The Red Sox will reportedly use Nathan Eovaldi as their closer when he returns from the 60-day IL. He will reportedly be used as a traditional closer, unlike the closer by committee that has served the Red Sox so ineffectively to this point. Eovaldi is expected to return shortly after the All-Star break, and he probably needs to be owned in all leagues. Eovaldi should have a relatively long leash despite not having recorded a single save at any level since Single-A ball with the Dodgers in 2009.
That being said, there are some legitimate concerns. First of all, Eovaldi is usually a pretty good bet to get hurt, though he could have better health working as a reliever. Secondly, he will likely have to significantly increase his strikeouts and decrease his home runs to be successful as a closer. Both of those are not uncommon for starters converting to relief, but we should not just assume they will happen. Finally, there is still a chance the Red Sox trade for a closer, perhaps even before Eovaldi comes off the IL. I don’t think I would drop anyone who is getting saves right now in order to add Eovaldi.
The craziest thing about Edwin Díaz ’s struggles is that they aren’t due to walking too many batters. I thought he was a bit risky coming into the season, mostly because I thought he could revert to his 2017 form, when he had 4.36 BB/9. While walks haven’t been an issue, a .400 BABIP and 1.91 HR/9 have been.
As Kenley Jansen and Josh Hader have proven, giving up a bunch of homers is not as huge a hurdle to saving games as it once was. Even if Diaz continues to give up the long ball, he should rack up saves, especially if his BABIP allowed normalizes. At the very least, we know Diaz is not losing that job, and there might be a buy-low opportunity here. I think Diaz is still a top-five fantasy closer, but his owner might not value him that way.
Wade Davis has two saves in the last week, with a four-run inning sandwiched in between. Manager Bud Black said the team was thinking about making a change following Davis’s latest blowup, but they went to Davis for their next save chance, which he converted in a perfect inning with two strikeouts. I understand why Scott Oberg is such a popular stash for fantasy teams in need of saves, but there is a pretty decent chance Wade Davis does just enough to keep closing all season.
Speaking of doing just enough to keep closing, I’m starting to think Luke Jackson is going to keep the job until Atlanta trades for Will Smith . Jackson’s 2.85 ERA and 4.38 K/BB are better than a lot of the pitchers ahead of him on the saves list, and A.J. Minter blew the save Sunday after Jackson had pitched each of the previous two days. I’m officially giving up on Minter, which means he will almost certainly get a win and/or a save before the All-Star Break.
Roenis Elías has two saves in the last week but he also took the loss on Saturday. Hunter Strickland is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday, and if he avoids any setbacks, he is probably a couple of weeks away from returning. I’m not sure how much it will matter, both because I think Elias has thrown well enough to keep the job and because Seattle isn’t good enough to get very many save chances. I’d have to be pretty desperate to roster any Mariners closer.
Greg Holland ’s status as Arizona’s closer is up in the air after his second consecutive blown save. Holland’s 5.46 BB/9 is simply not good enough, especially when you consider his diminished stuff. He is probably lucky to have a 3.21 ERA, thanks to a career-low .197 BABIP. It is almost certainly time to drop Holland. Yoan López seems to be the clear favorite to close in his place, and he can be added in most leagues.
Raisel Iglesias picked up the save against my Cubs on my birthday despite allowing a three-run homer to Jason Hayward. Then he pitched the 11th Tuesday against Milwauke and picked up the win. Michael Lorenzen hasn’t had a save since Friday, and at this point, I’m wondering if either needs to be rostered in mixed leagues. If I had to pick one of them to lead Cincinnati in saves the rest of the way, I still think I’m choosing Iglesias.
José Alvarado allowed an earned run in his first game back after missing nearly a month, but he picked up the save with a scoreless inning Monday. Emilio Pagán has gone nine consecutive appearances without allowing an earned run, and he will almost certainly remain in the mix for saves going forward.
Carlos Martínez is still available in more than 50 percent of ESPN leagues, but that will most likely change once he picks up his next save. Martinez appears locked in as St. Louis’s closer, and there is no reason to believe he won’t be successful.
Don’t look now, but Ian Kennedy has 11 saves and a 6.67 K/BB rate. He may not be exciting to own, but at this point, there’s no reason to think he will be ineffective in the second half. He is still available in a lot of mixed leagues.