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Fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for closers, saves, and bullpen arms for Week 20 (2024). David's relief pitcher and bullpen updates, and closers to add.
Well, folks, that was a wild one. The trade deadline came and went, but it certainly made its presence known. There weren't as many *huge* trades as in some other years, and it seemed like there were fewer last-minute deals, but it was still an exciting baseball holiday and it still is sure to make a huge difference in the upcoming pennant race.
An elite closer we all thought would keep closing very suddenly won't. An upside guy goes to a team that does well with upside guys. Another upside guy might finally get his chance to show said upside. That, and SO much more covering this week's action in today's Closers and Saves Report, so read on!
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 2024 baseball season.
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Sunday Quick Hit Closer Updates
-Make sure to check the Diamondbacks bullpen update below! (Sewald out, no answer yet on who is in, although Ryan Thompson got his 2nd save this weekend)
-The Marlins look like they're going with Calvin Faucher as their closer. He got two save chances this weekend, converting one of them.
-Victor Vodnik now has five saves, and while standard fantasy baseball wisdom is, "avoid Rockies pitchers," there might be some deep league value there.
-Liam Hendriks has been cleared to throw to live batters and as long as that goes well, his next step should be a minor league rehab assignment.
-Tanner Scott and Emmanuel Clase are your NL and AL Relievers of the Month. Combined, they allowed one run in 20 2/3 innings, saving 14 games.
-Ben Joyce picked up the save on Saturday against the Mets, while Hunter Strickland pitched in the 7th inning and gave up two runs.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Saves
Michael Kopech, Los Angeles Dodgers (Rostered in 19% of leagues)
Kopech believers, stand up! The former White Sox starter-then-closer made the biggest trade-deadline jump in the standings, joining the Dodgers bullpen. For now, he's unlikely to jump right into the closer's role, but he seems to already be getting some leverage situations, and the Dodgers bullpen has been pretty fluid.
Daniel Hudson has been closing the most often, but L.A. seems to like using him in more of a fireman role, which could leave Kopech as the reserved ninth-inning guy. The Dodgers have plenty of history of taking upside relievers and turning them into all of that upside, so if Kopech is ever going to reach the tantalizing upside we've all heard of, it could be right now. He's not an immediate must-add, but anyone with room on their roster (and especially those in holds leagues) should look for him on the wire.
Michael Kopech strikes out the side in his Dodgers debut 👀🔥
— Sox On 35th (@SoxOn35th) August 1, 2024
Ben Joyce, Los Angeles Angels (Rostered in 30% of leagues)
Making his third appearance in a row on this list, Ben Joyce is no longer a speculative add but now a "no, for real, go get him" type of add. With Carlos Estevez traded to the Phillies and Luis Garcia traded to the Red Sox, the door is now wide open for Joyce and his 104 mph fastball to step into the closer's role. The Angels went ahead and gave Hunter Strickland (yes, Hunter Strickland) the first save chance in the post-deadline era, but Joyce got the fireman role in that eighth inning, facing the much stronger part of the opposing lineup. While it may be somewhat of a mix-and-match, Joyce should see the majority of leverage chances and has the stuff to be one of the better closers in the league if he gets enough chances.
Ben Joyce dropping a 87mph slider after a 104mph fastball is unfair. pic.twitter.com/FJIEC3uZQO
— Baseball’s Greatest Moments (@BBGreatMoments) July 16, 2024
Tyler Ferguson, Oakland Athletics (Rostered in 16% of leagues)
With elite closer Mason Miller on the injured list (although he's recovering quickly), the A's turned to Lucas Erceg as their closer. But only for a little while, as Erceg was shipped off to the Kansas City Royals at the trade deadline. Rookie pitcher Tyler Ferguson has stepped in to close for the A's, earning his second save of the season this week. Ferguson is a 30-year-old rookie who has a 4.01 ERA in his first 24 2/3 innings of big league work with decent ratios. His role as closer is certainly temporary, as Miller is expected back sooner than later. But for now, Ferguson could add some value to fantasy teams looking for a save or two a week.
