March 30, 2019
Milwaukee Brewers – Corey Knebel will have Tommy John surgery and miss the entire 2019 season. Knebel was in line to be a major piece of the Brewers bullpen after an excellent postseason in 2018, but a UCL tear in spring training caused him to choose surgery and rehab. Josh Hader remains the best arm to own here, especially with Jacob Barnes having a rough outing last night. With Jeremy Jeffress also starting the year on the IL, the Brewers have renewed their interest in Craig Kimbrel. If you have the space and patience in a shallow league, now may be the time to stash him.
Hierarchy remains: Hader | Barnes | Albers.
Boston Red Sox — As predicted, the first Boston save chance went to Matt Barnes, who struck out two in a perfect inning. Despite the strong outing, Alex Cora is not yet ready to name Barnes the full-time closer. We see Ryan Brasier as next in line, but Brian Johnson — who struck out the side with the Sox down two in the eighth — has looked very good in his first two outings. With Cora looking to play matchups, Johnson may be a viable option when facing a lefty-heavy lineup.
Hierarchy remains: Barnes | Brasier | Hembree.
Seattle Mariners — Hunter Strickland blew his first save of the year, giving up a three-run homer to take the loss. Strickland looked out of sorts from the start, and there is some concern that he is carrying an injury, although he claimed he was fine after the game. If Strickland does need time on the IL, look for Cory Gearrin to get the first crack at closing, as he picked up his second hold of the year in a clean eighth inning last night.
Hierarchy remains: Strickland | Gearrin | Rosscup.
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Craig Stammen — Kirby Yates threw 28 pitches last night and will probably not pitch in three straight.