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The trade deadline is just a couple of days away and with a lot of teams in the race (or at least a lot of teams who think they're in the race) we could be looking at one of the more active deadlines in a while. It already got started with some bullpen moves, like the Aroldis Chapman trade a couple of weeks ago and a few more this week.
While bullpens around the league will certainly look different by this time next week, we still had the current bullpens work their way into saves, holds, blown saves, wins, and losses this week. So let's take a look at some bullpen-relevant trades and other reliever news for this final week of July.
Be sure to also keep an eye on our Fantasy Baseball Closer Depth Charts for saves, holds, and bullpens. They will be updated daily or sometimes even more often throughout the 2023 baseball season.
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Miami Marlins - Bullpen and Closer News
The Marlins have made two notable bullpen trades already, with them and the Twins agreeing on a rare 1-for-1 reliever deal. Miami sent Dylan Floro to Minnesota in exchange for Jorge Lopez. Both pitchers have been solid in the past but have mostly struggled this year. Floro figures to work in middle relief for the Twins while Lopez likely slots into a similar spot in Miami. The Marlins reportedly see something in Lopez that they hope to unlock to get him back to his All-Star form from last season.
The Fish also picked up one of the better relievers available on the trade market, grabbing David Robertson from the Mets late on Thursday night. Robertson was working as the Mets' closer, saving 14 games and posting a 2.05 ERA. With the recent struggles of A.J. Puk, Robertson figures to move right into the Marlins' closer role, with Puk and Tanner Scott working in setup roles. Meanwhile, Adam Ottavino should close for the Mets, but he could be traded before the deadline as well.
Risers: David Robertson, Adam Ottavino
Fallers: A.J. Puk
Philadelphia Phillies - Bullpen and Closer News
Since Craig Kimbrel established himself as "so back" this season, the Phillies have been using a mostly traditional bullpen approach, saving their closer for the ninth inning. That changed this week, as Kimbrel was deployed in the eighth inning of a game to face the opponent's 3-4-5 hitters. Gregory Soto then came in for the ninth inning and earned his second save of the year.
This type of "leverage" move was certainly an excellent one in terms of giving the Phillies the best chance to win, but is it a sign of new bullpen usage in Philadelphia or just a one-off situation? We'll have to wait and see since any trade acquisitions could mix in as well, along with Seranthony Dominguez, who was just activated off the IL. Still, Kimbrel has been good enough that he's almost sure to keep his job as closer.
Risers: none (Kimbrel is very good)
Fallers: none (Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto are both good holds options)
Arizona Diamondbacks - Bullpen and Closer News
The Diamondbacks are currently in the thick of the National League Wild Card race, despite their team leader in saves (Andrew Chafin) having just eight. It's been a struggle all season for Arizona relievers, and that was very evident this week as well. Chafin, Scott McGough, and Miguel Castro are all still being used for high-leverage innings, but it's Kevin Ginkel who has emerged as the new committee leader in the desert.
Ginkel doesn't have typical "closer stuff" as he doesn't miss a ton of bats (22.5 K%), but he's been good at preventing runs this season, posting a 2.31 ERA in 39 innings. His fantasy value seems temporary, however, as the Diamondbacks are certainly one of the teams most likely to make a trade for a closer before Tuesday's deadline. For now, Ginkel can probably help some teams in save-only formats.
Risers: Kevin Ginkel
Fallers: Andrew Chafin, Scott McGough
TRADES - Bullpen and Closer News
The Twins picked up Dylan Floro from the Marlins. He's been struggling lately after a solid start to the season, but he hasn't been able to get lefty batters out in a while. He'll likely pitch in middle relief in the Twins bullpen, severely limiting his already dwindling fantasy value.
The Angels said they weren't trading Shohei Ohtani because they planned on being buyers and they proved it this week by picking up Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez from the White Sox. Lopez has had an up-and-down season but has great swing-and-miss stuff and could end up as one of the primary setup arms in the Angels' bullpen. Meanwhile, the White Sox bullpen is likely to continue to lose relievers, but for now, Gregory Santos and Keynan Middleton see their holds league value rise a bit.
The Braves made two bullpen trades, picking up Pierce Johnson from the Rockies and Taylor Hearn from the Rangers. Both will be middle relievers in Atlanta with little fantasy value, but Johnson moving from Colorado puts Brad Hand back into the holds league conversation (at least until he hs traded).
Risers: Gregory Santos, Keynan Middleton, Brad Hand, Reynaldo Lopez (maybe)
Fallers: Dylan Floro, Pierce Johnson
Short Relief - Other Bullpen News
-Clay Holmes seems to have risen to the top of the Yankee committee and is now either the outright closer or at least the head of the committee with a significant lead over his competition.
-Similar trajectory for Adbert Alzolay in the Cubs bullpen. It seems like he's become the closer on most nights at the very least.
-A.J. Puk has been struggling and got a vote of confidence and then struggled some more, so keep an eye on the Marlins bullpen: Tanner Scott would be next in line, but they may go out and get someone before the deadline as well.
-A few setup guys proved themselves to be the "next man up" just in case anything happens to their team's closer. Andres Munoz, Bryan Abreu, and Lucas Sims all picked up saves this week on days that their team's closers (Paul Sewald, Ryan Pressly, and Alexis Diaz) weren't available.
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