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With the 2016 fantasy baseball season approaching, bullpen depth charts can be tricky to decipher when entering your fantasy drafts. Projections of who will be vital to their respective team and to your fantasy team will be analyzed over the course of the next two months.
Below I've identified the projected NL East closers, setup men, and some of the noteworthy relievers that bridge a lead from starter to closer.
The first and second names appearing after the closers below will mostly likely act as primary setup men, and be in line for holds. Bear in mind, most left-handed relievers identified will be used in specialist roles that make them more ideal in leagues with holds and will be a distant candidate for saves.
Don't forget that our closer depth charts are also updated all season long, so be sure to bookmark that page. And in case you missed it, our rankings dashboard has been loaded up with lots more preseason content to help you dominate your drafts.
NL East Depth Chart: Saves and Holds
New York Mets: Jeurys Familia (closer), Addison Reed, Antonio Bastardo
Washington Nationals: Jonathan Papelbon (closer), Shawn Kelley, Oliver Perez
Miami Marlins: A.J. Ramos (closer), Carter Capps, Mike Dunn, Bryan Morris
Atlanta Braves: Jason Grilli (closer), Arodys Vizcaino, Jim Johnson,
Philadelphia Phillies: David Hernandez (closer), Luis Garcia, Jeanmar Gomez
Quick Hit Baseball Analysis
The most reliable closers from the National League East are Jeurys Familia and Jonathan Papelbon. The National League champion Mets will let Familia continue where they left off in October. Addison Reed proved to be an effective acquisition last year and he will continue to do so as the Mets' setup man. Signed lefty Antonio Bastardo will see his share of left-handed batters over his tenure with the Mets, giving him the one batter Holds.
The Nationals replaced the ousted Storen with reliable veterans Shawn Kelley and Oliver Perez. The lefty Perez is dominant against left-handed batters so look to him for Holds when he handles the biggest left-handed bats in the National League.
Projected closers A.J. Ramos for the Marlins is the likely candidate to close. Ramos will close out games and Capps will notch the holds but if Ramos struggles, expect them to switch roles as Capps is a very good reliever if he can stay healthy this year.
An interesting situation resides in Atlanta. The rebuilding Braves are rich with young talent but seasoned veterans remain a presence. While Grilli is projected as the closer; it is stipulated with a “when he is healthy.” Grilli is expected to recover from a season-ending Achilles injury and be ready early into the season. Jim Johnson has experience as a closer and could receive another opportunity at closing if Grilli is ineffective in his return or suffers a setback in his recovery. Vizcaino received closing experience in the last two months of the season and has the potential to be a great closer someday. For now, look for him to be a late game reliever that will see his share of Holds.
The difficult projection resides in Philadelphia. Purely from veteran experience, reliever David Hernandez looks to be the front-runner for the closer's role. The problem with Hernandez is health. He is a year recovered from Tommy John surgery so what he will bring to the mound is uncertain. But, collectively between the rest of the Phillies projected bullpen is a total of three saves. Three. Veteran Jeanmar Gomez and Luis Garcia appear to be frontrunners for Holds in Philly.
