Royals
| Pecking order |
I said it a couple weeks ago, and I'll say it again: the Athletics', Twins', Nationals' and Rockies' closer situations aren't even worth sorting out right now. There are too many relievers in the mix, and none of them are good enough to run away with the role. You'd merely be chasing the last save, and you can blow an astronomical number of FAAB dollars that way, presuming that's your free agent distribution method of choice.
But it could change someday, and at the drop of a hat. Just look at what's happening with the Royals bullpen, where in the span of five days, a reliever who wasn't even on our radar has leapt to the top of the pecking order.
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).
Lucas Erceg did record the Royals' latest save Sunday -- in typically harrowing fashion, I'll note -- but he's still sporting a 6.00 ERA and 1.96 WHIP on the year. Meanwhile, Alex Lange, who was unavailable Sunday after working three of the previous four days and four of the previous six, had recorded each of the team's previous three saves, including one Saturday. So clearly, the Royals are anointing him the closer, right? Well, it's not crystal clear. In all three of those instances where Lange recorded a save, the Royals didn't have a lead going into the ninth. It was only after they scored two runs in the top of the frame -- yes, in all three instances -- that a save situation developed, which means they may simply have not had enough time to warm up anyone other than Lange.
Lange is a hard-thrower with some closing experience, having notched 26 saves for the Tigers in 2023, so he wouldn't be a crazy choice to overtake Erceg. Left-handers Matt Strahm and Daniel Lynch make more sense on paper, but they both preceded Lange in the last two of his save chances, which means they weren't being reserved for the ninth. Erceg also preceded Lange in one, which might be the strongest signal that a change has taken place. I'm going with it for now, but it's not an open-and-shut case.
White Sox
| Pecking order |
I'll preface this one by pointing out that the White Sox have plenty of financial incentive to keep Seranthony Dominguez in the closer role. His price is already set at two years, $20 million, while his possible replacement, Grant Taylor, is still pre-arbitration. A bunch of saves for Dominguez would raise his trade value. A bunch of saves for Taylor would raise his future contract. But the 34-31 White Sox may not be thinking in terms of dollars as much as wins, seeing as they'd be in the playoffs if the season ended today, and while Dominguez has been passable as a closer, Taylor has been awesome.
Perhaps it's fitting, then, that Taylor got the team's latest save Saturday. Dominguez should have been available. He had worked two days prior -- in the seventh inning, curiously enough -- but had made no other appearances in all of June. Tellingly, none of his past three appearances has been for a save, with two of them coming prior to the ninth. Of course, Taylor's usage during that time is also pretty confused. His two appearances prior to Saturday's save were of the two-inning variety, covering the sixth and seventh of those contests. Since there aren't the telltale signs of a role change here, I'm inclined to keep Dominguez at the top of the pecking order, but Taylor is probably worth stowing just in case.
Giants
| Pecking order |
The Giants' closer situation has been messy all season, and I'm getting the impression that rookie manager Tony Vitello will never stop tinkering with it. Hard-throwing righty Caleb Kilian seemed like he was trending toward claiming the role, having recorded three saves in May, but then he allowed five earned runs in a save chance May 29. He does have one save since then, but his other four appearances have come prior to the eighth inning, much less the ninth. Fellow right-hander Keaton Winn has generally worked the higher-leverage innings, including for a five-out save Wednesday, but it was actually recent call-up Dylan Smith who was tasked with preserving a one-run lead in the team's latest contest Sunday, with Kilian and Winn both preceding him. Smith doesn't seem like a serious choice, but then again, Vitello seems incapable of making any sort of choice. Maybe Winn has the edge right now, but it's anybody's guess.
Tigers
| Pecking order |
Kenley Jansen, who has been out since May 27 with pelvic inflammation, is set to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday and may be close enough to returning that our attempts to identify his preferred replacement are pointless. But I think it's Will Vest. Look, none of the Tigers' relievers (those that are healthy, anyway) have been of much good. Kyle Finnegan, who has plenty of closing experience from his time with the Nationals, has a far superior 2.12 ERA, but he also has more walks than strikeouts and a 2.12 ERA. Vest recorded the team's last conventional save Monday (Enmanuel De Jesus recorded one Tuesday, but it was of the four-inning variety), and his two appearances since then have also been to close out a win, just not for a save.
