The Trade Deadline came and went yesterday with a flurry of activity and plenty of changes to the back end of bullpens. One closer on the move yesterday was Archie Bradley, who was shipped to the Reds for Josh VanMeter and Stuart Fairchild. It remains to be seen who closes out games in Cincinnati, but the Reds have been known to like Raisel Iglesias better in non-save situations, so I’d consider Bradley the frontrunner at the moment.
Notes
- Nick Anderson has yet to return from the IL, but assuming his bullpen yesterday went well, he should be in line to return this week. He, like Giovanny Gallegos, should get the bulk of the save opportunities, but may also be used earlier in games when needed.
- Trevor Rosenthal is now in San Diego, and I imagine the plan is for him to slide right into the closer role with Emilio Pagan and Drew Pomeranz assuming their setup roles from the beginning of the season. The Padres also added three Mariners relievers, with Taylor Williams being one, but I don’t think he has a realistic shot at the closer role despite having six saves on the season.
- Tier 5 is just one big cluster at this point, with a bunch of new names thanks to the trade deadline and injuries. Most if not all of these situations are fluid and can be considered committees so roster at your own risk.
| Rank | Pitcher | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liam HendriksT1 | +2 |
| 2 | Josh Hader | -1 |
| 3 | Aroldis Chapman | -1 |
| 4 | Kenley Jansen | - |
| 5 | Giovanny Gallegos | +10 |
| 6 | Ryan PresslyT2 | +3 |
| 7 | Edwin Díaz | -2 |
| 8 | Brad Hand | - |
| 9 | Taylor Rogers | -3 |
| 10 | Alex Colomé | -3 |
| 11 | Diego CastilloT3 | +UR |
| 12 | Mark Melancon | +1 |
| 13 | Trevor Rosenthal | -2 |
| 14 | Rafael Montero | -2 |
| 15 | Raisel Iglesias | -5 |
| 16 | Brandon WorkmanT4 | +3 |
| 17 | Ty Buttrey | - |
| 18 | Daniel Hudson | -2 |
| 19 | Brandon Kintzler | +3 |
| 20 | Matt Barnes | +4 |
| 21 | Gregory SotoT5 | +UR |
| 22 | Yoshi Hirano | +UR |
| 23 | Jeremy Jeffress | +UR |
| 24 | Anthony Bass | +UR |
| 25 | +UR | |
| 26 | Daniel Bard | -1 |
| 27 | Richard Rodríguez | +UR |
| 28 | -1 | |
| 29 | Tanner Scott | +UR |
| 30 | Junior Guerra | +UR |
Photo by Mark LoMoglio/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)
Hi Rick, thanks for all that you do! I always look forward to reading this article every week.
I currently own Hendriks, Pressly and Melancon and Gallegos is sitting on my waiver wire. Would you recommend dropping Melancon for Gallegos, or are they so close that the difference is negligible? Thanks!
Those guys should not be on waivers… get a competitive league.
The wording was strange but I think he meant only Gallegos was on the waiver wire.
You’re right. It’s only an 8 teamer and someone was forced to drop him because of injuries. Some people, lol smh.
I’d take most of T5 over Workman tbh
Rick, I give you a lot of credit for making some tough decisions in your tier 1 closer list. The conventional wisdom since last year has been Hader at #1 but I am not convinced that is accurate for a number of reasons at this point in time. No doubt Hader is elite but, I think there are some red flags this year. Every closer has some bad outings but, what worried me prior to his 8/29 outing is what would happen when his slider was not working. Clearly he had nothing working that night but, I think there is a question mark about whether he can blow guys away relying on straight heat. I think those days have passed. I think through the first half of the season this year Liam Hendricks is number #1. The stats back this up as well.
In a S+H league. I have Pomz, Hendriks and Karinchak. Presale is available on waivers. Would you swap Karinchak for Pressly? Love Karinchak, but only 6 S+H in a lot of appearances. Pressly has been much better and is the de-facto closer which may mean more opportunities for S+H.
Hi Rick,
Awesome page, thanks for keeping us informed.
I need advice. I need to drop one of the following: Edwin Diaz, nick Anderson or R. Montero. Who would you drop in a 14 team H2H points league?
Thanks!