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

Week 27 MLB Closers and Saves Report

David A Marcillo looks at Week 27 closer performances around MLB for 2018, including bullpen changes. He identifies fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and adds for saves.

Well, this is it. The Fantasy Finals! Some leagues are already done, having crowned their champions last week. Others will bring it down to the bitter end, leading right up to the "real" playoffs. Here's hoping you're either still alive or have already been crowned champion. Thanks for coming along for another ride this season with Rotoballer's Closers and Saves Report!

The Angels got a rookie to close some games near the end of the season, but he'll make an early exit. The Braves found a power lefty to close for them, but mechanical issues caught up to him and they need him right for their playoffs. The Twins have had a hard time in the ninth inning all season, and this week was no exception. A closer started a game for Chicago, as the concept of the Opener spreads.

All that and more in this week's Closers and Saves Report, so let's dive into the news, the best performers, and any suggested moves for your fantasy team this week:

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

 

Bullpen News for Week 27

Los Angeles Angels

The Angels shifted things around a ton in the bullpen this season, with nine different pitchers earning saves. Blake Parker's 14 was the highest total in the pen. Rookie Ty Buttrey seemed to settle into the role nicely over the past couple of weeks, but he was shut down due to bursitis in his knee and veteran Jim Johnson actually earned a save this week. Assuming no trades or free agent signings, Buttrey might be the favorite for saves next season, but that all depends on Keynan Middleton's recovery from Tommy John Surgery.

Atlanta Braves

A.J. Minter was doing a pretty solid job as Atlanta's closer for a while, but some recent mechanical issues have led the Braves to use Arodys Vizcaino in the ninth inning again. Meanwhile, Minter is working on "getting right" before the Braves begin postseason play. Vizcaino could be sticking in the ninth inning for the playoffs, but assuming Minter can work things out in time, he should play a vital role in the late innings as well.

Minnesota Twins

The Twins had a hard time closing games out since making some deals around the July 31 trade deadline. Trevor Hildenberger had some good flashes, but he's had a very rough month of September. Manager Paul Molitor said he would be using this final week of the season to try different pitchers in different roles, presumably to do some early research for next season. Taylor Rogers or Trevor May will likely get any save chances the Twins have in these last few days.

 

Roster Moves of the Week

Adds

Arodys Vizcaino, Atlanta Braves - Vizcaino was dropped in a lot of leagues when he was overtaken by A.J. Minter and then in even more leagues when he ended up on the disabled list for a while. He's back, and he looks to be back in the closer's role as well. Anyone looking for a quick save or two on this final weekend might do well with "Viz."

Trevor May/Taylor Rogers, Minnesota Twins - One of Trevor May or Taylor Rogers will likely get any save chances this weekend for the Twins. Owners desperate for just one more save can flip a coin and choose one of these two.

Blake Parker, Los Angeles Angels - With Ty Buttrey's season over and Jim Johnson being 2018 Jim Johnson, Blake Parker seems like the logical choice if the Angels need to save a game this weekend.

Drops

A.J. Minter, Atlanta Braves - Minter is working things out with his delivery and mechanics and likely won't pitch another significant inning until the playoffs.

Ty Buttrey, Los Angeles Angels - Buttrey kind of came out of nowhere in the Angels bullpen and looked solid. He's an exciting arm to watch for next year, but he's been shut down this season due to bursitis in his knee.

 

Best of the Season

Given that this will be this season's final Closers and Saves Report, let's take a look at the best performers this season, instead of just this week:

Blake Treinen, Oakland Athletics - 79 1/3 IP, 98 K, 37 SV, 0.79 ERA, 0.83 WHIP

Seven runs. That's all that Blake Treinen has allowed this season. Seven runs. Many starting pitchers will have at least one start per season where they blow up and give up seven runs. Blake Treinen gave up that many in a whole season. He also saved 37 games and struck out 98 batters while walking just 21. It was an elite season from a guy who has to now be considered one of the elite closers in baseball.

Edwin Diaz, Seattle Mariners - 72 1/3 IP, 121 K, 56 SV, 1.99 ERA, 0.79 WHIP

Edwin Diaz had a chance to save 60 games this season, but it just didn't wind up that way. Still, 56 saves and 121 strikeouts in just over 72 innings of work is amazing. He walked just 17 batters and allowed 16 runs on 40 hits. He's another elite closer and was arguably the most valuable reliever in standard leagues this season.

Craig Kimbrel, Boston Red Sox - 61 1/3 IP, 93 K, 42 SV, 2.79 ERA, 1.01 WHIP

Craig Kimbrel helped lead the Red Sox to the best record in baseball, contributing 93 strikeouts and 42 saves in just over 61 innings of work. He looked like vintage Craig Kimbrel for most of the season and should be another strength on a team full of them heading into the postseason.

