Athletics
| Pecking order |
If you're going to make up ground in saves at all, the time to do it is now. There are a finite number of them, after all, and with just three lineup locks remaining, you can only move up so much. Fortunately, the closer role has seen enough turnover lately that an ample number of saves can still be found on the waiver wire.
Mason Montgomery remains the best choice wherever he's available. The left-hander has become the undisputed closer for the Pirates, dominating with a 0.75 ERA and 16.1 K/9 over his past 25 appearances. You won't find him listed here because I featured him in my last Bullpen Report, and nothing about his role has changed since then.
So what has changed? Here's my look at the 10 bullpens most in flux.
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).
A week ago, I thought better than to address the Athletics closer situation, not wanting to get sucked into Elvis Alvarado again. Sure, he had recently recorded a save, but left-hander Hogan Harris, the team leader with 13, had notched one just a day later. Well, now Alvarado has three of the Athletics' past four, closing out consecutive games Aug. 25 and Aug. 26, and his usage for the past week-plus would seem to signal that he is indeed the top choice to close, with each of his past four appearances coming in the ninth inning to finish out a game. We've been down this road before with Alvarado, which is why I was wary of getting sucked in again, but he is the Athletics' most talented reliever, capable of hitting 102 mph with his fastball. He's also been on a nice run lately, putting together a 1.06 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 10.1 K/9 over his past 19 appearances.
Diamondbacks
| Pecking order |
It took a while for the Diamondbacks to land on a replacement for Paul Sewald, who has since departed to the Blue Jays, but they may finally have their man in Juan Morillo. The portly right-hander has notched back-to-back saves, with the latest coming Wednesday, and in between, he also closed out a four-run win. An eighth-inning appearance Monday gives some reason for pause. Kevin Ginkel worked the ninth in that game (a one-run loss, notably) and got a save as recently as Aug. 23. But of the two right-handers, Morillo has the closer-caliber numbers, putting together a 2.15 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 10.3 K/9. Brandyn Garcia still leads the team in saves since Sewald's departure (three) and would be a fine choice to close except that he's the only high-leverage lefty in the bullpen and is too often needed prior to the ninth. Meanwhile, former closer Justin Martinez, who recently returned from Tommy John surgery, is still doing mop-up duty.
Orioles
| Pecking order |
I'm not ready to say the Orioles have a closer. They will if Ryan Helsley returns from his bout with elbow discomfort -- which, yes, is more of an "if" than a "when" even though he's back to throwing off a mound -- but the most accurate term to describe their current predicament is "committee." That said, Andrew Kittredge just notched five saves in August and was the first up for a save chance in September (which he blew, but he was tasked with preserving a one-run lead at Coors Field -- no easy feat). Granted, the Orioles had five saves go to three other relievers in August -- two to Yennier Cano, two to Cam Sanders and one to Rico Garcia -- but that trio's usage hasn't been as consistent as Kittredge's. Each of the right-hander's past six appearances has come in the ninth.
Marlins
| Pecking order |
Any injury this time of year is likely to be a season-ender, but that may not be true in the case of Pete Faribanks, who's already back to throwing off a mound after landing on the IL nine days ago with a nerve issue in his hand. It's fair to say the Marlins don't know what they're doing without him. Calvin Faucher got their latest save Wednesday, but he worked the sixth inning just a day before. Actually, Faucher is responsible for each of the team's past two saves, but in between, he's made three of those six-inning appearances. I'm putting Michael Petersen ahead of him in the pecking order because he's functioned as more of a setup man this year and closed out a four-run lead Sunday, but with Fairbanks on the road to recovery, it's possible Petersen doesn't get a single save.
White Sox
| Pecking order |
The White Sox haven't had a closer since the now-departed Seranthony Dominguez dropped out of the role, and that's as true now as ever. Yes, left-hander Bryan Hudson recorded saves consecutive days a week ago -- and they remain the team's two most recent saves -- but his latest appearance Tuesday saw him enter in the sixth inning. I still think Grant Taylor is far and away the best White Sox reliever to have in Fantasy, if only because he does so much good for ratio categories with a 2.00 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 11.8 K/9 on the year, and I still wouldn't rule out a more conventional ninth-inning role for him to finish out the season. Would you believe that five of his past six appearances have come in the ninth, all to close out a game? It's just that only two went for saves.
Royals
| Pecking order |
I guess Steven Cruz is the one you want here. He has six of the Royals' past eight saves, including their most recent one Friday. It's been a bumpy ride, though, with him serving up two earned runs in two of his past five appearances for a 6.75 ERA. Meanwhile, Nate Pearson, a former top prospect who has struggled to nail down a high-leverage relief role over his six-year career, is down to an 0.57 ERA in his 16 appearances with the Royals. That's with less than a strikeout per inning, but still, Cruz isn't exactly Billy Wagner out there. Pearson is responsible for the other two of the Royals' past eight saves and awaits in a setup role should Cruz falter.
Angels
| Pecking order |
Just when it seemed like Ben Joyce had finally fulfilled his destiny by wresting the Angels' closer role from all other contenders, he coughed up two games in the span of three appearances. The timing is about as bad as it gets, too, with Samy Natera, a genuine bat-missing marvel, making his return from the IL Tuesday. Fortunately for Joyce, Natera looked shaky in his first appearance, giving up two earned runs on three hits, but suffice it to say the margin for error is much slimmer now. Save chances figure to be limited for the Angels anyway, so any sort of timeshare would be devastating for Joyce's Fantasy appeal.
Mets
| Pecking order |
A week ago, I wrote that Kodai Senga's choreographed Michael Jackson-themed reliever entrance might be the clearest sign yet that he's the Mets' closer. I've since uncovered a clearer one: He has five of the team's past six saves. Each of his past nine appearances has been to finish out a game, and he's fared well with these shorter bursts of adrenaline, putting together a 1.74 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 10.5 K/9 in 11 appearances since transitioning to short relief. His biggest competition for saves at present, Daniel Duarte, has scuffled lately, allowing at least one earned run in three of his past four appearances. Of course, I say "at present" because Devin Williams could still return from a strained shoulder at some point, but the Mets might just continue to explore this opportunity for Senga regardless.
Giants
| Pecking order |
Giants save chances tend to be few and far between, so it's taken some time to confirm just how secure Dylan Smith is in the closer role. I'm willing to say now that he's as secure as any Giants reliever has been all year. He has three of the team's past four saves and has worked the ninth in 10 of his past 12 appearances. One of the two times he didn't was in his latest appearance Wednesday, when he worked the 10th inning for a save. The 26-year-old is a good enough bat-misser, though walks have been an issue. One of the reasons he seems so secure in the role is because there's simply no identifying a viable alternative at the moment.
Cubs
| Pecking order |
Does anyone want to be Cubs closer? When Daniel Palencia finally returned from a flexor strain in late August, the story was that he might not reclaim the closer role right away because Jacob Webb had been so good in it. But Webb has now allowed multiple earned runs in three of his past four appearances, blowing two saves along the way. Then again, Palencia has allowed at least one earned run in four of his five appearances since returning for a 14.54 ERA. Meanwhile, Ryan Zeferjahn, who was acquired from the Angels at the trade deadline to help stabilize the relief corps, has a 7.20 ERA in his 11 appearances with the Cubs. I still think Palencia snatches the job back eventually, but I'm losing my capacity to care about this closer situation.
