The Long Game: Tomorrow's Closers... Today!

If there's one thing I hate to do at the auction table in keeper leagues, it's pay full freight for a closer. It's not just that I'm averse to spending significant resources on one-category players (the idea of getting into a bidding war for a guy like Billy Hamilton also makes me queasy), although that's certainly part of it; it's that it's so easy to avoid being put in that position. Closer jobs change hands all the time, and in leagues where you have any kind of bench depth to play with, stashing setup men before they move into ninth-inning jobs should be something you're doing constantly throughout the season. If you don't head into next year's auction rostering a couple of save options you picked up cheap when they were still cooling their heels in eighth-inning roles or hadn't locked down a closer spot after it became open, it basically means you failed at your job the year before.

Those spec pickups for next year can pay dividends right away, too. Already this season, I've started to get contributions in saves from relievers like Mychal Givens and Wily Peralta, who I snagged for prices that will look like bargains if they still have the jobs next Opening Day. They can also provide value beyond next year as well – Edwin Diaz is still anchoring my bullpen in the Staff Keeper League after I picked him up for a measly four bucks in 2016. Finding and acquiring these pitchers before their value skyrockets is one of the more overlooked tools on a fantasy GMs belt, as the savings they provide not only give you an advantage at the auction table, they prevent you from flushing too much money down the drain on one of the most volatile "positions" in baseball. After all, "full freight" for a closer in a keeper league means something very different than it does in re-draft. If most of the top saves options end up being protected, as they often are, the price tag on the mediocre leftovers gets inflated above and beyond the expected rate. Imagine having to chase saves in an auction where Aroldis Chapman is the only elite option available, and after him the top names are Wade Davis and Shane Greene. It's not pretty, unless of course you don't need saves and can kick back with some popcorn and watch the madness unfold.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the bullpen situations around MLB and see which ones are still ripe for the picking when it comes to finding potential 2019 save sources. Players I particularly have my eye on will be in bold. Of course, not all of these names will hit, which is why it's important to cast as wide a net as your roster circumstances will allow.

American League

Baltimore Orioles: Mychal Givens is getting a look at the closer job right now, but if he falters the O's have finally begun stockpiling some interesting relief arms, including Cody Carroll, who was picked up from the Yankees in the Zach Britton trade. Carroll's numbers in the high minors and 97 mph fastball look really good. The five walks in his first 3.2 big-league innings, less so.

Boston Red Sox: Craig Kimbrel is a free agent this offseason, so in theory the Boston job could be open in 2019. More than likely, though, the front office will spend what it takes to keep him. If you want to gamble on an internal option, Joe Kelly and Matt Barnes are the most obvious names and deserve to be stashed in deeper formats, but the Red Sox will probably just bring back Kimbrel.

Chicago White Sox: I mean, there are guys here kind of worth looking at – Jace Fry, Thyago Vieira, the perennially injured Nate Jones – but this team's pattern is clear. They'll bring in some veteran reclamation project to bolster their bullpen over the winter, give him the closing job in the spring, then flip him for a middling prospect or two during the summer. Wash, rinse, repeat. The only thing that's going to break that cycle is a return to contention, but even then, that just means they'll be buyers on the reliever market and not sellers.

Cleveland: No stash candidates here. Cleveland has a prototypical modern World Series-caliber bullpen with three viable and established shutdown arms in Brad Hand, Cody Allen and Andrew Miller.

Detroit Tigers: Nothing changed here at the trade deadline. Shane Greene remains the closer, Joe Jimenez remains the closer in waiting and the best stash candidate. Jimenez's improved control this season is definitely encouraging for his long-term prospects as well.

Houston Astros: Houston's unconventional bullpen usage also makes it tough to find keeper closer options on their roster, although in deep mixed and AL-only formats it's never a bad idea to stash some Astros relievers just because they tend to be useful high-K, low-ratio staff filler options.

Kansas City Royals: If Bud Norris can do it, why not Wily Peralta? It's not like the Royals have any better options for ninth-inning duty in their current bullpen. The organization keeps flip-flopping on whether Josh Staumont will be a starter or not, but he's currently handling long relief at Triple-A Omaha. If they commit to him as a short reliever, he could blossom.

