MLB Trade Deadline Day: Joakim Soria traded. Could a Craig Kimbrel or Aroldis Chapman trade be next?

July 31, 2015

Detroit Tigers — After closer Joakim Soria was traded to the Pirates Thursday, the Detroit bullpen was left in disarray. We originally made an educated guess that Bruce Rondon would get the first shot for the Tigers, based mostly on his advanced stats, dissected in our alert sent right after the trade, and the general hype surrounding him. Then, on Thursday, manager Brad Ausmus gave Alex Wilson the initial shot, and he recorded five outs (against the likes of Manny Machado, Adam Jones and Chris Davis) for his first big-league save. Wilson said after the game that it’s been his dream to close in the majors for a while now, so he wants it and the Tigers have a clear vacancy. As we posted last night, Ausmus was non-committal after the game, but did offer Wilson a lot of praise. We’ll move Wilson to the top of this very volatile committee for now; Al Alburquerque and Neftali Feliz are also lurking in the background, too.

Updated hierarchy: *Wilson | Rondon | Alburquerque.
* = closer-by-committee

Colorado Rockies — Closer John Axford is in what he calls the “ABSOLUTE WORST” stretch of his career now after blowing his fourth straight save Thursday night. He walked in the winning run, throwing just eight of his 25 pitches for strikes in a rough 9th inning. Manager Walt Weiss offered his support for Axford after the game, saying the closer has had a tough week. No kidding. Axford is on the hottest of seats, and if he’s pulled from the closer’s role (which may happen as early as Friday), we expect a committee approach, with Tommy Kahnle in line for the first crack, and Rafael Betancourt and Boone Logan other potential options.

Updated hierarchy: Axford | Kahnle | Betancourt.

Pittsburgh Pirates — Soria had the job in Detroit, but he likely won’t be unseating Mark Melancon anytime soon. Melancon has only allowed 7 runs in 47.2 innings (1.32 ERA) in what has been an excellent season to this point. His velocity is still down across the board, though, which may be causing his pedestrian K/9 numbers (6.2 Ks per 9 IP this year, versus 9.0 Ks per 9 IP in 2014). So if he tires or falters down the stretch, Soria is there to back him up.

Updated hierarchy: Melancon | Soria | Watson.

San Diego Padres — The Padres are expected to “own the last day” before the non-waiver trade deadline, which comes at 4 pm on Friday. Among the many names being discussed is closer Craig Kimbrel, who may have recorded his 30th and final save for San Diego Thursday night. The Yankees are the team most linked to Kimbrel, which would give New York a killer bullpen, but may also kill his value if he’s relegated to a set-up role behind Andrew Miller. Watch out for the Astros, too. If Kimbrel is shipped out of town, expect Joaquin Benoit to get the first crack at closing in San Diego — but Benoit might well be moving too.

Hierarchy remains: Kimbrel | Benoit | Maurer.

Cincinnati Reds — The Reds could deal Aroldis Chapman, whose contract expires after the 2016 season. The Diamondbacks have an offer on the table for Chapman, and the Yankees, Giants and Astros are also rumored to be in the mix. The Reds’ asking price is reportedly very high, so they may wind up holding onto Chapman until the offseason or next year’s deadline.

Hierarchy remains: Chapman | Hoover | Badenhop.

Oakland A’s — Former closer Sean Doolittle threw off a mound Thursday for the first time since going on the disabled list with a left shoulder strain. He threw 26 pitches in a bullpen session and said he was “pretty happy” with the movement on his pitches. Doolittle still hopes to pitch again this season.

Hierarchy remains: Mujica | Pomeranz | O’Flaherty.

St. Louis Cardinals — The Cardinals emerged victorious over the Rocks Thursday — no thanks to Seth Maness, who allowed the tying run in the sixth, or Kevin Siegrist, who allowed two runs in the eighth to put Colorado ahead before Axford coughed it up in the ninth. The newly acquired Steve Cishek pitched a clean seventh, and deserves a spot in the Cardinals hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Cishek.

Washington Nationals — In a game that resembled a potential setup for Game 1 of the playoffs, Max Scherzer went seven scoreless innings for the Nationals, demoted closer Drew Storen pitched a clean eighth inning for his first hold of the season, and the newly acquired Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth for his first save with Washington. Expect a similar look the rest of the way for the Nats bullpen.

Hierarchy remains: Papelbon | Storen | Janssen.