Josh Hader, Milwaukee Brewers - 79 IP, 140 K, 11 SV (21 HD), 2.28 ERA, 0.80 WHIP

Josh Hader had a ridiculous 140 strikeouts in just 79 innings of work. He only walked 29 in the process of racking up his 140 Ks. Hader was a top relief option in holds leagues, but even in standard leagues that only counted saves, his strikeout total and strong ratios were good enough to give him legitimate value even when he wasn't closing games.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers




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

Shohei Ohtani

Will Pitch "Sometime This Weekend"
Jackson Chourio

Absent on Wednesday With Hamstring Cramp
Roman Anthony

Officially Goes on Injured List
Jauan Jennings

Limited on Wednesday, Expected to Play in Week 1
Malik Nabers

Not on Initial Injury Report
Roman Anthony

"High Probability" Roman Anthony Lands on Injured List
Justin Thomas

Making Fourth Ryder Cup Team Appearance at Bethpage
Ben Griffin

Making First Career Ryder Cup Appearance at Bethpage
Bryson DeChambeau

Set to be Part of Team USA at Bethpage
Jason Adam

to Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
Roman Anthony

Will Undergo MRI on Wednesday
Santi Aldama

Bags Double-Double in Losing Effort
Guerschon Yabusele

Erupts for 36 Points Against Poland
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Leads Slovenia Into Next Round at EuroBasket
San Antonio Spurs

Stanley Umude Signs Training Camp Deal With Spurs
Reece Beekman

Joins Magic for Training Camp
Justin Minaya

Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Magic
Travis Hunter

Jaguars List Travis Hunter as Starting Wide Receiver, Backup Cornerback
Kyle Tucker

Leaves With Calf Tightness on Tuesday
Alexandre Sarr

to Miss Rest of EuroBasket
Max Scherzer

Blue Jays Confident Max Scherzer Will Make Saturday Start Despite Back Tightness
Roman Anthony

Leaves Early With Back Injury
Jared McCain

"On Pace" for Training Camp
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Done for the Year With Torn ACL
Luke Hughes

Devils Optimistic About Signing Luke Hughes
Martin Fehérváry

Martin Fehervary on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Dylan Holloway

Good to Go for Start of Season
Nick Kurtz

Back in Action on Tuesday
Josh Morrissey

Fully Healthy for Start of Season
Dennis Hildeby

Signs Three-Year Extension With Maple Leafs
Nick Lodolo

Scratched With Illness
Dalton Kincaid

Role Not Expected to Grow?
Quinshon Judkins

Zero Chance Quinshon Judkins Plays Against Bengals?
Najee Harris

Says He's Expecting to Play Against Chiefs
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Departs Monday with Quad Injury
Franz Wagner

Collects Double-Double in Blowout Win
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Achieves Rare Numbers at EuroBasket
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Dominates Against Sweden
Stefon Diggs

Expected to Suit Up in Week 1
Kristaps Porzingis

Finding Form at EuroBasket
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Suffers Minor Injury at EuroBasket
DJ Moore

Bears Experimenting with DJ Moore in Backfield
Rome Odunze

Could Move All Around the Offense
Carolina Panthers

Dave Canales Comfortable With Panthers' Young Receivers
Quinshon Judkins

Not Considering NCAA Return
Dallas Goedert

Healthy for Week 1
Marvin Mims Jr.

Returns to Practice Monday
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Carted Off Monday With Knee Injury
Jason Adam

Diagnosed With Ruptured Left Quadriceps Tendon
Victor Wembanyama

Looking "Quite Stellar"
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Scratched on Monday
Matthew Stafford

Expected to Start in Week 1
Edward Cabrera

Heading to Injured List With Elbow Sprain
Najee Harris

Cleared for Contact, Could Play in Week 1
Denny Hamlin

Ends Eventful Day at Darlington in Seventh Place
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Almost Earns a Top-Five Finish at Darlington
John Hunter Nemechek

has His Best 2025 Performance at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

Has An Underwhelming Performance At Darlington
Josh Berry

Crashes Early and Suffers A Playoff Setback at Darlington
Harry Ford

Called Up for Major-League Debut
Victor Scott II

Activated From Injured List
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Dealing With Hamstring Tightness, Expects to Play Monday
Giannis Antetokounmpo

"Staying in Milwaukee"
Thanasis Antetokounmpo

Agrees to a One-Year Contract with Milwaukee
Kyrie Irving

"Healing Up Great"
Dante Exum

Mavs Agree on a One-Year Deal
Jaylen Warren

Agrees to Two-Year Extension With Steelers
De'Von Achane

Practicing Monday, on Track to Play in Week 1
Quinshon Judkins

Could Report to Browns This Week
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs, Trent McDuffie Not Expected to Finalize Extension
Chase Elliott

Under Playoff Pressure After 17th-Place Darlington Finish
Kyle Larson

Despite Hendrick Mediocrity, Kyle Larson Remains Pretty Safe in Playoffs
Alex Bowman

Opening-Lap Crash and Botched Pit Stop May Have Sunk Alex Bowman's Playoff Hopes
Erik Jones

Darlington Master Erik Jones Comes Up Short but Still Finishes Third
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Impresses at Southern 500
Dameon Pierce

Ahead of Schedule, Ready for Season
Jordan Love

May Wear Thumb Brace During Season
Matt Chapman

Leaves Early on Sunday, Expects to Play Monday
Daniel Suarez

is A DFS Risk for Darlington Lineups?
Noah Gragson

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Noah Gragson for Darlington?
Ty Dillon

is an Excellent Punt Option for Darlington DFS Lineups
Bogdan Bogdanović

Bogdan Bogdanovic to Miss the Rest of EuroBasket
Denny Hamlin

Picking Up Where He Left Off At Darlington
Kyle Larson

The Sky Is The Limit for Kyle Larson at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

a Strong DFS Play at Darlington This Weekend
Tyler Reddick

Shouldn't Be Overlooked at Darlington This Weekend
Alex Bowman

An Easy Place-Differential Play in DFS This Weekend
Ty Gibbs

Could Be Strong at Darlington This Weekend
Erik Jones

Has Best Darlington Qualifying Effort Since Last Win
Zane Smith

Hopeful For Another Solid Run At Darlington
Dallas Mavericks

Olivier-Maxence Prosper Waived by the Mavs
Lauri Markkanen

Dominant in Win Over Great Britain

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP