X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Florio's Bullpen Report: Figuring Out Early-Season Usage

Jason Foley - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Michael F. Florio reviews bullpens that have changed, closers to add off the waiver wire, and relief pitchers who are useful for fantasy baseball heading into Week 2 of the 2024 season.

We are back! For those who have read this article in the past, you know the deal. For those new, welcome.

Every week, I write about bullpens that are changing their late-inning usage, and give some relievers you can speculate on that are trending toward save opportunities and elite strikeout and ratio relievers in fantasy baseball. This will allow you to not only stay up to date with current bullpen usage but to get ahead of closer changes before they happen. 

The elite ratio and strikeout arms are options you can roster to get a couple of elite innings each week. These are pitchers that you can use instead of back-end starters with tough matchups. The idea is three to four elite innings from one of these relievers is better than a potential blow-up outing by a shaky starter that could be even fewer innings. It is a way to manage your ratios throughout the season. Now, onto the bullpens!

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Changing Bullpens for Fantasy Baseball

The Brewers' late-inning bullpen usage was all the talk during the first weekend of the fantasy baseball season. With Devin Williams on the IL for the foreseeable future, there was a lot of speculation as to who would get the save opportunities in his absence.

Well, it didn’t take long to get the answer as Abner Uribe picked up consecutive saves in the first two games of the season. He was unavailable in the third game, which saw Joel Payamps close it out. The Brewers gave us the pecking order right away as it appears Uribe will be the primary closer, while Payamps will be the secondary option, meaning he could get save chances here and there.

Uribe was a popular waiver wire target this past weekend, but if he is available, he is worth up to 20 percent of your FAAB budget. Payamps should be rostered in deeper roto leagues if you are a save-needy team. He can be had for up to 3 percent of your budget. 

Sorry to those who paid up for Alex Lange in fantasy baseball drafts. So far, the Tigers' save chances have gone to anyone but last year's closer. If you read my bullpen articles coming into the year, I identified Jason Foley as a reliever who should outlive his draft cost.

While we are only a week in, that is looking good so far as he has picked up both of the Tigers' save chances so far. On Monday, he pitched a clean ninth. After the Tigers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the 10th, it was Shelby Miller closing things out and giving Foley the win. He is a must-roster reliever, and if he wasn’t already picked up in your league, you can spend up to 20 percent -- perhaps more if you are desperate for saves. 

The Diamondbacks do not have an official save yet this season, but we did see Kevin Ginkel close out the game with a four-run lead. With Paul Sewald landing on the IR, Ginkel is the presumed closer for the D-backs. The expectation is that Sewald will regain that job when he returns, but oblique strains can be tricky. Ginkel is worth up to 10 percent of your FAAB budget if you need saves.

The Mariners may have an official closer in Andres Munoz, but it does not mean they are always going to save him for the ninth. On Monday, we saw Munoz enter the eighth inning against the heart of the Guardians lineup. He did allow a run but ultimately held onto the lead. It was Ryne Stanek who pitched the ninth and recorded his first save. While Munoz is the top option to roster here, we will see him used in non-save chances at times. It dings his fantasy value for sure. Stanek is a deep league option who could get a handful of save chances. 

The Pirates bullpen has been the most frustrating for fantasy purposes so far. David Bednar cost a bunch in drafts, but after dealing with a lat injury this spring, he has only pitched two innings and has not been given a save chance yet. The Pirates already have four relievers who have picked up a save -- Aroldis Chapman, Hunter Stratton, Josh Fleming, and Jose Hernandez. We know Bednar will get all the chances once he is fully ready, but until then you can take a flier on Chapman due to his history as a closer. The others after him are more of a guessing game and I am not interested in that this early on in the season. 

 

Speculative Saves for Fantasy Baseball 

The Phillies will go with Jose Alvarado as their closer for the time being. So far in three outings, we have had the full Alvarado experience. He has picked up a save and is missing plenty of bats, but had a blow-up outing and currently sports a 16.87 ERA.

Yes, the ratios hurt, but that is life with Alvarado. He will look dominant at times and get completely shelled at others. But, as long as he is getting the save chances on one of the better teams in baseball, you have to live with it. This also could become a committee and we have seen Philly shy away from Alvarado when he struggled in the past.

