We are starting one of the busiest months of the baseball season, following the July 4th holiday just behind us.
While most bullpens seem to have largely stabilized, some remain in various states of upheaval. Most teams know who the closer is at this time; some are still trying to fill that void. Many teams will be eyeing the trade deadline as a way to augment their bullpens for the stretch run. Some teams will have different closers by the end of the month. We will be here to chart and help you decide what it means for your fantasy teams.
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Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report
AL East
New York update: The Yankees are reeling a bit this week with several losses in a row, ceding first place to the surging Toronto Blue Jays. Devin Williams pitched only once this week, taking a loss. Luke Weaver has pitched three times, but not in any save situations, until Friday night…and he blew a save and took a loss. Williams should stay in the closer role with Weaver as the high-leverage option in the eighth inning or multiple innings if needed. Mark Leiter Jr.‘s recent struggles opened the door for veteran Ian Hamilton to get into a setup role along with Weaver.
Jeff Hoffman has been spectacular of late, earning four saves this week for Toronto. Behind him, Yariel Rodriguez has been a revelation as the top setup option, earning 10 holds and a save to go with his tidy 2.72 ERA. Hoffman now has 21 saves and a 32.9% K% while lowering his ERA to 4.58 with a terrific June. See Hoffman’s Statcast below; despite some early-season struggles, he has the red you like to see.
AL Central
Grant Taylor seems to be emerging as the closer for a developing Chicago White Sox team, but chances may be scant as the team learns to win games. He did earn a two-inning save last weekend, but then blew a chance on Wednesday when his control betrayed him against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He bounced back with his third save on Friday night against Colorado. Taylor has the stuff and the pedigree to be a closer, but he has only been in the big leagues for a couple of weeks. He will learn from it and become a good one with time…if they do not move him back to the rotation. See his pitch mix and location below.
Will Vest jumped back in with a save on Friday night, giving him 14 on the season to go with his excellent 2.25 ERA and 27.8% K%. Tommy Kahnle leads the Tigers with 12 holds.
AL West
Mason Miller notched two more saves this week, running his season total to 17. He boasts a ridiculous 40.3% K% despite his ERA being high at 4.55. He is certain to be mentioned as a hot commodity in pending trade talks this month. Is he available? If so, he will have many suitors. Some pundits still feel that Miller’s future rests in the rotation. Michael Kelly is currently the top option behind Miller. Unsure who would close if Miller were to be moved at the trade deadline.
Josh Hader added three more saves this calendar week, giving him 24 saves on the year. Bryan Abreu and Bryan King continue to be magical in front of Hader, with 21 and 17 holds, respectively. The bullpen is carrying an Astros team decimated by injuries right now.
Texas had two saves this week from long relievers Jacob Latz and Dane Dunning. I would still list Robert Garcia as the closer, with Luke Jackson as the top setup guy right now. This one feels in flux to me. Latz seems like he could be in line for a larger role, and the team is using him to cover multiple innings each time out. This will be something to watch here.
NL East
Atlanta: This remains a committee situation, but I would look for Raisel Iglesias to potentially get more chances than Dylan Lee as the team tries to build his trade value. After two months of rocky pitching and ERAs over 6.00 for the veteran, Iglesias showed signs of rebounding in June, with a 3.86 ERA, 11 strikeouts in nine innings, and eight consecutive scoreless appearances to end the month. Lee has been excellent, with two saves, nine holds, a 2.37 ERA, and a 27.8% K%.
Ronny Henriquez appears to have wrested the job from Calvin Faucher this week with three saves. Henriquez quite simply has better stuff than Faucher, featuring mostly a four-seamer and a sweeper, while mixing in a slider and change-up. The strikeout stuff is what separates Henriquez from Faucher. Chances might be a bit more scant on a team that is 39-46, but look for the emerging Henriquez to get them. Anthony Bender leads the team with 15 holds.
Philadelphia: Is there any bullpen in the major leagues that is being more closely monitored than the Phillies? Currently, this is a co-closer situation between Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm. Jordan Romano has pushed into a setup role, but he only pitched once this week. For those wondering about Jose Alvarado’s suspension, he will come off the restricted list before the end of the season, but he will not be eligible for the postseason. This bullpen screams for the addition of a closer as the organization is in “win now” mode. Look for the Phillies to be active in the burgeoning reliever market that is sure to develop this month. In the meantime, look for Kerkering and Strahm to split the chances based on the game situation.
NL Central
Daniel Palencia continues his hold on the top job for the Chicago Cubs. He added two more saves to his ledger this week, giving him 10 this season. Brad Keller and Porter Hodge are the top setup options behind him. This is an interesting bullpen that gets the job done without any big strikeout arm besides Palencia. The Cubs are said to be looking heavily into both starting and relief pitching markets. Stay tuned. But Palencia has done nothing to lose this job.
David Bednar and Dennis Santana could be on the move this month as the Pirates bring up the rear of the NL Central division. It would seem there would be a very good chance both could be good trade chips. If that happens, who closes? How about rookie Braxton Ashcraft? Hard to say, but many teams have been breaking in their top young pitchers in bullpen spots before turning them to the rotation. The Pirates looked like they may have been moving him to the rotation last week, where he started one game. Unsure what the plan is for him, but Ashcraft is a name to know here. With starters like Mitch Keller and Andrew Heaney likely on the move this month, maybe he slots into the rotation later?
NL West
Los Angeles is carrying a plethora of relievers at this point in the season. Why? Well, two of them are bulk innings guys following Shohei Ohtani in Ben Casparius and Justin Wrobleski. The team is currently carrying 10 relievers; you can do that when you have a two-way player who only takes one roster spot. Tanner Scott remains the best bet to close in Los Angeles, but Kirby Yates and Alex Vesia will also get a handful of chances. Scott leads the team with 18 saves. Total side note: am I the only person who would love to see Ohtani close?
Robert Suarez is on a hot seat in San Diego. He had three chances this week and converted two of them. Interesting to note, the Padres are in third place in the NL West at 46-40. Given their propensity to be all in, does this team move pieces or gather pieces at the trade deadline? If they decide to become sellers, Suarez would be a top option to be moved to a contender. Despite his 4.04 ERA, he has 24 saves and a 25.5% K%. This bullpen could be in flux if they decide to sell pieces, where Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, and Adrian Morejon could all be popular additions for contending teams.
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