Bullpen Report: Figuring Out Changing Bullpens

There have been a lot of shakeups in Major League bullpens, even in the last few days. Most notable among them are Minnesota, Cincinnati, and Kansas City, all of which we will explore in detail below.

This article will help you stay up-to-date on closer situations and some speculative adds you can grab before they become the closer, as well as relievers that provide strong ratios and strikeouts that can be useful in deeper leagues. 

Let's take a deep dive into bullpens around the league! 

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Bullpen Breakdowns

Arizona Diamondbacks

Stefan Crichton is the closer for now and he has picked up two saves. However, the saves are really the only reason to roster Crichton. If he loses the gig, he can be dropped. Kevin Ginkel is another option for saves here, but he has struggled when given the opportunity and for now, does not have a save on the season. J.B. Bukauskas was recently called up and he is a sleeper candidate for saves here, as he has pitched to a 0.00 ERA, with a 0.50 WHIP and a 29 percent strikeout rate. But, keep an eye here as Joakim Soria (calf), the preseason favorite to lead this team in saves, is working his way back from injury. 

Atlanta Braves

Will Smith is the clear cut closer here, picking up five of the six saves. There's some thought that Nate Jones could get some save opportunities should Smith miss time, but I am not seeing it as Jones has a team-high 7.29 xFIP. The best arms besides Smith in this bullpen are Sean Newcomb, who actually has a save, along with a 1.69 ERA, 2.05 xFIP, 1.13 WHIP and a massive 55 percent strikeout rate, as well as Tyler Matzek, who has the second-lowest xFIP in this pen (3.13) along with a 38 percent strikeout rate. 

Baltimore Orioles 

Cesar Valdez has picked up five of the six saves this season for the Orioles. He is the lone must-roster pitcher in this pen. Paul Fry is in the mix should Valdez struggle or miss time, and has pitched to a 1.08 ERA with a 1.92 xFIP, 1.08 WHIP and a 36 percent strikeout rate. He can be rostered in deeper leagues or AL-only formats. 

Boston Red Sox

Matt Barnes has been great in the ninth inning for the Red Sox this season. He is obviously a pitcher that should be rostered in all formats. I also like Garrett Whitlock in this pen, who in five appearances has gone 11.1 innings, with a 0.00 ERA, 1.65 xFIP, 0.53 WHIP and a 35 percent strikeout rate. The fact that he can give you multiple innings in an outing is big. Adam Ottavino has not pitched well this season, but he will be in the ninth inning mix if Barnes misses time. 

Tuesday Update: Matt Barnes pitched a clean ninth inning with two strikeouts. He has been pretty dominant so far this season. 

Chicago Cubs

Craig Kimbrel has looked like the Kimbrel of old so far this season. In fact, this hot streak he is on dates back to the 2020 season. He is once again one of the most trustworthy closers in the league right now. Brandon Workman and Andrew Chafin are expected to be in the closer mix if Kimbrel misses time, but neither has pitched to the point where you need to roster them now. Just be ready to jump on them should anything happen here. 

Chicago White Sox

Liam Hendriks is the closer here and we know that. Michael Kopech had been a reliever I was very high on in this pen, but he is now dominating in the starting rotation. Codi Heuer has been a solid option, pitching to a 4.50 ERA with a 2.29 xFIP and a 30 percent strikeout rate, but his 1.50 WHIP makes him better-suited for AL-only leagues. Aaron Bummer would be next in line for saves and he has pitched to a 2.70 ERA with a 4.06 xFIP but has a 2.25 WHIP. I would not roster him just yet. 

Cincinnati Reds 

This is the most interesting bullpen in the league right now. Amir Garrett has struggled and is no longer the closer here. So who is the next man up? I would not say Lucas Sims, who was used in the sixth/seventh inning on Monday, picking up five outs. Garrett came in to get the final out of the seventh. They then turned to Tejay Antone, who pitched the next three innings, including the 10th. He did not allow a run and you have to imagine they were planning on using him for the two-inning save, before Garrett allowed the tying run to score. For now, it seems like Sims will be saved for the high-leverage situations, while Antone could be used almost like a Josh Hader - coming in for multiple inning save opportunities. But he won’t be able to do that daily - which is why I believe Sean Doolittle, who comes with a lot of closer experience, will also be in the mix here. I would rank these pitchers for fantasy: Antone, Doolittle, Sims, Garrett - although Garrett is no longer a player that needs to be rostered. 

