This week will be a different edition of the Bullpen Report, with the all-star break in full effect it’s time to take a look at relievers who could/will be traded and what the aftermath will look like. Lets dive in!
Closers Who Could Get Moved
Familia is one of the most likely closers to get moved at the deadline. He is a free agent at the end of the season and the Mets are not competing for a playoff spot, so it only makes sense to try and move him. He has had a bit of an up-and-down season but overall his line is rock solid with a 2.88 ERA and 17 saves and he has yet to allow a run to score against him in seven July innings pitched. Given that he is a rental a weak potential return may be the only thing that can hold the Mets back from trading him. The Phillies, Giants, and Astros are a few teams that have shown interest in Familia and he would likely retain his job as closer with any of those teams.
*UPDATE* 7/20 - The Mets and Athletics are very close to getting a deal done that will send Familia to Oakland. This is bad news for fantasy owners, while he would have remained a closer for all the original teams linked to him, the Athletics are not a team he will be getting saves for. The A's have Blake Treinen and he has been terrific this season.
*UPDATE* 7/21 - Familia has been traded to the Athletics for Will Toffey and Bobby Wahl . While Familia may be just a rental, this trade looks like a steal for the Athletics as Toffey is the more notable player in the trade from the A's side and he is only the 17th ranked prospect in their organization. Unfortunately for Familia owners this will move him into a setup role and kill his value in fantasy.
Trade likelihood: TRADED
Potential new closer – Anthony Swarzak is who the Mets would like to move into the closing role based on the money they signed him for in the offseason, but his unsightly 7.47 ERA may cause them to go a different direction. As of right now, Seth Lugo would be who I expect the Mets would turn to, at least in the short-term while Swarzak tries to find a groove. Robert Gsellman should also be considered in the mix, but given his struggles of late, it wouldn't make much sense to promote him to closer. He has given up at least one earned run in seven of his last eleven outings and 13 earned runs total over that span. After a strong 2.03 ERA in April, Gsellman posted a 4.58 May ERA, then 6.59 in June, and now has a 4.50 ERA for July. Rough stuff.
Britton is the biggest named reliever being brought up in trade rumors and it is very likely that he gets moved at/before the deadline. The veteran left-hander has found his groove and has made seven consecutive scoreless outings while picking up three saves and a win in that span. He is a free agent at the end of the year and the Orioles are looking to rebuild. Eight teams have expressed interest in Britton thus far and it will be interesting to see which contending team is willing to give up the most to land him. Of the teams showing interest the Red Sox, Yankees, and Cubs are the teams that he would likely lose his job as a closer for, while the Indians, Astros, and Phillies are among those who would use him as their closer.
*UPDATE* 7/25 - Britton has been traded to the Yankees in exchange for Dillon Tate, Cody Carroll, and Josh Rogers. Quite the haul for the Orioles. This move is one that surprises me, the Yankees already had the best bullpen ERA in baseball and they gave up a lot to make it even stronger. This move is a rough one for Britton owners as he will no longer be a closer. Britton will slide into a setup role alongside Dellin Betances and pitch in front of Aroldis Chapman .
Trade likelihood: TRADED
Potential new closer – Brad Brach would move back into the closing role for the Orioles, but he is also on the trade block for Baltimore. If Brach and Britton are both moved, Mychal Givens would likely get the first crack at save chances.
*UPDATE* 7/29 - Brach has been traded to the Braves. As stated above, Givens should get the first crack, but that is no guarantee. He is also a trade candidate, so keep Mike Wright Jr. in mind.
Greene has a strong chance of being moved with the Tigers well out of the playoff hunt and he is unlikely to be a part of their future plans. Greene hasn’t pitched as well as he did in 2017, but he has been a serviceable closer for the Tigers and has racked up 19 saves thus far. The asking price won’t be particularly high on Greene, making a trade all the more likely. If he is traded, do not expect him to remain a closer.
Trade likelihood: High
Potential new closer – Joe Jimenez filled in as the Tigers closer while Greene was on the DL earlier this season and fantasy owners should expect him to move back into that role if Greene is moved.
Hand’s name has been rumored and linked to a few reports, but his age and team-friendly contract may make the asking price too large. The main team he has been linked to is the Cubs and the Cubs are also looking at Zach Britton . If Hand were to be moved to the Cubs he would move into a setup role and would lose a significant chunk of his fantasy value.
*UPDATE* 7/19 - Brad Hand has been traded to the Indians. The Indians needed to improve their bullpen and this trade does just that. I believe this bumps incumbent closer Cody Allen out of the closing role so that Indians can have a right-handed (Allen) and left-handed (Andrew Miller ) setup man. That would allow the team to play matchups a lot better than having both Hand and Miller used in a setup role. Also given Allen's struggles this season (4.66 ERA) it almost becomes a no-brainer. The Indians have sent Francisco Mejia to the Padres in this deal. As I mentioned above, it would take a lot for the Padres to trade Hand given his team-friendly contract and that was the case here as they received the #15 prospect in MLB in Mejia.