If you have a roster spot and want to speculate on saves -- this is a good bullpen to do so. Fallback options here if Alvarado struggles are Seranthony Dominguez, Jeff Hoffman, and Yunior Marte

The Nationals have had one save chance this season and it went to veteran Kyle Finnegan, with Hunter Harvey pitching the eighth and picking up the win. That is the formula we saw for much of last year with Washington and it seems they are opting to keep it the same. Perhaps they are trying to build up trade value on Finnegan, or maybe they just trust him more. Either way, he is worth rostering in all leagues right now. Harvey is a great speculative add who could be used in the ninth when Finnegan is unavailable or if he struggles. 

The Cardinals' lone save this season went to Giovanny Gallegos. But this is an important example of why you can’t just box score scout. He picked up the save in the 10th after Ryan Helsley blew it in the ninth, allowing the tying run to score and ultimately picking up the win. That is an important caveat because the actual real ninth-inning save chance went to Helsley. He is the presumed closer and one that should be rostered everywhere. But, I wanted to point this out because Gallegos has a ton of closing experience and is clearly next in line should anything happen to Helsley. 

The Marlins' late-inning usage has been very frustrating and they don’t even have a recorded save yet this season. Tanner Scott came in Monday in the eighth inning of a tied game and got hit around a bit, allowing the go-ahead run to score and ultimately picking up his second loss of the season. While the ratios could certainly be better this early and the walks are an issue, Scott still has swing-and-miss stuff and still appears to be the option they trust most late in games. Nevertheless, this is a bullpen we have to monitor very closely early on. If you play in deep leagues and want to speculate, then Anthony Bender would be next in line. Although Sixto Sanchez has pitched well and could quickly become a multi-inning, elite ratio type of reliever. 

The Orioles have a set closer in Craig Kimbrel. But he did blow the save on Monday, ultimately picking up the win. Kimbrel is still a must-start reliever every week, but if he struggles, the Orioles have another excellent option in Yennier Cano. He can provide elite strikeouts and ratios and is one injury away from closing on one of the best teams in baseball. He is a tremendous speculative add. 

 

Elite Strikeouts and Ratios

The Blue Jays bullpen currently has a number of different streaming options -- all of which could be in play for saves as well. Chad Green, the longtime Yankee, has a history of averaging over a strikeout per inning and providing strong ERA and WHIP, even if he did not do so last year. Yimi Garcia is another strong source for strikeouts and WHIP, even if his ERA has fluctuated in the past. Genesis Cabrera was frequently included in this article last year but did not pan out. I rank him third of this bunch, behind Green and Garcia (in that order). If you are in a deep league, he is worth a speculative flier if you need saves. 

Kyle Muller is a name to keep an eye on. I know you’re reading this like “who?!?” as not many people watch the middle innings of Oakland A’s games. But, Muller has thrown eight innings already in his two appearances and has struck out a batter per inning while pitching to a 1.13 ERA and 0.50 WHIP. Obviously, this is still a very small sample size, but a reliever like this could be far better than trusting a back-end starter who may only give you four or five innings and is a risk of blowing up your ratios. 

Ryan Pressly is awesome. If you have played fantasy baseball in the past, then you already know this. He routinely strikes out over 30 percent of the batters he faces while posting very strong ERA and WHIP. In the past, he also provided saves, but with Josh Hader now in Houston, he has been pushed to the setup role. Still, he is an elite arm that can provide great strikeouts and ratios and is next in line to close on one of the best teams in baseball. He is perhaps the best reliever stash in all of fantasy right now. 

David Robertson is another strong stash. Not only does he have a long history as a closer, but we know he can miss bats and provide strong ratios. While Jose Leclerc is the closer for the Rangers, we have already seen him get shelled once this season. And if last year in any indication, the Rangers will not shy away from mixing things up late in the bullpen. Robertson is likely next in line should anything happen. Kirby Yates, who has been pitching the eighth, could be in the mix as well. Although my best guess is he remains in that role and Robertson would get the first crack if they made a change.

Make sure to follow Michael on X, @MichaelFFlorio. 