Tuesday Update: Doolittle was used on Tuesday with a one-run lead against the Dodgers. He pitched a clean ninth with a strikeout. It will likely be a mix of Antone and Doolittle getting the opportunities. Both should be rostered in any 12-team leagues or deeper. 

Cleveland Indians 

This once unpredictable bullpen now has a clear cut blueprint. The Indians, if they have it their way, will turn to Nick Wittgren, James Karinchak and then Emmanuel Clase in the ninth. Clase is clearly worth rostering in this role, but do not think that means Karinchak should not be rostered. On the season, he has still yet to allow a run, has a 0.89 xFIP, 0.48 WHIP, and a massive 60 percent strikeout rate. He should be rostered in all roto formats, and even in points leagues that reward holds. Wittgren is more of an AL-only option. The rest of this bullpen can be left alone for fantasy purposes. 

Tuesday Update: With Emmanuel Clase pitching three times in the last four days, Cleveland turned to Karinchak for the four-out save, He did not allow a base runner and struck out two. He has been dominant and should be rostered in all roto leagues. 

Colorado Rockies 

You know how you do not like starting starters in Coors Field? Relievers bring so much more risk, because they are just as likely to have a blow-up inning, but if they blow up in their one inning, good luck recovering your ratios. It also doesn’t help that the closer, Daniel Bard, is the only reliever in this pen with an xFIP below 3.50 (and one of two below 4.00). Bard is worth rostering as he gets the save opportunities, the rest can be ignored. 

Tuesday Update: Daniel Bard gave up a home run blowing his second save of the season, but he did pick up the win. 

Detroit Tigers

Gregory Soto has just two saves on the season, but the Tigers routinely save him for the ninth or for high-leverage situations. It’s frustrating at times when he does not get the save opportunity, but he is clearly the reliever that the Tigers trust the most. Bryan Garcia does have two saves for them, but he also has an ERA and xFIP over 5.00, with a 1.33 WHIP. He would only be worthy of rostering if we see him used more in the ninth, outside of maybe AL-only leagues. Jose Cisnero is an arm that they use in late-inning situations and I actually think they would turn to him should Soto miss time. I would roster him over Garcia, but again, that is only in deep formats.  

Tuesday Update: Soto pitched a clean ninth to pick up his third save of the season. 

Houston Astros 

Ryan Pressly is the clear closer and best reliever here. The issue is the Astros have just three saves all year (he has two). Despite that, Pressly should be rostered everywhere. Brooks Raley has the other save, but Ryne Stanek is who I believe would be next up should Pressly miss time. He has pitched to a 2.38 ERA, 3.21 xFIP, 0.62 WHIP and a 41 percent strikeout rate. I would rank the fantasy-relevant arms here: Pressly, Stanek, Raley. 

Tuesday Update: Pressly pitched a clean ninth inning for his third save of the season. 

Kansas City Royals 

This is another very interesting bullpen right now. Josh Staumont has picked up the last two saves here and is looking like the closer for now. He picked up the save on Saturday, with Scott Barlow setting him up. Then on Sunday, it was Wade Davis who pitched the ninth in a 4-0 game, but it is worth noting the Royals scored in the ninth to make it a non-save situation. On Monday, the Royals turned to Greg Holland in the eighth, who allowed a lead-off triple before getting out of the jam. Staumont then came in and picked up the save. Staumont has definitely been the better pitcher, but the thing is, the advanced analytics paints a different picture. Staumont has pitched to a 0.75 ERA, which is great, but he has a 5.49 xFIP, 0.67 WHIP and 22 percent strikeout rate. Holland has a 5.63 ERA (not great), but a very similar 5.45 xFIP and 20 percent strikeout rate. And you can make the case that Barlow and his 2.51 ERA, 3.41 xFIP, 1.26 WHIP and 30 percent strikeout rate has been this bullpen's best arm. Davis can never be counted out here as well. Staumont is the top option to roster here, but I would not cut Holland just yet in roto leagues. Just bench him. Barlow and Davis are deeper-league or AL-only options. 

