Zach Putnam gets two saves in two days; Joe Nathan struggling

July 20, 2014

Toronto Blue Jays – Casey Janssen was unavailable due to a bout of food poisoning, so Aaron Loup got the call in the 9th inning, picking up his third save of the year. With Brett Cecil pitching erratically as of late (Cecil has allowed a run in four of his last nine outings), Loup is now the primary lefty in the Toronto pen.

Updated hierarchy: Janssen | McGowan | Loup.

Detroit Tigers – Joe Nathan’s first appearance out of the break wasn’t a pretty one, as he allowed 3 earned runs and took the loss. Nathan’s ratios have improved considerably since he adjusted his arm slot in mid-June — he has 16 Ks against just 3 BBs in his past 10 innings — but when hitters make contact, they’re still hitting the ball pretty hard. He continues to get a vote of confidence from Brad Ausmus, but with his ERA now at 6.23, he’s back on our Hot Seat.

Hierarchy remains: Nathan | Chamberlain | Alburquerque.
Joe Nathan to Hot Seat.

Chicago White Sox – Zach Putnam got the save on Friday, so it was Jake Petricka’s turn to try for the last three outs on Saturday. But Petricka was only able to get two of those outs, also allowing a hit and a walk before being yanked by Robin Ventura — Putnam would strike out the game’s final hitter to earn the save. With two saves in two days, and an uncomfortably quick hook on Petricka, Putnam has inched to the top of the White Sox closer-by-committee.

Updated hierarchy: Putnam | Petricka | Guerra.

Philadelphia Phillies – Ken Giles got the ball in the 8th inning last night and picked up his third hold of the season. With Giles continuing to shine in his audition, he’s a great speculative add (as mentioned here) for teams looking for saves. Jonathan Papelbon could be shipped out soon.

Updated hierarchy: Papelbon | Giles | Bastardo.

Seattle Mariners – Charlie Furbush picked up his first save of the season on Saturday, pitching the bottom of the 12th inning. He does not factor in to the Mariners’ usual late-inning plans.

Hierarchy remains: Rodney | Farquhar | Medina.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Dustin McGowan/Aaron Loup, Toronto Blue Jays – Casey Janssen’s food poisoning could keep him out another day or so.

Benoit to close after Street is traded to Angels, Putnam picks up save

July 19, 2014

San Diego Padres — Huston Street has been traded to the Angels and set-up man Joaquin Benoit will assume the 9th inning duties.  It sounds like the Padres will use a number of different guys in the set-up role, with Dale Thayer, Kevin Quakenbush and Nick Vincent, when he returns from injury, being mentioned.

Updated hierarchy: Benoit | Thayer | Quakenbush.

Chicago White Sox — Zach Putnam got the first save opportunity coming out of the All-Star break and converted for his third save of the season.  It’s hard to read too much into one game, especially with the way Robin Ventura has been using his relievers recently, but it looks like we are back to Putnam and Petricka sharing the closing duties for now.

Updated hierarchy: Petricka | Putnam | Guerra.

Los Angeles Angels — The Angels acquired former Padre closer Huston Street late Friday night, and he is expected to immediately bump Joe Smith back to a setup role.

Updated hierarchy: Street | Smith | Jepsen.

Miami Marlins — Kevin Gregg has been placed on the DL with right elbow inflammation.  The Marlins activated A.J. Ramos from the DL and he should split time with Bryan Morris in the 7th and 8th innings.

Updated hierarchy: Cishek | Morris | Ramos.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Zach Putnam, Chicago White Sox – The White Sox are still going with a committee so it could be Putnam or Petricka on any given night.
2. Grant Balfour/Brad Boxberger, Tampa Bay Rays – Jake McGee has been pitching great and getting most of the save opportunities, which means it’s a perfect time for Joe Maddon to try somebody else in his committee.

Huston Street traded to Angels

July 18, 2014

Los Angeles Angels — The Angels acquired former Padre closer Huston Street late Friday night, and he is expected to immediately bump Joe Smith back to a setup role.

Updated hierarchy: Street | Smith | Jepsen.

San Diego Padres — With the departure of Huston Street to Los Angeles, Joaquin Benoit is set to take over the ninth inning for the Padres. San Diego is still considering deals for Benoit, but the price has increased. Somebody has to be second in line, and for now we think it’s Tim Stauffer. Down the road, the Padres could turn to R.J. Alvarez, a closer prospect they picked up in the trade.

Updated hierarchy: Benoit | Thayer | Stauffer.

Jason Frasor traded to Kansas City

July 17, 2014

Texas Rangers — As we predicted, Jason Frasor was indeed traded — to Kansas City, for AAA all-star closer Spencer Patton. Neal Cotts moves back up to second in line for now, but he could also be next out the door.

Updated hierarchy: Soria | Feliz | Cotts.

