Greetings weary fantasy traveler. Come in from the cold and warm yourself by the fire. The kindling is wasted free agent dollars spent on relievers. It’s quite the blaze. You may want to take some sustenance in the form of these easily acquired RP assets. First, blurbs!
- With Julian Merryweather hitting the IL things are suddenly very interesting for the Jays. Jordan Romano is back in people’s sites but don’t sleep on Rafael Dolis. Romano had a rocky outing against the Yankees Monday. Dolis was also who they turned to first in 2020 to replace Ken Giles.
- Kendall Graveman has turned into a decent reliever. Just another piece of proof of the Wade Davis rule: the worse you were as a starter the better you are as a reliever. Rafael Montero is having some trouble getting outs this season. If he can’t right the ship the team may turn to Graveman.
- Jose Alvarado seems to be healthy and in the groove. I doubt the Phils want to put him into the closer role full-time as a high leverage lefty. That doesn’t mean he can’t earn 10-15 saves this season. With Archie Bradley out and Hector Neris being Hector Neris some could come in the near future.
- One of the names you may not be that familiar with is Japanese import Hirokazu Sawamura. He’s 33 and had his ups and downs in Japan. The noteworthy item is the hard splitter he brings over. We’ve seen that be an effective MLB pitch for some of his countrymen.
- We’re stuck in a holding pattern with Tejay Antone. The Reds continue to opt for other options to close as well as to fill their starting rotation (hey, they can’t all be Wade Miley). That makes him a very valuable real life pitcher with not much fantasy value beyond Ks and ratios.
Closers-to-be
| Name | Team | Razzers |
|---|---|---|
| Kendall Graveman | SEA |  |
| Rafael Dolis | TOR | |
| Corey Knebel | LAD | |
| Emilio Pagan | SD | |
| Kyle Crick | PIT | |
K It Up
| Name | Team | Razzers |
|---|---|---|
| Jose Alvarado | PHI | |
| Tanner Scott | BAL | |
| Garrett Crochet | CHW | |
| Josh Staumont | KC | |
| Giovanny Gallegos | STL | |
Ratio Darlings
| Name | Team | Razzers |
|---|---|---|
| Hirokazu Sawamura | BOS | |
| Taylor Rogers | MIN | |
| Drew Pomeranz | SD | |
| Devin Williams | MIL | |
| Tyler Duffey | MIN | |
Long Relief
| Name | Team | Razzers |
|---|---|---|
| Tejay Antone | CIN | |
| Dustin May | LAD | |
| Chad Green | NYY | |
| Sean Newcomb | ATL | |
| Logan Webb | SFG | |
Lucas Sims pitcher the ninth last night in front of Garrett. Think I might pick a few preemptive Sims up
I left Sims out as the guy that is at least co-closer.
Thoughts on Jordan Hicks ? Do you think he’ll be closer this year?
Just an FYI. Romano has been on the IL for a couple of days now
Yep. Had a delay in the posting of the piece. Doesn’t sound long term, though.
Think David Bedner gets any save this year?
My money would be on Kyle Crick getting a long look if they make a change. Bednar has to earn some long-term trust first.
Would you rather scoop up Alvardo or sit on Pomeranz / Pagan?
You kind of answered your own question. We don’t know who to expect to close it Melancon falters. I don’t think Bradley is in the Philly saves picture until he’s back and healthy a good ways.