RADIO
Well, that was a wild trade deadline, wasn't it? Some teams that needed to do a lot didn't do much. Some teams that didn't need to do much did the most. And then some teams did exactly what everyone expected. It seemed like a particularly hectic trade deadline day even though several teams started making their deals earlier in the week and quite a few players that everyone expected to move stayed put.
By now, you've already read about all of the trade deadline deals, so we won't focus on each and every one of those in this article. Instead, let's take a look at teams that lost their closers and what the plan might be for the rest of the season. We'll cover some shorter trade nuggets at the end.
Be sure to keep an eye on our RotoBaller Closers and Saves Bullpen Depth Charts. They're updated daily, or sometimes even more often in this wild 2021 baseball season. With that being said, here are the closers, saves, and bullpen waiver wire pickups to consider for Week 19 - August 9 through August 15.
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Bullpen News For The Week
Texas Rangers
With Ian Kennedy closing for the Phillies now, the Rangers were left without an experienced closer. Kennedy was always expected to be traded, and the prevailing thought was that lefty Joely Rodriguez would take over the ninth inning in Texas. Rodriguez ended up being traded before Kennedy was, as part of the Joey Gallo trade to the Yankees. So who's left in the Rangers bullpen? Enter Spencer Patton.
For now, he's just the head of the committee, but he seems to be the reliever with the best chance to earn a save in that pen. Josh Sborz and Joe Barlow could mix in too, but Patton's the guy if you desperately need a chance at saves. He's a 33-year-old who hadn't pitched in the majors since 2016, but he's been excellent in his 20 innings this year, striking out 27 while walking just seven and posting a 3.15 ERA/2.82 FIP.
Risers: Spencer Patton
Miami Marlins
The Marlins were expected to move some relievers at the deadline, and they moved two: John Curtiss (to the Brewers) and closer Yimi Garcia (to the Astros). There were rumblings of other guys potentially being moved, like Dylan Floro, Anthony Bass, Ross Detwiler, and Richard Bleier, but they all stayed with the team. With their closer gone, the Marlins have turned to Dylan Floro in most of the save chances since the trade.
Floro is a decent enough relief pitcher, but he isn't a guy with "closer stuff." Then again, neither was Yimi Garcia, and his job never seemed to be in jeopardy. Despite having an exciting young arm with swing-and-miss stuff in Anthony Bender, we can expect Floro to be working ninth innings for the rest of the season.
Risers: Dylan Floro
Fallers: Anthony Bender
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates sent their closer, Richard Rodriguez, over to the Braves before the deadline. The Pirates will certainly start out with a committee, but David Bednar got the first chance and seems the most likely to take over. Chris Stratton and Chasen Shreve could get a chance or two now and then, but Bednar seems to be the guy. He's a 26-year-old with good stuff whose only real concern is an elevated home run rate. If he can bring that down, he could be one of the better closers in the league. For now, he's pitched 43 innings with a 2.72 ERA and 30.6 K%.
Risers: David Bednar
Chicago Cubs
Everyone knew that Craig Kimbrel would not be on the Cubs when the calendar said August. But very few people thought he'd still be in Chicago. Kimbrel to the White Sox was one of the more surprising deals of the deadline overall and definitely the most surprising bullpen move (with the Graveman/Castillo situation a close second). While Kimbrel joins Liam Hendriks to form one of the best 1-2 bullpen punches we've ever seen, the Cubs were left with plenty of question marks.
The Cubs have used Kyle Ryan and Manuel Rodriguez in save situations since the deadline, and Codi Heuer seems to be working his way to bullpen ace status. This could be the truest committee out of all the "new" bullpens, with no real favorite for saves on any given day. It's a bullpen best avoided in standard formats, but those in deeper holds leagues or managers looking for ratios could take a look at Heuer. Rowan Wick (oblique) is recovering from an oblique injury, but he could be in the mix for saves once he's back up to speed as well.
Risers: Codi Heuer
Tampa Bay Rays/Seattle Mariners
So while all of the other teams who traded their closers were clear sellers, the Rays and Mariners made trades involving their closers despite being buyers. The Mariners sent Kendall Graveman to the Astros, which reportedly caused some clubhouse issues in Seattle. It left a lot of people wondering what they were up to...until they acquired Diego Castillo from the Rays. Castillo slots in as the closer for the Mariners and significantly improves on his fantasy value, going from the carousel that is the bullpen in Tampa to a more solid, consistent ninth inning role. Meanwhile, the Rays bullpen lost one of its usual ninth inning guys in the trade, but they also lost some other ninth inning regulars due to injuries. J.P. Feyereisen (biceps), Nick Anderson (elbow), Jeffrey Springs (knee), and Pete Fairbanks (shoulder) are all on the injured list. That leaves a revolving door of Matt Wisler, Andrew Kittredge, Ryan Sherriff, and probably someone no one has ever heard of that the Rays turn into a huge strikeout guy out of nowhere. Despite being a really good team with some really good bullpen arms, the Rays bullpen is best left alone in most standard formats for now. It's a total guessing game from one day to the next.
Risers: Diego Castillo
Fallers: Kendall Graveman
Washington Nationals
The Nationals sent their closer to a different country, trading Brad Hand to the Toronto Blue Jays. Hand immediately slots in as co-closer up north, working alongside Jordan Romano. In DC, Kyle Finnegan has settled into the closer's role, with Gabe Klobosits and Ryne Harper setting him up. Both Tanner Rainey and Wander Suero were thought of as possible Hand-replacements in the ninth inning, but both have struggled and been sent down to work on things in the minor leagues. Finnegan is a good enough reliever, but with the Nationals sure to struggle to get leads going forward, he may not end up with too many save chances. Still, he's one of the only new closers who has the spot locked down to himself, so he could be worth a look in some deeper saves-only formats.
Risers: Kyle Finnegan
Fallers: Tanner Rainey, Wander Suero
Short Relief
-The Orioles were expected to trade some relievers, but ultimately didn't do much at all. Cole Sulser, Dillon Tate, and Paul Fry should continue sharing save chances in Baltimore.
-The Reds bullpen got some trade deadline help but they didn't get a guy who could slot right into their ninth inning. Mychal Givens has seen significant innings since the deadline, but Heath Hembree's struggles have actually led to Michael Lorenzen working his way into the ninth inning. It's a committee again in Cincinnati, but Lorenzen could take the job and run with it.
-While the Kimbrel/Hendriks combo will be awesome to see in real life, it instantly sliced both of their fantasy values in half. It's a tough situation for fantasy managers because they both still have so much upside. The White Sox could win enough games to not have it matter.
-The Twins traded Hansel Robles and may not get Taylor Rogers (finger) back this season. They'll use a committee of Alex Colome, Tyler Duffey, and Caleb Thielbar for their ninth inning leads.
-Kendall Graveman slides in as the primary setup man ahead of Ryan Pressly in Houston. It's a huge hit on his value in saves only leagues, but doesn't change much in holds formats.
-Somehow, the Diamondbacks were able to trade Joakim Soria (finger). That leaves an already bad bullpen depleted, but veteran Tyler Clippard should be back to earning saves, this time for Arizona.
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