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At this point in the season there are three teams left with extremely fragile bullpen situations. The Blue Jays, Mariners, and Cubs have struggled all year to find a go-to closer and are still searching for answers.
If a clear candidate were to emerge from either of the three teams, there would be great fantasy value since all of these players are relatively low owned. Since there wasn’t breaking news over the past few days, I’ll break down the status of these three bullpens in this column.
Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options for closers and relief pitchers, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Jays came into this season with high expectations stemming from their new acquisitions and huge payroll. They failed to address their bullpen because they were confident in Brett Cecil’s ability. This didn’t turn out too well as Cecil got absolutely shelled in his first 25 innings, giving up 24 hits and 15 runs.
Surprisingly, Cecil has actually been the most consistent reliever in July, going nine straight appearances without giving up a run. His rough start to the season may have caused the team to lose all confidence in him at this point.
The dark horse is former starter Aaron Sanchez who I mentioned earlier this week will be moved to the bullpen. Keep an eye on his performance and in what situations he’s used over the next few weeks.
Now nearing the end of July, the Jays are still without a reliable closer. It seems like Roberto Osuna has the most fantasy upside, but just this week he blew a 3-3 tie game, giving up three hits and an earned run. Osuna keeps racking up the strikeouts but now has four losses and a blown save on his record. Osuna is still just 31.8% owned in ESPN leagues, but picking up anyone from this team should only be a desperation move.
Seattle Mariners
To me this still remains one of the most confusing situations due to the fact that Fernando Rodney is STILL getting late game opportunities. I get that he’s a veteran whose “been there before” but he’s been absolutely terrible this season. His ERA is approaching six, and he has given up runs in 17 of his 41 appearances.
Compare that to Carson Smith, who has been getting most of the save opportunities of late, who has only allowed runs in seven out of his 41 appearances. To me Carson Smith is the best waiver wire option out of the three teams I’m discussing today. He has 51 strikeouts in 39.2 innings, and seems to be getting more comfortable in save situations. At only 36.7% owned in ESPN leagues, he is a solid pickup at this time of year.
Chicago Cubs
The big news this week was that the Cubs promoted veteran closer Rafael Soriano to the big leagues. At least initially he has been put in two non-save situations. They were still important spots in each game.
The team is still using Jason Motte in most situations to close games. They sometimes go with Justin Grimm or Hector Rondon.
Soriano is a definitely a high risk, high reward waiver wire pickup. At under 10% owned in ESPN leagues, he’s not on many people’s radars. If the Cubs do decide to get behind him and make him the full time closer for their stretch run, he could be an important fantasy contributor for yet another season.
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