Our Jon Heyman is reporting Astros closer Jose Veras is drawing considerable trade interest and appears likely to be dealt by the July 31 trade deadline. If that happens, then who closes for Houston?
That's a great question given the state of the team's bullpen. Astros' relievers have combined for the worst bullpen ERA (5.04) in the majors. In fact, Veras has the lowest ERA (3.12) among Houston's relievers.
In the event of a Veras' trade, the top internal candidates to take over as the team's closer are Jose Cisnero, Wesley Wright, Hector Ambriz and Josh Fields.
If you asked me this question in late June, then Cisnero would have been the easy choice. He was a rising arm in Houston's bullpen and gaining the trust of the coaching staff. However, he has struggled lately. He's walked 12 batters in his last 11 2/3 innings and has a 9.95 ERA in his last seven outings.
Fields could be a future MLB closer, but he has a 6.61 ERA. Wright could be more valuable as a lefty specialist and setup man. Also, Wright's name has come up in trade rumors, so he might be on the move as well. Ambriz is second on the team with two saves and has 13 holds, but also has a 5.66 ERA and 1.77 WHIP.
If Houston manager Bo Porter loses Veras, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he chose a closer-by-committe approach. But if I had to stash one player in Fantasy, then I'd think I'd make it Cisnero since he does have plenty of upside.