HIT IT, FERGIE.
Tyler Ferguson says GOODNIGHT SAN FRANCISCO! #Athletics pic.twitter.com/J24cRwulez
— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) July 31, 2024
More Bullpen and Closer News
Miami Marlins
The Marlins roster after the trade deadline sure looks different than it did before, as expected. The bullpen especially saw some changes, as A.J. Puk went to the Diamondbacks, Huascar Brazoban went to the Mets, and JT Chargois went to the Mariners. In one of the bigger deals of the deadline, Bryan Hoeing and Tanner Scott went to the Padres. That leaves Calvin Faucher, Anthony Bender, and Andrew Nardi as the likely leverage guys in the Marlins bullpen, although wins might be hard to come by for the Fish Team. Faucher seems like the early favorite (he's only rostered in 4% of leagues), and he could help deep league teams desperate for another save a week.
San Diego Padres
The Padres bullpen was pretty good before the deadline. The Padres bullpen may be the best in the league after the deadline. They started by picking up Jason Adam from the Tampa Bay Rays, who should slot in as a very strong seventh-inning guy. Then, just a few hours before the deadline, they picked up the top reliever on the market, Tanner Scott from the Marlins. Scott should make his way into the eighth inning, with both him and Adam working ahead of closer Robert Suarez. (One of the best comments from the deadline: in Jason Adam and Tanner Scott, the Padres have picked up two more great relievers and four more first names.) Scott loses a ton of value in the deal in standard leagues, as he's unlikely to see consistent save opportunities on his new team.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Paul Sewald's seat has been pretty hot, although what isn't hot in Arizona right now? Newly acquired A.J. Puk could sneak in for some saves, but Kevin Ginkel seems like the more likely option (or just a committee approach) if Sewald is removed from the role. **UPDATE: Sewald was, in fact, removed from the role, with manager Torey Lovullo saying on Friday that he would be taking Sewald out of the ninth inning. He added that he has not yet decided who will take his place, so we can expect some version of a committee or mix-and-match approach, at least for now.
Short Relief - Other Bullpen News
-John Brebbia remains as the closer for the White Sox. As a team, they have more blown saves (28) than wins (27) for the season. Stay away regardless of his solidified role.
-The revamped Red Sox bullpen features Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia, but Kenley Jansen remains atop the depth chart in Boston. Jansen is dealing with a back issue right now, but the team does not seem to think it's anything too serious.
-James McArthur should be looking in the rearview mirror quite a bit now, with both Hunter Harvey and Lucas Erceg possibilities in the ninth inning for the Royals. The job belongs to "The General" for now, but much like the Earth, his seat is getting increasingly hotter.
-Yimi Garcia made his way to the Mariners in a trade and should work as the primary setup man ahead of Andres Munoz. Garcia is worth a roster spot in all holds leagues but does not need to be rostered right now in saves-only formats.
-The Phillies added to their bullpen, picking up Carlos Estevez from the Angels before the deadline. He'll join the "floating closer" situation in Philadelphia, with Matt Strahm, Jose Alvarado, and Jeff Hoffman along for the ride. Estevez might have the slightest nod in his favor, but this won't be a traditional one-inning closer situation, making all Phillies relievers much more valuable in holds leagues than in standard saves-only formats.
-Our Major League Baseball saves leader remains Ryan Helsley with 33, but now he's tied by Emmanuel Clase with 33 of his own. Kyle Finnegan has 28 before a fairly large gap between him and Craig Kimbrel and Robert Suarez, with 23 each.
-Hunter Harvey has taken the lead for himself in holds, with 28 split between his two teams. Andrew Kittredge sits in second with 27, followed by Bryan Abreu and JoJo Romero, each with 26.
-We have a new blown saves leader, as Clay Holmes sits atop the chart with eight. He's followed by Jalen Beeks with seven, then four different pitchers with six each.
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