The Hunting Saves landscape got a bit of good news this past week as Josh Hader finally made it back to the mound in Houston. He wasted no time in claiming his job, and he’s safe to get back in your lineups ASAP. We’ve had a few other slight changes worth mentioning, along with a couple of pitchers I’d like to target with an eye on the upcoming trade deadline, so let’s jump into it all and see how the bullpens around the league are doing.
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The Top Ten:
1- Mason Miller (Padres) He’s still the top dog, that’s not likely to change.
2- Cade Smith (Guardians) It feels like he gets a save every night.
3- Aroldis Chapman (Red Sox) He’s still getting traded at some point, but he’s a stud.
4- Jhoan Duran (Phillies) The Phillies are for real and this guy is elite.
5- David Bednar (Yankees) He’s not the greatest, but nobody is taking his job.
6- Bryan Baker (Rays) He’s still standing as our best waiver wire find.
7- Raisel Iglesias (Braves) He’s been amazing and you won’t find a better team context.
8- Devin Williams (Mets) Other than 1 blip, he’s been very good for a few weeks now.
9- Tanner Scott (Dodgers) As long as Diaz is on the shelf, he’s the top guy to own in LA.
10- Josh Hader (Astros) This sums up the state of the closer landscape. He has just 1 save, but he’s definitely one of the 10 best guys to own right now.
Let’s talk about a few pens:
The Brewers. Megill is the choice at the moment, but Uribe will likely get his turn again in due time. This is what you signed up for when you drafted either/both of these guys. Hang onto Uribe unless you are in a very shallow league.
The Pirates. This is like the Temu version of the Brewers pen. There are two guys (Soto and Santana), but they both stink right now. Carmen Mlodzinski just got a save, but that was after he pitched 4 innings to finish off a win. If he was dropped for some reason, he’s worth grabbing as neither Soto nor Santana is reliable at the moment.
The Reds. Tony Santillan got a save recently, but followed that up with a mess that he had to be pulled from, allowing Sam Moll to notch his first save. Graham Ashcraft is off the board with an elbow injury that will shelve him for over a month, so it’s going to be a mix-and-match situation until Emilio Pagan returns. The good news is that he should be back in about 2 weeks.
The Royals. Luca Erceg has been awful recently and has been removed from the closer role. Last week, I suggested grabbing Alex Lange. Now that he has 2 saves, his price will be higher, but he’s the guy to get right now. Once upon a time, he notched 26 saves in 32 tries for Detroit, so he’s capable. Daniel Lynch would be my plan B if you miss out on Lange.
The White Sox. Tyler Davis? Don’t bother. He grabbed a save this week since Dominguez wasn’t available, but I don’t think he’s the guy to own as the handcuff on the White Sox. Dominguez is likely going to keep the job until he’s traded. If the team stays in the playoff race and they need to pivot from Dominguez, it will be Grant Taylor who likely gets the 9th.
The Tigers. Will Vest managed a save after Finnegan and Anderson both blew a save in the same game. When Kenley Jansen returns, the Tigers will stuff him right back into the closer role to elevate his trade value, but he’s not likely to finish the year in Motown. I also expect Kyle Finnegan to get moved once the fire sale begins. If Vest is still kicking around on waivers, grab him.
The Marlins. Pete Fairbanks notched a couple of scoreless outings along with a save this past week, so he’s “safe” to get in your lineup if you still have him. Like the Tigers situation, I expect the Marlins to stick with Fairbanks as the closer until they trade him.
The Giants: Last week, I said to grab Keaton Winn, and he paid us off with a save this week. Great! Then Caleb Kilian finished the next win with a save of his own. Not great! This looks like a committee, so temper your expectations.
The Red Sox. Nothing new has popped up on the Chapman trade front, but we can be fairly sure that the Red Sox will start trading off pieces as soon as they find the right deal/trade partner. Garrett Whitlock is working his way back from the IL, and if he’s on your waiver wire, he’s the guy I’d stash if I had the room.
The Athletics. This is a mess and has been all year. Joel Kuhnel looked promising once upon a time, but he was just cut. Jack Perkins stepped in, and his profile suggested he would be a solid option for the 9th inning, but the team is converting him to a starter. Scott Barlow has gotten the last 2 saves, so he must be the closer, right? Hogan Harris has been their best bullpen pitcher all year long, but I can’t get too excited about him as he’s the lone lefty that Mark Kotsay has. Barlow is worth adding for a minimal bid, and I would keep an eye on the recently recalled Elvis Alvarado. I’m probably being stubborn here, but he’s the guy that I tabbed in the preseason as the guy I saw leading this team in saves.
Good luck! Just remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Use your FAAB budget wisely.
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