Read on for The Game Day’s Week 12 Fantasy Closers: Depth Chart News, Saves Tips & Baseball Bullpen Report. See which MLB relief pitchers are locked into save chances and which are in jeopardy with their job security. Keeping up with bullpen depth charts is vital for fantasy baseball teams, so identifying sleepers for saves and closers on the rise should be on your radar.
See our full 2021 Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings & Depth Charts for every MLB bullpen.
Week 12 Fantasy Baseball Closers: Depth Chart News, Saves Tips & Bullpen Report
Cincinnati Reds
- Closer: Lucas Sims
- Backups: Amir Garrett, Tejay Antone (IL), Sean Doolittle
With Tejay Antone (forearm) on the IL, there is less competition for Cincinnati’s save opportunities. Lucas Sims has converted four of the past six saves while Amir Garrett vultured a one-out save chance on Tuesday. Sims’ 4.23 ERA is not reflective of his strong peripherals, which include a 1.16 WHIP, a 2.94 FIP, and a 14.0 K/9 rate. He will continue to be fine in this role until Antone returns, but do not be shocked if a lefty like Garrett or Sean Doolittle sneaks in to steal a save occasionally.
Miami Marlins
- Closer: Yimi Garcia
- Backups: Dylan Floro, Anthony Bender
The Marlins are at an impasse, as their roster is not terrible but is also not good enough to make the playoffs. Their pitching is steller, however, and Yimi Garcia has been a part of that, converting 11 of 14 save opportunities with a 2.77 ERA over 26 innings. Garcia is a free agent at the end of this season, however, and thus likely to be traded given his current value. A team dealing for him may use him in any sort of high-leverage role, which would diminish his fantasy value if saves are few and far between.
Marlins Anthony Bender
18 Games 0.00 ERA 22 K
If he starts the season in the majors, probably an All-Star. Incredible find.— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) June 16, 2021
In your fantasy leagues, it is best to deal away Garcia now while his value is still relatively high and recoup saves elsewhere. Subsequently, pick up Anthony Bender and his 0.00 ERA through 17 2/3 innings. Bender has better stuff than Garcia and will be the closer eventually. Miami could also opt to use setup man Dylan Floro to close, but he is not as good as Bender and will likely remain in his 7th-8th inning role.
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More Fantasy Baseball Closer News
- The Arizona Diamondbacks have now lost 13 straight games. They are so, so bad and do not have a proper closer for the few games that they do win. It is not worth speculating on this team.
- Detroit Tigers’ closer Michael Fulmer returned from IL and regained his closing job this week, converting a save opportunity on Wednesday despite giving up two runs. Hold onto him unless he starts struggling significantly.
