Mound Musings: The Bullpen Shuffle – American League

At this stage of the season, the saves category is often a primary target for adding points and moving up in the standings. Last week we checked in on unsettled bullpens in the National League; now it's the American League's turn. Having passed the nonwaiver trade deadline, some closers have moved on to contending teams – often having been relegated to a set-up role – while their former teams scramble to find the guy who can adequately protect a lead in the ninth inning. Some role changes could be fairly obvious, but more often, there are several arms with some chance of claiming the job.

My bullpen disintegrated. What's a fantasy owner to do?

Perhaps the most alarming part of this series is that I had no trouble selecting 10 teams to highlight – five in the NL, and now five in the AL – and I could have included more teams with at least some doubt remaining. That's one-third of the major league teams, maybe more, where a new source of saves could surface any given day. Now, let's take a look at some closer assignments in the AL and see where they may be headed:

Here are some AL closer scenarios to monitor closely:

• Minnesota Twins – Bullpens with no clear-cut closer options are often called "committees" and Minnesota's collection of misfit toys definitely qualifies. When Brandon Kintzler was dealt to the Nationals, the auditions began. Two weeks before the trade deadline, lefty Taylor Rogers looked like the guy to own, but some untimely meltdowns put him on the back-burner. And, next on the list, journeyman Matt Belisle. He's having a good year, and he got the first couple of post-Kintzler save chances, but he's not really the answer. Roll the dice, and enter Trevor Hildenberger. Another having a nice year, but seriously lacking closer stuff. Ryan Pressly is also on hand, and has pitched much better after a nightmare beginning of the season, but he's not the closer to end the auditions. All four of the above could see some ninth inning work, but the guy who could print his name in ink at the end of the bench may have been somewhat forgotten. Glen Perkins has missed most of the past two years, and his health status is anything but certain, but the one-time premier closer is getting close to a return, and if there's even a shadow of his past, he'll get a trial.

• Texas Rangers – The days of Sam Dyson came to an abrupt end in April after he experienced an early season meltdown of epic proportions. That provided the Rangers with the perfect chance to try the best-equipped pitcher in their bullpen with an audition. Matt Bush looked great for a while, but then he imploded a few times, and it was back to the drawing board. Dyson is now in San Francisco, and Bush is gradually working his way back into high leverage situations. Today. The saves are falling to southpaw Alex Claudio, and occasionally to Jose Leclerc, but neither is a lockdown closer. Interestingly, the most likely replacement for Bush was Keone Kela but he was on the disabled list when the change was made. When he came back, it wasn't as the closer, and that raised questions that would soon be answered when he returned to the DL. He's still the best bet.

• Chicago White Sox – Will the last man in the bullpen please finish the game? That would seem to be the scenario on the South Side. Before the trade deadline the Sox sent closer David Robertson, and his anticipated heir, Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees. One of the players they got in return, Tyler Clippard, briefly stepped in, but then he was shipped to Houston. When the pen phone rings, the manager may be wondering who will answer. The best bets would seem to be Jake Petricka (he does have some minimal closing experience back in 2014) or perhaps Juan Minaya, who has a live arm but lacks experience (and control). However, it's not impossible that the team could decide to let one of their blue chip prospects get his major league feet wet with the big club. Remember, back in 2010-11, a promising lefty named Chris Sale broke in as a reliever. Young flame throwers like Lucas Giolito or Michael Kopech could make quite a splash. There's no indication that will happen, at least not yet, but keep an eye on this situation, especially as the calendar turns to September.

• Los Angeles Angels – This one is basically a mix of injuries and questionable effectiveness. Longtime closer Huston Street has spent more time than usual on the disabled list (that's a lot), and his heir apparent, Cam Bedrosian, hasn't been too healthy either. Bud Norris stepped in and surprisingly enjoyed some success, but that is fading, so the search is on. Bedrosian, still likely the best option, is back, but the Angels are hesitant to risk overworking him. They have the experienced Andrew Bailey, but he is more fragile than Street and Bedrosian. They also have a solid set-up man in Blake Parker who would be best served staying in that role, and they have Keynan Middleton, who has the best raw arm in their bullpen but can struggle with command. If the Angels can stay close in the wild card race until Street gets back (anticipated to be early September) he would probably get the ball based on his experience. Until then, it's likely to be a time share split between the top choice, Bedrosian, when he's fresh, Middleton occasionally, and even Norris if necessary.

