The Yankees and Phillies bullpens are a bit in flux at the moment as we try to figure out if they are going with a closer committee or not. The Yankees got Luke Weaver back last week, and while Aaron Boone claims Weaver and Devin Williams will share the closer role, so far it’s fairly evident that Williams is the team’s closer and there is no committee. As it should be, as Williams has been one of the better relievers in baseball since losing the role back in April. Weaver should go back to being a top-end set-up man who can fill in as a closer in a pinch.
The Phillies seem committed (right now that is) to a closer committee between Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering. The only issue here is that Strahm has allowed four runs over his past six innings and eight runs over the past month (11.2 IP) while Kerkering is still struggling to miss bats like he once was able to (1.29 WHIP, 8.2% K-BB, 9.7% SwStr% rate over past 14 IP). Jordan Romano has settled into the seventh inning role, and at least should be a good source of holds moving forward, and possibly the best ratios and K numbers of this trio.
Notes
- Since the start of May, Yariel Rodríguez holds a 24.7% K-BB rate and 2.60 SIERA to go along with sparkling ratios (1.37 ERA, 0.57 WHIP) and has taken advantage of Yimi García’s absence to add 7 holds (plus a save) over this span. With Garcia on his way back soon, I still think Rodríguez will have some sort of high-leverage role here, but there’s also Braydon Fisher to deal with. Fisher has been even better over this span, not allowing an earned run while posting a 39.1% K-BB and 1.20 SIERA. Fisher is throwing his pair of breakers (slider and curveball) 77% of the time to avoid throwing his mediocre fastball often, but so far, the usage is working.
- Bennett Sousa only has one hold so far (two saves though?), but he’s struck out at least one batter over his past 16 outings and has just been dominating lineups over that span. Over his past 20.2 innings, Sousa holds a 2.09 SIERA, 30.1% K-BB, and 20.8% SwStr rates. Steven Okert and even Bryan King have pitched well as the other lefties in that bullpen behind left-handed closer Josh Hader, but Sousa should start seeing the hold chances King had been getting, as Sousa has been much better over the past two months.
- Gregory Soto continues to impress, and he’s overtaking Keegan Akin as the Orioles’ top left-handed setup option. Since the start of May, Soto has a 2.31 SIERA with 26.8% K-BB and 32.4% CSW rates, while Akin sits at a 4.33 SIERA with 9.2% K-BB and 26% CSW rates. If the Orioles do sell at the deadline (7.5 GB of a Wild Card spot today), Soto should be a hot commodity.
- Kirby Yates has been OK this season, but there are a lot of mouths to feed in this Dodgers bullpen, especially once Blake Treinen returns, potentially next month. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them add another high-leverage arm at the deadline. Yates remains fine to roster, but the inconsistency and falling ceiling have me pushing him down.
- Hunter Gaddis got off to a hot start in April, but since then has really cooled off. Gaddis holds a 4.66 ERA (4.36 SIERA), 1.71 WHIP, plus 9% K-BB and 26% CSW rates since May 1st, but since June 1st it’s been even more dire with an 8.64 ERA (5.74 SIERA), 2.28 WHIP, and a -2.4% K-BB rate with just a 19% CSW. He’s in danger of losing his setup role to Matt Festa, if he hasn’t already.
