Dominating performances from new closers Cam Bedrosian and Edwin Diaz

August 3, 2016

Los Angeles Angels — Before Tuesday night’s game, Mike Scioscia clarified that Fernando Salas and J.C. Ramirez would serve alongside Cam Bedrosian in the Angels’ new closer committee. Ramirez got the eighth with a three-run lead, but he struggled, giving up two runs. Bedrosian, though, looked right at home in the ninth, striking out the side to pull within 183 saves of his old man. We expect him to shed the committee tag by the end of the week. Meanwhile, Huston Street’s MRI showed inflammation, but no structural damage.

Updated hierarchy: *Bedrosian | Salas | Ramirez.
* = closer-by-committee

Houston Astros — As announced on Tuesday evening, Ken Giles will replace Will Harris as the Astros closer going forward. With Luke Gregerson hitting the DL with a left oblique strain, Pat Neshek should see more high-leverage innings. A.J. Hinch said that Harris will still be used in important spots, and also name-checked rookie Chris Devenski.

Updated hierarchy: Giles | Neshek | Harris.

San Francisco Giants — Will Smith was brought in to pitch the eighth in a tie game on Tuesday, after Hunter Strickland had been used in the sixth up a run. Smith opened with a strikeout, then gave up a single and a double; both runners scored after he was replaced by Sergio Romo. Smith had been with the team only five hours before entering the game, enough time to shake hands with his catcher, if nothing else. Despite tonight, he could be in the mix for saves going forward, especially in lefty-heavy ninths.

Updated hierarchy: Casilla | Romo | Smith.

St. Louis Cardinals — When Seung Hwan Oh pulled a six-pitch Houdini in the eighth (escaping a bases-loaded, no-out jam with no runs allowed), Mike Matheny decided to let Oh bat with the bases loaded in the St. Louis half of the ninth. After the inevitable strikeout in what was evidently his third professional plate appearance, Oh came back out for the save chance and gave up two singles and a walk-off dinger. Although Oh wasn’t in the mood to talk afterward, his job is safe.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Siegrist | Broxton.

Toronto Blue Jays — As expected, Roberto Osuna got the night off and Jason Grilli picked up the vulture save. The Jays bullpen was so fatigued that rookie Danny Barnes made his MLB debut to pick up a “phenomenal” eighth-inning hold. AL ERA leader Aaron Sanchez will be joining the bullpen soon, although his precise role remains unclear.

Hierarchy remains: Osuna | Grilli | Benoit.

Baltimore Orioles — Darren O’Day retired one man with the bases loaded to finish off the eighth with a three-run lead. After Baltimore scored, he stuck around to pick up the save Zach Britton wasn’t eligible to earn.

Hierarchy remains: Britton | O’Day | Brach.

Arizona Diamondbacks — In his last 15 appearances (covering 9.2 innings), Daniel Hudson has allowed 31 runs (26 earned) and 33 hits. His ERA over that span (28.86) rounds up to his age. Daaaamn, Daniel. Arizona has the worst bullpen in baseball.

Updated hierarchy: *Barrett | Burgos | Loewen.
* = closer-by-committee

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Tom Wilhelmsen, Seattle Mariners — Edwin Diaz struck out the side for a hot, sticky sweet first career save. He has now pitched in three of four games, however (59 pitches).

Trade Deadline Buy/Sell: American League

July 13, 2016

Special Update (Part 1 of 2 — check back tomorrow for the National League)

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Glossary:
BUY+: This player has a strong chance (at least 50%) of becoming a closer by the trade deadline.
BUY: This player has a small chance (at least 20%) of becoming a closer by the trade deadline.
SELL: This player has a small chance (at least 20%) of losing his closer job by the trade deadline.
SELL+: This player has a large chance (at least 50%) of losing his closer job by the trade deadline.

TL;DR – AL relievers
BUY+: Andrew Miller.
BUY: Dellin Betances; Trevor May; Cam Bedrosian; Ryan Dull.
SELL: Koji Uehara; Brandon Kintzler; Huston Street; Ryan Madson.
SELL+: Sam Dyson.
—–

AL East

Baltimore Orioles — The first-place Orioles have one of the best bullpens in the American League, and are not expected to make any moves. Ace set-up man Darren O’Day will rejoin the team over the weekend, although he has no timeline yet to return to the mound. BUY/SELL: None.

Boston Red Sox — Our first draft of this blurb advised that Boston might trade for middle relief help like Brad Ziegler. Now that the submariner calls Fenway home, GM Dave Dombrowski said that the bullpen was “pretty well set.” Craig Kimbrel’s prolonged absence might make him reconsider, however; the team’s current closer and top set-up guy were each born in the 1970s. An internal option to bolster the relief corps is 23-year-old Chandler Shepherd, who has excelled at Portland and Pawtucket this season. SELL: Koji Uehara.