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Renato Moicano

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Beneil Dariush

Gets Back In The Win Column
Felipe Lima

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Payton Talbott

Bounces Back
Minkah Fitzpatrick

Heading Back to Miami
Jonnu Smith

Shipped to Pittsburgh
Alex Bowman

Competitive Run Ends With Third-Place Finish at Atlanta
Erik Jones

Secures A Top-Five Finish After Adversity In Atlanta
Tyler Reddick

Collects A New Career-Best Finish At Atlanta
Jalen Ramsey

Steelers Acquiring Jalen Ramsey
Kerry Carpenter

Leaves Game with Apparent Hamstring Injury
Brooklyn Nets

Day'Ron Sharpe Heads to Free Agency
Santi Aldama

Receives Qualifying Offer
Orlando Magic

Moritz Wagner has Team Option Declined
Jabari Smith Jr.

Signs Massive Extension
Jusuf Nurkić

Hornets Trading Jusuf Nurkic to Utah
Collin Sexton

Heading to Charlotte
Cam Thomas

Set for Restricted Free Agency
Milwaukee Bucks

Bobby Portis Staying in Milwaukee
Jonas Brodin

Expected to Miss Start of Next Season
TB

Conor Sheary Placed on Waivers for Contract Termination
Los Angeles Clippers

James Harden, Clippers Agree on a New Contract
Dante Fabbro

Stays with Blue Jackets on Four-Year Deal
Joel Hofer

Commits to Blues for Two More Years
Kevin Bahl

Signs Long-Term Extension with Flames
Oneil Cruz

Smacks Two Homers
Jordan Spence

Traded to Ottawa
Petr Mrazek

Heads to Anaheim
John Gibson

Red Wings Acquire John Gibson
Matthew Knies

Inks Six-Year Extension with Maple Leafs
Aaron Judge

Blasts Two Homers, Dealing With Back Issue
Claude Giroux

Signs One-Year Deal with Senators
Yordan Alvarez

has Chance to Return Next Weekend
Minnesota Timberwolves

Julius Randle Signs Three-Year Extension
Kelly Oubre Jr.

Opts into Player Option
Luis Robert Jr.

Heads to Injured List
Gabriel Arias

Carted Off on Sunday
Bryce Harper

Faces Live Pitching
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Remains Out on Sunday
Utah Jazz

Bojan Bogdanovic Retiring From Basketball
Los Angeles Lakers

Dorian Finney-Smith Declines Player Option
Jaylin Williams

Signing Three-Year Extension
LeBron James

Accepts Player Option
Anfernee Simons

"a Possible Re-Trade Candidate"
Chase Elliott

Ends Winless Skid With Atlanta Victory
Brad Keselowski

Falls Short of Atlanta Victory
NFL

NFL Won't Hold Supplemental Draft This Year
Damon Arnette

Getting Second Chance With Texans
Deommodore Lenoir

Arrested for Obstruction of Justice
Yordan Alvarez

Eyeing Return Before All-Star Break
Milwaukee Bucks

Kevin Porter Jr. Declining Player Option
Carson Hocevar

Recovers From Big One to Finish 10th at Atlanta
William Byron

Caught up in Atlanta Big One but Retains Points Lead
Denny Hamlin

Top In-Season Challenge Seed Denny Hamlin Eliminated in Lap 70 Crash
Ty Dillon

Bottom Seed Ty Dillon Upsets Denny Hamlin to Advance in In-Season Challenge
Quinn Priester

Fans 11 in One-Hit Gem
Toronto Raptors

Garrett Temple Returning to Toronto
Los Angeles Clippers

Nicolas Batum Declines Player Option
Spencer Schwellenbach

Dominant in Victory
Keon Johnson

Gets Team Option Picked Up
Rayan Rupert

Staying in Portland
Marvin Harrison Jr.

Expected to Make Second-Year Jump
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Out of Lineup Saturday
Jalin Hyatt

Looking to Flip the Script in 2025
Garrett Mitchell

to Undergo Shoulder Surgery
José Ramírez

Jose Ramirez in Guardians Lineup on Saturday
Kyle Larson

Don't Expect Kyle Larson to Win First Drafting Track Race on Saturday
Christopher Bell

