It’s trade deadline week, and while that would typically be the focus of today’s update, the biggest closer story right now is Emmanuel Clase being placed on administrative leave as part of a gambling investigation. Clase will be out at least through August 31st, but as of now, there is no way to guess the potential end date. Perhaps MLB will be able to wrap up its investigation by the end of August and find that Clase did nothing wrong, but the likelihood of that feels very slim. I think the most likely outcome is that we won’t see Clase throw another pitch this season, leaving Cade Smith in the driver’s seat to finish the year out as the Guardians’ closer. Smith’s been fantastic the past two seasons, but I do worry about him being overworked, and he was dealing with back spasms earlier in the month as well. July has been tough for Smith, but I still think he needs to be added universally. If Smith does falter or need some time off, Hunter Gaddis makes sense to be next in line, but also keep an eye on Erik Sabrowski, who has the better swing and miss arsenal.
EDIT: List has been updated post-trade deadline. Notes can be found in today’s Hold Up.
Notes
- It looks highly unlikely at this point that Aroldis Chapman is traded as the Red Sox continue to play well and are firmly in a playoff spot as of today. However, we did see Chapman leave Sunday’s game early with what the team is calling back tightness, as Chapman saw his velocity down to 95 MPH in the outing. Chapman thinks he won’t need an IL stint, so hopefully he will be back to his normal self this weekend, and if he is (and is still on the Red Sox), he will move back into the top five. If he does miss time (or is traded), I think it’s fairly clear that Jordan Hicks is not the answer here, despite what the team had hoped. Hicks now has 7.1 innings with Boston, owning a 4.91 ERA (5.26 SIERA), 1.64 WHIP, and 0% K-BB rate (plus 8% SwStr, 23.6% CSW rates). Hicks needs to be in low leverage for now, so I’m hoping the team is willing to give Garrett Whitlock a chance, assuming he starts feeling better soon (Whitlock is “under the weather” after a rough flight to Minnesota).
- It looks like the biggest reliever names sure to move this week are David Bednar and Ryan Helsley, although anything is possible, and I’d still consider the Twins moving one of Griffin Jax or Jhoan Duran at 50%. For Bednar or Helsley, though, it’s tough to say what their role will be this weekend, as I’d imagine there are 10-15 teams interested in their services at the moment. What are the best landing spots for these two in order to continue closing out games? The Dodgers seem like one all of a sudden, but the Rangers and Phillies could also use a closer. The Tigers and Cubs may prefer one of these veterans over their current closer (Will Vest and Daniel Palencia), but they may be more apt to go after middle relief/setup help.
- Regarding the Dodgers’ current situation, Blake Treinen got the ninth inning last night in his first game back, but he couldn’t get all three outs as Jack Dreyer needed to come in to get the final out. For now, I think we see a combination of Treinen and Alex Vesia in the ninth, but you have to imagine the Dodgers add a fairly significant bullpen arm this week.
- Félix Bautista did not get great news on his shoulder injury, and it sounds like he will be out indefinitely, which, given the date and the fact that the Orioles are out of the playoff race, could mean he is done for the season. For now (as in the next two days), Seranthony Domínguez will likely get the ninth inning, but after Thursday, we don’t know. Yennier Cano would be the remaining veteran in the bullpen, so I’d give him the edge, but Keegan Akin could split the role with him as the top left-handed reliever on the roster.
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh HaderT1 | HOU | - |
| 2 | Edwin Díaz | LAD | - |
| 3 | Devin Williams | NYM | - |
| 4 | Aroldis ChapmanT2 | BOS | +6 |
| 5 | Trevor Megill | MIL | -1 |
| 6 | Andrés Muñoz | SEA | -1 |
| 7 | Jhoan Duran | PHI | +1 |
| 8 | Mason Miller | SD | -2 |
| 9 | Jeff Hoffman | TOR | - |
| 10 | Daniel Palencia | CHC | +2 |
| 11 | Randy RodríguezT3 | SF | +21 |
| 12 | Cade Smith | NYY | +24 |
| 13 | Emilio Pagán | CIN | +1 |
| 14 | Dennis Santana | PIT | +UR |
| 15 | Will Vest | DET | - |
| 16 | Raisel IglesiasT4 | ATL | +1 |
| 17 | Pete Fairbanks | MIA | +3 |
| 18 | Kenley Jansen | DET | - |
| 19 | Carlos Estévez | KC | +2 |
| 20 | Robert GarciaT5 | TEX | +5 |
| 21 | Ronny Henriquez | MIA | +2 |
| 22 | Jose A. Ferrer | SEA | +UR |
| 23 | JoJo Romero | STL | +UR |
| 24 | Alex Vesia | LAD | +3 |
| 25 | Seth HalvorsenT6 | COL | +4 |
| 26 | Grant Taylor | CWS | -2 |
| 27 | Jack Perkins | +UR | |
| 28 | Corbin Martin | CHC | +UR |
| 29 | Kevin Ginkel | ARI | -1 |
| 30 | Cole Sands | MIN | +UR |
| 31 | Blake TreinenT7 | LAD | +UR |
| 32 | Dylan Lee | ATL | +1 |
| 33 | Phil Maton | CHC | +UR |
| 34 | Riley O’Brien | STL | +UR |
| 35 | Ryan Walker | SF | +UR |
| 36 | Griffin Jax | TB | -6 |
| 37 | David Bednar | NYY | -24 |
| 38 | Robert Suarez | ATL | -22 |
| 39 | Reid Detmers | LAA | -4 |
| 40 | Yennier Cano | BAL | - |
