Saves are obviously an important aspect of fantasy baseball, but the closer position is shakier than it has been in years. Highlighted by the retirement of Mariano Rivera, the American League only has a handful of legitimate closers. We break down the closer situation of each team, starting with the AL East.
Bonus: Is Scott Kazmir the new Cliff Lee?
Baltimore Orioles
Back on February 7, Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com stated that Tommy Hunter will open the season as the Orioles’ closer. Hunter is an odd choice, as serving up home runs is probably the thing he’s best at. Hunter has a 6.00 ERA through three spring outings and has already surrendered two home runs.
Closer: Tommy Hunter
Status: Extremely shaky
Sleepers for saves: Bud Norris, Kevin Gausman , Brian Matusz and Darren O’Day could all get a crack, at some point, when Hunter inevitably struggles.
Boston Red Sox
Koji Uehara is coming off one of the most dominant seasons by a reliever in baseball history. He posted a 1.09 ERA and 0.57 WHIP over 74.1 innings in 2013. Uehara enters the season as Boston’s closer, but general manager Ben Cherington has publicly said he "would love to have more than one closer on the team.” Edward Mujica is now in Boson after saving 37 games for the Cardinals in 2013 but he’s strictly a handcuff to Uehara… for now.
Closer: Koji Uehara
Status: Steady until he blows a few saves
Sleepers: Edward Mujica and Andrew Miller
New York Yankees
You can make an intelligent argument that replacing Mariano Rivera is the toughest task in the history of Major League Baseball. David Robertson is the lucky guy awarded that challenge. D-Rob does have the stuff to be an elite closer, and he’s lucky because he’s already a fan favorite in the Bronx. If the Yankees brought in a free-agent closer, such as Grant Balfour, he would have been Public Enemy No. 1 after his first blown save. The fans were spoiled by Rivera for almost two decades. Let’s see if the Yankees fans ever turn on Robertson.
Closer: David Robertson
Status: Solid
Sleepers: The Yankees don’t have much in the bullpen after Robertson. Matt Thornton has some experience, but the Yankees need him as a left-handed specialist. Look for the Yankees to look outside the organization for help If Robertson implodes.
Tampa Bay Ray
Grant Balfour wasn’t brought back by the Oakland A’s after saving 38 games in 2013. Then, Balfour failed a physical when the Orioles tried to sign him. The 36-year-old ended up inking a two-year, $12 million deal with the Rays and he will be their closer for the foreseeable future. Balfour is a fiery guy with excellent stuff but he’s had a ton of physical ailments over the past few seasons. He’s even experiencing “dead arm” in Spring Training. It’s a good thing the Rays also acquired former closer Heath Bell in the offseason for some insurance.
Closer: Grant Balfour
Status: Rock solid until he gets injured
Sleeper: Heath Bell (short term), Jake McGee (long term)
Toronto Blue Jays
Casey Janssen emerged as a terrific ninth-inning option last season when he posted a 2.56 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 34 saves. He’s converted 56 of 61 save chances the last two seasons and is also in a contract year. The 32-year-old should be an elite fantasy closer if he stays healthy. Janssen was shut down early in spring after reporting tightness in his right shoulder it’s not expected to be serious. Sergio Santos would be the next in line and is an ideal handcuff for Janssen in deeper AL-only formats.
Closer: Casey Janssen
Status: Rock solid
Sleeper: Sergio Santos
Questions? Hit me on Twitter @briansflood
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
