July 7, 2017

David Marcillo looks at Week 14 closer performances around MLB, including bullpen changes. He identifies fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and adds for saves

With the Fourth of July now behind us, some great closers will be declaring their independence from their not-great teams soon. That should throw the fantasy world for a nice little spin.

It's still early in July though, and the deadline doesn't come until the 31st. Closers will keep closing, setup men will keep setting up. For now. But that spin is coming. Keep an eye on trade rumors and be ready to jump at the waiver wire as soon as any trade news breaks.

For the week that passed, no key bullpen arms switched teams, but there's still, as always, some bullpen news to report. Let's have a look.

Bullpen News for Week 14

Los Angeles Angels

The Angels got Bud Norris back, and it looks like he'll be resuming his closing duties. Imagine reading that sentence a couple of years ago. Anyway, Norris came off the disabled list this week and already picked up a save. With the rest of the Angels bullpen struggling, it's a safe bet that Norris will hop right back into the ninth inning. While no official announcement has been made by the team, Norris is the one to own from the American League AL bullpen. Cam Bedrosian remains the most talented, with Blake Parker close behind, but the saves will be going on Norris' stat line.

Texas Rangers

Sam Dyson began the season as the Rangers closer and was hilariously awful. So much so that he was placed on the DL, then was awful again, leading to his release. The San Francisco Giants picked him up in a, "hey, what's the worst that can happen? Our bullpen is already really bad anyway" move, and he's been more than solid. When closer Mark Melancon landed on the disabled list for the second time this season, Dyson took over and has been a perfect three-for-three in save chances so far. The Rangers and their fans can only sit and watch as their own bullpen struggles to close games.

Closer Matt Bush was removed from the role and many assumed Keone Kela would take over, but Kela was just placed on the DL himself with soreness in his throwing shoulder. Manager Jeff Banister confirmed that now the Rangers will be using a three man committee to close: Matt Bush, Alex Claudio, and Jose Leclerc. None of those are must-owns right now, but if any pitcher starts to separate himself from the rest, he'd be worthwhile in AL-only leagues and deeper mixed leagues as well. Bush's owners can hang onto him and hope for the best, or let him go if there's someone with better save odds hanging out on the waiver wire.

Baltimore Orioles

Orioles fans and Zach's owners rejoice: Britton is back! Orioles closer Zach Britton returned from the disabled list this week after an extended absence and already got a low-leverage inning in under his belt. He's more or less immediately the team's closer, although he may get a few more days off than usual for now. Britton is one of the elite closers in baseball, so he must be immediately activated off of all disabled lists. Brad Brach, on the other hand, can be let go by owners in need of someone off the wire. Brach's owners with some roster room, however, may want to hang on just in case Britton's return doesn't go as planned.

Roster Moves of the Week

Adds

Bud Norris, Los Angeles Angels - The Angels activated Norris off the DL and he quickly earned the first low-drama save for the Angels in a while. He seems ready to reclaim the role he left when he got hurt, and he's worth a roster spot in most formats.

Drops

Brad Brach, Baltimore Orioles - With the elite Zach Britton back in the Baltimore bullpen, Brach will only maintain value in holds leagues. In standard leagues, he is droppable, unless owners want to take a few more games to make sure Britton stays off the DL this time.

Best of the Week

Sam Dyson, San Francisco Giants- 3 IP, 3 SV, 2 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP

Yes, that Sam Dyson. The former Rangers closer crashed and burned his way to San Francisco, where he managed to post a perfect week, going 3-for-3 in save chances and allowing just one hit. He's currently owned in only 31% of fantasy leagues, so owners looking for saves might want to look for him.

Addison Reed, New York Mets- 3 1/3 IP, 3 SV, 3 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.60 WHIP

Mets closer Addison Reed had a strong week as well, posting three saves in three chances and allowing only two hits. He's been pretty solid all year, but is only owned in 66% of leagues right now. He's worth scooping up in all formats.

Felipe Rivero, Pittsburgh Pirates- 4 IP, 2 SV, 8 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP

Pirates closer Felipe Rivero only collected two saves this week despite tossing a full four innings, but he made up for it by racking up the strikeouts. Rivero struck out eight batters, making a full two-thirds of the outs he recorded on the week strikeouts. He's a huge upside closer who absolutely must be owned in all formats.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds

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