Los Angeles Angels

Raisel Iglesias has struggled so far, but the peripherals say he has been more unlucky than bad. On the year, he has a 6.75 ERA, but his 2.36 xFIP is the second-best in this pen, and he has a 1.38 WHIP and an Angels bullpen high 34 percent strikeout rate. I still believe he has a long leash and until he loses the gig he is clearly a must-roster closer. If he should struggle, Mike Mayers and Junior Guerra should be next up in line. I like Mayers more as he is better at missing bats, but neither is a pitcher you should roster for ratios. 

Los Angeles Dodgers 

Corey Knebel (oblique), who was a popular waiver wire add just a week ago, is now out potentially months with an oblique injury. That only helps lengthen the leash for Kenley Jansen, who should be rostered everywhere. With Knebel sidelined, the belief is that Blake Treinen will be next in line for saves. But, we did see them turn to Jimmy Nelson on Sunday with Treinen and Scott Alexander not available. While I do not anticipate Nelson being used in save situations often, it was interesting to see them turn to him there. For the time being though, Jansen, and Treinen are the only two arms in this pen to roster for fantasy. 

Miami Marlins 

Yimi Garcia is the closer here as he has all four saves for the Marlins. He should be rostered everywhere. There is one other arm I have interest in for fantasy purposes - Dylan Floro. Not only is his name close to mine (cmon, you couldn’t slip an I in there?!?), but he has been great for this team. He has a 1.69 ERA, 2.85 xFIP, 0.75 WHIP and 27 percent strikeout rate. John Curtiss has been really strong for them as well, pitching to a 1.86 ERA, 2.82 xFIP, 0.72 WHIP and a 29 percent strikeout rate. I believe Floro would be next in line for saves if anything happened to Garcia, so I would roster him over Curtiss. Anthony Bass could be in the saves mix if Garcia went down, but after seeing him struggle early this season, I would not be trying to roster him unless he was officially named the closer. 

Milwaukee Brewers 

This is perhaps the most straightforward bullpen in the MLB. Josh Hader is elite and rostered universally. Devin Williams provides strikeouts and strong ratios and is next in line for saves. Besides that, I would not roster any other arms from this pen. 

Minnesota Twins 

Speaking of interesting bullpens, this is certainly one. Last week I said that Taylor Rogers looks to be in a position to get some save opportunities here, and he did pitch the ninth in a tie game on Monday. Hansel Robles entered in the sixth and stayed out there for the seventh. Meanwhile, Alex Colome came in for the 10th and allowed a two-run homer on his third pitch, ironically to pick up his third loss of the season. Rogers is the top option here as he has not allowed a run this season, while both Robles and Colome have ERAs over five and xFIPs over four. Rogers also has been missing more bats than the two righties.

Rogers is the arm I would most want to roster in this pen, but with him being a lefty, we could see the other two mixed in for save opportunities at times. I would still rank them Colome, then Robles, but that can quickly change. The rest of the arms in this pen can be ignored for fantasy purposes for the time being. 

New York Mets 

This bullpen is still as it was during the preseason. Edwin Diaz is the closer and should be rostered everywhere. If he misses time, the Mets could turn to Trevor May who has been the setup man, but he hasn’t been great this season. He has a 3.38 ERA, 3.17 xFIP, a 1.69 WHIP and 33 percent strikeout rate. Miguel Castro is an NL-only league arm, pitching to a 2.57 ERA, 1.51 xFIP, 1.43 WHIP and a 40 percent strikeout rate. Seth Lugo (elbow) will be a fantasy-relevant arm when he returns from injury. 

