The relief pitcher market always sees plenty of movement at the trade deadline, creating closer opportunities in some places and foreclosing them in others, and this year was no exception. The Pirates', Twins', White Sox's and Orioles' closer situations were all impacted by the trade deadline, which is why they're featured below.
What about the Angels and Giants, you ask? Sure, you could say their closer situations were impacted by the trade deadline, too, with Ryan Zeferjahn and Kirby Yates being shipped out of Los Angeles and Caleb Kilian out of San Francisco. Neither team had actually settled on a closer, though, and now that their best options are gone, why would that change?
I know some are holding out hope that Ben Joyce, who's just now returning from shoulder surgery, will solidify the Angels' closer role, but I wouldn't be so sure of that. For as hard as he throws, he's never been the sort of bat-misser that the role normally demands, and his performance in both the majors and minors has been spotty at best. I presume he'll slide into the same bullpen morass that's existed for the Angels all season.
Note: "Pecking order" refers to rosterability in Fantasy and not necessarily who's first in line for saves (though it's usually one and the same).
| Pecking order |
The Pirates haven't had a save chance since acquiring Luke Weaver. Perhaps not coincidentally, the right-hander also has yet to debut for his new club. Why wouldn't a contender that has struggled to nail down the ninth inning all season commit to using its big trade deadline acquisition there, particularly when he has a 1.84 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 9.2 K/9? One reason would be that left-hander Mason Montgomery, who has notched three of the team's past five saves, has been pitching out of his mind lately, putting together a 1.26 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 17.6 K/9 in 15 appearances. Another reason is that Gregory Soto, also a lefty, has ample closing experience and has gotten back on track after a bumpy June. Still, if it's not Weaver outright (and I suspect it will be), then it's most likely a committee that features him prominently.
| Pecking order |
As with Luke Weaver and the Pirates, we don't actually know what role Jeff Hoffman will fill for the Twins -- they haven't had a save chance since he came over in a deadline deal with the Blue Jays -- but I do feel confident saying he's now the most talented reliever on the roster. You may balk at that, seeing as he already flopped as a closer in Toronto, but he's been nails since the end of May, putting together a 1.16 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 12.3 K/9 in 24 appearances. Unlike Weaver, Hoffman's team has already deployed him in a non-save chance, which may clue us into the Twins' thinking, particularly since incumbent closer Yoendrys Gomez has remained on ice during that time. I suspect that Gomez will keep getting save chances for now since he hasn't done enough to blow manager Derek Shelton's trust yet, but I'm placing Hoffman at the top of the pecking order for Fantasy because I think his talent will win out in the long run.
| Pecking order |
The Diamondbacks officially removed Paul Sewald from the closer role at the end of July, and left-hander Brandyn Garcia has handled the team's only two save chances since then. The rookie has numbers befitting of the role -- including a 2.03 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 10.5 K/9 -- but he had significant control issues throughout his minor league career that could still rear their head. Then again, the Diamondbacks bullpen has no obvious alternative, particularly with Sewald's ERA now exceeding 6.00, and since they didn't acquire a reliever at the trade deadline, it sure seems like Garcia will get a chance to run with the role.
| Pecking order |
Steven Cruz has secured three of the Royals' past four saves, with the latest coming Wednesday. Alex Lange, who was previously the top choice to close, has a 14.90 ERA in his past 10 outings, three of which resulted in a blown save, and most recently appeared in the sixth inning of a game Saturday. Daniel Lynch IV has been far and away the Royals' best reliever, but he's also the only leverage lefty now that Matt Strahm has been designated for assignment. Cruz, then, seems like he's going to get a real look here, but his numbers are suspect and his leash as short everyone else's who the Royals tried in the role.
| Pecking order |
With Seranthony Dominguez out of the picture, being moved to the Mariners in the Luis Castillo deal, Grant Taylor is poised to take the closer role and run with it, right? Not so fast. Dominguez was already well out of closer consideration by the time the trade happened, having last recorded a save on June 14, and yet Taylor's role hadn't become any more consistent. In fact, while he's responsible for three of the White Sox's past five saves, he's entered in the seventh inning in three of his past four appearances. His ascension to the closer role is inevitable, but the timeline for it remains murky, with the likeliest scenario in the short term being a closer committee.
| Pecking order |
Tyler Wells had emerged as the favorite for saves in Ryan Helsley's absence prior to the Orioles shipping him to Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, but he wasn't the definitive closer. In fact, at the time he was traded, three other Orioles relievers had already recorded a save in the second half. If there wasn't unanimity while he was there, you shouldn't expect it now that he's gone. Already, we have clear evidence of that. On Tuesday, Yennier Cano worked the ninth for the save, with Andrew Kittredge setting up for him. On Wednesday, it was the reverse. I'll give the slight edge to Cano because he's been the better of the two this year and is cost-controlled for the next two years, but he has just two saves so far to Kittredge's five. The situation will probably be too much of a headache to bother with.
| Pecking order |
Edwin Diaz made his long-awaited return last week, but I can't say it's been a grand return. He's allowed two runs on five hits across 2 2/3 innings and actually had to be removed before completing his inning last time out. The Dodgers were already trailing in that contest (not his doing), so they would have been justified in letting him work through his issues. And what are his issues? Well, his fastball remains down about a mile per hour from a year ago, even after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow. That's a significant enough procedure that you shouldn't feel too confident in what he's going to provide going forward. Because the early returns are concerning, you'll want to keep Tanner Scott close.
| Pecking order |
Devin Williams was unavailable Wednesday because of what the Mets described as "arm fatigue." They're downplaying the issue, saying he'll be available again Thursday, but just in case, it's worth looking into who could fill in for him now that Luke Weaver has been removed from the equation. Right-hander Daniel Duarte ended up securing the save Wednesday in what was only his 10th appearance for the club. Left-hander Jefry Yan also made his season debut in that game and is the more exciting possibility, having registered 16.6 strikeouts per nine innings in the minors this year with a fastball that pushes triple digits. He also has a flair for the dramatic.
| Pecking order |
At long last, the Athletics may have finally settled on a closer, if only by process of elimination. Left-hander Hogan Harris has secured each of the team's past three saves and their only ones since way back in June. Of course, that's a problem unto itself. Their save chances are so few and far between that they'll still need to deploy their closer in other situations to ensure he gets enough work. Fittingly, Harris' only two August appearances have come in innings prior to the ninth. He's a flawed pitcher, sporting a 1.53 WHIP largely because of a high walk rate, but he might be the best they have at this point. The only viable alternative I see is right-hander Elvis Alvarado, who already flopped in the role once.
| Pecking order |
It's probably a moot point with Daniel Palencia (elbow tendinitis) headed out on a rehab assignment, but just in case he suffers a setback or stumbles in his return, I stand by Jacob Webb being far and away the best choice to replace him. Manager Craig Counsell has preferred to mix and match in Palencia's absence, but he did hand Webb the team's latest save chance Wednesday. Left-hander Caleb Thielbar and new acquisition Ryan Zeferjahn, who seem like the leading alternatives, worked the seventh and eighth inning, respectively, and each was touched up a bit.