New York Mets — What’s wrong with Jeurys Familia? He has been dynamite all season, but since the All-Star Break, he’s allowed 6 ER in 5.1 IP and blown two saves. He took the loss Thursday, yielding three hits, including a three-run bomb to Justin Upton. (In a roundabout way, maybe he’s showing the Mets they need to trade for Upton.) In other news, new Met Tyler Clippard picked up his first hold for New York, working a scoreless eighth inning.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Clippard | Parnell. 

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Anyone, Detroit Tigers — The first few days in the post-Soria era will be worth watching in Detroit. So far, Alex Wilson has seemed to ascend to the ninth-inning role? But Rondon, Albuquerque and Feliz are also there, too.
2. Tommy Kahnle, Colorado Rockies — John Axford has been struggling and threw 25 pitches Thursday, so manager Walt Weiss could turn to Kahnle if the situation calls for it. Rafael Betancourt and Boone Logan are also options.
3. Joaquin Benoit/Brandon Maurer, San Diego Padres — If Craig Kimbrel is traded Friday, Benoit would be in line for the save chance. If both go, Maurer is next in line.
4. J.J. Hoover, Cincinnati Reds — The bullpen picture in Cincinnati isn’t perfectly clear, but if Aroldis Chapman is dealt, Hoover should inherit the closer role.

John Axford placed on personal inactive list

June 30, 2015

Colorado Rockies –John Axford was placed on the personal inactive list Tuesday night in order to take care of things at home, though thankfully it seems as if his son, who was bit by a rattlesnake earlier this year, is fine. The Rockies bullpen has been a mess, so there’s no obvious successor in Axford’s absence, which by rule must last a minimum of three days. That means Walt Weiss will either default to a veteran (LaTroy Hawkins or Rafael Betancourt) or someone who has been pitching pretty well over the past week or so (LaTroy Hawkins or Scott Oberg). With Hawkins the only player on both of those lists, he’s probably the best add if you only have room for one reliever. We’d rank them Oberg and Betancourt after that, with lefty Boone Logan also factoring in if they decide to employ a committee.

Updated hierarchy: *Hawkins | Oberg | Betancourt.
* = closer-by-committee.

Trevor Rosenthal ready to close again; Fernando Rodney on the ascent

June 19, 2015

Tampa Bay Rays — The committee chugs along in Tampa, where Brad Boxberger earned the save on Thursday night. Boxberger allowed a hit and struck out two in a complete ninth for the save, preceded by Jake McGee in a scoreless eighth, and Kevin Jepsen pitching around two hits and a walk in the seventh. We expect this committee to remain for the bulk of the season, with Boxberger still most likely to collect saves.

Hierarchy remains: *Boxberger | McGee | Jepsen.
* = closer-by-committee

Seattle Mariners — Carson Smith has converted all three save opportunities since taking over the closer’s role, but manager Lloyd McClendon is still worried about Smith’s durability, and said on Wednesday that old closer Fernando Rodney, or a combination of Rodney and others, would get the call when and if Smith is unavailable.

Updated hierarchy: *Smith | Rodney | Lowe.

Cleveland Indians — Bryan Shaw picked up his first save on Thursday night, but there’s nothing wrong with closer Cody Allen. During a long rain delay, manager Terry Francona had a lot of time to consider how to handle a bases-loaded threat in a tied fifth inning. Francona turned to Allen in the most pivotal moment of the game, and he got a fly out to end the danger, then followed with a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth. Zach McAllister then tossed 1.1 scoreless innings, leaving Shaw with the opportunity in the ninth. It’s safe to say this game featured some strange circumstances, and that Allen is still Francona’s man.

Hierarchy remains: Allen | McAllister | Shaw.

Colorado Rockies — Righty Brooks Brown was placed on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder inflammation, and Scott Oberg (5.55 ERA) had his second awful outing in three games, allowing three runs in an inning on Thursday night. So, who should slot in after John Axford in one of the worst bullpens in the major leagues? Mike Hampton? Pedro Astacio? Jose Jimenez? We’ll go with Boone Logan — who leads the team in holds (13) and averages 11.2 K/9 — and former closer LaTroy Hawkins, who tossed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts Thursday. It’s also worth keeping an eye on Tommy Kahnle, who has impressed since his major league callup on June 1.

Updated hierarchy: Axford | Logan | Hawkins.