New York Yankees 

This bullpen is as straightforward as it gets. Aroldis Chapman is still absolutely elite and is universally rostered. And that’s about it. Chad Green is expected to be next in line for saves if anything was to happen, but he has not been his normal self this season. Jonathan Loaisiga, who does have a save, is an arm for deeper leagues though. He has pitched to a 1.35 ERA, 3.25 xFIP, 0.68 WHIP and a 26 percent strikeout rate. 

Oakland A’s 

This bullpen has two fantasy-relevant arms for mixed leagues. The first is Lou Trivino, who has three saves on the season with a 1.29 ERA, 3.21 xFIP, 0.93 WHIP and a 30 percent strikeout rate. The other is Jake Diekman, who has two saves, with a 2.61 ERA, 4.04 xFIP, 1.16 WHIP, and a 30 percent strikeout rate. I would rank Trivino higher, but both are worth rostering in mixed leagues. J.B. Wendelken is an AL-only worth arm, as he has a 2.61 ERA, 2.53 xFIP, 1.35 WHIP and 28 percent strikeout rate. 

Philadelphia Phillies 

While many await Hector Neris losing this gig, he does have four saves on the season. As long as he is getting the opportunities here, he is worth of rostering everywhere. This pen has a couple of other really interesting arms. The first is Jose Alvarado, who has a save, along with a 1.59 ERA, 3.21 xFIP, 1.06 WHIP, and a 39 percent strikeout rate. He is a lefty that can hit triple-digits routinely, so it is possible the Phillies want to pick their spots with him rather than save him for the ninth. But still, those are great numbers. The other is former top prospect Spencer Howard, who in 4.1 relief innings has had mixed results. He has an 8.31 ERA and 1.85 WHIP, which looks gross. But, he also has a team-low 2.38 xFIP and 38 percent strikeout rate and has looked filthy at times. He is more of an NL-only option, but he comes with a lot of upside. 

Pittsburgh Pirates 

Richard Rodriguez has all three of the Pirates' saves this season and he should be rostered everywhere until he does anything to lose this job. The belief is if he struggles or misses time, it will be Chris Stratton or Kyle Crick who are the next up. I think Crick would get the first crack, and would rather roster him. For those in NL-only leagues, Duane Underwood Jr. is an option for you. In 12 innings this season, he has pitched to a 2.25 ERA, 2.62 xFIP, 1.25 WHIP and a 37 percent strikeout rate. 

Tuesday Update: Richard Rodriguez pitched a clean ninth for his fourth save of the season. Underwood picked up the win pitching in the seventh inning. 

San Diego Padres 

Raise your hand if you thought Mark Melancon would lead the league in saves a month into the season? Not many did. But he has been lights out this season and is worthy of rostering everywhere. Drew Pomeranz and Emilio Pagan would be next in line should he miss time, but Pomeranz has been the better option so far this season. He has pitched to a 1.04 ERA, 1.75 xFIP (team-low), with a 1.27 WHIP and a 46 percent strikeout rate. Pagan has pitched to a 2.89 ERA, 4.62 xFIP, 1.29 WHIP and a 28 percent strikeout rate. I would rank them Pomeranz, Pagan for fantasy purposes. This pen also has a lot of options for those in NL-only leagues. I would rank the additional arms: Craig Stammen, Keone Kela, Tim Hill. 

Seattle Mariners 

This has been a tough bullpen to figure out for fantasy purposes. Kendall Graveman, who has not allowed a run and has the lowest xFIP (3.22) and WHIP (0.35) and the highest strikeout rate (35 percent) in this pen is clearly their best arm. He has two saves on the year. But we have seen them use him in high-leverage situations and turn to Rafael Montero for the save. Due to that, both are worth rostering in mixed leagues until we get more clarity. If these roles hold up, both will continue to be worth holding onto. Kenyan Middleton has two saves, but he is only worth rostering in AL-only leagues. The rest of this pen can be ignored. 

