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As part of an exciting trade deadline, Los Angeles Angels Closer Raisel Iglesias was traded to the Atlanta Braves to help bolster their bullpen for a postseason run.
The Angels received relief pitcher Jesse Chavez and left-handed starting pitcher Tucker Davidson on their end of the deal.
We'll break down that deal below as the RotoBaller team keeps you updated on all the breaking news and MLB trades as they go down.
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Raisel Iglesias To Atlanta
Prior to this trade, Raisel Iglesias was the established closer for the Angels but putting up a somewhat disappointing season. He was drafted in the NFBC near the top-50 and was taken as a top-three or four closer. He has a 4.04 ERA and 16 saves, which puts him at 16th in saves this season.
It wasn't all Iglesias' fault. He has just three blown saves on the season. The Angels are just so bad at 44-59 that there just aren't many save opportunities overall. Yes, his ERA could be lower and yes, his strikeout rate has gone down, but he was drafted mainly for saves as most closers when healthy pitch 60-70 innings per year.
Iglesias was still a top-20 closer and someone one would start every week in hopes that the Angels would improve and he would get more saves. Now that has all changed.
In Atlanta, they have their closer in Kenley Jansen. Jansen is fourth in saves and has blown four saves this year along with a 3.43 ERA, 2.98 xFIP, and a 34.6% strikeout rate, which is just a smidge above Iglesias' 32.9% strikeout rate.
When looking at the peripheral stats, Jansen isn't *that* much better than Iglesias; it's pretty even. But the closer game isn't about skills always it is about the opportunity as well. Jansen has been the closer all season, except for when injured/out, and has done nothing to lose it.
Iglesias will likely play a similar role as Will Smith did. If Jansen goes down or is unavailable for a game, he will likely close. He could pick up a handful of saves this year. Iglesias is a better reliever than Will Smith, so this is an upgrade for this year. Going forward because Jansen is on a one-year deal and Iglesias is signed for three more years, Iglesias is likely the closer for the Braves in 2023.
In leagues with small benches, Iglesias is probably droppable as he won't be the main closer. If you have larger benches, he could be someone to stash in the event Jansen gets hurt or something like that. In a dynasty-type of league where you keep your whole roster or a majority of it, I would keep Iglesias if you were already planning to prior to this trade.
Iglesias will be ranked high in 2023, as the primary closer on a playoff team is highly desirable.
The Angels' Return
In exchange for Iglesias, the Braves gave the Angels Jesse Chavez and Tucker Davidson.
Chavez is 38 years old, on the last year of his deal, and he is putting up a nice season with a 2.66 ERA, 3.11 xFIP, and a 27.2% strikeout rate. On a team that has a 4.12 bullpen ERA, he is going to be one of the better relievers coming out of that bullpen now. The Angels are expected to use a closer-by-committee approach, so it is possible he gets put in the mix for saves that way but remains to be seen.
Jose Quijada did get the save on Tuesday night against Oakland, so he is also someone to watch. He is left-handed and the A's had Seth Brown-Tony Kemp-Jonah Bride due up, the first two of which are left-handed (the A's did pinch hit Skye Bolt for Kemp), so it's unclear if this was just lefty-lefty matchups or whether Quijada will get ninth inning chances more often.
Tucker Davidson is now the Angels' 11th best prospect, according to the MLB website. In Triple-A, Davidson had a 4.59 ERA, 3.22 xFIP, but was allowing 1.57 HR/9 and had a high .325 BABIP against too. Davidson does have a nice 27.8% strikeout rate and a 7.0% walk rate but that has not translated to the MLB.
In 37 innings pitched in the MLB, Davidson has a career 5.11 ERA, 5.49 xFIP, 17.6% strikeout rate, and a 17.6% walk rate.
Given his struggles in the MLB, his underwhelming Triple-A numbers, along with the fact he is 26, I am bearish on his future in the big leagues. He could be given an opportunity down the stretch to join the rotation, as the Angels have nothing to lose, but until I see improvement from him at that level I am not interested from a fantasy perspective.
Final Thoughts
While Raisel Iglesias helps improve the Braves bullpen significantly, much of his fantasy value is gone unless you play in a league with holds. Kenley Jansen will continue to get saves for the Braves this season. With Jansen expected to be a free agent in 2023 and Iglesias signed until 2026, he should be the Braves' closer going into 2023.
Jesse Chavez could find himself getting some saves if the Angels use a closer by committee approach, as he will be one of the better relievers in this bullpen. He isn't someone to add or stash at the moment, but rather keep an eye on how the Angels use him going forward.
Tucker Davidson was once a prospect I was excited about. Given he is 26-years-old, and hasn't shown he can pitch effectively at the major league level, he is irrelevant to me in fantasy. He may get some starts at the end of the season and fantasy managers should monitor his performance when looking ahead to pitching in 2023.
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