Fantasy Baseball: Closer Report (7-12)

The All-Star break seems to be a good time to go over what is going on at the closer position for each team. Let’s dig right in.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Greg Holland is still the closer here but his struggles of late have opened the door for either Yoan Lopez or Yoshihisa Hirano to replace him. Holland had blown two straight saves before saving two straight games versus Colorado. Holland does seem to be the first choice for Arizona but that rope around his neck is getting a little tighter.

Atlanta Braves: The Braves may still upgrade at closer by the July 31 trade deadline, but the job is still his for now. Jackson can make life interesting as there always seems to be runners on base when he tries to close out a game. He is far from a lockdown closer, but he’s the best for the Braves at this point in time.

Baltimore Orioles: It doesn’t really matter who closes out games for the Orioles. Mychal Givens, Miguel Castro or anyone else in that bullpen would be lucky to get double-digit saves from this point on. The team as a whole may only win 25 more games. You should only look here if you’re desperate.

Boston Red Sox: The new plan for the Sox is that Nathan Eovaldi will be the closer for the team when he is activated off of the IL (elbow). Eovaldi is currently still throwing bullpen sessions in his rehab but should be ready to begin to pitch to live batters shortly. This should put his return to the team later this month. Eovaldi has succeeded as a reliever in the past. He was dominant coming out of the bullpen during the Sox championship run last season. If he is available on your waiver wire, he should be claimed immediately.

Chicago Cubs: Craig Kimbrel has returned to the Cubs bullpen and is the team’s closer. He has gotten off to a rocky start but that should’ve been expected as this is pretty much still his spring training.

Chicago White Sox: Alex Colome has had an outstanding season. He has posted 20 saves with a 2.02 ERA and 0.70 WHIP. If the Sox were to decide to move him by the deadline, there would be quite a few teams interested in his services. The argument for keeping him would be the Sox are a team on the rise and if their starting pitching keeps performing well, they could contend as soon as next season, but reality would say they may need another season and should reap the benefits a Colome trade would sow now.

Cincinnati Reds: Raisel Iglesias is the closer here but his job may not be as secure as it once was. He did lose a couple of save opportunities a couple of weeks ago to Michael Lorenzen when he was struggling but seems to have righted the ship now. If the Reds weren’t in contention for a playoff spot, they actually are, his is another name that would be on the trade block and maybe still will be. The problem is they may be selling low as his 4.06 ERA and 1.38 WHIP may scare away teams from making top offers.

Cleveland Indians: Brad Hand is the closer here and although there was some thought that he could be traded, that was when the Indians didn’t look like playoff contenders this season. They do now and although this organization is always looking to pinch pennies, it seems much more likely they will look to trade a starting pitcher by the deadline (Trevor Bauer) than they will Hand.

Colorado Rockies: One could make a very strong argument that the only reason Wade Davis is still the closer for Colorado is because he is making $17 million plus per season. He has had a terrible season and has been vastly outpitched by Scott Oberg. Davis will open the second half as teams closer but all it should take for a change is another blown save or two.

Detroit Tigers: I have probably written this last year and maybe even the year before at this time about Shane Greene, but this has to be the season the Tigers trade him. They don’t need a closer. They aren’t playing for anything but a high draft pick this season. If Greene were to be traded, it is unlikely he will close for his new team. Greene would likely be a setup man. If Greene were to be traded, Joe Jimenez would be next in line, but he would once again fall into that category of only claiming if you’re desperate for each and every save.

Houston Astros: It’s Roberto Osuna here with really no other competition.

Kansas City Royals: One would think that if it isn’t nailed down the Royals would trade it if they were to get the right offer. Ian Kennedy is far from nailed down. The problem is that he won’t bring back much in a trade either as he is far from an elite starter or closer. There just isn’t much to see here.

Los Angeles Angels: Hansel Robles seems solidified in the job here. He is not an ace closer, but he’s the best the Angels have at this point and that should be good enough for the rest of this season.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Kenley Jansen is still one of the best in the game.

Miami Marlins: There really shouldn’t be anyone here that isn’t available for trade and that certainly includes current closer, Sergio Romo. It actually might be an upset if he isn’t traded this month. Nick Anderson would seem most likely to take over the role if Romo is moved and if Romo is traded, he’ll be a setup reliever and no longer a closer.

