Fantasy Baseball: American League Closer Report

AL Closer Report

This is the first of two columns regarding the closer position for each Major League Baseball team for the 2019 season. In this column, we will take a look at the 15 teams that make up the American League. In the next column the National League.

I’ve been writing this column for about eight years now regarding this position for fantasy purposes and one thing I can tell you without much hesitation is this. There are 30 teams in MLB. That means there are 30 current closers (okay, maybe a little less if you count teams that are going to use a committee), but by July 1, at least half of those closers will no longer have that job for various reasons. Perhaps they will be traded. Perhaps benched for poor performance. Perhaps an injury will cost them the job. It really doesn’t matter why you just need to be aware that this is one of the most volatile position in fantasy sports. If you’re drafting a closer early or spending a high dollar amount on one, you’re doing so at your own risk. The teams are listed in alphabetical order.

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American League

Baltimore Orioles: I like to say that ever closer has value as every save counts, but the Orioles are going to push that theory this season. There over/under for wins this season for Baltimore starts at 60 and goes down from there. How many games do we actually think Mychal Givens can save this season, even if he were to keep the job? Givens is a dartboard throw at the end of your draft.



Boston Red Sox: It does seem strange that as of this writing that either Matt Barnes or Ryan Brasier will close out games for Boston. The Sox have stated over and over again that they don’t plan to bring back Craig Kimbrel (still a free agent) and he is the only top reliever still left on the open market. Either the Sox decided the best way to save money is by going cheap in their bullpen or they believe Kimbrel is on the downside of his career. Barnes may have a slight edge over Brasier at this point, but this is a coin toss.

Chicago White Sox: The Sox are another team that has multiple candidates to close out games. There are two things that can really annoy fantasy owners. One, a bullpen committee. Two, no clear cut candidate. It generally is best to just avoid these situations, especially on a bad team. Former Rays’ closer Alex Colome is the odds on favorite to win the job, but Nate Jones could also see save opportunities when left-handed batters are due up in the ninth

Cleveland Indians: The Indians have overhauled their bullpen since last season. Former closer Cody Allen is now pitching the ninth inning for the Angels. Andrew Miller, who was one of the top lefty relievers in the game for Cleveland, is now with St. Louis. Who will close for Cleveland? That would be Brad Hand who was acquired before the trade deadline last season. The Indians may not be quite as dominant in the AL Central this season as they were in past years, but they are still the favorite to win the division and Hand should easily be a top 10 closer this season.

Houston Astros: The Astros proved last season that winning is all that matters in baseball when they traded for Roberto Osuna. Osuna had been suspended by MLB during the 2018 for his violation of the Domestic Abuse policy yet the Astros still acquired him as he gave them a better chance at winning a World Series than Ken Giles did. Osuna is past those troubles and should be able to give Houston one of the best closers in the AL, if not the game. We may not like his off-field actions, but as far as our game is concerned, Osuna should be a top-flight closer this season.

Detroit Tigers: The Tigers have already let it be known that they are in a rebuild. That they don’t plan to spend money again on free agents until 2022. Shane Greene is the closer here and should be in line to get 25+ saves, but the upside is limited. There is something else to consider here also. If Greene is pitching well this season he could very easily be traded to a contending team, and that team would almost certainly not use him as a closer.

Kansas City Royals: The rest of this division is a mess as none of the next three teams is likely to finish with anywhere near a .500 record. The Royals signed Brad Boxberger in the offseason and although I don’t have him as the closer yet, Wily Peralta, I do expect him to win the job at some point this season. That doesn’t mean you should be rushing out to grab either one though.

Los Angeles Angels: The Angels have seemed to have a revolving door at closer over the past few seasons. They are hoping that free agent addition Cody Allen will change all of that. Maybe he will, but he had his troubles in Cleveland last season as he posted the worst ERA of his career, 4.70, and his second worst WHIP, 1.36. Perhaps a change of scenery is all that Allen needs, but the Angels have little room for error if they want to compete for a playoff spot and can ill to afford problems at the back end of their bullpen.

Minnesota Twins: If the Indians were to be knocked off their perch as the central champs, it will likely be because the Twins caught them. The problem for Fantasy owners, however, is that they don’t have one clear cut closer. On my grid, I give the job to Trevor May, but his hold on the job is tenuous at best. Taylor Rogers, Addison Reed, Blake Parker, and Trevor Hildenberger could all be in the mix. The Twins have spent some money on free agency this season. Wouldn’t Craig Kimbrel look good here?