San Francisco Giants 

Jake McGee is back from the COVID list, and once again closing out games for the Giants. His seven saves are the second-most in the league thus far. When he was out, we saw Tyler Rogers and Wandy Peralta pick up saves. Both have two each on the season. Rogers provides better ratios, so I would be more inclined to roster him than Peralta, but both can be added in NL-only leagues. Outside of those two arms, the rest of the pen can be left on the waiver wire. 

Tuesday Update: McGee pitched the ninth in a tie game and gave up a home run, but his offense bailed him out of the loss. 

St. Louis Cardinals 

Alex Reyes has five saves and has yet to allow a run, but he has an xERA of 7.05 and an xFIP of 6.42 along with a 1.61 WHIP and just a 21 percent strikeout rate. That translated into layman's terms means this has been a lot of smoke and mirrors. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but Reyes keeps defying the odds. As long as he does, the Cards will keep turning to him and he should be rostered as long as he is getting the saves. If he does struggle, Giovanny Gallegos and Jordan Hicks would be the most likely next options. Both have closer experience, but it has been Gallegos that has been the better of the two. He has a 2.92 ERA, 3.50 xFIP, 0.73 WHIP and a 33 percent strikeout rate, compared to Hicks’ 5.40 ERA, 5.24 xFIP, 1.56 WHIP and 22 percent strikeout rate. Basically, Gallegos can be added and relied upon for strikeouts and ratios. Hicks cannot. The rest of this pen can be left on the waiver wire, outside of Genesis Cabrera in NL-only leagues. 

Tuesday Update: Alex Reyes picked up his sixth save of the season. Gallegos got his third hold. 

Tampa Bay Rays

Diego Castillo has been a consistent source of saves here, which is more than we can typically say about the Rays. He has four saves on the year and should be rostered everywhere, until something changes. The other arm I am interested in here, mainly for deeper formats, is Jeffrey Springs. He picked up the save when they opted to use Castillo in the eighth in a high leverage situation. Springs has pitched to a 4.70 ERA, but has a 2.94 xFIP, 1.17 WHIP and a 28 percent strikeout rate. 

Tuesday Update: Diego Castillo allowed a home run but picked up his fifth save of the season. 

Texas Rangers

Ian Kennedy is the closer here and really the only must-roster arm here. But, they do have two other arms that can provide ratios and strikeouts. Kolby Allard has pitched to a 2.45 ERA, 1.27 xFIP, 0.82 WHIP and a 38 percent strikeout rate. Joely Rodriguez has a 6.75 ERA, but he also has a -0.01 xFIP, 1.13 WHIP and a whopping 46 percent strikeout rate. Both are also believed to be next in line for saves, especially as long Matt Bush (elbow) is sidelined. I would rank them Allard then Rodriguez, but both should be added in AL-only leagues. 

Toronto Blue Jays 

Perhaps no bullpen has been more interesting this season than Toronto. I know no bullpen has taken more FAAB from fantasy players. Rafael Dolis has picked up the last two saves with Julian Merryweather (oblique) and Jordan Romano (arm) both on the IL. He is the closer for now, but we have also seen them use him in a high-leverage situation outside of the ninth inning. They turned to Tim Mayza to start the ninth and then Anthony Castro closed it out for the save when they did. Dolis should be rostered everywhere, but Castro is an interesting arm here. He is next up for saves and is in play in deeper leagues or AL-only leagues. Mayza is worth rostering in AL-only leagues. 

Tuesday Update: It was a four run lead, but Dolis got the ninth inning again on Tuesday.

Washington Nationals 

Brad Hand has picked up all three saves for the Nationals and is the clear cut closer. He is rostered everywhere, as he should be. The other arm that is interesting here is Daniel Hudson, who has pitched to a 1.50 ERA with a 3.58 xFIP, 1.00 WHIP and a 33 percent strikeout rate. Not only does he give good ratios and strikeouts, but he has some closing experience with Washington and has to be viewed as the next man up. He is in play in 15-team or NL-only leagues. 

All stats entering Tuesday, April 27th. 

Make sure to follow me on Twitter, @MichaelFFlorio.

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