Kansas City Royals — Our first Royals update in 3 1/2 months doesn’t even come with a hierarchy change. New Royal Jason Frasor was the main set-up man in Arlington, but with Wade Davis dominating and Kelvin Herrera still topping 100 on the radar gun, he’ll be back in the pack in KC.

Hierarchy remains: Holland | Davis | Herrera.

Trade Deadline Buy/Sell Report — National League

SPECIAL UPDATE: TRADE DEADLINE BUY/SELL REPORT (PART TWO OF TWO)

July 16, 2014

Glossary
BUY+: This player has a large chance of becoming a closer by the trade deadline.
BUY: This player has a small chance of becoming a closer by the trade deadline.
SELL: This player has a small chance of losing his closer job by the trade deadline.
SELL+: This player has a large chance of losing his closer job by the trade deadline.

TL;DR Version
BUY+: Ken Giles, Brad Ziegler.
BUY: Rex Brothers, Antonio Bastardo, Joaquin Benoit, Kevin Gregg, Pat Neshek.
SELL: LaTroy Hawkins, Mark Melancon, Trevor Rosenthal, Santiago Casilla.
SELL+: Addison Reed.

Atlanta Braves – Tied with Washington for first place in the NL East, the Braves have the elitest of elite closers, but might be in the market for a lefthanded reliever like Boston’s Andrew Miller to reinforce Luis Avilan. BUY/SELL: None. 
Miami Marlins – With Miami falling off the pace, going 10-20 since June 11, the team may be more willing to listen to offers for 27-year-old Steve Cishek from bullpen-hungry contenders like the Tigers and Giants. Kevin Gregg would probably fill in first, but Bryan Morris projects as the long-term solution. BUY: Kevin Gregg. 
New York Mets – The Mets have been hot lately, and they won’t trade any of the young bullpen arms that have been so surprisingly effective. BUY/SELL: None.
Philadelphia Phillies – Jonathan Papelbon hasn’t won any friends in Philly by announcing his willingness to waive his no-trade clause to avoid the “mind-boggling” fate of staying on “a losing team.” With the Phillies sinking out of contention, most consider him all but gone, which would open the door for closer of the future Ken Giles — especially if Antonio Bastardo also gets moved. BUY+: Ken Giles. BUY: Antonio Bastardo.
Washington Nationals – Rafael Soriano will continue to lead the most stable bullpen hierarchy in baseball — except for a few weeks when Drew Storen went to the minors last summer, they’ve had the same three guys in the top three spots since Opening Day 2013. BUY/SELL: None.

Chicago Cubs – The Cubs are bad, again, but any further trades are unlikely to affect the top arms in their bullpen hierarchy. BUY/SELL: None.
Cincinnati Reds – Aroldis Chapman says he’s fine after last night’s All-Star Game injury scare, and the contending Reds don’t need any bullpen help. BUY/SELL: None.
Milwaukee Brewers – Although GM Doug Melvin identified the bullpen as one possible target for improvement via trade, their best move might be the impending return of Jim Henderson from the disabled list. BUY/SELL: None.
Pittsburgh Pirates – Pittsburgh could move Mark Melancon back to a setup role if it can wrest Huston Street away from the Padres. SELL: Mark Melancon.
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals might not trade for an established closer, but Trevor Rosenthal has been unreliable enough lately to warrant a sell signal anyway. BUY: Pat Neshek. SELL: Trevor Rosenthal.

Arizona Diamondbacks – Last year we reckoned Brad Ziegler would be replaced at the trade deadline, but he held on through the end of the season. This year, Ziegler is purportedly untouchable, while Addison Reed — like Arizona itself — has been woeful, and could use a change in circumstances. Reed is young and cheap, but has his value fallen too far already? BUY+: Brad Ziegler. SELL+: Addison Reed.
Colorado Rockies – Colorado’s owner has insisted that the team will not be selling at the trade deadline; even apart from a deal, you have to figure that LaTroy Hawkins will step aside soon for Rex Brothers. BUY: Rex Brothers. SELL: LaTroy Hawkins.
Los Angeles Dodgers – The profligate Dodgers are in the market for relievers; although they’ve been linked to Koji Uehara, they’d be fools to overlook how unlucky Kenley Jansen has been (3.49 ERA, 1.87 FIP). BUY/SELL: None.
San Diego Padres – Huston Street has made peace with the likelihood that he will be traded, probably to an AL contender. If Street goes, Joaquin Benoit is likely to stay, as the team doesn’t want to lose both of their best options. The Padres are apparently asking for a lot for either reliever, and we think Street is more likely to move, leaving the San Diego ninth open for Benoit. BUY: Joaquin Benoit.
San Francisco Giants – GM Brian Sabean has said that no one in the organization is untouchable, and they may see their rapidly evolving bullpen as ripe for improvement. SELL: Santiago Casilla.