As the calendar turns to June, we are starting to hear some trade rumblings around the league surrounding some key bullpen arms. The San Diego Padres have been linked to Aroldis Chapman, and it has people talking. Now is the time to get out in front of those rumors and identify which closers are going to be dealt in the next month or two. While I would be a bit surprised to see the Padres trade key trade chips to acquire Aroldis Chapman, I do think he will be traded before the deadline. For this week, I will focus on the teams that will likely be adding (buyers) or trading away (sellers) their closer before the deadline. Let’s jump in and talk about Chapman, as well as a few other key save sources that will likely be wearing a different uniform by July.
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The Buyers:
The Padres. Mason Miller is still the top dog, and he is surrounded by the best bullpen in the league from a talent perspective. Morejon, Estrada, and Adam are all elite setup men, and other supporting arms like Yuki Matsui, Wandy Peralta, and Bradgley Rodriguez have all been excellent this season. AJ Preller knows what he’s doing, and it makes total sense for the Padres to add another arm to this group, essentially turning every game into a bullpen game come October. I just feel like Antonio Senzatella makes more sense here since his acquisition cost will be lower, and it will allow Preller to possibly still add a key starter. The biggest roadblock for a deal is the fact that the Padres have one of the weakest minor league systems in the league after trading away Leo Devries last year to acquire Miller.
The Dodgers. Just because they’re the Dodgers, there’s a very good chance they will add to this bullpen at the deadline. They have more assets to trade than any other team in the league, and if they want a player, they are going to get him. If Edwin Diaz doesn’t get healthy or runs into legal issues because of his off-season hobbies, there’s a chance that the player the Dodgers acquire can find himself getting saves. It’s not insane to think that it will be the Dodgers who get Aroldis Chapman if the Red Sox dare to make another deal with them.
The Mariners. Andres Munoz is up to 4 blown saves, yet the team has managed to stumble into first place in the West, simply by getting to a .500 record. They will certainly be in the market for a high-leverage bullpen arm. Like the Yankees, they could opt to utilize their starting pitching depth to strengthen the bullpen, but the early returns on using Luis Castillo and Bryce Miller as “co-starters” have been mixed. I doubt they trade away any of their starters, but they have Kade Anderson just making a mockery of AA hitters, and I expect him to be promoted to AAA soon. He could be an option to help the bullpen as well.
The Brewers. Megill and Uribe have been solid as co-closers, but imagine the two of them setting up Aroldis Chapman? The Brewers don’t typically add big free agents (at least not since CC Sabathia), but they have made a few deals with Boston recently. They may be a dark horse to acquire Chapman, but they have more chips to deal with than San Diego does, and it feels like the only chance they have of getting past the Dodgers is if they add to this bullpen while hoping Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison stay dominant all year long.
The Pirates. Gregory Soto and Dennis Santana seem to be working together to prevent the Pirates from reaching their full potential. This team needs a true closer, and we’ve seen a certain Cuban Missile wear the black and gold as recently as 2024. Like the Brewers, the Pirates have far more chips to trade than the Padres, and I can see them flipping a young arm like Hunter Barco to Boston to add an impact closer. A more likely target for the Bucs would be somebody like Pete Fairbanks.
The Astros. This team is right in the thick of the mediocre AL West, and they should be getting Hunter Brown, Josh Hader, and Yeiner Diaz back soon. They need a starting pitcher more than a bullpen arm, but that’s because injuries have decimated their rotation. I think the team is more likely to add somebody like Sandy Alcantara than a high-leverage reliever.
The Reds. Cincinnati needs bullpen help badly. A true “lockdown” closer would make this team a real thorn in somebody’s side come playoff time. Especially if Hunter Greene is able to make it all the way back. Greene himself could be the answer to their need in the bullpen, but I doubt that’s the direction they will take. Add this team to the list of uniforms that have previously and will again look great on Aroldis Chapman.
The Sellers:
The Phillies. Jhoan Duran could be a candidate to get traded if the Phillies collapse again this season. As of now, it looks like the Phils have righted the ship, and they’ll see if they can compete for a wild card spot, but if they decide to reload, Duran will certainly be moved, as he is playing on a 1-year deal. Brad Keller may have been dropped in your league, but he’s worth rostering in deep leagues. Jose Alvarado isn’t worth wasting your time with, as he is more likely to be traded than he is to end up closing.
