curtiss as the trade deadline. The 24-year-old hit well at Double-A to open the season, but posted a sub-.700 OPS in 41 games since being promoted to Triple-A. Fortes - 12-team Mixed: No, 15-team Mixed: $0; 12-team NL: $6; Henry - 12-team Mixed: No, 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team NL: $4

Tomas Nido, Mets: Nido, on the injured list since Aug. 31 with a sprained left thumb, was activated Tuesday after completing a rehab assignment at Triple-A Syracuse. He replaced Patrick Mazeika in backing up James McCann. 12-team Mixed: No, 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team NL: $5 

FIRST BASE

Alfonso Rivas, Cubs: Rivas, promoted at the end of August, is seeing see increased playing time in the outfield with Jason Heyward (concussion) landing on the 7-day injured list. Acquired from Oakland in a January 2020 trade for Tony Kemp, Rivas logged .284/.405/.411 with four homers, 32 RBI and 35 walks across 237 plate appearances with Triple-A Iowa. He hit his first career home run this past week, and is a good bet to see consistent playing time the balance of the regular season with Chicago evaluating players for the future. 2-team Mixed: $1, 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team NL: $9 

SECOND BASE

Michael Chavis, Pirates: Chavis, once a highly-touted prospect, was dealt by Boston to Pittsburgh for Austin Davis at the trade deadline. Through his first 168 MLB games, Chavis had struck out in 33.6 percent of his plate appearances while slashing just .234/.291/.413, but did hit 18 home runs in 2019. He went .246/.316/.536 with five home runs, five doubles, 12 runs, 12 RBI and a stolen base across 17 games at Triple-A Indianapolis to earn a late-August promotion. Chavis hit the ground running by posting a .364 batting average with three extra-base hits in 22 at-bats before being sidelined Aug. 28 with an elbow injury. He started a rehab assignment Thursday, which is expected to carry through at least the weekend and set him up to be activated at some point this week. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team NL: $18 (spec return bid and based on full health) 

Nico Hoerner, Cubs: Hoerner was placed on the injured list Jul. 29 with a right oblique strain and appeared on track to rejoin the Cubs by the end of August, only to have his recovery timeline pushed back when he suffered a setback during his minor-league rehab assignment. He kicked off a short rehab stint on Sep. 12 and was activated off the IL Sunday. Now reinstated, Hoerner should likely take over as the Cubs' everyday shortstop. Prior to being injured, he had slashed 313/.388/.388 with 14 RBI and three stolen bases through 39 games but was sent to the minors before the season and dealt with forearm/hamstring injuries. 12-team Mixed: $5; 15-team Mixed: $11; 12-team NL: Rostered, if not, $16 (same bid as prior)

Jose Peraza, Mets: Peraza, on the injured list since Jul. 20 due to a fractured right middle finger, was reinstated from the 10-day list Wednesday. He spent just over two weeks at Triple-A Syracuse on a rehab assignment going .250 with two doubles, four runs, four RBI and a stolen base. The 27-year-old is being used as utility depth for the major-league club after Albert Almora was sent down Wednesday. 12-team Mixed: No, 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team NL: $4 

THIRD BASE 

Eddy Alvarez, Marlins: Alvarez, profiled last week when his contract was promoted from Triple-A Jacksonville, gets another mention as he is and will keep seeing consistent playing time the rest of the year. With Brian Anderson done for the season and Isan Diaz optioned to the minors Friday, Alvarez has a clear path to at-bats at the hot corner. The 31-year-old infielder, who won a silver medal with Team USA in the Olympics, hit .288/.423/.441 with four home runs and two steals in 31 games at Triple-A Jacksonville. 12-team Mixed: $1, 15-team Mixed: $4; 12-team NL: $7 (upped bid from prior week)