• Oakland A's – For the first four months of this season, everyone kept wondering why Santiago Casilla was still closing for the A's. Because, quite simply, he wasn't very good, and they seemed to have better options, particularly Sean Doolittle. It's likely they were protecting his trade value as he's another of those fragile arms. He's now closing (and hoping to stay healthy) for the pennant-chasing Nationals, while a young reliever with a big arm who came back in the trade is getting a shot to close in Oakland. Blake Treinen spent some time trying his hand at the end game in Washington, but inexperience, inconsistency and vulnerability to lefty swingers didn't make manager Dusty Baker very comfortable. He won't have the same level of pressure in Oakland, and he could prove to be a competent closer if he can refine his repertoire enough to handle hitters from both sides of the plate. They really don't have many viable alternatives – maybe Liam Hendriks – and have nothing to lose while seeing what they have in him.
  

• At long last, Noah Syndergaard has progressed to throwing off a mound. Out since late April with a strained lat, the recuperation has drug on and on. The Mets aren't playing for anything this year, so they aren't going to push him, but I do think if everything goes well they would like to get him some September innings.

• Wow! If he could stay healthy, what a beast the Mariners' James Paxton could become. Some pitchers have great stuff, while others have a very deceptive motion. Paxton has both. His arm action makes it difficult for hitters to pick up the ball, but he's down again with a strained pectoral muscle.

• A pitcher who has caught my attention over the year is Miami's Jose Urena. I've mentioned him a couple of times before, but he's one you might want to look at for next season. He's the type of pitcher you might be able to acquire with a favorable contract for next year in keeper leagues, and he is progressing.

• The Angels have been plugging holes in their pitching staff all season, but they may soon get a pretty viable starter back. Andrew Heaney has looked solid in his rehab starts and has the tools to potentially be fantasy relevant if healthy. Assuming all goes well he could return sometime next week.

• Matt Harvey is just embarking on his rehab assignment, and I'm anxious to see how he fares in trying to come back from shoulder woes. I don't expect to see him with the Mets before September (assuming no setbacks), but I loved his stuff when he was healthy. Bum shoulders are just so rough to overcome.

• The Red Sox have put David Price's rehab on hold after he looked as if he wasn't as loose in his most recent throwing session. He's made just 11 starts this season, and this is the second time he has been on the disabled list with the same elbow issue. More delays could put the rest of the year in jeopardy.
  

In Miami, Odrisamer Despaigne picked up a save when Brad Ziegler wasn't available. Don't rush to the waiver wire, it was just a night off for Ziegler who might see his job fade away when Kyle Barraclough gets back in game shape. Aroldis Chapman has been rather mortal of late for the Yankees, but he's probably not in danger of losing his job at this point unless his hamstring problem proves to be more significant than anticipated. The team aggressively beefed up their bullpen at the deadline, so Robertson, or even more likely, Dellin Betances could enter the saves picture if the struggles continue or he needs time off. Mark Melancon is back with the Giants, and while Dyson is still closing for them, Melancon has been experiencing some discomfort in his elbow and is just trying to get back into game shape. When fully recovered it shouldn't be long before he reclaims his old job. The Tigers' Shane Greene appears to be solidifying his hold on the closer's job. He always looked better suited to relief work, and in the month of August, he has logged a win and three saves without allowing any runs. With very little competition for the gig, he has built some job security. Seattle's Edwin Diaz has misplaced the strike zone again. I don't think a change in the closer role is imminent, but check out the future of Thyago Vieira. The guy at the end of the Phillies' bullpen right now is Hector Neris, but I'd like to offer up a dark horse name to monitor. A nondescript Jesen Therrien was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley in late July, and I have had a chance to watch him recently. Look beyond the small sample size numbers. This guy could be closing some day with that rather filthy slider.