It’s Saturday, which means it is time to shake out the cobwebs from a long week of work and look at everyone’s favorite fantasy baseball topic, bullpens. The rollercoaster continues this week, with injuries and ineffectiveness wreaking havoc on what we think we know. Let’s dive right in with our coffee and donuts and have a look.
Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report
AL East
Kenley Jansen keeps getting saves essentially using only his cutter, which he uses a whopping 90% of the time. Jansen feels like a trade candidate and is only building the price for his services, with two wins, 13 saves, a 2.59 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and 31 punchouts in 24,1 innings. Should he be moved, a name to know would be Justin Slaten.
Tampa Bay: Pete Fairbanks was nursing a thumb injury this week, but he returned to pitch on Thursday and blew the save before earning a win. Fairbanks has ten saves on the season and is still the clear go-to in Tampa. Phil Maton earned a save on Wednesday night when Fairbanks was unavailable.
Toronto: the Jordan Romano and Yimi Garcia injuries are opening the door for veteran Chad Green. Yet Nate Pearson earned the only save of the week in Toronto. Green seems to be in line to get the bulk of the chances while Romano and Garcia are out.
AL Central
John Brebbia received and converted the save chance on Tuesday night, a game in which closer Michael Kopech was available. Part of the issue with Kopech’s lack of success has been a clear lack of consistent usage. It has been rumored in Chicago that teams are interested in trading for Kopech to use as a middle-inning relief option. Should he be moved, the Sox could choose to bring rookie Jordan Leasure back from AAA, or use some combination of Brebbia, Steven Wilson and maybe Tanner Banks to close out games in a lost season.
Kansas City used James McArthur in the seventh inning on Thursday, a game in which veteran reliever Chris Stratton earned the save.
AL West
Josh Hader had two saves this week in back-to-back games, giving him 11 on the season to go with a 38.5K%. Hader was unavailable on Friday night, so veteran Bryan Abreu stepped in and earned his first save of 2024. That makes three days in a row for Abreu, and veteran Ryan Pressly had also pitched two days in a row. Manager Joe Espada relies heavily on these three pitchers and was forced to use Shawn Dubin and Nick Hernandez for lengthier appearances on Friday night. This will be something to watch in the coming weeks.
Los Angeles Angels closer Carlos Estevez has been excellent this week, with three saves this week, running his season total to 13. Quietly, Estevez has lowered his ERA to 3.52 and a .87 WHIP while adding 23 strikeouts in 23 innings. He’s likely a trade candidate, even though he will likely not close games if he moves to a contender. If he gets moved, veterans Luis Garcia and Matt Moore could get chances (if they are not traded). Keep an eye on the usage of Ben Joyce, he of the 102 MPH fastball. Joyce would seem to be a good candidate, but he has struggled with command issues.
Mason Miller bounced back with two saves this week, giving him 14 on the season with a 46.5K%. Will he be traded at the deadline? Hard to say, but if he does, look for Lucas Erceg or Dany Jimenez to get the first crack at saves…if they are still on the roster.
We are observing the situation in Seattle. Andres Munoz has 13 saves, and Ryne Stanek has seven saves. Stanek had two saves this week, and Munoz got the other. Stanek was a desirable addition in FAAB two weeks ago, but it’s hard to read the tea leaves on this one. Manager Scott Servais has shown a propensity to use either guy in tight situations, making this a co-closer situation to me right now.
NL East
Raisel Iglesias continues to get saves for the Atlanta Braves, earning two more this week to run his total to 19 despite his lowly 19.3K%. Joe Jimenez earned a save this week, too. Jimenez has 15 holds and Pierce Johnson has seven now as well.
Edwin Diaz has earned two saves this calendar week and appears to be in the top chair in the New York Mets’ bullpen again. The Mets are hot right now and haven’t needed Diaz since Tuesday. A name to follow here: Dedniel Nunez, who has four holds and a hearty 40K% in 17.2 innings. The Mets certainly have some firepower at the end of games with Nunez joining Adam Ottavino and Reed Garrett.
NL Central
Chicago: they seemingly have to move on from Hector Neris. Earlier this week, manager Craig Counsell used Keegan Thompson and Colten Brewer to get saves. It’s hard to say what the long-term plan here is, but look for a rotating chair at the closer position, even though Neris got the dreaded vote of confidence from Counsell earlier in the week. Neris has not pitched since Monday. Many folks might say that Mark Leiter Jr. could get a shot at it, but his unsightly 5.34 ERA gives pause. We will be watching. I would love to see Ben Brown get a chance when he is healthy again.
Trevor Megill earned four saves this week for the Milwaukee Brewers and continues to be the top option for the Brew Crew. Megill has 15 saves now, a 2.01 ERA, and a 29.7 K%. Lefty Bryan Hudson has 11 holds now as the top setup option behind Megill with a 31.5K%.
David Bednar earned two saves this week, pushing his season total to 16 despite a 5.17 ERA and an average 23.9K%. Colin Holderman has solidified the back end of the bullpen with 12 holds, a .70 ERA, and a 27.9K%, building some potential trade value if the Pirates decide to sell pieces.
Ryan Helsley now has 25 saves and we have a week to go in June. JoJo Romero and Andrew Kittredge have a whopping 20 holds each in support of Helsley. Veteran Giovanny Gallegos returned this week from the injured list, giving the Cardinals another experienced bullpen arm as they fight back into the playoff picture.
NL West
Paul Sewald continues to get the job done quietly, earning saves on Thursday and Friday night to push his season total to nine. These were his first saves in two weeks, so it is good to see him get those here, especially for those who roster Sewald in high-stakes leagues (like me).
Colorado: Justin Lawrence returned from the IL this week and was immediately used to throw 42 pitches in his first game back. Tyler Kinley‘s ERA is going north, which is the wrong way, and is now a ghastly 8.40. Kinley has pitched four times this week, but none in a save situation. Jalen Beeks earned a win this week, and Lawrence has pitched twice since his return. I am stamping this a committee, and for most of you fantasy players, this is one to not touch. Step away from the Rockies pitchers, friends.
Evan Phillips earned a save on Thursday afternoon, his 12th of the season, and third of the week. He is a rock-solid option in all formats.
Happy save and hold hunting all! If you have questions or concerns, hit me up @mdrc0508 on the Twittter/X machine and I will try and help you out.