Happy Trade Deadline Day everyone! I’m sure there will be plenty of moves today even though we’ve seen some significant ones already, with the first big closer trade happening on Friday as the Mets sent David Robertson to the Marlins.
Robertson figures to slide right into the closer role for them, with A.J. Puk and Tanner Scott moving into set-up roles, making both (especially Puk) attractive buys in holds leagues. Robertson gets a boost as he finally gets away from the Mets and is able to be the team’s sole closer.
Today will surely be hectic, and I plan on updating this post throughout the day in case any more closers wind up on the move.
Notes
- As we speculated on our trade deadline podcast, Paul Sewald was available and the Diamondbacks, the team most desperate for relief pitching help, answered the call by trading for the veteran yesterday. The move to Arizona doesn’t impact Sewald all that much, and he should continue to be one of the better closers in baseball.
- In Seattle, we finally enter the Andrés Muñoz closer era, and while the uber-talented reliever is also oft-injured, as long as he is healthy and in the closer role for the Mariners, he should be rostered in every league. He may be the only reliever who can legitimately challenge Félix Bautista for the top spot on this list.
- With the Cardinals trading interim closer Jordan Hicks, the door is now open for Giovanny Gallegos to finish the season as the team’s closer, or at least until Ryan Helsley returns (if that happens). Gallegos has been pitching really well as of late, finishing the month of July with a 0.68 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 15/2 K/BB rate over 13.1 innings.
- Jordan Hicks winds up going to the Blue Jays and while it’s not the most convenient landing spot, he should at least get a chance to close out games for a few more weeks. Jordan Romano was recently placed on the 15-day IL with lower back inflammation, and while there’s no timetable for a return yet, back injuries can be tricky and oftentimes linger so I’d still be interested in rostering Hicks for the time being.
- With David Robertson moving to Miami, it leaves the door open for Adam Ottavino and Brooks Raley to share the closer duties for the Mets … at least for the time being. Both could wind up on other teams by the end of the day, but given Ottavino’s player option for next year, he may be tough to move. Raley on the other hand has a team option for $6.5 million, which I’d imagine most teams would be interested in picking up next year. Raley seems like the most likely option to be dealt of the two and makes Ottavino my preferred add in save-only leagues.
- With Kendall Graveman going back to the Astros, the White Sox could turn to their youngest reliever in Gregory Santos to close out games. There are still some factors here that have me cautious, one being that Keynan Middleton is still on the roster (for now), and Liam Hendriks is working his way back and was throwing sim games two weeks ago.
And if you want more daily reliever updates, please check out our Reliever Ranks series
Watch List
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Aroldis Chapman | TEX | The situation is still fluid in Texas, both he and Smith should be rostered. |
| 2. | Carlos Hernández | KC | Even if Barlow isn’t moved, he’s likely losing his job. |
| 3. | Brooks Raley | NYM | Timeshare with Ottavino for now, as one or both may move. |
| 4. | Keynan Middleton | CWS | Still on the roster, for now, could be dealt today though. |
| 5. | Reynaldo López | LAA | Could see him replacing Estevez in the closer role. |
| 6. | Erik Swanson | TOR | In case Hicks gets off to a rocky start with his new team. |
| 7. | Jason Adam | TB | No closer is more injury prone than Fairbanks… |
| 8. | Matt Brash | SEA | …but Muñoz is a close second now. |
| 9. | Colin Holderman | PIT | Still a non-zero chance Bednar gets moved. |
| 10. | Jason Foley | DET | Still a non-zero chance Lange gets moved. |
| Rank | Pitcher | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Félix BautistaT1 | - |
| 2 | Craig KimbrelT2 | - |
| 3 | Ryan Pressly | - |
| 4 | Devin Williams | +2 |
| 5 | Paul Sewald | -1 |
| 6 | Jhoan Duran | -1 |
| 7 | Camilo Doval | - |
| 8 | Josh Hader | +1 |
| 9 | Raisel Iglesias | +1 |
| 10 | Emmanuel Clase | +1 |
| 11 | Andrés Muñoz | +UR |
| 12 | David Bednar | - |
| 13 | Alexis Díaz | - |
| 14 | Pete Fairbanks | - |
| 15 | Evan Phillips | - |
| 16 | Clay HolmesT3 | +2 |
| 17 | David Robertson | +6 |
| 18 | Adbert Alzolay | +1 |
| 19 | Kenley Jansen | -3 |
| 20 | Alex Lange | -3 |
| 21 | Carlos HernándezT4 | +UR |
| 22 | Giovanny Gallegos | +UR |
| 23 | Jordan Hicks | +2 |
| 24 | Will Smith | -4 |
| 25 | Carlos Estévez | -3 |
| 26 | Adam Ottavino | +UR |
| 27 | Gregory SantosT5 | +UR |
| 28 | Kyle Finnegan | -1 |
| 29 | Justin Lawrence | -1 |
| 30 | Trevor May | -1 |