Mound Musings: The Endgame Odyssey Continues – American League

Last week I promised to look at some shaky American League bullpens. Just like in the senior circuit, there are plenty of bullpens in the American League with evolving roles including decisions on who will get the call in the ninth inning.

Delving into unsettled bullpens has become one the most popular topics in the Musings because, quite frankly, it is one the most challenging scoring categories in fantasy baseball, and a timely addition to your roster can propel you to new heights in your league standings. The trick is in identifying an upcoming change in roles before the competition catches on to the changes.

Let's review some AL bullpens, many with question marks still remaining:

Angels – In the years I have done these bullpen reviews the Angels have generally not had a reliable bullpen. That might – and I emphasize might – be changing. A couple years ago they signed Carlos Estevez in the offseason, and he's done a reasonably good job. If he keeps throwing strikes, there is hope. Matt Moore, Hunter Strickland and Luis Garcia are adequate bridge builders, but Estevez is the key.

Astros – A deep bullpen is a luxury, but the Astros have one. When Josh Hader is on his game, I don't think there is a better closer in the game. And, they also have another genuine closer in Ryan Pressly How many teams feature a pair like that? A very reliable closer is obviously a huge asset, but Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Seth Martinez are among the better setup guys, and they can fill in if Hader or Pressly need a day off.

Athletics – The A's are not a good team, but their closer, Mason Miller, is pure nasty – we're talking mumble to yourself on your way back to the dugout nasty. He can get a bit wild at times, but nobody has a better strikeout rate. Their set-up crew isn't bad either, led by Lucas Erceg, along with Austin Adams and Dany Jimenez. The question is, who will still be wearing the green and gold after the trade deadline passes.

Blue Jays – Finally, an easy one. If he gets and stays healthy, Jordan Romano is the man in Toronto. He has the great stuff, excellent command and a proven track record, he just needs to get past the balky elbow, And, there is a very capable support staff lead by top setup guys Yimi Garcia, Chad Green, and former top prospect Nate Pearson who is making the transition from starting to relief work. He has a big arm, and potentially complements this bullpen very well.

Guardians – Let's make it two in a row. Like Romano, Emmanuel Clase is at the top of the closer food chain. He and his capable support crew including Hunter Gaddis and Scott Barlow consistently finish off games begun by their starting pitchers. This is a scenario where well-developed pitching boosts a team's overall standing, and the Guardians have an excellent staff.

Mariners – Now it gets a little more complicated, even though it shouldn't. At first glance, Andres Munoz appears to be a well-entrenched closer, but Ryne Stanek keeps getting save chances. Don't get me wrong, he's pretty good, too, but the ideal situation would have him setting up a healthy and dominating Munoz. I think it will happen, while Tayler Saucedo, Gabe Speier and Austin Voth consistently get games into the later innings. This is one of my favorite bullpens to watch when they play it smart.

Orioles – On the surface this one also appears rather easy. Yes, Felix Bautista has closer stuff and has successfully finished quite a few games over the past couple years, but he underwent Tommy John surgery and won't be back until 2025. The O's went out and brought in Craig Kimbrel to fill in this year, but he's not the closer he once was. Don't be surprised if Yennier Cano sneaks in an occasional save, and I think both Cionel Perez and Dillon Tate are well positioned in their setup roles.

Rangers – I think the Rangers would have liked Jose Leclerc to step up and claim the job, but it hasn't happened yet. He's capable and has the tools, but he sometimes runs into stretches of ineffectiveness. Most often, one rocky outing leads to more of the same. Enter Kirby Yates. He's reliving 2019 when he saved 41 games, and I love it! Leclerc is a set-up guy now, and together with David Robertson, Jonathan Hernandez and Brock Burke handle the seventh and eighth innings. And, beware the sleeper, Jose Urena.

Rays – As with their starting pitching, the Rays don't always stick to traditional bullpen roles. I think they might like to, but the best closer on the staff, Pete Fairbanks, can't stay healthy. So, lesser talents like Colin Poche and Jason Adam chip in for the ninth inning as needed. The Rays have always had an uncanny knack for getting the most out of their arms. Garrett Cleavinger and Phil Maton are also viable set-up men.

