Florio's MLB Bullpen Report: Making Sense of Reliever Trades for Fantasy Baseball

August 3, 2022

Michael Florio reviews bullpens that have changed before the MLB trade deadline, closers to add off the waiver wire and relief pitchers who are useful for fantasy baseball heading into Week 17.

For weeks, I spoke about the MLB trade deadline and how the bullpen position was greatly going to be impacted. And for weeks all that there was… were crickets. But, in classic trade deadline fashion, it did not disappoint, at least not when it came to a reliever shake up. 

We saw a number of current closers dealt, some that will be taking over the closer spot in their new clubs and some that won’t be. Then there are the teams that will need to replace the closer that they dealt. The reliever shakeup that was promised took to the last minute, but it came as always. 

This is the best time of year for teams in need of saves. Hopefully you tucked away some FAAB to spend now, or are ready to use your top waiver spot to grab a reliever or two. For you save-needy teams - this is it. After this week, the only chance you will have to find saves on the waiver wire will be from a poor performance change or injury. Be aggressive now. 

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Fantasy Baseball Closers Changing Places

The biggest move of the deadline, reliever-wise at least, was Josh Hader being shipped from Milwaukee to the Padres. Hader has struggled as of late, but he will clearly man the ninth inning for the Padres. He remains a must-start option closing games on a team that will win a bunch of games. 

As for the Brewers, they acquired former Padres closer Taylor Rogers in the Hader trade, as well as swinging a deal for Matt Bush. Those two will join the dominant Devin Williams in the back end of the Brewers bullpen. The talk out of Milwaukee has been that they will be fluid in the late innings. That means we could continue to see Williams used in a high leverage role. Still, he has been the best of the bunch and should be valued the most for fantasy purposes. Williams is one of the relievers worth being aggressive trying to land off the waiver wire, if he is available.

Rogers, who has a lot of experience closing, figures to get the opportunities behind Williams. He is worthy of a flier. Bush is a deeper league option, until we see otherwise. They also traded for former closer Trevor Rosenthal, who we have not seen pitch since 2020 but was dominant then, who if healthy, will work his way into the late inning picture. Still, we need to see him return healthy first. 

The Angels traded closer Raisel Iglesias to the Braves. Earlier in the day the Braves had traded setup man Will Smith for Jake Odorizzi. Smith should now set up for the Astros, while Iglesias projects to transition into a setup role for Kenley Jansen. Iglesias has pitched to 4.04 ERA, 3.44 xERA with a 1.07 WHIP and 33 percent strikeout rate. Jansen has been very effective and should continue to see all save chances, but he has also missed some time. Iglesias joins A.J. Minter as not only a strong setup man, but insurance if Jansen misses more time. 

The Angels will now need to find a new closer. Ryan Tepera should be viewed as the favorite to see save chances moving forward. He has pitched to a 4.26 ERA, 3.62 xERA, 1.16 WHIP and a 21 percent strikeout rate. Jose Quijada is a very interesting option as well, as he has been the Angels most effective reliever of those still on the roster. He is worthy of a flier. Aaron Loup is another name to monitor here. 

David Robertson, who has been a strong closer all year for the Cubs, will now be calling Philly home. Robertson will now join a bullpen that has been in search of closing options for much of the year. Corey Knebel remains an option, but we have seen Seranthony Dominguez and Brad Hand pitch in save situations more recently. Often, Dominguez is used in high leverage situations which would sometimes leave save chances for Hand. Now, they can utilize Dominguez full time in that role and save Robertson for the ninth. He should be viewed as the closer moving forward, but it would be wise to hang onto Dominguez and Hand, if you are in need of saves, until we get clarity from this pen. 

As for the Cubs, they did not stop at Robertson, also trading Mychal Given to the Mets. That means that Rowan Wick is now the closer by default. Earlier this season when Robertson missed time, Wick was the primary option used, but Givens was in the mix. Wick picked up four saves this season and has pitched to a 4.36 ERA, 4.97 xERA, with a 1.73 WHIP and 22 percent strikeout rate. Wick is behind Bautista and Williams but he is still worth spending for if you are in need of saves. 

Jorge Lopez has been a reliable closer this year for the Orioles and now he will be closing games for the Minnesota Twins. The Twins had been using a platoon of Jhoan Duran and Emilio Pagan for much of the year, with Tyler Duffey getting in the mix at times. These arms will continue to see late inning usage, but they should form more of a bridge to Lopez. Those who have Lopez on their team should just continue to ride out with him. Duran and Pagan are much more droppable now - but Duran is a elite ratio and strikeout arm. They will also now be joined by Michael Fulmer, who the Twins acquired to help solidify that bridge and give them another late inning option. 

As for the Orioles, Felix Bautista will take over the closer role. Bautista has picked up three saves this year while pitching to a 1.66 ERA, 2.81 xERA, 2.77 xFIP, with a 34 percent strikeout rate and 0.88 WHIP. He has been filthy and should now see the save chances. He would be the top pickup of the new closers. Dillon Tate also is a name worth monitoring here and is worthy of a flier for save-needy teams. He has pitched to a 2.22 ERA, 3.36 xERA, 1.01 WHIP and a 22 percent strikeout rate. 

Fantasy Baseball Setup Men to Watch

Lou Trivino has been dealt from the A’s to the Yankees, where he will help setup for Clay Holmes. As for the A’s, they will continue to turn to A.J. Puk and Zach Jackson who each has two saves this season. Puk is the preferred option, but both are worthy of taking a flier on. Do not bid too aggressive on either though, instead throw that FAAB or waiver priority on Dany Jimenez. He still leads the A’s with 11 saves and is nearing a return, throwing a rehab outing over the weekend. Jimenez is the top add here, as he should once again return to the closer role once healthy. 

The Blue Jays traded for Anthony Bass from the Marlins. He will now pitch in a setup role for Toronto, who were interested in adding bigger names to their bullpen. The Marlins held onto Tanner Scott, who should continue to serve as the closer. They also activated Anthony Bender, who closed games early on. He and Dylan Floro will serve as setup men and insurance options should Scott falter. 

Daniel Bard signed a contract extension with the Rockies. He will remain the closer there for this season and possibly for years to come. 

The Nationals did not trade any of their relievers, meaning that Kyle Finnegan should remain as their closer moving forward. 

Hunter Strickland was also not traded, so he will remain in the closer picture for the Reds. That throws a lot of cold water on the hype of Alexis Diaz. 

Ranking the New Closers: Felix Bautista, Devin Williams, Dany Jimenez, Ryan Tepera, Rowan Wick, Taylor Rogers, A.J. Puk/Zach Jackson (this leaves out closers who were traded - as they were already rostered)

Make sure to follow Michael on Twitter, @MichaelFFlorio.

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