New York Yankees — The Yankees hit the .500 mark in their final game before the break, and they continue to debate whether to buy or sell on the trade market. Whether they can contend this year or not, breaking up their ostentatious bullpen seems necessary — there are too many holes in the walls to keep the Lamborghini. If either Aroldis Chapman or Andrew Miller is traded, Miller seems a lock to close somewhere. In the unlikely event that both men go, Dellin Betances will get his shot. BUY+: Andrew Miller, BUY: Dellin Betances.

Tampa Bay Rays — All-Star Alex Colome has been one of the only bright spots in a truly dismal season for the Rays. The team might move one of their lefthanded set-up men, but that’s not going to impact anyone’s ninth. BUY/SELL: None.

Toronto Blue Jays — Toronto moved early, acquiring Jason Grilli from Atlanta way back in June. Although they might still be in the market to buy (Brandon Kintzler) or sell (Drew Storen) a middle reliever, Roberto Osuna’s job is safe. It seems likely that the impact set-up man the Jays will count on most down the stretch is currently their best starter. BUY/SELL: None.

AL Central

Chicago White Sox — After a great start, the Sox are scuffling near the .500 mark. If the team decides to reinforce the bullpen, it’s not likely that they bring in a name big enough to unseat David Robertson. BUY/SELL: None.

Cleveland Indians — Cleveland has opened up a 6.5-game lead in the division, and Cody Allen is a fixture in the closer role. BUY/SELL: None.

Detroit Tigers — The Tigers are happy with their bullpen, including the rejuvenated Bruce Rondon and the ageless K-Rod — who has a real chance to retire holding the career saves record. BUY/SELL: None.

Kansas City Royals — Kansas City’s bullpen is as dominant as ever (2.95 ERA in relief), and Wade Davis expects to return after the minimum 15-day stay on the disabled list. BUY/SELL: None.

Minnesota Twins — Brandon Kintzler has gotten some attention lately, and even manager Paul Molitor has admitted that his closer might be headed out the door. With arbitration-eligible lefty Fernando Abad also a trade target, it’s converted starter Trevor May who could stand to benefit most from a possible fire sale. BUY: Trevor May, SELL: Brandon Kintzler. 

AL West

Houston Astros — Houston is in the thick of the wild card race and has a surprisingly impressive bullpen (4.75 K-BB ratio!) to thank for it. If life were a baseball sim, the team might consider flipping Will Harris before he reverts to the mean, but it’s not. Life is a location-based augmented-reality game sometimes played on a baseball field. BUY/SELL: None.

Los Angeles Angels — Huston Street’s injuries and struggles have depressed his market, but a move isn’t entirely out of the question. Joe Smith is also a possibility to be traded in what has become a lost season for the Angels. BUY: Cam Bedrosian, SELL: Huston Street.

Oakland Athletics — Ryan Dull’s impressive season could encourage the A’s to move expensive Ryan Madson to a contender. BUY: Ryan Dull, SELL: Ryan Madson.

Seattle Mariners — If Seattle is going to make a push for the playoffs, they might consider an upgrade at closer — although it’s unlikely that they have the prospects needed to get that kind of return. In any event, Steve Cishek’s peripherals are still solid, and we don’t think the Mariners are going to give up on him yet. Joaquin Benoit is more likely to see a change of scenery. BUY/SELL: None.

Texas Rangers — By any metric, the Rangers have the worst bullpen in the American League, a fact they desperately want to change before October. Although Keone Kela should return this week, Texas could be in the market for someone like Jeremy Jeffress, Will Smith, or even Andrew Miller. SELL+: Sam Dyson.

Jason Grilli gives Roberto Osuna some much-needed rest

June 13, 2016

Toronto Blue Jays – A stretch of 10 appearances in a 17-day span prompted John Gibbons to give Roberto Osuna a second consecutive day off on Sunday, and Jason Grilli got the save in his place. Osuna’s job is perfectly safe, and Grilli has quickly established himself as the youngster’s handcuff.

Hierarchy remains: Osuna | Grilli | Floyd. 

Colorado Rockies – A day after being named closer, Carlos Estevez needed a night off due to recent workload. In his stead, the Rockies played matchups in the 9th, with Jason Motte starting off the inning and then Boone Logan picking up the last out for his first save of the year. You can expect to see something similar on nights when Estevez isn’t available in the future.

Hierarchy remains: Estevez | Motte | Logan.

