Orioles
| Pecking order |
It was only a week ago that I gave you a complete rundown of every team's closer situation, but there have already been several new developments, such as a replacement for Ryan Helsley in Baltimore and a meltdown for Pete Fairbanks in Miami.
Below are the 10 closer situations generating the most interest in Fantasy Baseball right now.
Note: "Pecking order" refers to rosterability in Fantasy and not necessarily who's first in line for saves (though it's usually one and the same).
The hope is that Ryan Helsley doesn't miss much time with his latest elbow issue (for now classified as "discomfort"), which is why he remains at the top of the pecking order for Fantasy, but seeing as he missed seven weeks with elbow "inflammation" earlier this year, it's distinctly possible that the Orioles' saves leader for the rest of the season is someone other than him. And right now, the leading candidate is Tyler Wells, who recorded a save on back-to-back days over the weekend. The former starter, who relies more on fastball shape than pure velocity, had been racking up holds recently, making him a not so surprising choice. Keep in mind, though, that Rico Garcia jumped out to an early lead the first time Helsley went down but was deployed less conventionally thereafter. No guarantees with Wells either.
Marlins
| Pecking order |
Will Pete Fairbanks' latest rough outing -- in which he allowed three runs, two earned, in the ninth inning Sunday, barely preserving a four-run lead -- be enough for the Marlins to consider removing him from the closer role finally? It was the fourth straight appearance in which he allowed at least one earned run, raising his ERA to 7.27, and the Marlins are actually competing for something. Fairbanks has been shaky in the role all year, but the Marlins are paying him $13 million to fill it. They do have some interesting alternatives, though, such as right-hander Michael Petersen (who's sporting a 3.08 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 10.9 K/9) and left-hander John King (who's compiled a 2.31 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 6.9 K/9). Petersen would be the more likely choice to replace Fairbanks, seeing as he's been functioning as a conventional setup man for over a month now, piling up 14 holds. No indication yet, though, that a change is on the horizon.
Pirates
| Pecking order |
A miserable June in which he put together a 13.50 ERA across nine appearances has effectively ended Gregory Soto's stint as Pirates closer, for as promising as it once seemed. His past four appearances have all come prior to the ninth inning. So why is he still at the top of my pecking order? Because the Pirates don't have an obvious heir. For as miserable as Soto's June was, his numbers are still among the best in this bullpen. The Pirates haven't left many clues as to their plans either, having a different pitcher follow Soto in the first three of those games where he didn't work the ninth.
But notice I said the first three. The same pitcher has followed Soto in the last two, and it's the Pirates' closer from last year, Dennis Santana. Santana was the presumed closer coming into this year, too, but forfeited the role after a bumpy stretch. He's been arguably the Pirates' steadiest reliever since the start of June, though. Granted, he hasn't recorded a save April 15 or even a hold since May 30, but he seems like the leading choice to usurp Soto, provided Soto doesn't just reclaim the job for himself.
Cubs
| Pecking order |
Daniel Palencia has spent more time hurt than healthy this year and most recently hit the IL three weeks ago with a mild flexor strain. He's already begun a throwing program, though, and should return early in the second half, which makes the hunt for his replacement a fleeting exercise. It is until it isn't, anyway, since we know he's not exactly a model of health. Of the Cubs' six saves since Palencia went down, two have gone to Jacob Webb, including most recently Sunday, and both were conventional one-inning outings in the ninth. The Cubs' other four saves during that time were either of the one-out variety, the three-inning variety, or in extra innings. Webb's grip on the closer role is no doubt a loose one, but there isn't a more promising choice to fill in for Palencia.
White Sox
| Pecking order |
After holding fast to Seranthony Dominguez through the first six weeks of the season, the venerable Will Venable has deployed his bullpen in the most disorderly fashion in the weeks since. Grant Taylor leads the team in saves with three during that time (from May 14 on, let's say), but it's an honor he shares with left-hander Sean Newcomb, who just picked up his third Sunday. Taylor is the most talented of the White Sox's relievers, which is evident just from his 12.8 K/9, and perhaps the heir apparent to the role. Part of the reason he hasn't ascended to it fully, though, is because Venable still enjoys using him two innings at a time, having done so in two of Taylor's past four appearances. As for Dominguez, only three of his past 10 appearances have come in the ninth inning, and two resulted in blown saves.
Reds
| Pecking order |
Emilio Pagan seems to have immediately reclaimed the Reds' closer role after returning from a two-month absence for a strained hamstring, closing out a one-run lead for a save Sunday. Granted, he entered with a two-run lead and left two runners stranded, nearly blowing the lead, but who else do the Reds have? Tony Santillan was already an uneasy choice to fill in for Pagan, and now he's down for the count with an oblique strain. Tejay Antone has a good ERA and WHIP but only three holds on the year, which suggests that manager Terry Francona has been reluctant to use him in high-leverage spots. Pagan remains as homer-prone as ever and may soon prove that last year's success was a fluke, judging by his 6.46 ERA, but he has some runway for the time being.
Tigers
| Pecking order |
Prior to recording a save Sunday, Kenley Jansen had appeared in only one game in July, and it was to record one out in the seventh inning of a contest against the Rangers. It seemed like he might be losing his grip on the closer role after consecutive outings in which he allowed at least one earned run, but then came that save Sunday. For as shaky as Jansen has been, which was true both before and after his two-week absence for a pelvic injury, no one else in the Tigers bullpen seems to be up to the challenge of closing. Kyle Finnegan has a good ERA but a terrible walk rate. Will Vest isn't even healthy right now. The bottom line is that Jansen's role appears pretty safe despite some tense moments, so while his stats are underwhelming, there's still hope for them turning around.
Angels
| Pecking order |
The last Angels reliever to record a save was left-hander Sammy Natera on June 28, and the three prior ones went to three different relievers: Kirby Yates, Sam Bachman and Ryan Zeferjahn. If you pull up the game log for these four pitchers, though, it's pretty clear what's happening. Yates' past six appearances have all come in the ninth inning and all to finish out a game. It's just that on the rare occasion the Angels have had a save chance, Yates had already worked the previous two days, taking him out of the running for it. He has the most closing experience in the Angels bullpen, though, and likely is earmarked to close again, even if he hasn't gotten a chance to show it yet. Helping his case are a 2.75 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 12.8 K/9.
Athletics
| Pecking order |
Like several other Athletics relievers before him, Elvis Alvarado appeared to have the inside track on the closer role only to cough it up with a series of shaky outings. He would seem to have lost the inside track, then, having worked the fifth or sixth inning in three consecutive appearances prior to handling the ninth inning with his team trailing Sunday. It goes without saying that none of those situations are when you'd normally see a closer. On the other hand, no Athletics reliever has recorded a save since Mason Barnett did on June 25, and he's allowed six earned runs in three appearances since then. Left-hander Hogan Harris remains in the late-inning mix but has been shaky of late himself while nine of Mark Leiter's past 10 appearances has come in the seventh or eighth inning (high leverage, but not the ninth). So maybe Alvarado is still the front-runner? Probably not, but I don't have a great guess otherwise.
Rockies
| Pecking order |
Jordan Romano, who flamed out as the Angels closer earlier this year and has spent the past month or so pitching in the minors, has gotten the closer treatment in his two appearance with the Rockies. Not only has he worked the ninth inning each time, but he had a special entrance queued up for his first save chance Sunday, which he converted. He still misses bats aplenty, but with as hard as he's gotten hit the past couple years, Coors Field seems like a particularly troublesome destination. Still, he might be the most hopeful closer candidate the Rockies have had all year.
