Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report: Calm Before the Storm

As the major league trade deadline approaches, the most robust action should take place on the reliever market. It’s a smorgasbord of delights for shopping teams, where you can get anything from a middle relief guy (think Andrew Kittredge), to a top high-leverage guy (think Griffin Jax), to a frontline closer (Emmanuel Clase). All could be available over the next five days.

In this week’s edition covering the madness of bullpens, we look at pitchers who could be moved and speculate in those instances who could be the beneficiaries of such moves. Put on your safety harnesses because it is likely to get bumpy. I shudder to think of what next week’s article might look like here. Let’s get into it.

Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report

AL East

Felix Bautista will miss time with a shoulder injury. In all likelihood, it now appears he will stay with the Baltimore Orioles through the trade deadline. This will likely be listed as a committee, but I would expect Serantony Dominguez to get the lion’s share of the save chances in Bautista’s absence. That said, Yennier Cano could also get opportunities in the ninth. Gregory Soto earned the save on Thursday night and was then traded on Friday to the New York Mets.

The Yankees seem set right now with Devin Williams as closer and Luke Weaver as the top high-leverage guy. Look for the Yankees to acquire another high-leverage arm here, although not a closer.

Pete Fairbanks is the guy in Tampa Bay, and it sounds like the organization wants to keep him at the trade deadline. Edwin Uceta would stand to gain the most from a Fairbanks trade.

AL Central

Things are messy in Chicago, where the team has won five of six games since coming out of the All-Star break, but the closer situation remains in flux. It would seem that rookie Grant Taylor would get the most opportunity. Manager Will Venable continues to spread the role among multiple pitchers, including Steven Wilson, Dan Altavilla, and Jordan Leasure at times. Seven of the eight active relievers have at least one save. Compounding this is that Taylor looks to be the best arm in the bullpen, but he could also be the best high-leverage option, meaning he could pitch anywhere from the sixth through the ninth. I suspect that some of these players, especially Wilson and Altaville, could draw some trade interest this week, which could bring more clarity to the situation.

Could this be Emmanuel Clase‘s last week in Cleveland?  If so, he’s got three saves in a row this week, and 23 on the season. Speculation continues to be that the Guardians’ top brass are listening to offers on one of the premier closers in the game. Should he get moved, Cade Smith could take over…or he could be traded as well.

I would speculate that Detroit would be adding bullpen help over the next week, even as Will Vest continues to be the closer with 16 saves and a 28.4% K%. Tommy Kahnle‘s struggles have led to a demotion to middle relief, and Tyler Holton and Chase Lee seem to be the top leverage options.

Minnesota is on the bubble in the playoff race, and could make their two top bullpen arms available in Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax. The price will be high on both. The chance of trading Jax seems better than that of trading Duran. Louis Varland could get the saves if these two are gone next week. Duran got his 16th save Friday night.

AL West

Mason Miller has only pitched once this week for the Athletics. Could he be on the move next week? Stash Jack Perkins if you can. It sounds like the team wants to keep Miller, but if they get blown away by an offer, they could move him. That is where I would like to see Perkins be the closer, although he could go to the rotation eventually. Miller earned his 20th save on Thursday.

Josh Hader continues to rack up saves and has 27 on the season thus far with his ludicrous 37.2% K%. Lefty Bryan King earned his first save this week on a night when Hader was resting.

Kenley Jansen should be moved this week, which would lead to Reid Detmers getting the closing job in Los Angeles.

Texas saw a shakeup this week with the return of Jon Gray, leading to the release of Luke Jackson, who led the team with nine saves. Could Gray close here? Robert Garcia is the closer right now, and he has a 2.72 ERA and eight saves thus far on the season, even as he seems better suited to a high-leverage role. Gray was immediately used in his first game back in a high-leverage role, going two scoreless innings in relief. One to watch.

NL East

Raisel Iglesias figures to be on the move next week. Could Pierce Johnson be on the move as well?  If not, Johnson has closing experience and could get first crack at the gig in a lost season for Atlanta.

Three different relievers have earned saves this week for Miami. Many would call this a committee, but Ronny Henriquez should get the bulk. Calvin Faucher and Anthony Bender could be trade candidates this week as well.

New York: Edwin Diaz and Ryne Stanek both had two saves this week. Diaz is the top choice, but Stanek figures to get saves on days where Diaz needs time off, or in extra-inning games where Diaz has already been used. Gregory Soto was acquired from Baltimore on Friday to bring an experienced lefty to the bullpen.

No save chances this week in Philadelphia, but they did add veteran David Robertson this past week. This bullpen is screaming for a back-end upgrade, and for a team with World Series aspirations, getting a closer would seem tantamount. They could also stop short of that and add a high-leverage piece instead. They could do both. Jose Alvarado will return, but he is ineligible for the postseason based on his suspension earlier this season. In the interim, Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm will vie for the chances.

Kyle Finnegan could be moved, and if he is traded, he will likely move to a leverage role and not get saves anymore. This depends on the team acquiring him and what their needs are.

NL Central

The Cubs have been in a little funk, and Daniel Palencia has only pitched once this week. My hunch is that the Cubs would like to add an experienced closer here. They have been linked as having an interest in Emmanuel Clase, but the price is likely to be exorbitant. Palencia has been excellent in his role, earning 13 saves with a tidy 1.49 ERA and 28.8% K%. Look for the front office to make an addition here.

Milwaukee has been hot lately, and Trevor Megill got saves in both appearances this week. Abner Uribe earned one on a night that Megill was off. This is a powerful bullpen that could look at middle relief help on the market.

David Bednar and Dennis Santana could both be at new addresses at this time next week. Isaac Mattson or Braxton Ashcraft could both get save chances coming up. Bednar has been outstanding, with 15 saves, a 2.31 ERA, and a 33.8% K%.

Ryan Helsley, who is on an expiring contract, figures to be dealt this week, and interest in him should be strong. He has 20 saves, a 3.09 ERA, and a 25.5% K%. Phil Maton and JoJo Romero could both be on the table as well; if they are not, look for Maton to get some chances down the stretch.

NL West

Arizona: Looks like a bit of a committee led by Kevin Ginkel. Veteran Anthony DeSclafani earned the only save this week, in a multiple-inning effort. Shelby Miller, on the IL with forearm and back issues, was scheduled to pitch to live hitters on Friday. It does not appear that he will return to health soon enough to be moved at the deadline, so look for him to continue closing in Arizona when he is able. What a terrible season of injuries for this bullpen, losing both A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez to Tommy John surgeries. Ginkel earned a save Friday night.

Colorado is said to be listening to offers on Seth Halvorsen and Victor Vodnik. Halvorsen did earn his 10th save on Friday night.

In Los Angeles, closer Tanner Scott is out with an elbow injury, although an MRI showed no structural damage. Kirby Yates earned the only save this week. Alex Vesia could get the biggest share of the save chances with Scott out in the short term, but look for the Dodgers to add multiple pieces to this bullpen before the trade deadline. Alex Vesia got a save earlier in the week, and Ben Casparius earned his first one on Friday night. They could mix and match until they acquire some other pieces this coming week.