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Chasing saves is never easy. Some fantasy managers began the season behind the eightball with the likes of Jordan Romano and Jhoan Duran on the injured list. Yimi Garcia and Chad Green combined for two saves when Romano was sidelined. When Duran was out, Griffin Jax racked up four saves for the Twins.
Rostering a closer handcuff can be key. If a top closer were to go down with an injury, there would likely be a rush to the waiver wire to add his replacement. Already having that potential replacement on your fantasy squad can help save your FAAB dollars.
Let’s discuss four relievers who stand out as appealing handcuffs, while also providing good ratios in their current setup roles.
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Yennier Cano, Baltimore Orioles
Craig Kimbrel was signed during the offseason to be the Orioles closer with Felix Bautista (elbow) lost for the season. Despite being in the later stages of his career, Kimbrel has already racked up eight saves for the Orioles entering Tuesday. If there is a downside, it’s his 1.34 WHIP. His 13.0 percent walk rate is an issue, but he has helped offset it with a 38.9 percent strikeout rate.
Cano has been the primary setup man for Kimbrel, posting a 2.08 ERA and a 3.55 FIP over 17 appearances. That comes on the heels of his 2.11 ERA and 2.84 FIP last season. He chipped in with eight saves last year and he has one so far this season.
Yennier Cano is an athlete. pic.twitter.com/j6YvWy3JN9
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) May 4, 2024
Kimbrel will turn 36 years old later in May and he has a lot of mileage on his arm. He also recently battled back tightness. Should he have any injury issues, Cano would likely step in as the closer of one of the best teams in baseball.
Scott Barlow, Cleveland Guardians
There is no disputing that Emmanuel Clase is one of the best closers in baseball. For his career, he has a 1.89 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. He entered Tuesday with a 0.71 WHIP this year, giving up just one earned run over 18.1 innings. After back-to-back seasons with at least 42 saves, he has already racked up 11 saves this year.
It’s going to take an injury to Clase for anyone else to regularly get save opportunities for the Guardians. If he were to go down, Barlow would likely be in line to take his place. He has closer experience, including when he posted 24 saves for the Royals in 2022.
Scott Barlow, Filthy Curveballs...and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/1excMty0kY
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 5, 2024
Even if Barlow isn’t currently getting save opportunities, he can be an asset to fantasy managers who are looking to improve their ratios. His 2.60 ERA is supported by a 2.91 FIP. Another area he can help in is strikeouts. He has a 31.0 percent strikeout rate this year, which is close to his career mark of 28.3 percent.
Hunter Harvey, Washington Nationals
The Nationals have played in a lot of close games. Entering Tuesday, they were 17-for-17 with a -10 run differential. They have generated plenty of save opportunities for Kyle Finnegan, who has cashed in with 11 saves already. His 1.88 ERA and 0.91 WHIP are both on pace to be the best marks of his career.
Harvey has been nearly as good in a setup role, posting a 2.45 ERA and an even more impressive 1.56 FIP. He has yet to give up a home run, which has been a strength of his, given that he has allowed 0.8 HR/9 for his career. He also has a 1.05 WHIP and a 27.8 percent strikeout rate for his career.
It would likely take an injury to Finnegan for Harvey to take over the ninth inning. However, even if Finnegan stays healthy and that never happens, Harvey can provide value to fantasy managers looking for strikeouts and to improve their ratios.
A.J. Minter, Atlanta Braves
Raisel Iglesias has recorded at least 30 saves in a season four times during his career. That included last year, when he finished with 33 saves in his first full campaign with the Braves. He is well on his way to reaching that threshold again this season with eight saves entering Tuesday.
Being a closer for one of the best teams in baseball makes Iglesias even more valuable in fantasy. If he were to go down at any point, his replacement would likely cost a significant amount of FAAB to add.
That replacement would likely be Minter, who had 10 saves for the Braves last year with Iglesias missing the beginning of the season. While his 3.76 ERA wasn’t impressive, his 2.90 FIP indicated that he pitched much better than that. For his career, he has a 3.33 ERA and a 2.83 FIP.
A stat that makes Minter worth rostering even when he isn’t closing is his career 29.6 percent strikeout rate. He has posted at least 82 strikeouts in both of the last two seasons, which is impressive for a reliever. In total, he struck out 176 batters the last two seasons. To put that into perspective, Josh Hader totaled 166 strikeouts during that same span.
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