Florio's Bullpen Report: Romano, Harvey Returns Shake Things Up

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 21 of the 2023 season.

It’s that time of the year when some fantasy baseball managers start to look ahead to fantasy football. Those teams that are at the bottom of the standings may go into cruise control. 

But if you’re reading this it means you’re still fighting for a fantasy baseball championship. And luckily for you, if someone else falls asleep at the wheel, it just means less competition to grab relievers off the waiver wire.

While the trade deadline is behind us and there won’t be any major shakeups like that again this season, it is still important to monitor late-inning usage around the league. So let's get into the latest bullpen report.

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Changing Bullpens for Fantasy Baseball

Jordan Romano returned from the IL for the Blue Jays on Tuesday, August 15, and immediately picked up a save. He struck out two batters and threw a perfect inning; Romano is a top closer option moving forward. However, for those who have Jordan Hicks, I would not drop him just yet. He still provides elite strikeouts and ratios while also potentially picking up some save chances especially if the Blue Jays want to limit Romano pitching in consecutive games early on. 

The Nationals saw Hunter Harvey return on Tuesday and he pitched a clean ninth inning, despite it not being a save situation. Manager Davey Martinez said that Kyle Finnegan will remain as the team's closer so he can continue to be started moving forward. Still, the leash is much shorter for Finnegan with an active Harvey. We have already seen them make that swap once this season. Harvey is worth a stash, at the very least he provides strikeouts and ratios. 

The Tigers' bullpen has undergone a lot of shakeups as of late. In the last two weeks, four different pitchers have picked up a save. Beau Brieske is the only player with more than one in that span. Alex Lange, who had operated as the primary closer all year, does not have a save in that span and has an ERA over five. Jason Foley is currently the top option to roster in this bullpen. Brieske is worth a flier for those managers in deeper leagues. 

The White Sox bullpen has been tough to rely upon all year. So far in August, there have been three different pitchers picking up a save. Gregory Santos has two, Bryan Shaw has one, as does Jimmy Lambert. Santos has been the most effective pitcher with an ERA of 1.59, 0.88 WHIP, and a 27 percent strikeout rate. He is the top option here, but Shaw and Lambert are worthy of a flier for teams in need. 

Speculative Saves for Fantasy Baseball

The Mets bullpen is best left for those who are desperate for saves. Since the trade deadline, they have picked up just two saves. Adam Ottavino has a save and so does Phil Bickford. Those are the top two options here, in that order, but Brooks Raley and Drew Smith could also steal save opportunities away. If there is anything to watch here, it's whether or not Edwin Diaz pitches in September. 

The Cardinals traded their closer away at the deadline and have since picked up just two saves. One of those went to Giovanny Gallegos and the other to JoJo Romero. Romero has been the more effective pitcher of the two in that small sample size, but Gallegos has a ton of experience closing for this team. He is the option to roster and start but Romero is in play for those who are in search of potential saves off the waiver wire. 

The Rangers have stuck with Will Smith as their closer despite talks of a committee when they acquired Aroldis Chapman. However, Smith blew his last save chance. It could be nothing, but it could lead to Chapman being used in some save chances. Smith is still a must-start, but Chapman is worthy of rostering. At the very least, he gives you strikeouts and good ratios. He has the third lowest xERA amongst relievers behind only Josh Hader and Felix Bautista. Plus, he is next in line on a very good team and those are the types of relievers to take a shot on this late in the season. 

The Royals bullpen is changing but not in a good way. After they traded their top two late inning arms the expectation by many was that Carlos Hernandez would close out games for Kansas City. That has not been the case though. Since the trade deadline, their lone save has gone to Austin Cox, who has an ERA over 10 in that span. It is still better than Hernandez, whose ERA is over 13 over that same mark. These are the top two options here, but this bullpen needs to be monitored. It's only worth taking a shot if you are desperate for saves. 

Elite Strikeouts and Ratios for Fantasy Baseball

Yennier Cano is one of the top non-closers to roster. He has pitched to a 1.75 ERA, 3.20 xERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 24 percent strikeout rate on the year. He has also picked up the occasional save when Felix Bautista is unavailable, totaling four on the season. He should be rostered in Roto formats. 

If you need ratios, Tyler Rogers is a pitcher for you. He has the fourth lowest xERA amongst relievers (2.13) with a 2.51 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and a 19 percent strikeout rate. He only has two saves on the season so you can’t rely on him there, but he can help in the other categories. 

Colin Holderman is the next man up in Pittsburgh as he picked up a save this week when David Bednar was unavailable. He has pitched to a 3.21 ERA, 3.52 xERA, 1.29 WHIP, and a 27 percent strikeout rate. He remains widely available and can provide solid ratios and the occasional save. 

Matt Koch has been very effective for the Rockies this season. He has pitched to a 1.57 ERA, 1.90 xERA, 0.65 WHIP, and an 18 percent strikeout rate. Those are great ratios that can certainly help fantasy teams out there. You likely will not get any saves out of him as he has not picked one up this season, but the ratios are extremely useful in roto formats.

Make sure to follow Michael on Twitter, @MichaelFFlorio. 

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