2015 Spring Training Position Battles: Closer Questions

Last week, this series opened with what I thought were the top 10 position battles to watch this spring with respect to overall fantasy impact. Very conspicuously omitted, however, were the pitchers. There are a number of battles for fourth and fifth-starter jobs out there and we’ll hit them a little further down the road as most of the pictures are still very murky. But where we can look, and this becomes even more relevant with word breaking Wednesday, Feb. 19, that Kenley Jansen would miss the next 8-to-12 weeks because of surgery, is with the closer position.

If you’ve read through the Fantasy Alarm 2015 MLB Draft Guide already, then you’ll know that I am a huge proponent of drafting elite closers. This season in particular as there are, in my opinion, very few who are sitting on stable ground. We all know how volatile the position is, and today we’re going to see just how volatile it is right now as I take you through the teams and their ninth inning situations that aren’t looking as pretty as the ones you’ll find in Atlanta, Kansas City and Cincinnati. Not all are completely up-in-the-air, but a really poor or a really great spring by someone in the bullpen could throw a monkey wrench into your draft rankings.

National League

Los Angeles Dodgers – Well, let’s just start off with the obvious situation here and see what’s going on in the wake of this Jansen injury. For those not “in-the-know,” Jansen had surgery to have a growth removed from his foot and is out for at least two months now. The Dodgers were recently discussing a potential signing of Rafael Soriano, but they do have some in-house possibilities. Brandon League may not be the most reliable guy, but he does have closing experience and could be the first one the Dodgers turn to, provided he’s pitching with some respectability this spring. They also have J.P. Howell and Joel Peralta who each filled in as a closer while with the Rays, as well as Sergio Santos who handled the work for the Blue Jays for a stretch. None of them have much appeal to them and they could end up in some disgusting committee situation, but if someone gets hot this spring, he could get a nice early-season opportunity to post some fantasy value.

San Diego Padres – While the general consensus has Joaquin Benoit as the team’s closer, there’s a rogue contingent that is clamoring for Kevin Quackenbush to take over in the ninth. Last season, late in the year, Benoit suffered a shoulder injury and Quackenbush did a little more than just hold his own. For the month of September, Quackenbush earned five saves while posting a 1.64 ERA and 13:2 K:BB over 11 innings. He did, however, pitch to a fair amount of contact and gave up and average of more than a hit per inning. If he were more of a ground ball pitcher, that would be a little more tolerable, but he’s not and when not in the confines of pitcher-friendly Petco Park, it could prove to be an issue. Benoit, needs to stay healthy in order to hold down the gig, but the Padres certainly aren’t locking him in without a little spring time competition.

Chicago Cubs – Hector Rondon has the job. Thanks to 29 saves, a 2.24 ERA and a 63:15 K:BB over 63.1 innings last year, Rondon is an easy choice. He didn’t start out as the team’s ninth inning man, but after a few failed experiments with some other bullpen arms, the Cubs happily turned over the reins to him and his 4.20 K/BB as he settled into the job. But just as we see with many rookies, the follow-up season isn’t always sunshine, rainbows and lollipops. Keep a watchful eye on hi this spring to ensure that he is doing what he is supposed to be doing. If he’s not, Jason Motte, Neil Ramirez and even Pedro Strop could be called upon.

Colorado Rockies – Once again, LaTroy Hawkins is the guy the Rockies will go with in the ninth. But even just a cursory glance at his ADP numbers shows that the fantasy community still doesn’t trust him fully regardless of his 23 saves or 3.31 ERA. He always seems like a potential trade candidate and everyone seems to be waiting for things to not just go south but to stay there. Should any of that happen this spring, Adam Ottavino and Rex Brothers would likely receive an opportunity.

Milwaukee Brewers – Penciled in for now is Jonathan Broxton but the Brewers continue to negotiate with Francisco Rodriguez as well as explore possible trade scenarios with the Phillies for Jonathan Papelbon. This situation seems far from settled and if you remember last season, the Brewers made a last-minute change on the final day of spring training, naming K-Rod their closer over then incumbent, Jim Henderson. Keep a watchful eye here, especially if you’re drafting late.

New York Mets – It should be safe to assume that Jenrry Mejia has the closer’s job right now as he finished last season with it thanks to 28 saves with a 3.65 ERA and 9.42 K/9 over 93.2 innings. Obviously that’s a healthy number of innings but that was primarily from his early season work as a middle reliever. In fact, once he took over the role as the closer he saw only a small handful of outings in which he was asked to throw more than an inning. But similarly with Rondon and the Cubs, this was Mejia’s first foray into closing and there’s no guarantee he can even duplicate the work. If he struggles at all this spring, then look for Vic Black and Jeurys Familia to get involved.

