Welcome to the last Closing Time of the offseason, as next Tuesday we will have real MLB regular season news to talk about. While Spring Training is wrapping up, there was one major move in the closer market over the past week, that being the Dodgers’ acquisition of Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel’s L.A. debut was not particularly inspiring, but nonetheless, I think he’s safe to target as a top-six closer right now given the sheer volume of saves he’ll see while providing an elite strikeout rate. Even with Blake Treinen’s value fading already, this move makes him droppable in standard 12-teamers. On the flip side of this trade, Kendall Graveman and Aaron Bummer are now next in line should anything happen to Liam Hendriks in Chicago.

 

Notes

 

• In San Diego, I think we are finally close to being able to commit to a closer, and that closer is likely Robert Suarez. Suarez has been great this spring, has two great offerings in his fastball and slider, and comes in with plenty of closer experience overseas. He also has the advantage of being new to the league, with hitters not having a book on him yet, and we’ve seen over the years how pitchers coming over from Japan and Korea have had immediate success in year one before hitters get a chance to figure them out. The question now is, who will be next in line when everyone is healthy?
• In a surprising turn of events, Gabe Kapler named Jake McGee as his closer to start the season, which certainly isn’t what those who drafted Camilo Doval early in drafts were hoping to hear. I still have a gut feeling that Doval winds up leading this team in saves, as I’m just not crazy about McGee at this point, but the situation waters down both of their respective values. If Doval (or even McGee) are falling to the very end of your standard 12-team drafts, I think he’s worth a pick as the upside is just too tantalizing.

 

• The Rangers’ closer roller coaster is already in full swing, with Joe Barlow going from not being the closer a week ago to now likely being the closer again. That said, this does hurt Barlow’s value as we can’t seem to trust Chris Woodward to stick with him throughout the season. But for now, Barlow is the only candidate on the roster that makes sense, as Matt Bush has thrown a total of 27 innings over the past five years and Garrett Richards is likely destined for more of a multi-inning role.
• The Cubs’ four-headed closer monster remains intact, so who will lead the team in saves this season? I get the feeling David Robertson will open the year in the role, but that’s far from guaranteed, and at this point I don’t think this situation is really worth chasing anyway. Mychal Givens would be the ideal option, and if we do see him get a save opportunity early on he would be worth a speculative add, but outside of him, I’d probably just let someone else in my league deal with the headache.

 

• The Orioles decided to get rid of their top two relievers in Cole Sulser and Tanner Scott this past weekend as they fully committed to tanking for the upcoming season, and it leaves us with plenty of questions as to who they will turn to for saves from here. It looks like it will come down to Jorge López vs. Dillon Tate, and if you really feel the need to take a shot on someone here, I’d say make it López, because at least there is some strikeout upside.
• On the other side of that trade in Miami, things also got a bit murkier as we now have 5-6 relievers battling for the closer role. It sounds like Dylan Floro won’t miss a lot of time to start the year, but even a short IL stint could mean he loses the role depending on how the team starts. This is another situation I’m probably steering clear of, with the exception being a late-round flier on Anthony Bender or Sulser.

 

• Similarly in Cincinnati, the Reds will be without their perceived closer to start the season as well, and it sounds like some combo of Luis Cessa or Hunter Strickland will fill in for the time being. That being said, the closer here ideally would be Art Warren, as he is the most talented in the group, and would be the best choice from a fantasy perspective. But just because he’s the best reliever on the team doesn’t  mean he will close out games. Like Bender, I’d still target Warren late in drafts just in case he does win the job, but I’m not expecting the Reds to do what’s best for the team.
• Last but, well least, the Rockies have yet to commit to Alex Colomé as their closer, with manager Bud Black telling reporters he wants a closer with strikeout ability. That certainly sounds more like Daniel Bard than Colomé, but once again, this is probably a situation to steer clear of outside of deeper leagues, or unless Robert Stephenson could sneak into the role.

 

Rank	Pitcher	Change
1	Josh HaderT1	-
2	Liam Hendriks	-
3	Raisel Iglesias	-
4	Edwin Díaz T2	-
5	Craig Kimbrel	+UR
6	Ryan Pressly	-1
7	Emmanuel Clase	-1
8	Jordan Romano T3	-1
9	Taylor Rogers	-1
10	Kenley Jansen	-
11	Aroldis Chapman	-
12	Giovanny Gallegos T4	-3
13	Scott Barlow	-1
14	Corey Knebel	+3
15	Mark Melancon	+3
16	Andrew Kittredge T5	+3
17	Paul Sewald	+3
18	Gregory Soto	+3
19	Matt Barnes	-3
20	David Bednar	-6
21	Jake McGee	+UR
22	Emilio Pagán	+UR
23	Lou Trivino T6	+1
24	Kyle Finnegan	+2
25	Joe Barlow	-3
26	David Robertson	+UR
27	Luis Cessa	+UR
28	Daniel Bard	+UR
29	Jorge López	+UR
30	Anthony Bass	+UR

 

 

Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)