The Padres entered last week with a bullpen that certainly needed a boost at the deadline, and not only did they add the best reliever available in Tanner Scott, but they also were able to get Jason Adam, quite possibly the second-best reliever traded in the past week. With the way Robert Suarez and Jeremiah Estrada have been pitching, this now becomes the best bullpen in baseball and will be heavily relied upon given their current rotation situation. Eventually, I doubt we will see three Padres relievers in Tier 1, but until we see how things shake out, they remain here for now. Estrada might be the odd man out, but he’s just too good to push down the ranks right now (33.3% K-BB, 18.6% SwStr, 1.88 SIERA, 140 Stuff+ since being recalled in late April).
Notes
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Yimi García won’t see a ton of save chances in Seattle, but he should be the team’s primary set-up option, and with how Scott Servais likes to use his bullpen, could still be in the mix for 4-5 saves the rest of the way. The team felt confident enough in Garcia’s addition that they moved Ryne Stanek to the Mets, although that could come back to hurt them as Gregory Santos is likely to go on the IL with a biceps injury.
- The Diamondbacks were the first to make a splash in the reliever market this past week, trading for A.J. Puk, who has arguably been the best reliever in baseball since June (33.7% K-BB, 17.8% SwStr, 1.78 SIERA). The deal comes at a good time for himself, his fantasy managers and the team as closer Paul Sewald allowed 18 H and 12 ER over 10 IP in July. I’d imagine Sewald is removed from the closer role, at least temporarily, but whether it’s Puk or Kevin Ginkel who replaces him, Puk remains a Top 30 SV+HLDs option regardless.
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After adding Hunter Harvey, the Royals decided they weren’t done adding relief help as they made a move for Lucas Erceg, who should be an upgrade over now injured John Schreiber. Erceg, similarly to Harvey, has struggled recently with Erceg pitching better since the All-Star break, however. Still, dating back to June, Erceg holds just a 15.3% K-BB, 26.1% CSW, and 3.43 SIERA, while Harvey has a 10.3% K-BB, 27.5% CSW and 4.25 SIERA. These aren’t the closer types the Royals were looking for, or needed, but I also wouldn’t rule out a late-season turnaround from either of these guys.
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Two of the more underrated deadline moves were the Dodgers landing Michael Kopech and my personal favorite, the Brewers picking up Nick Mears. Kopech should thrive with the Dodgers, and if it weren’t for them having such a deep bullpen he would certainly move up a tier or two in the ranks. As it stands now though, Kopech is still a bit of a work in progress and could struggle to see consistent SV+HLD chances for a while. Mears joins the Brewers at a good time as they lost both Bryan Hudson and Trevor Megill to the IL last week. Mears has been with the Rockies all year so it’s tough to judge him based on his numbers, but this is a guy who throws 97+, with a plus slider and 26.7% K-BB rate, 2.55 SIERA and 138 Stuff+ since the start of June.
If you would like more daily reliever updates, please check out our Reliever Ranks series.
SP Eligible Relievers
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mason Miller | OAK | Closer in Oakland. Dominant stuff |
| 2. | A.J. Puk | AZ | Velo is back up in the bullpen |
| 3. | Matt Strahm | PHI | One of the best middle-relief fantasy options |
| 4. | Ryan Walker | SF | Fastball/slider combo from funky slot plays up in pen |
| 5. | Hunter Gaddis | CLE | Been impressive in a bullpen role |
| 6. | Luke Weaver | NYY | Top setup option in New York now? |
| 7. | Michael Kopech | CWS | Closer in Chicago… for now |
| 8. | Porter Hodge | CHC | Might be the Cubs best RP currently |
| 9. | Tyler Holton | DET | One “start” away from SP eligibility |
| 10. | Calvin Faucher | MIA | Might be Miami’s closer now? |
Surprised G Cabrera didn’t make the list. He’s listed as the main setup guy in TOR now, even on PL.