St. Louis Cardinals — Trevor Rosenthal said after Wednesday night’s game that he feels he’s ready to return to closing, and on Thursday night, it appeared that was going to be the case. In a 1-0 game in the eighth inning, manager Mike Matheny sent Kevin Siegrist — who picked up a couple saves when Rosenthal was hurt — to the mound, while Rosenthal warmed up in the bullpen. Siegrist allowed the game-tying home run, though, so he earned the blown save and Rosenthal never got into the game. The Cardinals eventually lost when Kennys Vargas hacked a walkoff HR off Carlos Villanueva.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Maness.

Kansas City Royals — The last time we saw Greg Holland, he couldn’t record an out, and Wade Davis, the Robin to his Batman, was called on to convert the save. Holland returned with a vengeance Thursday night, earning the save while striking out two. Davis backed him up with a clean eighth.

Hierarchy remains: Holland | Davis | Herrera.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Tony Watson, Pittsburgh Pirates — Mark Melancon has earned saves on three straight nights, so he may be unavailable Friday.
2. Pedro Strop/Jason Motte, Chicago Cubs — Joe Maddon could turn to Strop, Motte, or Hector Rondon on any given night, depending on the matchup.
3. Jake McGee, Tampa Bay Rays — Brad Boxberger got the turn Thursday night, but keep an eye on Jake McGee, who also has three saves this year.

Koji Uehara activated; Chris Hatcher has another bad outing

April 13, 2015

Pittsburgh Pirates – After a ridiculous spring that included a 21:1(!) K:BB ratio, Arquimedes Caminero has brought his 101-mph fastball to the 7th inning in Pittsburgh. On Sunday, he picked up his 2nd hold of the season, and he’s now totaled 2.2 scoreless to start the year.

Updated hierarchy: Melancon | Watson | Caminero.

Chicago White Sox – Zach Duke picked up his second straight 8th inning hold on Sunday. The White Sox have been wise to make good on their offseason investment (3 years, $15M), as Duke has been one of the only reliable arms in the Chicago bullpen thus far. Would-be set-up man Zach Putnam has struggled out of the gate (4 ERs in 2 innings) after struggling during the spring (9.35 ERA) and might be looking at a trip to the minors if he can’t sort things out soon.

Updated hierarchy: Robertson | Duke | Guerra.

Tampa Bay Rays – Ernesto Frieri cleaned up an 8th inning mess and then stayed on for the 9th after the Rays tacked on a run. Frieri allowed a run himself, but picked up a vulture save.

Hierarchy remains: Boxberger | Jepsen | Balfour.

Colorado Rockies – John Axford has left the Rockies for a while to be with his son, who just had surgery following a rattlesnake attack. His absence may be poorly timed for Axford owners, as LaTroy Hawkins just blew his second save in a row and remains firmly on the Hot Seat. With Axford away, Adam Ottavino and Boone Logan are the relievers who could benefit if the Rockies are looking to give Hawkins a break.

Hierarchy remains: Hawkins | Ottavino | Logan.

Seattle Mariners – Fernando Rodney had an atrocious outing on Sunday afternoon, allowing the A’s to score four runs in the bottom of the 9th inning — Yoervis Medina would eventually pick up the save in extras. Rodney also had a shaky spring, with 7 walks in 8.1 IPs, and with his control problems spilling over into the regular season, those in deeper leagues might look to stash either Medina or Danny Farquhar should Rodney end up on the Hot Seat. (He’s already pretty close.)

Hierarchy remains: Rodney | Farquhar | Medina.

Los Angeles Dodgers – Chris Hatcher had another brutal outing on Sunday, allowing 3 runs to score while only recording one out. Joel Peralta came in afterwards to lock down the 1-out save, and is now firmly in the lead in the Los Angeles committee; in fact, the way things have gone thus far, it would surprise us to see anyone other than Peralta used in the 9th going forward. We’ll hold off on lifting the asterisk for one more save, but frankly, Hatcher might not even stay in the bigs for very much longer if he keeps pitching the way he has (33.75 ERA) over the season’s first week.

Updated hierarchy: *Peralta | Hatcher | Howell.
*closer-by-committee

Boston Red Sox – Koji Uehara will come off the disabled list today and will resume closing immediately.

Updated hierarchy: Uehara | Mujica | Ogando.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Joba Chamberlain, Detroit Tigers – Joakim Soria has pitched in three straight.
2. Roman Mendez, Texas Rangers – Neftali Feliz and Shawn Tolleson have both pitched in three straight.
3. Eric O’Flaherty, Oakland A’s – Tyler Clippard has pitched in two straight and three of four, throwing 57 pitches in the process.
4. Jumbo Diaz, Cincinnati Reds – Aroldis Chapman has pitched in four of the last five games.