Trade likelihood: TRADED
Potential new closer – Kirby Yates would take over the closing gig for the Padres if Hand is moved and Yates remains with the team. Yates currently has a 1.43 ERA on the year and has struck out 48 opposing batters across 37.2 innings pitched. He would make for a solid closer in fantasy and is worth stashing now before it’s too late.
Iglesias in amongst the games top closers and his very team-friendly deal (under contract for $5 million in each of 2019 and 2020) will carry a very high asking price from the Reds. He has been lights out this season with a 2.36 ERA and 19 saves while carrying a career-best WHIP and BAA of 1.02 and .196 respectively. The Nationals have been linked to Iglesias and a move to D.C. would make for a tough decision on who should be the closer between Iglesias and Doolittle. Based on both what a team would have to give up and his talent I find it hard to believe he would not remain a closer for whatever team trades for him (if he is moved).
Trade likelihood: Medium
Potential new closer – Jared Hughes would take over the role as the Reds closer. He has already picked up six saves this season and is carrying a 1.44 ERA. However, his 3.06 FIP shows that regression could be coming and his 7.02 K/9 leaves a lot to be desired.
Barraclough will have a high asking price by the Marlins and rightfully so as he currently holds a 1.28 ERA. He has converted nine save opportunities since taking over the job and for the season has struck out 47 batters across 42.1 innings pitched. I don’t expect Barraclough to be moved and he should remain the Miami closer for the remainder of the season.
Trade likelihood: Medium
Potential new closer – Drew Steckenrider and Adam Conley are the two names to keep an eye on if Barraclough is moved. With Steckenrider being right-handed and Conley being a lefty the fish could choose to use them both in save chances if Barraclough is moved.
Norris has racked up 17 saves as the Cardinals closer this year, but with the team faltering and recently firing its manager there is a chance the team also decides to move Norris. They have Jordan Hicks waiting in the wings to be their full-time closer and Bud Norris is a free agent at the end of the year. How the Cardinals play once the second half starts will likely determine if Norris is moved or not. He would be moved into a setup role for a contending team.
Trade likelihood: Medium
Potential new closer – Jordan Hicks .
The White Sox are one of the worst teams in baseball and will likely take calls on Soria. His contract can be bought out of at the end of the year and contending teams may be willing to ship a few low-end prospects to Chicago in exchange for the services of Soria. He would not be a closer on any team that he joins despite a strong first half of the season in which he has posted a 2.75 ERA while converting 14 saves.
*UPDATE* 7/26 - Soria has been traded to the Brewers for a pair of prospects in Kodi Medeiros and Wilber Perez. He will not be the Brewers closer and will work in a setup role alongside Josh Hader and Jeremy Jeffress .
Trade likelihood: TRADED
Potential new closer – Nate Jones . *UPDATE* - Jones had a setback and will remain on the DL for an extended period of time. Jace Fry is a must add in fantasy and he should see the bulk of the save chances for the Whie Sox going forward.
The A’s are firmly in the playoff picture and Treinen has a team-friendly contract making it very unlikely that he gets moved. With nearly any other team in the league his name would not even be in the discussion, but the A’s have shown in the past that they like to deal players in their prime for prospects. He has posted elite numbers this year and I don’t see him getting moved.
*UPDATE* 7/21 - With the Athletics trading for Jeurys Familia they are showing themselves to be buyers and this is a good thing for Treinen owners. The chances of him being traded are now very low (not going to happen) and he will remain a closer.
Trade likelihood: Very Low
Potential new closer – Lou Trivino .
The Twins have won eight of their last ten games to claw their way back into the playoff picture, making a trade of Rodney less likely than it was about a week ago. If Minnesota falters out of the break the door could open back up for Rodney to be moved. The asking price would be very low and Rodney would almost certainly not be a closer for any potential new team he would be joining.
Trade likelihood: Low
Potential new closer – Addison Reed and Trevor Hildenberger would compete for the closing gig with Reed likely to get the first crack.
*UPDATE* 7/31 -
Kela was traded to the Pirates in exchange Taylor Hearn and a player to be named later. Kela was 24-of-25 on save chances this season for Texas, but unfortunately for fantasy owners he will now be working in a setup role for Pittsburgh. He can be dropped in most leagues.
Trade likelihood: TRADED
Potential new closer – Jose Leclerc should take over the job, but he is also on the trade block, so keep that in mind. Former closer Alex Claudio could also see some save chances, but he doesn’t have the stuff of a closer like Leclerc does. If Lecrlerc remains with the team and is used as the closer, he will make for a valuable fantasy asset for the remainder of the season.
The Blue Jays decided to move on from Osuna and the bad publicity that will come with him when he returns to baseball on August 5. He has been traded to the Astros for Ken Giles , Hector Perez, and David Paulino . Osuna should remain a closer for the Astros, but it may not happen right away.
Trade likelihood: TRADED
Potential new closer – Newly acquired Ken Giles will take over as the Blue Jays closer in all likelihood. We have seen some positives with Giles in the past, but this year has been a nightmare for him. The potential is there though.
***This piece will be updated throughout the next week as new rumors surface and/or trades take place.
Be sure to check out the Closer Grid which has regularly updated rankings. Also feel free to shoot me any questions on Twitter @JustinVreeland