San Francisco Giants – Santiago Casilla retired both hitters he faced last night for his 13th save. He had some help at the start of the inning, as lefty Javier Lopez was used to get Adrian Gonzalez (who tried to bunt his way on!), but it was still an encouraging outing for the righty, who has been shaky of late.

Hierarchy remains: Casilla | Gearrin | Strickland.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Cory Gearrin, San Francisco Giants – Santiago Casilla has pitched in three straight.
2. Will Smith/Tyler Thornburg, Milwaukee Brewers – Jeremy Jeffress has pitched in three straight, while Will Smith has gone in four of the last five.

Carlos Estevez is the new closer in Colorado

June 12, 2016

Colorado Rockies – Jake McGee was placed on the DL yesterday and rookie Carlos Estevez recorded the save in his place.  Jason Motte was originally sent out for the 9th but after he allowed a double and hit a batter, he was pulled for Estevez.  After the game, manager Walt Weiss named Estevez the closer while McGee is out.

Updated hierarchy: Estevez | Motte | Logan.

Houston Astros — Will Harris ended his streak of 27 straight scoreless innings on Saturday, but still recorded his third save of the season.  Harris has converted three straight save opportunities since Gregerson was demoted and he looks to be the primary closer for now.

Hierarchy remains: Harris | Giles | Gregerson.

Cincinnati Reds – Ross Ohlendorf recorded his first save for the Reds yesterday.  Tony Cingrani pitched a perfect 8th with a switch hitter, who bats better against righties, and a lefty due up first.  Since Cingrani is the only lefty in the Reds’ bullpen this could happen occasionally, but he still should be considered the closer and receive the majority of save chances.

Hierarchy remains: Cingrani | Ohlendorf | Wood.

Toronto Blue Jays — Before yesterday’s game, manager John Gibbons said that closer Roberto Osuna would be unavailable and Jason Grilli would serve as closer.  There didn’t end up being a save opportunity on Saturday, but Grilli still pitched the ninth and struck out the side.  Grilli slides into the set-up role and should see any vulture save chances moving forward.

Updated hierarchy: Osuna | Grilli | Floyd.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Ross Ohlendorf, Cincinnati Reds – Tony Cingrani has pitched in three straight and four of five.
2. Jason Motte/Boone Logan, Colorado Rockies – Carlos Estevez has pitched in two straight and four of the past five.
3. Kevin Siegrist, St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal has gone in three straight games
4. Cory Gearrin, San Francisco Giants – Santiago Casilla has appeared in two straight and four of five.
5. Fernando Salas, Los Angeles Angels – Huston Street threw 28 pitches in a blown save yesterday and also threw 30 pitches on Thursday so he could get Sunday off.

Brad Boxberger and Huston Street return

May 31, 2016

Cincinnati Reds – Pitching in the bottom of the ninth up six runs, Tony Cingrani gave back three to the Rockies before getting yanked out of the game in favor of J.C. Ramirez. Ramirez stopped the bleeding, earning his first career save in the process. While the Reds’ bullpen continues to be a mess, we don’t expect Ramirez to play a significant role in the late innings. That said, we would not be surprised if this latest blow-up increases Ross Ohlendorf’s chances to get saves going forward.

Hierarchy remains: *Cingrani | Ohlendorf | Wood.

Texas Rangers – Cesar Ramos earned his first save of the season the hard way, pitching three innings of relief to save the win for Derek Holland. It was a nice box score surprise for Ramos, but that’s it.

Hierarchy remains: Dyson | Diekman | Bush.

Toronto Blue Jays – With Roberto Osuna on the shelf, John Gibbons used a combination of Aaron Loup and Drew Storen to finish off the Yankees in the ninth inning, with Storen picking up the Vulture Save. We have not been too bullish on Storen lately given his struggles and the rumors that he is on the trading block, but his usage last night may force us to reconsider.

Hierarchy remains: Osuna | Floyd | Biagini.

Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays activated Brad Boxberger from the disabled list yesterday and will ease him back in to the closer role. Kevin Cash insisted there would be no closer controversy despite Alex Colome’s success, so we’ll place Boxberger straight into the closer spot, with the understanding that he might pitch the 8th inning a couple of times before he gets a save chance.

Updated hierarchy: Boxberger | Colome | Cedeno.

Los Angeles Angels – Huston Street also returned from the DL yesterday, and while he wasn’t needed immediately (Jhoulys Chacin threw a complete game), he, too, should return to closing rather quickly, if not right away.

Updated hierarchy: Street | Smith | Salas.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Addison Reed, New York Mets – Jeurys Familia has pitched in back to back games and three of four, throwing 67 pitches in that span. Reed has appeared in the same three games, but has had a much lighter workload.