A couple of issues back in Week 18, I doled out my predictions and general thoughts for the then-upcoming trade deadline. Therein, I posited that of all available arms, only Luke Weaver seemed poised to take over as closer if traded, and even then only maybe. While that sounds at least somewhat prescient, I missed out on one other fit in Jeff Hoffman, along with a few teams who dealt their closers away, leaving an opening behind. While a previously secondary option on a non-contender doesn’t exactly scream valuable fantasy reliever, there are a few new names on the closer carousel who do have some upside.
This week’s issue is fully focused on the fantasy closer landscape following the deadline. I’ll recap the news for every team that made relevant trades, then rank all available closers in their wake.
(stats updated through Thursday, 8/6)
Closer News: Trade Deadline Edition
BAL
Already on their third-string closer following injuries to Félix Bautista and Ryan Helsley, the O’s thinned their bullpen depth chart even further by dealing Tyler Wells to the Rays. Wells has been a Waiver Relief favorite all season, even featuring as a recommended SPRP pickup all the way back in Week 1. As great as he’s been, he loses all value in standard leagues on his new team, as Bryan Baker ain’t going anywhere.
With Wells gone, the O’s will likely turn to a committee of Yennier Cano, Rico Garcia, and Andrew Kittredge in the ninth. Cano, fresh off a contract extension and the first to nab a post-deadline save, is my favorite here. He’s had a terrific year, largely thanks to his impeccable command (4.5% walk rate) and an improved arsenal I detailed all the way back in Week 4. Cano is the only Baltimore pitcher on my closer rankings this week, but expect some missed opportunities.
CHC
The Cubs, still without closer Daniel Palencia, acquired the flame-throwing Ryan Zeferjahn from the Angels. It’s borderline whether to consider this a fantasy-relevant transaction in standard leagues, but Zeferjahn has a chance at sniping a save or two before Palencia’s return.
With regard to Palencia, it’s worth noting that he’s in the middle of a rehab assignment at Triple-A, and ought to be back soon. As his roster rate has dropped to just 58%, he appears as an IL stash below. Make sure he isn’t available in your league.
LAA
In sending Ryan Zeferjahn to the Cubs and Kirby Yates to the Pirates, the Angels cleared the way for official My Guy Samy Natera Jr. to assume his rightful role as closer. I’ve been touting Natera in this space for a month running, even adding him to my closer watchlist last week. This week, he leaps squarely into the middle of my closer rankings. While they come from just a two-month sample, Natera’s numbers (28.0 K-BB%, 2.54 SIERA, .144 xBA) have him looking like one of baseball’s best relievers, and the Angels’ pen provides him with little competition.
So if Natera is that good and has that clear of a path to closing, why is he not the week’s top pickup? Two reasons. One, the Angels have as strong a Worst Team in Baseball case as anyone, currently holding the league’s worst record. Two, the return of Ben Joyce does make for at least some intrigue usage-wise. If not for Natera’s surprising emergence, Joyce would have been intended for the ninth inning eventually; it’s possible that’s still the case. As it stands, however, Natera ranks among the week’s top few pickups, and Joyce is resigned to my watchlist.
MIN
The Twins made a surprising splash – ok, maybe more like a ripple – as buyers, acquiring Jeff Hoffman from the tanking Blue Jays. While Hoffman’s first post-deadline appearance came in the eighth inning of a 2-1 loss to Kansas City, there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll become the Twins’ primary closer. “But what about Yoendrys Gómez?” you ask. It’s beyond a fair question, as Gómez has picked up six saves in the past month (including Thursday night) and 15 on the season. However, he’s also walked eight batters in his last 9.1 innings, leading to a 1.66 WHIP over the last 30 days. Simply put, Gómez has neither the talent nor the pedigree to match up to Hoffman, who has a 1.16 ERA and 12.34 K/9 since June 1.
Given their (surprising) usage as teammates thus far, I’ll maintain Gómez’s status as my top-ranking Twins closer. But the Hoffman acquisition represents a job security threat he hasn’t seen, and will lead to a change if Gómez doesn’t get his control issues in order. Hoffman should at least take every opportunity on nights when Gómez is unavailable.
PIT
As mentioned above, Luke Weaver’s trade to Pittsburgh places him on one of the few acquiring teams on which he’d be the frontrunner for saves. While Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery have been fantastic lately, they’ll likely be resigned to setup roles, as Weaver – the only righty of the three – takes over in the ninth. That is hardly a sure thing, though. The Pirates and manager Don Kelly are more than keen to mix-and-match in late-inning situations; if it seems the ninth may be more LHB-heavy, Weaver could enter in an earlier inning.
Regardless of his potentially messy team context, Weaver is this week’s top RP pickup, and vaults to the top of my closer rankings below.
SF
In last week’s issue, I ranked Erik Miller third among all available closers, as his recent performance and lack of competition in the Giants’ bullpen made him a standout. Woops. Miller was dealt to the Red Sox on Monday, erasing his fantasy value entirely in standard leagues. Former closer Caleb Kilian was also shipped off to Philly, though he’d been very justifiably out of the closing picture since early July.
So where do those of us desperate enough to roster a Giants closer turn? That’s Dylan Smith, who had recently become San Fran’s top setup man following an early-June call-up. Smith is very much a mixed bag, with a 3.10 ERA (3.78 FIP) alongside a 1.33 WHIP, and a 26.4% strikeout rate versus an 11% walk rate. His first post-deadline appearance came in a closer-esque spot, a 4-4 game in the bottom of the ninth against Texas, though he allowed three baserunners and coughed up the loss. If Smith falters any further, keep an eye on Keaton Winn as yet another deep-league option. For now, Smith lands near the bottom of my closer rankings, with Winn on the backend of my watchlist.
Saves – Top 10 (<=60%-rostered Yahoo)
New entries following the trade deadline are Luke Weaver, Samy Natera Jr., Jeff Hoffman, Yennier Cano, and Dylan Smith.
- Luke Weaver – PIT (29%)
- Clayton Beeter – WSH (16%)
- Samy Natera Jr. – LAA (1%)
- Yoendrys Gómez – MIN (30%)
- Steven Cruz – KC (3%)
- Jeff Hoffman – MIN (58%)
- Grant Taylor – CHW (28%)
- Yennier Cano – BAL (7%)
- Dylan Smith – SF (1%)
- Jordan Romano – COL (11%)
The Watchlist: Hogan Harris (ATH), Gregory Soto (PIT), Mason Montgomery (PIT), Ben Joyce (LAA), Keaton Winn (SF)
Temporary Add: Brandyn Garcia (ARI), Jacob Webb (CHC), Ryan Zeferjahn (CHC)
IL Stash: Daniel Palencia (CHC), Justin Martinez (ARI)
