Injuries and job changes continue to run rampant through MLB. With 10 games still to be played, let’s check in on some of the latest news we’re hearing and see if we can’t find some potential waiver gems or trade targets.
New Closer(s) in Washington
If there was any question about how much Dusty Baker hates your fantasy team, it was answered today. After another botched outing by Blake Treinen, Dusty told everyone in his post-game presser that he thought it was time for a change of closer. Considering it was Shawn Kelley who saved the game Tuesday and had now gone five-straight appearances without allowing a run, one should have been able to surmise that Kelley was the appropriate choice. After all, Treinen was a mess and future-star Koda Glover got off to a rocky start this season and has still allowed a run in two of his last five appearances.
But not in Dusty’s world, no. Hell no, in fact. Rather than make life easy on us fantasy folk, Dusty has said that both Kelley and Glove will now share the role. Obviously, that hinders the overall value of both in terms of closers, but you can find the silver lining in the fact that, at least they’ll both start getting saves now. If you’re in a keeper league, you should be looking at Glover. In a re-draft, Kelley should be your guy. And, of course, if you have the bench room to spare, you can probably go after both and see how it plays out down the road. If you’re spending FAAB bucks on saves, the announcement probably cuts the price on each of them. Grabbing both, if possible might even cost less than going after Rangers new closer, Matt Bush.
More Closer News
While Trevor Rosenthal may have picked up the save today, I don’t see him supplanting Seung-Hwan Oh just yet. Oh had pitched on Sunday and Monday and while yes, he did give up a run in one of them, he threw a decent number of pitches and manager Mike Matheny wanted to get him some extra rest. That’s not to say Rosenthal isn’t an intriguing stash, but I don’t see Matheny handing him back the job anytime soon.
The Corey Knebel watch is officially on as Neftali Feliz blew his first save today. The Brewers were up 4-3 entering the ninth and all looked good as Feliz immediately got Kyle Schwarber to pop up to second base. But then the wheels fell off the wagon with a walk, a couple of hits and, ultimately, a three-run home run by Addison Russell to cinch up the win for the Cubs. Home runs have long been an issue for Feliz and while this was his first gaffe, you can’t help but wonder how long a leash he has should he mess up another soon. Knebel is a solid bullpen guy right now and is worth a speculative add if your league scores for holds.
Change at the Keystone for Dodgers
When the x-rays came back negative on Logan Forsythe’s toe, the Dodgers were relieved to hear that their new second base acquisition would only miss a few days. Well, those days are now weeks as further examination revealed the toe to actually be broken. Current reports say that he’ll only miss two weeks, so that’s certainly not the end of the world. If Chase Utley is available on your wire, you may as well grab him as he’ll return to ever-day status. Of course, that’s assuming your waiver wire is like mine and it’s been picked clean. If there’s another decent everyday option available, it may be worth exploring than relying on an aging dirt-dog.
Now in Left for the Phillies
Well, it ain’t Howie Kendrick, that’s for sure. In fact, we’re not even sure as to how long Kendrick will be out. He’s dealing with a strained muscle in his sternum and the while the club still calls him day-to-day, Kendrick is going for an MRI now to determine the severity of the injury. In the meantime, a likely platoon of Aaron Altherr and Daniel Nava seems to be in the cards as a replacement. Neither guy is worth a pick-up in mixed leagues, but if you’re in and NL-only format, Altherr could be worth a look given his power/speed potential. It’s not massive, by any stretch of the imagination, but he’ll always be a better bet than Nava.
Hmmmm. Thought there was more to talk about from the day, but apparently that’s it. Maybe I’ll circle on back and add to this later on tonight. Perhaps a discussion on how BvP data can be helpful even this early in the season. Just check out what Bryce Harper is doing to Julio Teheran right now.
Catch you in a few…