Los Angeles Angels: The Halos have been struggling to find a reliable ninth-inning option all season, which ironically makes them not very helpful now when it comes to finding a possible keeper option. Guys like Justin Anderson are long gone in most leagues, although he might still be on the waiver wire in a shallow format. Nobody else in their bullpen jumps out as a likely candidate either, unless you still hold out hope for a Hansel Robles turnaround. This looks like a team that will be shopping for closer help over the winter, but if they stick with internal options, Ty Buttrey -- acquired from Boston in the Ian Kinsler deal -- has the high-90s fastball and improving command to potentially seize the job.

Minnesota Twins: The Twins have long viewed Trevor Hildenberger as their future closer, so if he didn't get bid up after Fernando Rodney was sent packing, he has to be viewed as the best stash option. I'm extremely skeptical, though. He's a sidearmer with a sub-90 mph fastball who gets by on deception, and he's been downright brutal lately, serving up homers in four straight appearances. Addison Reed is also a possibility, as he has one more year left on his deal and the club might decide he should be showcased in case they want to trade him next year. For my money, though – and I mean that literally, as I already have multiple shares of him – the best target in the Minnesota 'pen is Trevor May. He fits the profile almost perfectly as a former top prospect with a big arm who's had trouble staying healthy as a starter. Of course, he's also had trouble staying healthy in a relief role, but that's why these guys are cheap lottery tickets.

New York Yankees: No team offers a worse hunting ground for future spec saves than the Bronx Bombers. Think about how many career saves Dellin Betances would have by now if he's wound up in any other organization. Aroldis Chapman is under contract through 2021, and they'll just keep trading for other team's closers to set him up in the meantime.

Oakland A's: Oakland followed the current trend of stocking their bullpen with lesser teams' closers at (or just after) the deadline, picking up Jeurys Familia and Fernando Rodney to help get the ball to Blake Treinen. Those guys will probably be in another uniform next year, though, so if there's a pitcher in this bullpen worth stashing as Treinen insurance it's Lou Trivino, whose big heater and strong debut makes him a stereotypical closer in waiting.

Seattle Mariners: Edwin Diaz isn't going anywhere, but if he were to get hurt, Alex Colome would be able to step up. He's pitched much better for Seattle than he was for Tampa earlier in the year, and he's got that magical closing experience every manager loves to lean on.

Tampa Bay Rays: Sergio Romo is a free agent in the offseason, and while he's kind of terrible, he's also accumulated enough saves in his hybrid opener/closer role to maybe sucker some dumb team into overpaying for him in the offseason. The Rays don't seem that dumb and have plenty of options to replace him, assuming they don't just committee it up in 2019. Your best targets here are Diego Castillo, Jose Alvarado and Ryne Stanek. Rostering multiple Tampa relievers, if you have the bench space, is definitely a viable option.

Texas Rangers: The Rangers are basically having open tryouts to replace Keone Kela as closer, so grab your glove and head on down to Globe Life Park in Arlington – you could get lucky! Despite the chaos, there's no good stash candidates here, simply because there's no good pitchers here outside of Jose Leclerc, the current favorite to wind up with ninth-inning duties and a guy who's likely already been the target of a healthy FAAB bidding war.

Toronto Blue Jays: What a mess. Ken Giles just picked up his first save as a Jay, but he's been extremely unreliable this season both in Toronto and Houston. Ryan Tepera and Tyler Clippard are next in line right now, but neither are exciting stashes, and there's nobody at Triple-A Buffalo who looks like the next Roberto Osuna on the mound.

National League

Arizona Diamondbacks: Arizona seems content with Brad Boxberger in the ninth inning and Archie Bradley in the highest-leverage set-up role, which won't leave many opportunities for anyone else.

Atlanta Braves: A.J. Minter is the new hotness in the Atlanta bullpen, but he'll be long gone in a competitive keeper league. Dan Winkler's also been very impressive and is more likely to be on your waiver wire, and if Minter's southpawedness keeps him in a high-leverage role rather than as the full-time closer, it's Winkler who would stand to benefit. Arodys Vizcaino will head into his final year of arbitration in 2019 and could easily be sent packing if the front office decides he's too expensive.

Chicago Cubs: Carl Edwards Jr. had some untimely injury issues of his own which prevented him from getting his shot when Brandon Morrow broke down, and Pedro Strop has been just fine in the ninth inning instead. Edwards and his 13.2 K/9 is still a more than viable stash, though, even if both Morrow and Strop should be back in Chicago next year.