Milwaukee Brewers: Josh Hader is the reliever you want here. He can frustrate owners as the Brewers can sometimes use him for more than one inning which necessitates a day off at times, but he’s still a top 10 closer.

Minnesota Twins: If there was a team that I would be willing to bet would upgrade their closer position by the trade deadline, Minnesota is it. They are playing very well this season and could make some noise in the playoffs, but they have to do better than Taylor Rogers, Blake Parker, and Trevor May to close out games.

New York Mets: Yes, the trade for Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano is not working out for the Mets, but fans are going to have to get over it. Diaz is your closer for the immediate future unless they decide to try and recoup their losses by dealing him and that would seem highly unlikely as that would mean that the general manager would be admitting to the huge blunder that he made in trading for Diaz and Cano in the first place

New York Yankees: Aroldis Chapman had some issues finding home plate in that last series versus Tampa Bay, but then came back and struck out the side in the All-Star game to pick up the save. He’s as safe as safe can be.

Oakland Athletics: This one is tricky. Blake Treinen came into the season a top-five closer, maybe even better. Injuries have derailed him to the point where even though he is back off of the injured list, Liam Hendricks may still be the better option to close out games for the Athletics and your fantasy team. Hendricks is the man I want right now, but I do expect this to change at some point in July.

Philadelphia Phillies: Do you remember David Robertson? Yeah, he’s still on the IL but could return in July. It shouldn’t matter however as Hector Neris has done nothing to deserve losing the job and one could make the argument that Robertson would be better in the setup role anyway.

Pittsburgh Pirates: There was some thought going into the season that the Pirates may eventually trade Felipe Vazquez in order to save some salary, but they are actually in the hunt for a playoff spot. I know, who isn’t in the hunt in the National League besides the Mets and Marlins? Vazquez should be safe for the remainder of this season.

St. Louis Cardinals: Jordan Hicks is gone for the season due to Tommy John surgery. Carlos Martinez probably won’t get every save opportunity, but he should get the majority of them. CMart succeeded in a bullpen role last season and that seems to be where his future lies as his arm just can’t handle the rigors of starting once every five days.

San Diego Padres: It’s Kirby Yates all day every day here.

San Francisco Giants: Will Smith is going to draw quite a bit of interest on the trade market. He’s the current closer for the Giants but this left-hander will be at the top of everyone’s wish list. The Giants are rebuilding and would be very wise to deal him if they can get anywhere near the price they want. Smith probably has a better than 50/50 chance to remain the closer if and when he’s dealt. As for who will close for the Giants if Smith is dealt, it’s likely to be trial by fire with everyone from Sam Dyson to Mark Melancon getting a shot.

Seattle Mariners: The Mariners will trade everyone that isn’t nailed down by the deadline. Any reliever they deal won’t close for their new team and although Roenis Elias is closing now, it’s not like you should be rushing out to add him or any Seattle closer.

Tampa Bay Rays: Jose Alvarado was officially placed on the IL on Thursday and isn’t expected to return to the Rays until sometime in late August at the earliest. Diego Castillo, who is currently on the IL, should return Friday and is expected to split the closing role with Emilio Pagan. The Rays were in on Kimbrel, so it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that they will look to trade for an established closer this month, but for now, I would have Pagan ranked slightly higher than Castillo, but both will have their chances.

Texas Rangers: This season just never took off for Jose Leclerc and he eventually lost his job to Shawn Kelley. Kelley may not be anything special, but he gets the job done, and that is all that matters.

Toronto Blue Jays: Ken Giles has had a nice bounce-back season for the Jays and now all we are hearing is his name in trade rumors. He could be traded on his own or in a package with Marcus Stroman. Once again, where he ends up will likely determine if he remains a closer. He’s done nothing to deserve losing the job, but a contending team with a strong bullpen would love to add his arm to their stable of setup men.

Washington Nationals: Sean Doolittle isn’t flashy but he’s a better than average closer. The Nationals never seem to worry about their bullpen, and I would expect that to remain the same this season.