Philadelphia Phillies – General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. continues to shop around a number of the Phillies veterans before we reach Opening Day and closer Jonathan Papelbon has been one of his main offerings. He won’t pull the trigger on anything unless he is 100-percent certain he is getting the better end of the deal, so unless Milwaukee really turns heads with their offer, Papelbon will stay put. With Ken Giles waiting in the wings, the Phillies will be well-covered once they do deal Papelbon, so keep an eye on the situation as things could happen before the month of March comes to a close.

San Francisco Giants – Last season it was Sergio Romo who opened as the Giants closer but some mid-season struggles led to a change to Santiago Casilla. That held up until shoulder issues for Casilla opened the door back up for Romo and the two shared the role down the stretch. However, come the post-season, it was Casilla who was called upon in save situations. He is expected to start off the season in the same role again, but given the fact that the team re-signed Romo and also have Hunter Strickland, the leash on Casilla could be a little shorter than usual.

American League

Toronto Blue Jays – The trade of Casey Janssen to the Nationals has opened the door wide for the Blue Jays relievers looking to move into the ninth inning. While many will clamor for Aaron Sanchez to take over, the team still wants to try him out as a starter and will stretch him out this spring. That’s not to say that they can’t change their minds, but it looks like Brett Cecil and Aaron Loup will receive the first opportunity to take over the role. Cecil seems to be the favorite, but that could change on a dime.

Boston Red Sox – Koji Uehara is expected to open the season as the Red Sox closer, but at 39-years old and with a recent injury history that includes back and shoulder problems, the club has every right to be a little nervous. Last season there was talk about Uehara’s innings increase from the year before and most fantasy owners ignored it right up until his “dead arm” became an issue. Edward Mujica stepped in for a short time and served as the team’s closer for a couple of weeks. The Red Sox certainly aren’t looking to turn it into a committee situation here, but they’re going to watch Uehara very closely to ensure his health. Should he experience any issues this spring, Mujica could start to get a little more attention.

Cleveland Indians – When the 2014 season came to a close, it was Cody Allen who finished out as the team’s closer. Walking into 2015, it would appear that Allen is still the Tribe’s choice for the ninth, but just as we’ve discussed, the lack of a proven track record can make teams, their managers in particular, a little nervous. Both Bryan Shaw and Scott Atchison received an opportunity last year, and while both failed to lock down the job last season, that was then and this is now. If Allen struggles during the spring at all, then both are likely to see an opportunity to steal the job away.

Detroit Tigers – Last season was an outright disaster for Joe Nathan and his inability to consistently close out games cost the Tigers quite a number of wins. They had Al Alburquerque in the pen and also acquired Joakim Soria yet still stayed with Nathan. Don’t expect to see the leash so long this season. Should Nathan struggle this spring, the Tigers should make a move much sooner this season and give either Soria or Alburquerque a chance to prove himself in the ninth. Soria could have the edge based on experience.

New York Yankees – The natural assumption is that, with David Robertson gone to Chicago, Dellin Betances will slot in as the team’s new closer. His 5.63 K/BB was fantastic and his ability to shut down the opposition on few pitches fits perfectly. However, the acquisition of Andrew Miller throws a bit of a monkey wrench into the situation as word spread that the Yankees could platoon the closers and use Miller in situations more suited for a lefty. Manager Joe Girardi has said that he would prefer one guy and that should be Betances, but he was not committing at the moment.

Oakland A’s – With Sean Doolittle dealing with a serious shoulder issue, the A’s appear to be turning to newly-acquired Tyler Clippard who served as a part-time closer for the Nationals in previous seasons. Doolittle says that his arm is feeling better, but there is still no timetable for his return and he is not expected to start the season on-time. Continue to monitor the situation this spring as Clippard will still technically be competing with Ryan Cook and possibly even Eric O’Flaherty during spring training.

Houston Astros – Does anyone have any real faith in Chad Qualls? Fantasy owners? The Astros? Probably not. He’s penciled in as the team’s closer for now, but offseason moves to acquire Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek have given the team some flexibility here. It’s very likely that the Astros walk in to the season this way, but the leash on Qualls is not expected to be long at all. Regardless of how it plays out this spring, this is probably the most volatile of all closer situations and seems like the one you want to avoid the most.

Tampa Bay Rays – While incumbent Jake McGee recovers from offseason arthroscopic elbow surgery, former Padre Brad Boxberger will serve as the team’s ninth-inning man. However, the Rays aren’t going to lock that in 100-percent without seeing a strong performance this spring and that means Grant Balfour and Ernesto Frieri, both former closers, could see an opportunity. The job is supposed to go back to McGee come his end-of-April expected return, but that’s not etched in stone either. If one of these other guys grabs the job and holds it without issue, McGee could just be thrust back into a lefty set-up role.