This week, we’ve had a few new faces emerge as potential save sources for our fantasy squads, as there were a couple of closers around the league who were either demoted from their role or injured. We’ll keep our top 10 list short and sweet, as there really isn’t much to discuss with the few solid options at closer we have left. Let’s jump right in and take a look at who we’ll be blowing some of our FAAB on this weekend in our never-ending Hunt for Saves.
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The Top 10:
1) Mason Miller (Padres). Estrada, Morejon, and Adam are all finally healthy, so Miller won’t be overworked.
2) Cade Smith (Guardians). The saves are starting to come in bunches, and he looks like he’s back to being elite.
3) Aroldis Chapman (Red Sox). He’s still dominant.
4) David Bednar (Yankees). The team keeps winning, and he’s going to rack up saves.
5) Riley O’Brien (Cardinals). He’s up to 10 saves now. He’s had a few bumps lately, but he’s still safe.
6) Andres Munoz (Mariners). The ERA is still too high, but the team is about to go on a run, and he’s still getting saves.
7) Bryan Baker (Rays). I would have him higher, but Cash used him in the 8th and let Seymour close a game, just to piss me off.
8) Abner Uribe (Brewers). He’s the guy getting the call in the 9th right now, and he’s been solid.
9) Lucas Erceg (Royals). He hit some bumps but settled down. Estevez had a setback in rehab, so Erceg is going to keep the job for a while.
10) Louie Varland (Blue Jays). He looks in the closer role, and Hoffman looks more comfortable as the setup man.
The Rest:
Jhoan Duran (Phillies). He’s back and being eased back into the role.
Danny Palencia (Cubs). Same as above. He got his first save after his return, and it was of the 1-out variety.
Raisel Iglesias (Braves). and Iglesias makes three. He’s back and has resumed his role as closer.
Seranthony Dominguez (White Sox). Up to 8 saves now on a surprisingly “not crappy” team
Tanner Scott (Dodgers). He looks like the guy to own. That’s why you should listen to Lou Landers. I still think Alex Vesia is worth owning in deeper formats.
Jacob Latz (Rangers). He’s doing a fine job in the closer role, and he has the skill set to hold onto to at least a share of it all year.
Jack Perkins (Athletics). He’s the best arm in that pen, and Kotsay is finally using him as the closer. He’s the guy to own there.
Paul Sewald (Diamondbacks). Hasn’t gotten a save in weeks, but neither has anybody else in AZ.
Kenley Jansen (Tigers). I guess he was hurt, but he’s fine now. I still don’t trust him and would grab Finnegan if he’s out there.
Devin Williams (Mets). I think the “buy low” window on him may be closing. I would try to steal him if his owner blinks.
Victor Vodnik (Rockies). He’s the bottom of the barrel; he’s the best guy to own before we dig beneath the barrel to see what kind of guys are crawling around in the dirt underneath (see the Twins and Angels).
Let’s Blow some FAAB!
The Reds. Emilio Pagan went down with a hamstring injury, and it appears that he will be out for several weeks. Tony Santillan is going to likely get the first shot to handle the 9th, and while I just love a dude that can weigh 285 pounds and call himself an athlete, I don’t think I’ll be over-investing to grab him. I am looking at Graham Ashcraft here for two reasons. 1) He’s going to be cheaper on this week’s waiver wire, and 2) He has much more red than blue on his Baseball Savant page, which is not something Santillan can boast. Santillan will get the first shot, so if you are in a shallow league, go ahead and grab him, but I wouldn’t give up a prime waiver position for him unless I was desperate for saves.
The Orioles. Helsley isn’t going to be out very long, but it’s pretty clear that Rico Garcia is the guy to get. Don’t go crazy here. He’s a 32-year-old journeyman who has been on 5 teams in the last 3 years, but he’s looked amazing this season, and he’s worth owning for the short term while he’s filling in for Helsley. I’d blow about 2-3% max of my FAAB on him.
The Giants. Ryan Walker has been bumped from the closer role, and the guy to grab here is Caleb Kilian. If he’s available, go grab him, as he may stake a claim to the role for the long term. What I liked about him was that when he was given his first save chance, he screwed up and grooved a two-strike fastball to Ramon Laureano, which ended up in the left field seats. OK, I didn’t love that part, but what I did like was the fact that he bounced back and struck out Fernando Tatis, then got Jackson Merrill to roll over on a slider, and then struck out Manny Machado to end the game. He has the stuff to be the closer, and it looks like he has the mentality as well. I would go ahead and spend 5-9% of my FAAB to get him.
The Pirates. Dennis Santana and Gregory Soto went from co-closers to closer and set up man and now appear to have swapped roles again. The team doesn’t get many saves despite playing winning baseball; the pair only has 5 between them on the season. Soto got the most recent two saves while Santana was most recently used on the 7th inning, so I would go ahead and pick Soto back up if he was dropped in your league. It’s insane that this team has fewer total saves than teams like the Rockies and Nationals, and I expect some save chances to start popping up soon. Grab Soto for a few bucks if he’s out there in all leagues; he’s worth around 5% of your remaining FAAB.
The Marlins. Nothing has changed in the last week, as the team hasn’t had a save opportunity. It looks like they did have one; it would be Calvin Faucher who would be the choice for the 9th. Pete Fairbanks has resumed throwing and should be back in about a week, so we aren’t going to go crazy here. Faucher is worth a couple of FAAB bucks, but not worth wasting your waiver priority for. When Fairbanks returns, he will be put right back into the closer role and kept there until he is most likely traded in July. Treat the rest of this bullpen as if they are having an open tryout to be the closer in August.
The Astros. Enyel De Los Santos was getting the save chances, but lately he’s been coming in much earlier in games. Josh Hader is still at least 2-3 weeks away, and it’s been Bryan King who has locked down the last two saves for Joe Espada, which brings him to 3 on the season. We aren’t breaking the bank here, but he’s worth picking up for 2% or so of your FAAB.
The Angels. OK, I’m going to do my best to make some chicken salad out of this chicken @#%$. Kirby Yates is back from the IL, but he hasn’t pitched in a high-leverage situation yet. Kurt Suzuki has tipped his hand that Sam Bachman and Ryan Zeferjahn are the two guys that he hates the least out of the rest of the dumpster fire that is this bullpen. I think Yates will end up getting the job here, so grab him before he gets a save if he’s out there. I just don’t think he’s particularly good, but if he doesn’t cost you much, he’s worth a roster spot in 12-team leagues. In deeper/AL only leagues, Zeferjahn and Bachman are worth a buck.
The Nationals: Gus Varland has filled in for Clayton Beeter while he’s been rehabbing from a sore forearm. Yet, in classic Nats style, Richard Lovelady ended up grabbing a random save last week. Beeter is close to returning, so just juts ignore this whole situation. If Beeter was dropped, so ahead and pick him back up this week.
The Twins: Last week, I successfully predicted that it would be Justin Topa who got the Twins’ next save. Yay for me. Topa protected a three-run lead by allowing just 2 runs while getting those final 3 outs. He then followed up that stellar performance by allowing 6 earned runs in his next appearance. For my next trick, I will now predict that the next save will go to somebody who throws with their left hand. If you have some sort of sickness that causes you to spend $1 of your FAAB every week to pick up a relief pitcher who may get a save, I see you. I am you. I’m going to say Kody Funderburk is next, but it could be Anthony Banda or Taylor Rogers. Save your FAAB, it’s just not worth it.
Good luck! Just remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Use your FAAB budget wisely.
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