Just one weekend into the baseball season and this is already quite messy. Honestly, I feel as though tiers 5-7 are not too far apart, as half the league has some bullpen uncertainty that needs ironing out. There are even questions in the top half of the group, especially after Seth Lugo was called upon to get the final four outs of the game last night as Edwin Diaz.

For what it’s worth, I think Diaz looked good in his first two outings, and the HR by Marcell Ozuna was just a great job by Ozuna taking an up-and-away 98 mph fastball opposite field. Diaz’s Achilles heel last season was his slider, which so far has looked sharp with five swings and misses out of a total of 15 thrown. I know Diaz is on the hot seat after last season, but he should be allowed more than one blemish before being yanked from the closer role, even in a shortened season.

 

Notes

• Craig Kimbrel last night was almost as bad as you’ll see from a closer, and at this point you have to feel for him after he was once a dominant force at the back end of games. The fact is, he just hasn’t been very good for over two years now, so this being his first outing of 2020 is a huge concern. I’d imagine the team still gives him another shot to keep the role, but Jeremy Jeffress may be worth a speculative add anyway.
• Sean Doolittle worked in front of Daniel Hudson this past Sunday, and also gave up the go-ahead run in the eighth to earn a loss. It’s still too early to tell what the situation is here, as it may just be a situational thing, but Doolittle still takes a hit in the rankings. I wouldn’t consider Hudson a must-add, but for those needing all the saves they can get in bigger leagues, he should be on your radar. EDIT: I replaced Sean Doolittle with Daniel Hudson after Doolittle was used in a non-save situation prior to the 9th inning again tonight.
• While he has yet to see a save opportunity, Nick Burdi is just far and away the Pirates best reliever right now and I’d imagine the only reason he didn’t pitch last night was to protect him pitching back-to-back days. Even if he’s not able to work on back-to-back days, I’m still buying Burdi wherever I still can as he looked awesome Sunday night. Despite being asymptomatic, Keone Kela has been testing positive for Covid-19 for a month now, so we really have no idea when he’d be ready to return. Burdi could run with this job if he’s given the chance to.
• Oliver Drake’s placement on this list doesn’t mean I think Nick Anderson is droppable, but it does mean I think Drake is worth adding in most leagues, even if he only has earned one save. The Rays are unconventional when it comes to roster usage, but they do tend to stick with one closer as compared to a full-blown committee. That closer has not necessarily been their best reliever, which could be the case with Drake, which is not to say he isn’t good, he did finish 2019 with a 32% K rate, 16.8% SwStr rate, and his splitter had a 37.8% Whiff rate. He did pitch for five different teams back in 2018 and is 33 years old, so this would be quite the story, but the unorthodox Drake closing out games this season does seem very Rays-like.
• It appears as if Ken Giles will miss a significant chunk of the season as he was placed on the IL with an elbow/forearm injury, and surgery could very well be in his future. Anthony Bass will get the first crack to fill in for Giles, and converted a save last night without any drama. Bass should be a fine middle/low-tier closer option for those searching for saves, but there’s limited upside here with a 9.5% career SwStr%.
• Trevor Gott looks like the Giants closer for now, but with Gabe Kapler things can change in a moment’s notice. He definitely deserves the role as he had been one of if not the Giants best-returning relievers. The Giants limit his upside, but given the closer landscape, he’s worth a look in most leagues. Just don’t expect much help in terms of ratios or Ks (8.1% career SwStr%).
• Ian Kennedy’s first usage of 2020 came surprisingly in the sixth inning in of a tie game this past weekend, and while he pitched well, it does look like Mike Matheny will be going in a different direction for the team’s closer role. Greg Holland came into a save situation that same game, and looked good, striking out Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor to end the game in the 10th. It looks like Holland may get the first crack at save chances and is worth rostering, but Trevor Rosenthal could be the next man up should he falter. I would wait at least another series before dropping Kennedy, but it feels like he may not be mixed league relevant this season.
• This will likely be Zack Britton’s last week as the Yankees closer, with Aroldis Chapman one more negative Covid test and a few bullpens away from returning to the Yankees’ bullpen. Brandon Kintzler was fine in his lone outing, but the Marlins situation is probably worth steering clear off for the time being. Taylor Williams got the Mariners’ first save chance, but this will probably be a revolving door this season until Yoshihisa Hirano or Austin Adams return.

Rank	Pitcher	Team	Change
1	Josh HaderT1	HOU	-
2	Kirby Yates		-
3	Roberto Osuna T2		+3
4	Liam Hendriks		-1
5	Taylor Rogers	MIN	-1
6	Kenley Jansen T3	DET	+2
7	Brad Hand		+2
8	Héctor Neris		+3
9	Edwin Díaz	LAD	+1
10	Brandon Workman		+2
11	José Leclerc T4		+3
12	Raisel Iglesias	ATL	+3
13	Hansel Robles		+3
14	Archie Bradley		+4
15	Alex Colomé		+4
16	Mark Melancon T5		+4
17	Joe Jiménez	ATL	+5
18	Kwang Hyun Kim		+5
19	Craig Kimbrel	KC	-6
20	Daniel Hudson		+UR
21	Nick Burdi T6		+UR
22	Oliver Drake		+UR
23	Anthony Bass		+UR
24	Wade Davis		+2
25	Trevor Gott	SD	+UR
26	T7		+UR
27	Mychal Givens		-
28	Zack Britton		-4
29	Brandon Kintzler		-4
30	Taylor Williams	SEA	+UR

Photo by Mark LoMoglio/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)