Cincinnati Reds: Raisel Iglesias didn't get traded, weirdly, but he's under contract until 2020 so unless the front office gets an offer for him it likes in the offseason, there's no one worth stashing here.

Colorado Rockies: Wade Davis hasn't been great and Adam Ottavino has, and a changing of the guard may already be occurring. One of those two will almost certainly be closing for the Rockies next year.

Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers were surprisingly quiet at the trade deadline, apparently expecting guys like Josh Fields to provide their bullpen reinforcements. Kenley Jansen's injury now gives a glimpse of how things might shake out in 2019 should he hit the shelf again, but there aren't a lot of appealing stash options. Pedro Baez's stock has fallen over the last couple of years, and Scott Alexander will be a hot FAAB target and get priced out of a stashable salary. Fields seems like your best option if you want to gamble on a further decline from Jansen.

Miami Marlins: The Marlins are kind of the opposite of the White Sox, in that instead of building up value in their relievers before flipping them, they ruin their value and wait too long to trade them. Kyle Barraclough has flamed out as closer, and now it's Drew Steckenrider's turn. The stash target here is Adam Conley, who could develop into a shutdown southpaw reliever, although Tayron Guerrero's big fastball and shaky control also merit a look in deeper formats.

Milwaukee Brewers: Corey Knebel still has three years of team control left, while Josh Hader won't even reach arbitration until 2021. It's hard to envision a scenario where those two aren't hogging all the save chances next year in Milwaukee.

New York Mets: Seth Lugo got the save Sunday, while Robert Gsellman has been the Mets' best reliever most of the year but has been used in a high-leverage, rather than a ninth-inning, role since Familia got dealt. Either one could wind up as the full-time closer in 2019 (with Bobby Wahl a dark horse candidate if his stuff ever returns to its pre-thoracic outlet surgery form), or none of them if the front office decides they need to make a splash by bringing in a big name. They're just the kind of team that would overpay for a closer, too.

Philadelphia Phillies: Manager Gabe Kapler seems to enjoy setting FAAB traps with his bullpen. Guys like Victor Arano will get three saves in a week, then never sniff the ninth inning again. The club seems committed to Seranthony Dominguez as its closer, though, and given his filthy stuff it's easy to see why. If anyone could have an Edwin Diaz-like breakout in 2019, it's him.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Felipe Vazquez hasn't been quite as untouchable this season, but he's still been mostly very good as the closer, and the Bucs added Keone Kela at the trade deadline to set him up. There's no real stash candidates here.

San Diego Padres: Kirby Yates looks like he'll be just fine in the ninth inning. If the Friars have a dark horse stash candidate, it's Matt Strahm, but he's more likely to take the Andrew Miller career path than become a closer.

San Francisco Giants: Reyes Moronta's 97 mph fastball is juicy, but his 5.1 BB/9 is not. Will Smith's been great as the closer, and Hunter Strickland was doing fine in the ninth inning before he lost a fight with a wall, so neither are (or will come) cheap. If you want a stash candidate, though, why not Mark Melancon? The Giants are probably stuck with him, and the only way they might be able to get out from under his contract – which features two $14 million player options for 2019 and 2020 – is if he has trade value by proving he can handle a high-leverage role again.

St. Louis Cardinals: Look, I know everyone wants Jordan Hicks to be the guy, and he's certainly worth stashing. He has a pathetic 7.3 K/9 despite his triple-digit heat, though, and major-league hitters can tee off on a 100 mph fastball that's as as straight as an arrow when they don't have any kind of wrinkle to worry about. St. Louis does have some minor-league options worth looking at in deep formats, notably Andrew Morales – moved to the bullpen in 2017, he has a 62:23 K:BB in 51.1 innings at Triple-A Memphis this year, working with a mid-90s fastball and sharp slider.

Washington Nationals: The Nats keep naming new closers and then keep having to put them on the DL, which probably has the remaining members of their bullpen trying to avoid eye contact with manager Dave Martinez lest they be next. Koda Glover is your best stash candidate here, as he looked like a possible ninth-inning option when he first got the majors before shoulder issues cut short his 2017 campaign. He looked good at Triple-A Syracuse before his promotion back to Washington, though, and while Sean Doolittle is still under contract next year, he's had health concerns before.