Red Sox – If you can't grow your own closer, go out and buy one. Boston tried for years to internally develop a closer, but it didn't work out, so they went out and signed future Hall-of-Famer Kenley Jansen. He's getting older and probably isn't as durable as he once was, but when it counts, he usually gets it done, and that's what really matters. Unfortunately, his primary setup guys, Chris Martin, Justin Slaten and Greg Weissert aren't always as reliable as you would like. Maybe take a flyer on Zack Kelly.

Royals – James McArthur won't be confused with an elite closer but he's generally adequate, and the Royals haven't found anyone better. Interestingly, the Royals have brought in 34-year-old longtime sometimes closer Will Smith but he hasn't been all that effective. Maybe (probably) he'll be a trading chip at the deadline. I look at the rest of the bullpen arms like John Schreiber, Angel Zerpa and Dan Altavilla, who form the bridge to the ninth, but they are sometimes pretty shaky (and that is generous).

Tigers – The Tigers actually had a pretty decent closer candidate in Alex Lange, but he continually struggled to throw strikes, and has found himself at Triple-A Toledo. He has quality stuff, but his command just hasn't made it, so Jason Foley who was Lange's caddy, has stepped in as the current closer. I have a hunch we haven't seen the last of Lange. Shelby Miller (yep, the former starter) serves as the primary setup man along with righty Tyler Holton and veteran southpaw Andrew Chafin.

Twins – The Twins have pieced together a very good bullpen. They have Jhoan Duran who features an electric arm as their closer, while quality relievers like Caleb Thielbar and Griffin Jax serve as the bridge builders. Further, Brock Stewart, Cole Sands and Jorge Alcala have generally done a good job getting the game to them.

White Sox – The Sox bullpen has been a story of inconsistency made worse when they hit "flush" on virtually their entire roster. Michael Kopech currently sees the bulk of save chances. He has the arm, but his command is atrocious. Jordan Leasure looked like a possibility, but he was farmed out, leaving Tanner Banks as the flavor of the week. I think the team wants to see Michael Soroka starting or he would be a sleeper here.

Yankees – We normally don't think of the Yankees as a team that needs to routinely shuffle roles, but that's where we are. Clay Holmes, a very good setup man, as expected, was to step into the closer's role, which has worked out fairly well. The Yankees big problem is keeping everyone healthy. Their bullpen core, with quality guys like Ian Hamilton, Jonathan Loaisiga, Lou Trivino and Tommy Kahnle all have been, or are currently, hurt, so musical chairs has been the order of the day.

Some Notable Rotation Ramblings:

• With a heavy schedule ahead and the added pressure on the rotation following the 10-game suspension of closer Edwin Diaz, the Mets may be looking at bringing Christian Scott back from Triple-A. They are trying to limit his workload, but, not surprisingly, it's difficult to keep quality pitchers off the MLB mound.
• With so many pitchers hurt, it's nice to welcome one back to the mound, especially if the return is successful. Max Scherzer took the hill for Texas last weekend and looked like he never missed a beat. He went five innings, allowing one hit, no walks and no runs. He was, not surprisingly, on a pitch count.
• It's very difficult to trust a Colorado starting pitcher, but Cal Quantrill is building a pretty good case for himself. He has only allowed more than three runs once in his last eight starts (and that was a road start against the Dodgers). I might use him in very specific circumstances, like good matchups away from Coors Field.
• One guy who has really been turning my head is Minnesota's Bailey Ober. He's getting more and more consistent. He just spun a complete game four-hitter, allowing two runs, with no walks and 10 strikeouts. Okay, it was against Oakland, but I watched several innings, and he was totally in control.
• Sometimes it feels like this Musings feature is a who's who of pitchers going on the injured list this week. Unfortunately, injuries have an impact and usually open a door for someone else. Miami saw Jesus Luzardo hit the IL with a lumbar strain. He's the fifth out of six listed starters to miss time due to injury.
• The Blue Jays finally handed the ball to Yariel Rodriguez for a start this past weekend. What a long strange trip it's been for the Cuban right-hander who pitched six seasons in Cuba before spending three seasons in Japan. The rust was very evident, but I've seen some interesting stuff. Strictly flyer material.

These aren't all the questions by any means, but they are situations to watch. As always, we'll keep tabs on possible bullpen adjustments throughout the season in the Endgame Odyssey section of the Musings, but for now, there are my thoughts on the American League and those ever-changing bullpens.