Mariners
| Pecking order |
Andres Munoz's gobsmacking talent and history in the closer role likely buy him an eternal leash, but he's testing the theory with two blown saves in his past three appearances. He's also allowed at least one earned run in three of his past four, raising his ERA to 5.40. The Mariners' bullpen depth is incredible, with at least four relievers capable of stepping in for Munoz, should the need arise, which is why I suspect Mariners manager Dan Wilson would go the committee route. Even in such a scenario, it would presumably be on a short-term basis just to get Munoz right, and again, there are no indications of that happening yet. It wouldn't hurt to familiarize yourself with the alternatives, though, just in case.
Cardinals
| Pecking order |
Riley O'Brien had three scoreless appearances, each for a save, over the past week, which may be enough to silence the doubts for the moment, but it's no less true that he has a 6.75 ERA over his past 16 appearances after having a 0.00 ERA in his first 13. His overall 3.68 mark is reasonably OK, but he's been trending wrong for a while now and may be nearing the end of his leash. JoJo Romero would be the most natural alternative, having split save chances with O'Brien after Ryan Helsley was traded last year, but because he's the Cardinals' only high-leverage lefty, George Soriano might actually be the preferred choice to take over ninth-inning duties. Again, it's just a hypothetical, but the pecking order is worth exploring given O'Brien's struggles recently.
Marlins
| Pecking order |
Pete Fairbanks had to be bailed out by Tyler Zuber during a save chance Sunday, allowing two earned runs to raise his ERA to 7.41. Granted, most of the damage came prior to an IL stint that cost him half of May, but he still has a 4.50 ERA since returning, recording just two saves in nearly a month's time. If manager Clayton McCullough were to remove Fairbanks from the closer role, he would probably just go with a committee, seeing as that's what he did last year sans Fairbanks. Still, it may be helpful to know that Michael Petersen, with his 6-foot-7 build and 99 mph heat, has been gaining ground in the pecking order, having recorded three holds in June alone.
Reds
| Pecking order |
It sounds like Tony Santillan is manager Terry Francona's ride-or-die until Emilio Pagan returns from a hamstring strain, which is likely still weeks away. That's not to say Santillan deserves it, having shed a couple miles per hour of velocity this year en route to a 6.29 ERA, but no one else in the Reds bullpen is deserving of it either. Francona can at least draw on Santillan's experience as a high-leverage reliever, and it sounds like he intends to do just that.
"We're at a point where we need some stability so much, and he's the guy," Francona said of Santillan. "So we're gonna have to figure that out."
See what I mean? Ride or die. You don't have to be quite as committed in Fantasy, seeing as Santillan has actually blown more save chances (three) than he's converted (two), but if you're insistent on having the Reds' closer, it would appear to be him still, for better or worse.
Angels
| Pecking order |
The last-place Angels don't get many save opportunities, so we still have no follow-up to Kirby Yates' first save May 23. But I think it's fair to say he's the clear favorite at this point. All four of his appearances since that save have been to close out a game, including once with a four-run lead and twice in a tie. Granted, he blew both of those ties, taking two losses along the way, but the usage still paints a pretty clear picture. Neither of the alternatives I've listed here, Sam Bachman and Chase Silseth, has gotten even a single save this year.
Orioles
| Pecking order |
The Orioles have slow-played Ryan Helsley's return from elbow inflammation. A report came out over the weekend suggesting he could begin a rehab assignment this week, but we've been given vague timelines before. Part of the reason they may be stringing him along is that Rico Garcia has emerged as a dominant late-inning force this year, putting together a 1.00 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 10.3 K/9 in 29 appearances. The Orioles haven't consistently used him in the ninth during Helsley's absence, but he did pick up his fourth save Tuesday, giving him the second-most on the team. I'd cling tightly to him in categories leagues until we know Helsley is back to form. Any setback could put Garcia in the role for the long haul.
