August 10, 2015

Closer Report

Week 20

by Matt Collins

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Koji Uehara Hits the DL

The Red Sox bullpen has been garbage all season, but Uehara has been his typical great self. There has been a bit of a downturn in his stuff in 2015, but he’s still striking out more than 10 batters per nine innings and has racked up 25 saves. Now, he’s hitting the disabled list with wrist issues that came as a result of being hit with a line drive, and that will hold him out for the rest of the season.

It gets worse: His replacement isn’t as clear as it should be. For some strange reason, John Farrell has indicated that Jean Machi is going to get a shot at replacing Uehara. This is a strange move for a manager with Junichi Tazawa at his disposal, and I refuse to believe it will happen until I see it. I can understand using them as a tandem, since they need to limit Tazawa’s workload moving forward unless they want him to lose his arm, but I can’t see Machi getting all of the save chances down the stretch. If you use FAAB, don’t go blowing your budget on him. If you use more traditional waiver formats, I’d look to add guys like Fernando Rodriguez, Drew Pomeranz and Sergio Romo before Machi, all of whom I’ll talk about in a minute. With that being said, Tazawa is fair game if he’s still available.

Tommy Kahnle Named Closer in Colorado

Last week, I mentioned John Axford getting taken out of the closer role for the Rockies, and had Rafael Betancourt and Kahnle as the main options to replace him. I was worried that they would be hesitant to give the latter the role without giving veteran Betancourt the first crack, but apparently they’re going purely by talent. It’s nice to see, and Kahnle should be added in all leagues if he hasn’t been picked up already. He’s not an elite RP, but he’s striking out a ton of batters this year and has allowed just two earned runs since the start of July. Control will be an issue for him, so he likely won’t help your WHIP, but he’s a solid addition with contributions in the form of saves and strikeouts.

Edward Mujica in Trouble?

There hasn’t been any official word yet, but the writing is on the wall for Mujica’s short-lived stint as Oakland’s closer to come to an end. He blew two outings last week, with the latter coming in a three-run meltdown without getting an out. Bob Melvin is clearly frustrated, as his bullpen is filled with undesirable options. I’ve been on the Fernando Rodriguez bandwagon for a few weeks now, and still believe the job should be his at some point soon. However, he also blew a save last week and his name hasn’t come up in any conversations that I can find. If you’re looking for a speculative add right now, Drew Pomeranz could be an option along with Rodriguez. The former has looked much better since converting to reliever, and Melvin has apparently been happy with his work. It’s possible that both could get save chances, with the call being determined by the handedness of the lineup on that given night.

Santiago Casilla Struggling

Casilla took the closer role back in San Francisco last year, but he may be losing his grip with a rough 2015. He gave up runs in two of his outings last week, and if having his worst overall season since 2009. As of this writing, he’s the owner of a 3.89 ERA and a 4.25 FIP. The good news for fantasy owners is that he’s increased his strikeout rate this season, but everything else has been bad. Meanwhile, Sergio Romo has looked much better after a rough 2014. Although his ERA doesn’t look great, he’s striking out 12.5 batters per nine innings and boasts a 1.76 FIP. For now, Casilla still has the job, but I’d be looking to add Romo if he’s available. There’s a decent chance he’ll be getting save chances down the stretch, since the Giants are in the thick of a playoff race and can’t afford to wait until Casilla sorts out his problems. Even if he doesn’t take over as closer, Romo will help in other categories as a good setup man.

Quick Hits

Carson Smith had been going through a rough stretch, and it was looking possible that he’d lose his grasp on the closer role to Fernando Rodney. Luckily for those who own him, he’s coming off a solid week and should have extended his leash a bit. It hasn’t hurt that Rodney has been just as bad lately, if not worse.

Hector Rondon is clearly back in the ninth for the Cubs, grabbing three saves last week. Thanks for your time, Jason Motte.

A couple of closers who were promoted to the position after the trade deadline, Arodys Vizcaino and Alex Wilson, performed well in their first week. The former had three scoreless outings with two saves and a win while the latter had two scoreless with a save and a win.

I haven’t talked about him much this year, but Shawn Tolleson has been outstanding as the Rangers’ closer after taking over for Neftali Feliz. Although he’s had some issues with home runs, his strikeout and walk numbers have been more than good enough to make him one of the better new closers this season.

Matt Collins is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @MattRyCollins
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