Here are the latest fantasy baseball closer updates from the past week of action.
As we move towards the end of August, Kev Mahserejian looks at the fantasy baseball picture as it pertains to closers around the league. Which reliever should get your confidence for saves in the closing months of the fantasy baseball season?
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Week 23 Fantasy Baseball Closers: Depth Chart News, Saves Tips & Bullpen Report
Pittsburgh Pirates
- Closer: David Bednar
- Backups: Chris Stratton
Richard Rodriguez was traded nearly a month ago, but the Pittsburgh Pirates are awful and don’t present their relievers with many save opportunities. Pittsburgh’s relievers have converted just three saves since Rodriguez was dealt at the July 30 MLB trade deadline: the first two by David Bednar and the most recent one by Chris Stratton on Bednar’s rest day.
It’s thus fair to presume that Bednar is the closer here, with Stratton not far behind but most likely just a setup man. Bednar’s more talented and looks like the closer of the future for the Pirates. He has phenomenal stuff and his peripheral indicators paint him as a high-end reliever, so he’s absolutely worth rostering for the rest of the season.
- Check out our Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings and Depth Charts.
Cincinnati Reds
- Closer: N/A
- Backups: Mychal Givens, Michael Lorenzen
The Cincinnati Reds’ bullpen is a bit of a mess, but their closer situation is down to two candidates with Tejay Antone requiring Tommy John surgery.
Cincy’s closer committee is comprised of former Orioles reliever Mychal Givens and veteran Reds reliever Michael Lorenzen. Since Heath Hembree‘s most recent save on July 24, that duo has converted the team’s last seven saves. Givens has four and Lorenzen has three, but the two most recent saves have gone to Lorenzen.
They’ll likely continue to split opportunities going forward, although the Reds may lean on Lorenzen more now that he’s fully healthy after missing the first half of the season. Both relievers are worth rostering, but keep expectations low given their timeshare.
