Last week we looked at several in flux situations around Major League Baseball, but some of those situations have stabilized, and most of the others don’t need repeating. With that in mind, let’s look at some closers who should be added this week as well as some who should be dropped.
A.J. Minter (26.1% owned in ESPN leagues) - Minter is my number one pickup if you need saves, and I think he should be owned in all leagues. Arodys Vizcaíno had season-ending shoulder surgery Wednesday, and I believe Minter will be Atlanta’s closer all season long. I’m sure Minter’s 9.64 ERA and 2.14 WHIP are keeping his ownership down, but it is important to keep in mind he has thrown just 4.2 innings this season.
Jeremy Jeffress (26.4%) - Unless Milwaukee trades for a closer or signs Craig Kimbrel , I think Jeffress will lead Milwaukee in saves. We know he’s good enough to close, and Josh Hader is better suited for longer outings.
Héctor Neris (5.8%) - Neris is more widely available than Seranthony Domínguez , he has had better results so far and he actually has a save this season. That being said, this is close, and I would blame anyone who added Dominguez over Neris.
Blake Parker (17.5%) - Parker allowed three baserunners and got just one out in his last outing, giving way to Trevor Hildenberger , who got the save. If you think Parker will lose the job to Trevor May or Taylor Rogers eventually, I probably wouldn’t argue, but I think he probably needs 1-2 more poor outings before that happens.
Brandon Morrow (23.3%) - I’m actually surprised Morrow’s ownership is this high, though if you have an open IL spot, Morrow is a good person to use it on. He began facing live batters Friday, and while I haven’t seen a timetable for his return, May 1 still seems like a reasonable expectation.
Closers to Drop:
Craig Kimbrel (78.6%) - I bet every guy on my add list finishes the season with more saves than Craig Kimbrel . If you want to add him around MLB draft time in case he signs once he is no longer attached to a draft pick I don’t hate that idea, but that is nearly seven weeks away. The only good thing I can say is he will almost certainly close wherever he ends up.
David Robertson (69.6) - Even if you have an open roster spot, I’d rather use it on Morrow. Who knows how long Robertson is out, and he could pitch lights out when he retuns and still not sniff a save. There’s no point in holding onto him unless it’s a very deep league or you have no other use for an IL spot.
Matt Barnes (60.3%) - Barnes looked like he was going to get a save Sunday but his team scored too many runs. That being said, Ryan Brasier has three saves to Barnes’s one, and if I had to pick just one, it would be Brasier. Even if one of these guys emerges as the clear closer, Boston could easily sign Craig Kimbrel or trade for a closer. I would much rather own A.J. Minter or Blake Parker .