RADIO
Michael Florio's fantasy baseball closers, saves and bullpen report for Week 22. He looks at all 30 MLB bullpens for under-the-radar fantasy baseball relievers.
If you have fallen behind in the saves category or are in need of some relievers that can help your ratios, this is the perfect time of year for you to strike. Yeah, we had all the early season bullpen changes and the trade deadline which completely mixed things up. But if you are still in need of closers, this is typically the time of year where some players take their eye off the prize.
Fantasy football draft season is here and many players are gearing up for their drafts. Additionally, the fantasy baseball season is a marathon and we are nearly five months in. Many of the teams towards the top of the standings will remain competitive, but the ones lower very well may shift their attention to football and other leagues.
Additionally, this is towards the time of the year where you should worry about preserving your ratios if you are ahead in those standings. Rather than streaming fringe starters, you can stream some of these elite ratio and strikeout relievers.
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Changing Bullpens
Baltimore Orioles
Over the last month, the Orioles have just three saves. Cole Sulser has two in that stretch and has pitched to a 1.74 ERA in that span. Dillon Tate has picked up the other, but he has a 5.59 ERA in this stretch. We have also seen Tyler Wells be used in some late-inning situations. Look, the Orioles simply do not win enough games to speculate for saves. Sulser is the long reliever to roster here, as his ERA warrants that. The rest can be left on the wire for now.
Chicago Cubs
Over the last month, the Cubs leader in saves? Craig Kimbrel with two. Codi Heuer, Kyle Ryan, Manuel Rodriguez and Keegan Thompson all have a save each since the trade deadline. Heuer has picked up the last save for the Cubs and of the pitchers that have had a save for the Cubs since the deadline, he is the only one with a sub-four ERA in that span. This is going to be a frustrating bullpen, but Heuer is the top option to roster, followed by Manuel Rodriguez, Rowan Wick, Kyle Ryan and Keegan Thompson.
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds bullpen continues to be one of the biggest mysteries of the fantasy baseball season. In the past two weeks though there has been some stability, as Mychal Givens has picked up three saves in the last two weeks. Michael Lorenzen is the only other pitcher with a save in that span. This bullpen has led us to think there is a set closer before only to pull the rug out from under us, but for now, Givens seems to be the one to trust. Lorenzen is the backup option, but they still have Lucas Sims and Amir Garrett looming in the background.
Kansas City Royals
This bullpen is like the JV version of the Reds bullpen in the sense that it has been changing all season long. In the last two weeks, it has been Jake Brentz leading them with two saves, while Richard Lovelady has one. Brentz has pitched to a 2.35 ERA, 30 percent strikeout rate and a 1.17 WHIP in that span. He is clearly the top arm to roster in this bullpen. Lovelady is second as he has a 3.86 ERA, 2.56 xFIP, 29 percent strikeout rate and a 0.86 WHIP in that span.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates do not have a save opportunity in the past two weeks. David Bednar appears to be the favorite to pick up saves, if they ever get a chance. In the last 14 days, Bednar has pitched to a 1.69 ERA, 2.63 xFIP, 38 percent strikeout rate and a 0.75 WHIP.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners traded away Kendall Graveman and acquired Diego Castillo at the deadline, switching a lot of this bullpen up. Castillo does not have a save in the past two weeks, but Paul Sewald and Drew Steckenrider each have a save. In that span Steckenrider has a 1.29 ERA, 5.40 xFIP, 17 percent strikeout rate and a 1.29 WHIP. Sewald on the other hand has a 7.71 ERA, 2.46 xFIP, 35 percent strikeout rate and a 1.07 WHIP. It’s weird to recommend the pitcher with an ERA over seven, but all the underlying stats point to him being the better option. Castillo would be the third option to stream in this bullpen.
Tampa Bay Rays
Remember when we knew who would get the saves for the Rays earlier in the season? Well, they are fully back to doing things the Rays way. In the past two weeks they have picked up two saves that have gone to Evan Phillips and Ryan Sherriff, but we can see Andrew Kittredge, J.T. Chargois, Adam Conley and Drew Rasmussen involved. This is a bullpen to monitor but more importantly, one to not spend a lot of FAAB on trying to guess who may get the next save chance.
Washington Nationals
Kyle Finnegan has the Nats only save chance in the last two weeks and they have consistently turned to him in late-inning scenarios. He will not provide a ton of strikeouts (five percent strikeout rate) or ratios (2.08 ERA, 1.38 WHIP), but he appears to be a safe bet to get the save chances in this bullpen.
Elite Ratio Relievers
Over the last month, A.J. Minter has a 55 percent strikeout rate along with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP.
Pierce Johnson has pitched to a 42 percent strikeout rate along with a 0.77 ERA and 0.86 WHIP and a 3.05 xFIP. He won’t get you saves, but he will give you strikeouts and ratios.
Devin Williams has pitched to 39 percent strikeout rate with a 0.00 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP and a 2.65 xFIP in the past month. He gets overlooked cause Josh Hader is in the same bullpen, but he continues to be a great source of ratios.
Kendall Graveman may have been dropped after being traded. If so, look to grab him off the waiver wire. He has pitched to a 40 percent strikeout rate with a 0.67 WHIP and a 4.50 ERA with a 2.65 xFIP. He is still the elite ratio reliever, just minus the save chances.
Adam Morgan has pitched to a 39 percent strikeout rate with a 1.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with a 2.05 xFIP. With so much being up in the air in the Cubs bullpen, he could also see save chances at some point.
Make sure to follow Michael on Twitter, @MichaelFFlorio
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