RADIO
All of us here at Rotoballer are so happy that baseball is back! Who else missed the feeling of thinking you figured out a team's bullpen only to see your entire theory go up in flames the very next time there was a save chance? Who else missed the feeling of thinking you found a deep sleeper that only you would roster in all of your leagues only to see him get hurt in his first outing? Who else missed the feeling of watching your favorite team's manager seemingly actively sabotage your team's chances to win? Yay for baseball!
In all seriousness, baseball is back and that's great. That frustration comes from loving the game and wanting to win. So this week's Closers and Saves Report will jump back into its more traditional format with some news of the week, risers and fallers where relevant, and some short relief at the end. Our goal is to help you have the best bullpen in all of your fantasy leagues, and get the best fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for relief pitchers!
Be sure to keep an eye on our RotoBaller Fantasy Baseball Closers and Saves Bullpen Depth Charts. They're updated daily, or sometimes even more often in this wild 2022 baseball season.
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Houston Astros - Bullpen and Closers News
The Astros were set in the ninth inning, with Ryan Pressly reprising the role he's been in for the past few years. Knee inflammation sent him to the injured list after just three saves though, opening the door for former Phillies closer Hector Neris to take the reins. Neris should be able to hold down the closer's role in Houston until Pressly returns, with Ryne Stanek moving up an inning to take the eighth.
Risers: Hector Neris, Ryne Stanek
Fallers: Ryan Pressly
Minnesota Twins - Bullpen and Closers News
The Twins bullpen is basically that gif of Elmo raising his arms in front of a fire. Jorge Alcala looked like he could be the best pitcher in the pen, but a trip to the IL put that upside aside for a bit. Some combination of Emilio Pagan, Tyler Duffey, Joe Smith, and Jhoan Duran have been working the late innings in Minnesota, but the Twins only have one save (Pagan, yesterday) through 13 games. At some point, the team will start having more close leads late in games, and at that point it figures to be more of Pagan on the mound, but this is turning into one of the more "avoid if at all possible" bullpens in fantasy baseball.
Risers: people who love chaos
Fallers: people who love order
Boston Red Sox - Bullpen and Closers News
Another...let's go with interesting bullpen so far this season has been the Red Sox bullpen. Manager Alex Cora does not seem interested in pigeonholing a reliever into the ninth inning, implying more than once that he would maintain a fluid closer situation in Boston. Garrett Whitlock has made it clear that he's the best reliever in the Boston bullpen, and while he has and likely will continue to see some save chances, his role seems to be developing into more of a fireman role, where he will get the toughest late inning situation regardless of whether it happens to be the ninth or not. Veterans Jake Diekman, Hansel Robles, and Matt Barnes could find themselves closing out games in certain situations as well. Whitlock, Diekman, and Robles have one save each so far. This could be a solid bullpen with holds league assets, but figuring out who will be earning saves could be a headache. All that being said, Cora said that Barnes is, "getting close to himself", and that once Barnes is pitching well, the team will "use him in the ninth." Does that mean use him exclusively in the ninth? Or that he'll have another guy for his ninth inning committee? We'll see.
Risers: Garrett Whitlock (especially in holds leagues), Matt Barnes (depending on how you read Cora's words)
Fallers: potentially Jake Diekman and Hansel Robles, but we don't really believe Cora on Barnes, do we?
Kansas City Royals - Bullpen and Closers News
Another chaotic bullpen has been manager Mike Matheny's Royals bullpen. Despite plenty of (valid and deserved) criticism about Matheny being way too traditional and "old school" in his managerial approach, it does seem like he's working on having a fireman in his bullpen instead of just assigning specific innings to his relievers. That fireman role has belonged to Josh Staumont, who has entered games prior to the ninth inning to face the top or the heart of the opponent batting order. Staumont has two saves so far, while Scott Barlow has the only other Royals save. Those two figure to see the most save opportunities, with Matheny leaning on Staumont for the tougher outs, meaning he's the one to roster in standard formats, although both pitchers will have solid value in holds leagues.
Risers: Josh Staumont (standard), Scott Barlow (holds)
Fallers: Mike Matheny's haters
Miami Marlins - Bullpen and Closers News
Something's not right with Anthony Bender. The Marlins reliever was incredible in his rookie year last year, but this year he has a 8.31 ERA, two losses, and a blown save. More concerning: his K% has dropped from 28.7% to 15.8%. Because Don Mattingly manages the Marlins, Bender will likely have to blow three or four more games before anything changes, but once that happens, the Fish do have some options. Cole Sulser has closing experience and has been excellent this season, and Dylan Floro started the season on the IL but is already throwing and should be back before long. If Bender can bounce back, he should have holds league value, but he's not someone you can trust right now in fantasy lineups.
Risers: Cole Sulser, Dylan Floro
Fallers: Anthony Bender
Short Relief - Other Bullpen News
-The Mariners bullpen looks like a three-headed committee made up of Diego Castillo, Drew Steckenrider, and Paul Sewald. Sewald has the most strikeout upside and therefore makes for the best fantasy asset right now, at least until someone in the committee separates from the rest.
-Alex Colome earned his first save as a Rockies reliever, but Daniel Bard still seems like he's the guy in Colorado.
-Lou Trivino landing on the COVID IL for the A's could give us an interesting look at what Oakland will do if the trade their closer. Zach Jackson earned his first big league save in the first chance that came up with Trivino unavailable, but manager Mark Kotsay seems likely to play matchups until his closer is back.
-The Nationals looked like they might go with a committee this season, but Tanner Rainey (who is pitching much better than he did last season) has earned the past three saves for Washington. Looks like it's his job in the ninth.
-Greg Holland was given a pink slip by the Rangers, removing him from any closer committee conversations. The Rangers won't win too often this season, but Joe Barlow, Spencer Patton, and Matt Bush figure to get any save scraps that come up.
-The Cubs had no idea what they would get out of David Robertson, who hadn't really pitched since 2018. What they got is their closer, as Robertson has now worked his way into the ninth inning role. Given his injury history though, guys like Mychal Givens and Rowan Wick should stay ready.
-The Cardinals planned on using a committee, but as is often the case, the best relievers rise to the top and take specific roles. It looks like that's what Giovanny Gallegos has done, and while there hasn't been a team announcement yet, he's getting enough work to definitely be a fantasy closer.
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