Florio's Bullpen Report: Start Thinking About Trade Deadline, Arms to Stream

Michael Florio reviews bullpens that have changed, closers you can add off the waiver wire and relief pitchers who are useful for fantasy baseball heading into Week 9.

Are you in need of bullpen help? Have the relievers you drafted not lived up to expectations or have they suffered a pesky injury? Maybe the arms you tried streaming keep blowing up in your face. Well, you have come to the right place! 

Not only will this article give you the latest closer movement, but we are inching closer and closer to trade season in the MLB. If you are in need of saves, it is never too early to start thinking of which closers could be dealt. We could see the Diamondbacks trade one or both of their veteran relievers (Mark Melancon and Ian Kennedy). Other potential closer trade candidates include David Robertson of the Cubs, Daniel Bard of the Rockies, Tanner Rainey of the Nationals, David Bednar of the Pirates, or whichever of the Reds relievers you consider their closer. If you have been streaming through relievers, grab one of the next in line in these situations. 

While it may seem tough to find some saves on the waiver wire, they will certainly be coming as trades are made. It happens every year. So save some of your FAAB and be ready to pounce when a new closer appears. 

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Changing Bullpens for Fantasy Baseball

The Mariners bullpen has been an interesting one all year. Drew Steckenrider started the year as the save leader and then was sent down to Triple-A. In the last two weeks, Paul Sewald has picked up two saves, while Diego Castillo has picked up one and two wins. We should expect to see a committee between those two moving forward, with Sewald the likely favorite to see the opportunity on a given night. Of course, Ken Giles is working his way back from injury and is a great stash candidate right now. 

The Red Sox have not picked up a save in the past two weeks. With Hansel Robles and Matt Barnes on the IR, this bullpen is wide open and any clue could help. We have seen multiple relievers warming up for save chances in the last couple of weeks, which likely means we can see different relievers used depending on the situation. But for now, John Schreiber would be the option I take a shot on here first. Matt Strahm is another one, and of course, Robles is as well once he returns. 

Andrew Kittredge is back from the IL and retakes his position as the favorite for a save chance for the Rays. Of course, with the Rays, nothing is ever absolute. Of course, him pitching poorly could lose him that title. He came in the eighth on Tuesday night and allowed the game-tying run to score. The Rays opted to use Brooks Raley in the ninth of a tie game and then Colin Poche in extras. He ended up picking up the win. Right now, Kittredge should be viewed as the top option for saves, but Poche and J.P. Feyereisen, who has been filthy, are also options, and Jason Adam remains a sleeper in this bullpen. 

Save Speculations for Fantasy Baseball

There isn’t necessarily a change in the Giants bullpen, but we did see Camilo Doval pitch in the sixth inning not once, but twice against the Marlins this past weekend. It was weird, to say the least. To settle the nerves a bit, he did pitch the ninth with a four-run lead on Sunday. He remains the favorite for saving opportunities in San Francisco, but you just never know with Gabe Kapler. If they indeed decided to get others involved Dominic Leone, Tyler Rogers, and Jake McGee would be the next options. I rank them in that order.  

The Reds bullpen has been gross for two years now. And not in the sense of them struggling, which they have, but it has also been insanely unpredictable for fantasy purposes. Well, it looks like things may slightly be changing. Tony Santillan is starting to take over a bit, seeing two saves in the past week. Art Warren has one as well. 

The Marlins bullpen has been unreliable, to say the least, this year. Last week, I was starting to think Cole Sulser could be taking over. Then in the last week, the only save chance went to Tanner Scott. The issue is that Scott has an ERA of 6.75 in the past two weeks, while Sulser sits at 11.25 in that span. Granted, Coors Field will do that to a person. Scott, then Sulser, followed by Dylan Floro, is the order to take a shot on this bullpen - but it's best left only for the desperate. 

Elite Strikeout and Ratio Relievers

Over the past month, no reliever has thrown more innings than Keegan Akin at 19.1. Not only is he giving starter innings, but he has pitched to a 1.86 ERA, 3.32 SIERA, and 0.88 WHIP with a 26 percent strikeout rate. If you play in a deeper league, rather than using a fringe starter who can get blown up, feel free to stream Akin. 

Eli Morgan has been awesome as of late. He has pitched 15 innings in the past month, posting a 0.60 ERA, 1.57 SIERA, and 0.40 WHIP with a 39 percent strikeout rate. He also should be next in line for saves in Cleveland if anything should happen to Emmanuel Clase. He is a great pickup in any format right now. 

Of bullpen pitchers who have thrown double-digit innings in the past month, Morgan is the only reliever to have a lower WHIP than Jimmy Herget. In that span, the Angels reliever has posted a 0.44 WHIP with a 1.32 ERA, 2.66 SIERA, and a 27 percent strikeout rate. He can provide elite numbers, even if he does not get the save chances. 

Devin Williams just continues to be elite. In the past month, no reliever who has thrown more than five innings has a higher strikeout rate than him at 47 percent. He is just higher than teammate Josh Hader (46 percent) in that span. Williams has pitched to a 1.03 WHIP, 2.53 ERA, and 1.72 SIERA in that span. He continues to be an elite option even if he does not get saves. 

Make sure to follow Michael on Twitter, @MichaelFFlorio.

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