Welcome to our weekly Hot Seat column! Each week — usually on Mondays — we’ll update this space to give you an easy-to-reference guide on who might be closest to losing their jobs. Note that this isn’t necessarily a ranking of the best closers; rather, it’s a guide to job security.
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Latest update: May 2, 2016
Outside of Cincinnati and a few injuries, closers have been pretty stable this year. Ryan Madson is a perfect 8-for-8 in save chances this year and has put some distance between himself and Sean Doolittle. Fernando Rodney has a 0.00 ERA on the season, while his main competition, Kevin Quackenbush and Brandon Maurer, both have ERAs over 5.00. Huston Street went down with an injury this past week, but Joe Smith should step right in and be pretty secure as the closer until Street comes back. Zach Britton drops a tier due to his injury scare, but he seems to have avoided anything major. Cincinnati’s bullpen is still a mess, and there haven’t been enough save opportunities recently to know what manager Bryan Price is thinking. Kevin Jepsen blew a couple saves last week, so Trevor May could be a guy to keep an eye on. Other than that, things have been quiet this year…a little too quiet for those speculating on saves.
Hottest: In a committee or on the verge of losing their job right now.
30. Ross Ohlendorf (Handcuffs: Tony Cingrani, Caleb Cotham)
Hot: Guys who could be in danger after their next blown save.
29. Kevin Jepsen (Handcuff: Trevor May; DL return: Glen Perkins)
Warmish: Two blown saves in a row and these players might be in trouble.
28. Ryan Madson
27. Alex Colome
26. Arodys Vizcaino
25. Francisco Rodriguez
24. Jeanmar Gomez
23. Santiago Casilla
22. Shawn Tolleson
Cool: These players would have to blow 3 consecutive saves for their jobs to be in jeopardy.
21. Fernando Rodney
20. Jake McGee
19. Jeremy Jeffress
18. Roberto Osuna
17. Steve Cishek
16. Joe Smith
15. Hector Rondon
14. Luke Gregerson
13. Jonathan Papelbon
12. Mark Melancon
11. Brad Ziegler
10. Cody Allen
9. A.J. Ramos
8. David Robertson
7. Craig Kimbrel
6. Andrew Miller
5. Jeurys Familia
4. Trevor Rosenthal
3. Zach Britton
Sub-zero: These players would have to blow 4+ consecutive saves for their jobs to be in jeopardy.
2. Wade Davis
1. Kenley Jansen
