There’s little to no room for error when you’re a closer trying to earn a save, or when you’re a relief pitcher who is regularly asked to hold a lead in the late innings of a baseball game. Relievers who pitch in late-inning, high-leverage situations almost always need to be perfect, or they’ll fail in front of thousands of fans in the stands and many others who are watching on an app or on TV. 

 

 

 

When a late-inning, high-leverage reliever fails, in many instances it directly negatively impacts their boss. Their boss is their organization, their teammates and their fans. In many instances failing as a late-inning, high-leverage reliever leads to a loss. 

That is a lot of pressure to put on one person. The next time you make a mistake at work, try to put yourself in the shoes of a fantasy baseball closer or “fireman”.

Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: MLB Closers 2024

Chris Martin, Boston Red Sox set-up man, was placed on the IL by the team due to anxiety. We don’t know if his anxiety was caused by baseball related pressures, but it did affect his ability to perform on the baseball field. To their credit, the Red Sox seem fully committed to helping Martin deal with his mental health struggles and we applaud his courage in sharing his struggles and certainly wish him the best.

In this week’s MLB closers article, we’ll take a closer look at a couple of Red Sox relievers who are likely to be a good resource for holds and could be in line for save opportunities if Kenley Jansen is unavailable. We’ll also take a closer look at some other fantasy baseball bullpen situations that you should be aware of in this 11th week of the 2024 baseball season.  

*Unless otherwise noted, statistics quoted in this article are accurate as of the morning of June 5th, 2024.

 

 

 

Justin Slaten, Brennan Bernardino & Greg Weissert Are 3 Red Sox Relievers To Keep An Eye On

Kenley Jansen is still a very good closer, but if he is unavailable or if he gets traded at some point this season, the following pitchers could see save opportunities come their way.

Slaten, who was selected by the Mets in the Rule 5 draft last December and quickly traded to the Sox has developed into a reliable late inning reliever for Red Sox manager Alex Cora. Since the beginning of May, Slaten has been used almost exclusively in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings of games. He has an overall 2.73 ERA, a save and four holds. The right-hander has been especially stingy at home, posting a 1.17 ERA when pitching at Fenway Park.

Bernardino is another Red Sox reliever who’ll likely see more late inning action with Martin on the IL. In 25 innings he has a 0.72 ERA to go along with a 2-1 Win-Loss record and three holds. This is only Bernardino’s third season in the major leagues and while he has yet to record a save in the big leagues, the 32-year-old left-hander has 26 career saves in his professional baseball career.

Weissert is another seasoned right-handed Red Sox reliever who is having a fine season. Like Bernardino, this is just Weissert’s third major league season and he has no big league saves, but with 57 saves in his professional baseball career, he’s no stranger to pitching when the game is on the line. He has a 2.52 ERA, a 2-1 Win-Loss record and two holds on the season.

We Still Don’t Know Who The New York Mets’ Closer Is

It’s been just under two weeks since Edwin Diaz blew his last save opportunity and two different Mets relievers (Reed Garrett and Jake Diekman) have picked up saves since then. Adam Ottavino has continued to struggle and should not be rostered. Garrett probably has slightly more fantasy value than Diekman and can provide you with a better ERA and better ratios. 

The Mets are hoping that Diaz, who is on the IL due to a shoulder impingement, will be reinstated as soon as he’s eligible on June 11th. He is currently set to begin a rehab outing with the Mets’ High-A affiliate.

 

 

 

Andres Munoz Appears To Have Avoided A Trip To The IL, But You Probably Should Roster Ryne Stanek Anyway

Munoz was removed from Tuesday night's game against the A’s after he collided with Max Schuemann at the plate. Apparently, the collision aggravated a lower back issue that Munoz had been dealing with and he underwent an MRI. As this article is being written, Munoz’s condition appears to be improving but there have been no details released about the results of his MRI. 

It appears that he may avoid a trip to the IL, but this may end up becoming a day-to-day situation with the Seattle Mariners giving Munoz a few days' rest. Munoz has been one of the best closers in the game over the past several weeks, but Stanek has settled in as his set-up man. In his last nine outings, Stanek has a 2-0 Win-Loss record, one save and four holds. He has a 2.08 ERA to go along with 11 strikeouts and just one walk during that time. 

Yimi Garcia Will Likely Get The Bulk Of Save Chances With Jordan Romano On The IL, But Keep An Eye On Chad Green

With Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano hitting the IL for the second time this season due to elbow inflammation, Garcia should be the next man up, but Green might not be too far behind. Even when healthy, Romano has been ineffective. His strikeout rate is significantly lower than his career norms, he has a 6.59 ERA and opposing hitters have a .281 BAA him. 

The Jays don’t currently have much depth in their bullpen. Other than Green and Garcia, no reliever stands out as having an obvious path to potential save opportunities at present. It seems that the next best bullpen options that the Blue Jays have may be Tim Mayza and Nate Pearson. In his last nine appearances, Mayza has a 1.17 ERA and three holds. 

Mayza has four career big league saves and 13 career minor league saves. Pearson has one save on an up-and-down season, but he’s pitched much better lately. In his last six outings, Pearson has a 2.16 ERA and two holds. He had 10 strikeouts and three walks during that time frame.