New York Yankees: The Yankees in all probability have the best bullpen in MLB. Aroldis Chapman is the closer, but this team is loaded with top relievers like Dellin Betances, Zach Britton, Adam Ottavino, and Chad Green. Manager Aaron Boone is likely to use Britton as closer if Chapman were to need time off due to injury, but Britton may not be the top option for holds as he could be used in any inning from the seventh on should the opposing team have left-handed batters due up.

Oakland Athletics: There is little doubt that Blake Treinen will be the closer for Oakland this season. Treinen had a magnificent season last year with 38 saves, 0.78 ERA, .083 WHIP, along with averaging more than a strikeout per inning pitched. No one saw this coming. Certainly not the Nationals who dumped Treinen after he failed in the closer role in 2017. The Athletics may not be a playoff team again this season, but Treinen should still get his fair share of save opportunities. The bigger question in the Oakland bullpen is who will be main setup man, Joakim Soria, Fernando Rodney, or Lou Trivino. My money is on Soria.

Seattle Mariners: If there was any doubt that the Mariners are in a full rebuild, they eliminated that when they traded one of the better closers in the game, Edwin Diaz, and Robinson Cano over the winter. This season they will go with Hunter Strickland to close out games, assuming he doesn't punch any more walls. The Mariners aren't playing to win this season so even if Strickland were to falter in the role, he may have a longer leash than expected. Seattle also doesn't have a true closer prospect on the current roster and Anthony Swarzak shouldn't be a threat to anyone's job.

Tampa Bay Rays: Last season the Rays employed their closer to sometimes start the game as they were the first team to employ an opener. They are likely to do the same thing this season but unlike last year where that may have taken away a save or two from Sergio Romo, it would seem Jose Alvarado will only be used in the later innings. The Rays won 90 games last season and that wasn’t a fluke. They are a better team than you might think, and Alvarado could be a better play than most realize.

Texas Rangers: The Rangers are yet another team that seem to struggle at the closer position each season. Jose Leclerc is expected to start the season as the closer, but it's anyone's guess if he will finish the season in the same role. The Rangers aren't expected to be all that competitive this season so it's not like you will be dying to draft Leclerc anyway. He's a back end of your draft selection. Someone you shouldn't be counting on to get any more than 20-25 saves.

Toronto Blue Jays: In case you forgot, the Jays and Astros pretty much-swapped closers before the trade deadline last season. The Jays sent Roberto Osuna and his off-field problems to Houston and they received Ken Giles and his on-field problems. Giles, when on, can be a very good closer. The problem is that he seems to have problems versus the Yankees (a team he will face 19 times), and the Jays should be a below .500 team this season which will limit his save opportunities.

Check out FantasyData's 2019 MLB Fantasy Projections

Team Closer Next in Line ARI Archie Bradley Greg Holland/Yoshihisa Hirano ATL Arodyz Vizcaino A.J. Minter BAL Mychal Givens Richard Bleier/Miguel Castro BOS Matt Barnes Ryan Brasier/Tyler Thornburg CHC Pedro Strop Steve Cishek CHW Alex Colome Kelvin Herrera CIN Raisel Iglesias Jared Hughes CLE Brad Hand Adam Cimber COL Wade Davis Scott Oberg/Seung Hwan Oh DET Shane Greene Joe Jimenez HOU Roberto Osuna Ryan Pressly/Chris Devenski KC Wily Peralta Brad Boxberger LAA Cody Allen Ty Buttrey/Cam Bedrosian LAD Kenley Jansen Joe Kelly MIA Drew Steckenrider Sergio Romo MIL Corey Knebel Josh Hader MIN Trevor May Taylor Rogers/Blake Parker NYM Edwin Diaz Jeurys Familia NYY Aroldis Chapman Zach Britton/Dellin Betances OAK Blake Treinen Lou Trivino/Joakim Soria PHI David Robertson Seranthony Dominguez PIT Felipe Vazquez Keone Kela STL Jordan Hicks Andrew Miller SD Kirby Yates Craig Stammen SF Will Smith Mark Melancon SEA Hunter Strickland Anthony Swarzak TB Jose Alvarado Diego Castillo/Chaz Roe TEX Jose Leclerc Chris Martin/Shawn Kelley TOR Ken Giles Ryan Tepera WSH Sean Doolittle Trevor Rosenthal/Kyle Barraclough

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