It has been a pretty quiet week for bullpen news, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t moves to be made. If you need saves, there are some speculative options available in whatever sized league you are in. You may not find immediate help, but you might find someone who can help in the next couple of weeks and for the rest of the season.
You’re probably only going to get a week out of him, but Scott Oberg should close for Colorado until Wade Davis is healthy. Chad Bettis got the save Tuesday but that is almost certainly a case where they simply left him in because they scored two insurance runs in the eighth to make it a four-run game. It doesn’t sound lIke Davis ’s injury is terribly serious, but I don’t see any reason not to pick up Oberg for a week and then move on when Davis returns.
Sergio Romo is still only 12.4 percent owned in ESPN leagues, which seams crazy. He’s striking out a better per inning, and while he’s walking too many batters, that’s never been a problem in the past, so I’m not particularly worried. He may not finish with an ERA much below four, but he’s not losing the job, and I doubt any contender is trading for him.
Héctor Neris appears to have locked down Philadelphia’s closer job with Pat Neshek hitting the IL. If Neris were to falter or be unavailable, Seranthony Domínguez would likely get the next shot to close.
Jordan Hicks hasn’t pitched since allowing three earned runs on three hits and a walk without recording an out Sunday. He has 10 saves this season, so he has probably earned a fairly long leash, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Andrew Miller or Carlos Martínez get a chance sooner than later.
Don’t look now, but Alex Colomé is 2-0 with a 1.66 ERA, 0.55 WHIP and 10 saves. He will never be exciting to own, but he is money in the bank for 30+ saves.
At this point, I probably shouldn’t have to tell you, but you shouldn’t go anywhere near Shawn Armstrong outside of AL-only leagues, I guess. Armstrong picked up the save Monday, but he has 14 strikeouts and nine walks in 14.2 innings. This will not end well.
Since we last convened, Luke Jackson has thrown 3.0 scoreless innings with a win, a save and zero walks. A.J. Minter is throwing well at Triple-A and Anthony Swarzak is capable of closing as well, but so long as Jackson is sporting a K/BB of 4.50, he is probably holding onto the job.
Craig Kimbrel is still available in some shallow leagues, but there is a strong chance he signs in a week after the amateur draft. Even if he does sign right away, he is probably about three weeks from returning, but there is a very good chance he is closing for somebody by the time the calendar flips to July.
If you’re in a deep league and you are hoping for saves from José Leclerc , I wouldn’t give up just yet even though Texas used him as an opener Wednesday. He has a 4.20 K/BB in May, which is actually better than his 3.40 K/BB last season when everyone fell in love with him. I still think this is Shawn Kelley ’s job and he’s going to pitch well enough to hold onto it, but I don’t think your opinion on Leclerc should have changed significantly since last week.