Richard Bleier Fantasy Stats

The Washington Nationals signed free-agent left-hander Richard Bleier to a minor-league deal on Thursday, according to a source. The 36-year-old southpaw spent last year with the Boston Red Sox before being designated for assignment in August. In 27 appearances out of the bullpen for the BoSox in 2023, Bleier had a 5.28 ERA (5.11 FIP), 1.37 WHIP, five walks and 16 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings pitched. In parts of eight major-league seasons with the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Miami Marlins and Red Sox, Bleier holds a career 3.27 ERA (3.64 FIP) and 1.22 WHIP with five saves and 187 strikeouts in 330 1/3 innings over 335 appearances (two starts). He'll most likely end up starting the year at Triple-A Rochester while providing the Nationals with left-handed relief depth in the minors.

Boston Red Sox left-hander Richard Bleier (shoulder) threw a bullpen session on Tuesday, according to manager Alex Cora. There is still no timetable for his return, however. Bleier last saw game action on May 21 before experiencing shoulder inflammation and hitting the injured list. The 36-year-old veteran had struggled prior to the injury, posting a 5.85 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 13.8% strikeout rate over 20 innings. Bleier has had some fantasy value earlier in his career as a late-inning arm, but fantasy managers can go ahead and drop him in all formats if they haven't already.

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Richard Bleier signed a two-year, $6 million contract extension on Monday. It's a solid deal for both sides, as the soon to be 35-year-old was a strong bullpen arm and seemed to work into a role as a leader in 2021. Bleier doesn't strike too many guys out, but he also rarely issues any walks. Any relief pitcher on a Don Mattingly-managed team presents risk in a fantasy league, but holds league players looking for a solid but unspectacular guy to grab in the final round could certainly do worse than Richard Bleier.

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Richard Bleier pitched in with a perfect inning in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the New York Mets. Bleier pitched the seventh inning, needing just eight pitches (seven strikes) to retire the side in order. He wraps up Grapefruit League play with a 2.35 ERA and should have a significant role near the back of the Marlins bullpen. He's not a saves candidate at this point, but he should be able to pick up holds somewhat consistently and could be an option at the end of drafts or on the waiver wire for teams in deep holds formats.

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Richard Bleier got in 1 1/3 innings of work in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Houston Astros. He struck out two and allowed just one hit. Bleier should be a fixture near the back end of the Marlins bullpen, but as a ground ball specialist, he doesn't offer the strikeout upside you'd want for a fantasy reliever. He should have some value in deeper holds leagues, but nothing outside of those formats.

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Richard Bleier was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a mild left elbow triceps strain. Bleier was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles at the beginning of this month and had pitched fairly well out of the Marlins bullpen, but now he'll be forced to miss at least 10 days. The Marlins called up Brian Moran and Pat Venditte, who can both serve as left-handed relief options while Bleier recovers.

Miami Marlins left-handed pitcher Richard Bleier has hit the 10-day injured list due to a mild left triceps strain. Bleier recorded his third consecutive hold Friday against the Mets, but departed after just nine pitches. Having allowed just two hits through his first 4 innings this year, Bleier figured to become a mainstay of the Miami bullpen after his acquisition, but owners can now drop him back onto the wire until his reactivation. Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte will take Bleiers roster spot, but does not yet have enough of a proven track record to merit season-long consideration.

The Miami Marlins completed a trade with the Baltimore Orioles, with the Marlins sending a player to be named later to the Orioles in exchange for relief pitcher Richard Bleier. Bleier had thrown three innings this season, allowing just one hit while striking out four. Last season, he put up a rough 5.37 ERA, but had three seasons in a row with ERAs under 2.00 before that. Bleier doesn't miss many bats (career 12.0 K%), but he induces weak contact and gets outs. He'll likely work near the back of the bullpen whenever the Marlins get back on the field, and depending on which Marlins relievers are out, Bleier could even work his way into save situations pretty soon.

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Richard Bleier picked up his third save of the season in Tuesday's Game 1 4-2 win over the Rays. Bleier pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning with a strikeout while teammate Mychal Givens pitched the eighth inning. Bleier has now converted three of four save opportunities to go with a 6.12 ERA, 23 strikeouts and six walks in 42 2/3 innings pitched. The O's have not had a consistent closer for most of the season and while Givens is the best option, no one in their bullpen is reliable for fantasy purposes.

The Baltimore Orioles did some bullpen shuffling Thursday, activating relief pitcher Richard Bleier from the 10-day injured list and sending pitcher Jimmy Yacabonis to Triple-A Norfolk. Bleier earned his first career save on April 1, but only has a 14.54 ERA in 4 1/3 innings this season. Even if he works his way into more saves, opportunities will be few and far between in Baltimore, so there isn't value to be had here. Yacabonis had a 6.11 ERA in 17 2/3 innings with a mediocre 9-to-7 K-BB ratio and was not a fantasy entity even when in the Majors.