The Red Sox. The rumors have started swirling, and Aroldis Chapman’s name has been right in the middle of it all. There’s little doubt in my mind that Boston will trade him; it’s just a matter of where. More importantly for those of us hunting saves, we need to know who will be closing games in Boston after the trade and what Chapman’s role will be on his new team. Obviously, a trade to San Diego is the worst-case scenario for Chapman’s prospects for saves, but I wouldn’t panic and trade him now. Your league mates have heard the same rumors, and they aren’t going to give you very much for him. What if he’s traded to Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, or Cincinnati to be their closer? Hold him for now. Garrett Whitlock is the guy you want to grab. He was just put on the IL with a knee issue, so some others may be grabbing Greg Weissert or Justin Slaten, but Whitlock is the guy you want. I think the Red Sox will likely hold onto Chapman until they get the best package possible, so he may not be traded for a few weeks.
The Royals. Carlos Estevez has hit a few bumps in his road to recovery, and Lucas Erceg has been a bit up and down covering the 9th for the Royals. As they fall further behind the Guardians, it makes a ton of sense that they will be looking towards 2027 rather than trying to make a postseason run. Both Erceg and Estevez are playing in the final years of their contracts (Estevez has an option for next year), so I can see both players being dealt away this summer. If that happens, the team will be left with guys like Daniel Lynch, John Schreiber, and Alex Lange to close games. Lynch would be the guy to pick up. If you have Erceg, float him out there and see if you can get something in return before his name pops up in trade rumors.
The White Sox. This team is a mystery. They are sitting in a playoff spot as I write this, but do we really think they are built to win now? I should clarify that. Do we really think that the White Sox front office is ready for this team to compete right now? I don’t. They aren’t going to add anybody to this team, and if they fall even just 5-6 games back in the wild card, they are going to trade away Seranthony Dominguez. Grant Taylor is the guy I said to grab last week, and if he’s still out there, go get him.
The Tigers. Kenley Jansen will be traded as soon as he’s healthy and shows he is capable of helping a contender. For now, he’s on the IL, and we have to figure out which of his mediocre back-ups will be covering saves in Detroit. Will Vest has been bad this year, but I think he’s the guy who can best handle the job. Drew Anderson and Kyle Finnegan will be in the mix, but both managed to blow a save in the same game recently, so it feels like AJ Hinch will give Vest the next shot.
The Marlins. Pete Fairbanks will be traded as soon as he shows the league he’s worth acquiring. He’s been terrible this year, but the Marlins are going to keep rolling him out there in the 9th in hopes he can string together a few scoreless outings to prop up his trade value. A change of scenery may do wonders for him, so if he was dropped, pick him up and hang onto him. As for the Marlins, nobody stepped up while Fairbanks was on the IL, and I expect the same to happen once he’s traded away.
The Mets. Devin Williams signed a 3-year deal, so it would be a bit weird for the Mets to trade him away, as his contract is likely more than most mid-market teams will want to take on. It’s possible that ownership decides to blow this whole team up, but they will likely have to eat some of William’s contract if they want to get anything decent in regards to talent in return. Luke Weaver and Huascar Brazoban are as likely to be traded away as Williams, so there really isn’t much we can do here. I would hold onto Williams and hope he gets moved to a team that needs a closer.
Searching the Seas of Sadness for Some Sparce Saves:
The Giants: We felt pretty smart for about a full minute when we identified Caleb Kilian as the next closer in San Francisco. The warm and fuzzy feelings turned to utter indigestion after he allowed 5 earned runs in his last save opportunity. Keaton Winn was a name that I said to file away a few weeks ago, and it may be time to bump him up the list. Grab him for a buck in NL-only leagues if he’s out there.
The Angels: Kirby Yates notched his first save this week, and he’s probably going to be the guy who ends up with “the job”. The catch-22 here is that if he does get a few saves, he’ll probably be traded away. The Angels are clearly sellers; it’s just a matter of figuring out who they have to sell.
Good luck! Just remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Use your FAAB budget wisely.
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