Let’s roll up our sleeves and dive into the mess of these major league bullpens. I have no sweet talk for you. Many bullpens are a mess; let’s try to make sense of it together.
Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report
AL East
Felix Bautista has looked like himself again recently, with three saves this week for the Baltimore Orioles. That gives him six saves on the season with a 1.80 ERA and solid 29.3% K%. Yennier Cano and Gregory Soto have seven holds each, and lefty Keegan Akin has five thus far.
Luke Weaver is Devin Williams‘ temporary placeholder. Williams is attempting to work through some issues, and I would make a sizable wager that he will be closing again soon when manager Aaron Boone feels he is ready. Weaver does the job, but may be better utilized in a multiple-inning role. Weaver earned the only save of the week on Friday night; Williams earned his first hold of the season in the same game.
Tampa Bay: Pete Fairbanks is getting the job done effectively here. No save opportunities since last Sunday, but he has six saves in 12 appearances and, most importantly, seems healthy.
AL Central
It’s a committee living in Chicago. Look for Steven Wilson and Cam Booser to get the scant chances on the South Side. It’s always hard to say how these situations will work out. In this case, unless someone grabs the job and runs with it, or the White Sox start figuring out ways to win ballgames that need saves, it is best to avoid this situation. Jordan Leasure and Fraser Ellard (just back from the IL) could get chances, too.
Emmanuel Clase looks to be surging back in Cleveland. This week, he hit a trifecta: a hold, a win, and a save. The save is most important to our purposes, and he earned one Wednesday night. If he is over his various ailments, he is the clear closer for the Guardians. If that shoulder starts barking again, look for Cade Smith to usurp the role. At this moment, things seem stable, but that could change in hours.
Detroit: Tommy Kahnle and Will Vest are the top choices. Both had saves this week, but Vest blew a save earlier in the week. For the season, Kahnle leads the team with five saves, and Vest has three saves. Looks like this committee is here for now. Tyler Holton and Brenan Hanifee are the top setup options.
AL West
Texas: Who knows? Three blown saves this week by three different guys: Luke Jackson, Jacob Webb, and Robert Garcia. Jackson is the would-be closer and has eight saves, but it’s hard to see what will happen here on a team that does not have a clear-cut option. Jackson’s ERA ballooned to 6.55 this week, and he sports a paltry 18% K%. There doesn’t seem to be a solution on the roster; maybe it’s time to reach out to David Robertson and see what he’s doing with his May?
NL East
Jose Alvarado earned a win, a hold, and a save this week for the Philadelphia Phillies. He has six saves and three holds to go with his 1.72 ERA and 33.8% K%. He is entrenched here as long as he keeps his command. The usual supporting cast of characters is there too, and even though Jordan Romano earned a save this week, both Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm are ahead of him in the pecking order.
Kyle Finnegan has blown the last two saves in Washington. The Nationals have brought in veteran Andrew Chafin, who has 20 career saves, but with setup guys Jose A. Ferrer and Jorge Lopez struggling with ERAs over 7.00, look for Finnegan to keep the job for the foreseeable future. Finnegan pitched the ninth inning on Thursday and earned the save, his tenth of the season.
NL Central
Ryan Pressly has a paltry 9.3% K% in Chicago, but those looking for a changing of the guard to Porter Hodge should take heed of his 4.80 ERA. The only save this week came Friday night courtesy of veteran Chris Flexen, who threw 54 pitches in a 10-0 pasting of the Milwaukee Brewers. We’re watching this bullpen carefully to see what happens next.
Cincinnati: Emilio Pagan has been admirable. He has eight saves, a 2.35 ERA, and a surprising 31.5% K%. Would-be closer Alexis Diaz was sent back to the minor leagues after surrendering three home runs in a game earlier this week. The guy gaining traction here is Graham Ashcraft, who is using his two-pitch mix to the tune of a 0.57 ERA with five holds and a 27%K%. He has moved into a setup role with Tony Santillan to help this bullpen stay afloat in the NL Central.
David Bednar has two saves this week and looks to have reclaimed the top job in Pittsburgh. Dennis Santana is on the bereavement list but should return to a setup role once he returns to the team. I do not think this is a committee situation any longer, as Bednar looks to be back and is healthy. If someone in your league impatiently dropped Bednar, I would snatch him back up.
NL West
There are problems in Arizona. Both Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk are on the IL. On Thursday night, veteran Shelby Miller earned the save, and he looks like the most viable short-term solution. Kevin Ginkel is back but just getting his legs back underneath him, and Ryan Thompson is always one to get a few saves as well, each season. Do not go wild on FAAB spending on Miller; my thought is that if both Martinez and Puk miss a considerable chunk of time, this will be Ginkel’s job before too long if he proves to be healthy and up to the challenge.
Colorado: It’s not that anyone wants to roster a Colorado closer, but there may be a change of guard for the Rockies. Much of the hype in the winter (fanned by yours truly) was for Seth Halvorsen, who has struggled and might be better in a setup role. Zach Agnos and Jake Bird are moving into the hierarchy. Agnos got the last two save chances despite only having one strikeout in his first seven big-league innings. Something to watch here. Halvorsen has three scoreless outings in his last four, so he could be rounding into shape here as well.
Robert Suarez has 12 saves in San Diego. Suarez was maligned by many fantasy analysts over the winter, but he has been terrific thus far, with a 0.64 ERA, a 0.57 WHIP, and a 32% K%. Continue to use with confidence. Jason Adam leads the Padres with 11 holds; Jeremiah Estrada now has seven holds.
Watching the situation closely in San Francisco between Ryan Walker and Camilo Doval. Both pitchers have five saves, but Walker has not pitched at all this past week. Doval had a win and a hold this week. At this time, we can still say that Walker is the closer. He had two rough outings last week, but his last two outings have seen him pitch two scoreless innings with two strikeouts in each game. We will be watching, as we usually are!
Looking for any bullpen help? You can always DM me @mdrc0508 on X. Have a great weekend!
