Baseball Opening Day!

April 1, 2021

Boston Red Sox — Matt Barnes was cleared to rejoin the team and will be ready for opening day today.  We will move Barnes back to the closer role, but it might be worth noting that the Red Sox haven’t actually announced whether Barnes or Ottavino will close.

Updated hierarchy: Barnes | Ottavino | Sawamura.

Los Angeles Angels — In a surprising move, the Angels optioned Ty Buttrey.  To replace Buttrey, the Angels signed a couple of veterans in Steve Cishek and Tony Watson.  We will slide Cishek in to Buttrey’s spot in the hierarchy to start the season.

Updated hierarchy: Iglesias | Mayers | Cishek.

Cincinnati Reds – The Reds will not name a closer to start the season but mentioned Amir Garrett and Lucas Sims as options, along with Sean Doolittle.  We will leave Garrett at the top but move Sims to first in line ahead of Doolittle and slap the committee tag on there for now.

Updated hierarchy: *Garrett | Sims | Doolittle.
* = closer-by-committee

Colorado Rockies – Scott Oberg will be out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to remove blood clots.  Yency Almonte should see more time in the later innings with Oberg sidelined.

Updated hierarchy: Bard | Givens | Almonte.

San Francisco Giants – The Giants’ GM Farhan Zaidi said that Jake McGee is in a position to be the closer.  He also mentioned Tyler Rogers so we will move Rogers to 1st in line behind McGee.

Updated hierarchy: McGee | Rogers | Moronta.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Chad Green – Aroldis Chapman will miss the first two games of the season while serving his suspension so Chad Green could get an early vulture save opportunity.

Nick Anderson out until at least August

March 26, 2021

Tampa Bay Rays — Nick Anderson learned Thursday that a partially torn elbow ligament will put him out of action for at least the first half of the season. Until his August return, Pete Fairbanks and Diego Castillo should see even more of high-leverage work, with Chaz Roe and Ryan Thompson also possible options.

Updated hierarchy: *Fairbanks | Castillo | Roe.
* = closer-by-committee

Chicago Cubs — Brandon Workman has had an impressive spring in his attempted return from a terrible 2020, and David Ross is singing his praises. If Workman has truly recaptured his spectacular 2019 form, he’ll be the Cubs’ best setup option by far.

Updated hierarchy: Kimbrel | Workman | Chafin.

Baltimore Orioles — Brandon Hyde confirmed that it’ll be a committee handling Baltimore’s closing duties in Hunter Harvey’s absence, but with Cesar Valdez getting stretched out to possibly start, we think Tanner Scott, Shawn Armstrong, and Paul Fry have the best shots. The sheer number of options (including Cole Sulser, Dillon Tate, and Travis Lakins) — and, just as importantly, their mediocrity — continues to counsel against trusting this ‘pen at all.

Updated hierarchy: *Scott | Armstrong | Fry.
* = closer-by-committee

Arizona Diamondbacks — Tyler Clippard will miss at least two months with a capsule sprain in his shoulder, opening the door for Kevin Ginkel, Taylor Widener, and Chris Devenski to get some late-innings run.

Updated hierarchy: Soria | Crichton | Ginkel.

Los Angeles Angels — Felix Pena is expected to start the season on the IL with a strained hamstring, and Ty Buttrey will likely handle the seventh in his absence.

Updated hierarchy: Iglesias | Mayers | Buttrey.

Pittsburgh Pirates – We’ve got to stick a committee asterisk on this bullpen, with Kyle Crick’s strong spring training giving Richard Rodriguez a fight for the closer’s role. Chris Stratton’s setup role is secure behind these two.

Updated hierarchy: *Rodriguez | Crick | Stratton.
* = closer-by-committee

New York Yankees — Justin Wilson got good news about his injured shoulder, but still seems likely to start the year on the IL. Expect Darren O’Day to take over the seventh inning in the meantime.

Updated hierarchy: Chapman | Green | O’Day.

Kirby Yates out for the year; Jose Leclerc to begin season on IL

March 24, 2021

San Diego Padres – Emilio Pagan might well be the Padres closer when the season begins, beat writer Kevin Acee recently reported. Pagan pitched with an injury last year but is healthy this spring and has experience closing. Manager Jayce Tingler has admitted he would prefer one guy get the job “in an ideal world,” and many within the organization say they assume Pagan will be that guy, Acee reported. Couple that with the fact that Drew Pomeranz is dealing with tightness and inflammation in his arm, and we’re looking at a shuffled hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Pagan | Melancon | Pomeranz.

Toronto Blue Jays – Kirby Yates is likely headed for Tommy John surgery, meaning the recent signing will miss the 2021 season. When asked today if he’d be ready to step into the closer role, Jordan Romano said, “I don’t need a set inning. I kind of like it when they spring it on me. Seventh, eighth, ninth — whatever they ask me to do, I’ll be ready.” For what it’s worth, manager Charlie Montoyo won’t name a closer, saying, “It could be anybody, any day.” Great. Well, we think Romano leads a group that also includes Rafael Dolis and offseason acquisitions David Phelps (5 IP, 10 Ks, 0 ER in the spring) and Tyler Chatwood (7 IP , 5 Ks, 0 ER in the spring).

Updated hierarchy: *Romano | Dolis | Phelps.
* = closer-by-committee

Texas Rangers – Jose Leclerc will begin the season on the injured list with right elbow soreness and will miss an extended amount of time. With David Hernandez set to begin the season on the 60-day IL, and Brett Martin and Joely Rodriguez likely to open the season on the injured list, who is left? The Rangers seem likely to lean on a non-roster invitee like Matt Bush or Ian Kennedy to compete for saves in a committee to start the year, though Chris Woodward said he’d like to hone in on one closer about a month into the season. Bush has looked “phenomenal” this spring, according to GM Chris Young, so we’ll give him the nod in this very messy and avoidable (if you can) bullpen.

Updated hierarchy: *Bush | Kennedy | Sborz 
* = closer-by-committee

Philadelphia Phillies – Jose Alvarado is 50 pounds (!) lighter than he was last year, has been touching 100 mph this spring and throws his sinker incredibly hard and with a lot of movement. Now, he might be in the saves conversation, according to Jayson Stark and others. Alvarado is a lefty, but he’s joined by two other lefties in the bullpen, so his handedness won’t be working against him. Let’s get him in the hierarchy and call this committee until there’s more clarity. 

Updated hierarchy: Bradley* | Alvarado | Neris
* = closer-by-committee

Houston Astros – Pedro Baez is back with the team after a COVID-19 diagnosis but might not be ready for Opening Day. Enoli Paredes has been throwing 97-99 mph this spring and could get some late-inning looks behind Ryan Pressly until Baez is ready. 

Updated hierarchy: Pressly | Smith | Paredes