The Braves added Shane Greene , Chris Martin and Mark Melancon to their bullpen, and while I’m not sure they got that much better in the eighth and ninth inning, they certainly have a ton of depth. The Braves were likely the only destination where Greene would continue to close games, and while Greene has more competition for the job than he had in Detroit, it would be surprising if he loses the job this season.
Greene’s trade clears the way for Joe Jiménez to close in Detroit. Jimenez’s 5.05 ERA and 1.27 WHIP this season are ugly, but he does have a 4.02 xFIP. If he can lower his 20 percent HR/FB rate, he could be Shane Greene with a few more strikeouts. Jimenez had 11 strikeouts and zero walks in 9.1 innings in July, which is certainly encouraging. Jimenez has more competition for saves than someone like Anthony Bass , but he will rack up a lot more strikeouts as well.
Ken Giles was not traded, perhaps in part because he was given a cortisone shot on Tuesday. He won’t throw on Thursday, but it’s probably a good sign that he hasn’t gone on IL yet. Justin Shafer picked up the hold on Monday and the save on Wednesday, and with Joe Biagini and Daniel Hudson getting traded, Shafer should continue to pick up saves while Giles is out. Overall, Wednesday was probably good for Giles’s fantasy value, as he will almost certainly close again once he is healthy.
Neither Hunter Strickland nor Roenis Elías was really useful for fantasy, so it seems doubtful whoever gets saves in their absence would be. Anthony Bass will probably get the first shot at closing after he pitched a scoreless eighth to get the hold Tuesday. Bass is the best arm in Seattle’s bullpen, which isn’t saying much, but I doubt he loses the job, barring injury.
With Sergio Romo going to Minnesota, Adam Conley and José Quijada are the only remaining Marlins with a save this season. Quijada has a 3.12 ERA but a 1.56 WHIP, with 14 walks in 17.1 innings. I’m probably more interested in Quijada than any of the Baltimore relievers, but just barely. I would much rather own Anthony Bass .
The Red Sox did not add a reliever at the trade deadline, and with Nathan Eovaldi allowing five earned runs in 3.2 innings since coming off the IL, it looks like Boston still doesn’t have a closer. Boston had just two saves in July, but I guess if I had to own a Boston reliever, it would be Matt Barnes .
Raisel Iglesias has three saves in the last five days, and he has gotten four straight save chances since Michael Lorenzen got his last save. Lorenzen is still probably next in line if Iglesias is unavailable, but I am no longer confident he can get to double-digit saves. Unless you’re really desperate, I see no reason to roster Lorenzen.
For his part, Iglesias seems awfully safe. He hasn’t gotten more than three outs in an appearance since July 15, and it appears the Reds are going to use him like a traditional closer, at least for now.
Now that we know Ian Kennedy isn’t going anywhere, it is time for him to be owned in all leagues. He now has 53 strikeouts and 11 walks in 44.1 innings, and it’s crazy to think he’s been this effective as a closer considering he is allowing a career-high .353 BABIP. His next highest was a .333 BABIP in 39.2 innings with the Yankees in 2008. I’m not convinced he will be an effective reliever in 2020, but I would be more than happy to ride him the rest of this season.
On one hand, I might be tempted to add Emilio Pagán after he picked up two saves in the last week. On the other hand, the Rays have four saves in the last seven days, and Pagan sandwiched those saves with a loss. If I had to own a rays reliever it would probably be Pagan, but Diego Castillo is not going away, and could easily overtake Pagan in the near future.
The Mets did not trade Edwin Díaz , even after he blew another save Tuesday. If the Mets want to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, perhaps they should turn the ninth inning over to Seth Lugo . That being said, it would be somewhat shocking if anyone other than Edwin Díaz leads the Mets in saves the rest of the way.
The Diamondbacks removed Greg Holland from the closer role Sunday, and Archie Bradley has the only save since then. The Diamondbacks have been reluctant to have Bradley close in the past, but Bradley hasn’t allowed an earned run in over a month, so perhaps he will keep the job going forward. He’s the Arizona reliever I want, but Yoan López , Yoshihisa Hirano and Andrew Chafin could all be involved as well.