SHORTSTOP 

Jordy Mercer, Nationals: Mercer, on the injured list since Jul. 24 with a left calf strain, was reinstated Monday. He began a rehab assignment at Double-A Harrisburg last week and went 3-for-9 with a run, two walks and three strikeouts across three outings. Mercer rejoins the Nationals as utility depth at second base, shortstop and third base after Adrian Sanchez was designated for assignment. 12-team Mixed: No, 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team NL: $4 

OUTFIELD

Kole Calhoun, Diamondbacks: Calhoun was activated off the injured list Friday after missing over a month with a hamstring strain and homered in his return to active duty. It has been an injury-plagued season for him as he's been limited to 37 games and 145 plate appearances. Calhoun has only crushed four homers on the campaign, putting into serious peril his streak of seven straight seasons with double-digit long balls. He's operating as the DH with Arizona in AL parks and will factor into the right field mix with Daulton Varsho. 12-team Mixed: $2, 15-team Mixed: $7; 12-team NL: $11

Bryan De La Cruz, Marlins: De La Cruz continues to show he should remain in the Miami lineup and be a consideration for a starting outfield spot in 2022. Acquired from the Astros in the trade that sent Yimi Garcia the other way, he slashed .324/.362/.518 with 12 home runs, 50 RBI, 48 runs and two stolen bases across 66 games at Triple-A Sugar Land prior to the trade. Since getting promoted in late-July, De La Cruz has gone .327/386/.487 with five homers, 17 runs driven in and 14 runs scored from 44 appearances. Jesus Sanchez looks to be the only Marlins outfielder who has a starting spot for next year locked up. And while Miami should bring in a veteran or two right now, you have to give De La Cruz the edge in the pecking order over both Lewis Brinson and Magneuris Sierra. 12-team Mixed: $15, 15-team Mixed: $25; 12-team NL: Rostered

TJ Friedl, Reds: Friedl, signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2016 Draft, was promoted Saturday. He played all of 2021 at Triple-A Louisville where he posted a .264/.357/.422 line with 12 home runs and 13 stolen bases across 448 plate appearances. When drafted, Friedl was a 70-grade runner who projected to have an above average hit tool with fringe-average power from the left side.  That's proven to be accurate, though he had a slight power spike this season. Friedl could get meaningful playing time in the Reds' outfield with Jesse Winker (ribs), Tyler Naquin (ribs) and Shogo Akiyama (hamstring) all injured. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team-NL: $9 

Tim Lopes/Trayce Thompson, Cubs: The Brewers and Cubs all called up depth outfielders this week. Lopes was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Saturday. He's spent the majority of the season in Nashville hitting just .223/.303/.404 across 356 plate appearances. However, Lopes has been able to play all over the field defensively, a positive with Avisail Garcia (back) currently sidelined… Thompson's contract was selected from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday. He made 88 appearances in Iowa this year slashing .233/.344/.492 with 21 home runs, 63 RBI, 48 runs and three stolen bases. The 30-year-old hasn't made a major-league appearance since 2018 but is acting as depth in the Cubs' outfield after Jason Heyward (concussion) was placed on the 7-day injured list. Both- 12-team Mixed: No; 15-team Mixed: No; 12-team-NL: $4

Ryan Vilade, Rockies: Vilade, selected in the second round in 2017, was promoted and made his major-league debut hitting seventh and starting in right field against the Nationals. He put himself on the radar after impressing in 128 games for High-A Lancaster in 2019 hitting .303/.367/.466 with 12 homers and 24 steals, but the canceled minor-league schedule last year prevented him from continuing his climb up the ladder. Vilade spent the entire 2021 season with Triple-A Albuquerque, where he hit .286/.339/.420 across 477 plate appearances. While that was only good for an 88 wRC+, he'll have the chance to make an impression on the big-league club in hopes of securing a consistent role in 2022. Charlie Blackmon fell out of the starting lineup Saturday to make room for Vilade, though Yonathan Daza, Garrett Hampson, Raimel Tapia and Sam Hilliard could all sit more regularly in the last few weeks. 12-team Mixed: $1; 15-team Mixed: $5; 12-team-NL: $9