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One of the this season's best closers hit the disabled list this past week, crippling the saves output for many fantasy teams. Hopefully Andrew Miller's fantasy owners were able to snag Dellin Betances as a handcuff option earlier in the season.
For those not so lucky, there are still other free agent options remaining on most waiver wires who should be able to pick up plenty of saves as we head into week 11.
Editor's Note: Bookmark our MLB Closers & Saves Depth Charts for the latest look at all the current closers, setup men, longshots and relief pitcher waiver wire adds.
Waiver Wire Saves & MLB Bullpen Report for 6/12/2015
Dellin Betances (RP, New York Yankees)
He might be the best reliever in all of baseball, and he is now the new closer in the Bronx. The 6'8" right-hander was rightfully owned in a lot of leagues even before Miller's injury. He's currently sitting at 86 percent ownership in ESPN leagues, which means some owners still have an opportunity to grab this elite closer as a free agent. Betances has allowed just one earned run in 32.1 innings this year with a 54:14 K:BB ratio while operating as a set-up man, but the 27-year-old should have no problem continuing his dominance in the ninth inning thanks to his upper 90s fastball and nasty wipeout slider.
Carson Smith (RP, Seattle Mariners)
Smith has been a recommended grab for weeks, but now that Fernando Rodney has been at least temporarily removed from the closer's role to work on his mechanics, Smith becomes a must add for all owners looking for saves. His second save of the season came last Friday against the Indians, but he did allow one run during the outing. Nevertheless, the 25-year-old has been too good all season to not control the ninth inning for Seattle going forward. Despite his 29:5 K:BB ratio in 26 innings this season with a 1.38 ERA and 0.73 WHIP, he is owned in just 25 percent of ESPN leagues. That number should substantially rise now that he's the Mariners first option for save opportunities.
Pedro Strop (RP, Chicago Cubs)
After manager Joe Maddon announced last week that Hector Rondon will no longer be used exclusively in the ninth inning, Strop got the first crack at a save opportunity and converted by striking out two batters during a one-two-three inning. Then Jason Motte got the next save chance for the Cubs, but only with Strop reportedly unavailable out of the bullpen. The team recently signed Rafael Soriano to a minor-league deal but it was reported that he wont reach the big leagues until after the all-star break. To top it off, Rondon closed out the win on Thursday night for the Cubbies, looking sharp enough to warrant a longer leash. Strop will be the favorite for most of the saves if Rondon struggles in the slightest and he should be a hot commodity on the waiver wire considering he is owned in just 12 percent of ESPN leagues.
Jake McGee (RP, Tampa Bay Rays)
With Brad Boxberger taking a few days to rest his ailing forearm earlier in the week, it seems that Jake McGee may have found the opportunity he needed to reclaim the Rays' closer role he held in 2014. McGee lockforward to ed down his first save of the year on Wednesday the 10th, pitching a scoreless inning vs. the Angels while allowing just 1 hit and racking up two strikeouts. McGee has been flawless this year since returning from an injury that sidelined him the first six weeks of the season, and it wouldn't surprise us to see him hold the closer role the rest of the year. That makes him a great waiver wire pickup if he's still available in your league. Just be aware that Boxberger, who was one of the most dominant closers in the Majors from April - May, is now healthy and has made appearances in two straight days. The Rays are always unconventional so it remains to be seen how this will shake out exactly. The wise owner would be rostering both of these players right now.
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