February 26, 2020
Arizona Diamondbacks – Any conversation about the Arizona bullpen has to start with Mason Saunders. Although he projects as more of a starter, Saunders brings more experience on bulls than any other MLB team has on their entire roster. If Saunders does crack the rotation, the Diamondbacks will enter the season with Archie Bradley as the presumptive closer. The 27-year-old turned his 2019 season around and earned the closer’s role in late July, going 18-for-19 in save opportunities over the last months of the season. The Diamondbacks lost Yoshihisa Hirano, but added free agents Hector Rondon and Junior Guerra to bolster a bullpen that was inconsistent at times in 2019. They also return Kevin Ginkel, who was excellent as a rookie (1.48 ERA, 0.99 WHIP over 25 appearances), and Yoan Lopez, who was a mainstay at the back end of an injury-riddled bullpen at the end of the season. Andrew Chafin sets in as the top left-handed option for the Diamondbacks. We like Bradley to see the bulk of save chances, with Ginkel and Rondon splitting the setup role. An in interesting note is that the Diamondbacks have been an excellent source of holds over the past few seasons, with three relievers posting 20 or more holds last year, and a few more in double digits.
Starting 2020 hierarchy: Bradley | Ginkel | Rondon.
Holds candidates: Ginkel, Rondon, Lopez, Chafin.
Colorado Rockies – Going into spring training, Bud Black would like to see Wade Davis in the closer’s role, but he is certain to be on a short leash given his woeful 2019 campaign. While some of that could be chalked up to Davis pitching through injuries, it’s hard to ignore a final ERA over 8. Scott Oberg was quite effective for most of the year, but ended the season with surgery to fix a blood clot in his arm. Oberg is healthy for spring training and looks to be a top setup option for the Rockies. Jairo Diaz finished the season in the closers role, and will likely be a late-inning arm for Colorado this season as well. Veterans Jake McGee and Bryan Shaw, both of whom have closing experience, will also be in the mix. A dark horse for saves later in the year is Carlos Estevez. Estevez has a triple-digit fastball and is a low-cost reliever with team control through 2022; if the Rockies sell at some point he could ascend to the closer’s role. For now we trust Black when he says he wants Davis as the closer, but expect some volatility from the Rockies as they compete in a tough division.
Starting 2020 hierarchy: Davis | Oberg | Diaz.
Holds candidates: Oberg, Diaz, McGee, Estevez, Shaw.
Los Angeles Dodgers — Kenley Jansen will once again be the Dodgers’ closer, although he is coming off a second straight season with inflated numbers. Jansen’s K/9 was well off his career average and his velocity took a small, but noticeable, dip. Setting up Jansen is free agent addition Blake Treinen, who followed an exceptional 2018 with a lukewarm 2019 which saw him relinquish the closer’s role in Oakland to Liam Hendriks. Pedro Baez, Joe Kelly and Scott Alexander all return to their familiar roles in the Dodgers bullpen and will look to get the ball through the middle innings to Jansen. Of these three, Alexander’s value may take a hit as he was primarily a LOOGY and under the new three batter rules he may not see as many cheap holds as before. Jansen is still an excellent source of saves, as the Dodgers will likely challenge for the best record in the league, but he has fallen from his position as the best closer in the game.
Starting 2020 hierarchy: Jansen | Treinen | Baez.
Holds candidates: Treinen, Baez, Kelly.
San Diego Padres — Kirby Yates had an exceptional 2019 and will look to continue that success in 2020. Leading the majors with 41 saves, Yates was a dominant force whenever the Padres could get him the ball. Behind Yates, the Padres had a lot of trouble finding any consistency and looked to address that in the offseason with the additions of Drew Pomeranz and Emilio Pagan. Pagan was a solid reliever, and even spent time closing, for Tampa, while Pomeranz made up for a rough tenure as a starter in San Francisco with a strong second half of the season as a reliever in Milwaukee. Both will look to be bridge options for the Padres in 2020. Waiting in the wings is fireballer Andres Munoz. Munoz exploded onto the scene with eight scoreless appearances before struggling a bit down the stretch, but with a 100 MPH fastball and a plus slider, he projects as a top reliever going forward. Yates is certainly the closer, but with no contract extension, he could find himself traded before the deadline if San Diego is out of contention.
Starting 2020 hierarchy: Yates | Pagan | Munoz.
Holds candidates: Pagan, Munoz, Pomeranz, Craig Stammen.
San Francisco Giants — The Giants go into 2020 without a clear-cut option at closer, which is probably the way new manager Gabe Kapler likes it. Will Smith has departed for the Atlanta Braves, and the Giants are already talking about a committee to start. The top option will probably be Tony Watson, who has some closing experience and has been a late-innings pitcher for the Giants for the past couple years. Behind him will be former top prospect Shaun Anderson, who started last season in the rotation, but made a move to the bullpen in August with mixed results. Tyler Rogers doesn’t have traditional closer stuff, but as a heavy ground ball pitcher he could find his way into the late innings as well. Jandel Gustave was an option for holds down the stretch for the Giants last year, but his numbers aren’t great for a closer. More than most teams, San Francisco’s spring training could determine the bullpen roles to start the year, so this is a situation to watch and see if anybody emerges as the frontrunner, but this is probably a team best left alone in your drafts.
Starting 2020 hierarchy: *Watson | Anderson | Rogers.
* = closer-by-committee
Holds candidates: Anderson, Rogers, Gustave, Sam Coonrod, Trevor Gott.