Unlikely to Complete Atlanta Sweep
Brad Keselowski

Seeks Another Clutch Win for Hail-Mary Playoff Bid
Chris Buescher

Unlikely to Lead Enough to Have Much DFS Value
Alex Bowman

Qualifies Best Among Non-Fords but Unlikely to Contend at Atlanta
Ryan Preece

Will Probably Run Better Than Usual at Atlanta
Austin Dillon

Consistently Mediocre at Atlanta
Ty Gibbs

Slightly Faster Lately but Unlikely to be a Factor at Atlanta
Erik Jones

a Low-Key Strong DFS Option
Noah Gragson

Could Have DFS Value as One of the Lowest-Qualifying Fords
Riley Herbst

Unlikely to Replicate February Atlanta Finish
Ty Dillon

Could Benefit from Kaulig Speed
Chase Burns

Slated to Make Next Start on Monday
Dylan Sampson

Being Used as a Receiver
Carson Schwesinger

Figures to be in Full-Time Role in 2025
Cedric Tillman

Should Have Full-Time Role
Bryce Young

Looking More Comfortable, Showing More Intensity
Charlie Coyle

Blue Jackets Acquire Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood From Colorado
Jack Quinn

Signs Up for Two More Years with Sabres
Brandon Saad

Stays in Vegas on One-Year Deal
Trent Frederic

Inks Eight-Year Extension
Josh Naylor

Exits Friday's Contest Early with Neck Stiffness
Emil Heineman

Shipped to the Islanders
Noah Dobson

Traded to Montreal
John Tavares

Agrees to Four-Year Extension with Maple Leafs
Sam Bennett

Signs Eight-Year Extension with Panthers
NYI

Islanders Select Matthew Schaefer With No. 1 Pick in NHL Draft
José Berríos

Jose Berrios Tosses Seven Scoreless Innings in Fourth Win
Nick Martinez

Flirts With No-Hitter, Settles for Win
Gary Sánchez

Gary Sanchez Homers, Reaches Five Times in Onslaught
Trea Turner

Blasts Two Homers, Steals Base
Los Angeles Angels

Ron Washington to Remain on Medical Leave for Rest of the Season
Aaron Rodgers

Roman Wilson Could Fit Nicely With Aaron Rodgers
Josh Simmons

on Schedule to Open the Year as a Starter
Micah Parsons

Contract Length an Issue for Cowboys, Micah Parsons
Denver Broncos

Broncos Unsure How Their Running Back Room Will Look
Russell Wilson

Not the Only Leader in Giants Clubhouse
Jihaad Campbell

to Begin at Inside Linebacker
Josh Conerly Jr.

to Play Right Tackle for Now
Tyleik Williams

Expected to Fill Big Role Right Away
Malaki Starks

Should Make an Immediate Impact
Charles Oliveira

Can Become A Two-Time Lightweight Champion
Ilia Topuria

A Favorite At UFC 317
Kai Kara-France

Can Become The New Flyweight Champion
Alexandre Pantoja

Set For Fourth Title Defense At UFC 317
Joshua Van

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Brandon Royval

Looks For His Third Win In A Row
Renato Moicano

Returns At UFC 317
Beneil Dariush

An Underdog At UFC 317
Payton Talbott

Looks To Bounce Back
Felipe Lima

Set To Open Up UFC 317 Main Card
Daniil Tarasov

Panthers Bring in Daniil Tarasov
Frederick Gaudreau

Kraken Pick Up Frederick Gaudreau From Wild
Michael Thorbjornsen

Returns in Detroit at Rocket Classic
Adam Hadwin

Could Struggle Over the Weekend in Detroit
Cam Davis

Hopes Detroit Magic Can Spark Turnaround
Matt Wallace

a Boom-or-Bust Option at Rocket Classic
Joel Dahmen

Not Cutting it Lately
Michael Kim

Searching for Spark at Rocket Classic
Rasmus Hojgaard

a High-Ceiling Play in Rocket Classic
Matt McCarty

a Wild Card Heading into Detroit
Emiliano Grillo

Rolling into the Summer Season
Rickie Fowler

Looking for More Magic at Rocket Classic
Wyndham Clark

Brings High Upside to Detroit Golf Club
Max Greyserman

Could Make Noise at Rocket Classic
Akshay Bhatia

a Strong Value Play at Rocket Classic
Eric Cole

Hoping for Better Times at Rocket Classic
Beau Hossler

Searching for Form at Rocket Classic
PGA

Byeong Hun An in Good Form Heading into Rocket Classic
Cameron Young

Looking For Redemption and Possible First Career Victory in Detroit
Collin Morikawa

is The Headliner This Week in Detroit For Good Reason
Si Woo Kim

Back in Competition After Last Week's Withdrawal
PGA

Alex Noren Finishes Tied For 30th at Travelers Championship
Kurt Kitayama

Misses The Cut at RBC Canadian Open
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF