Mound Musings: The Bullpen Shuffle – National League

At this stage of the season, the saves category is often a primary target for adding points and moving up in the standings. Having passed the non-waiver 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 at least some chance of claiming the job.

When your bullpen goes sour.

Bullpens are changing the fabric of the game. Saves are a scoring category in most leagues, but the lack of quality starting pitching has impacted the scoring strategies for many fantasy owners, and relievers are becoming more relevant, including some nonclosers. Quality starts, and wins, are becoming less predictable. The so critical "do no harm" principle is becoming even more critical as more and more time bombs take the mound. The best teams are stockpiling quality relievers in an attempt to shorten games to five, six, or at most, seven innings for their starters. For fantasy players, you could be in crisis, but opportunities are also arising. So, let's take a look at some evolving bullpen assignments in the NL (we'll do the AL next week) and see where they may be headed:

Here are some NL closer scenarios to monitor closely:

• Washington Nationals – As the trade deadline approached in 2017, the Nats were among the most desperate teams seeking late-inning help. They found it in Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson, along with Brandon Kintzler. This season, just after the deadline, things are even worse. Kintzler was dealt, but the really critical pieces, Doolittle and Madson, are injured. They acquired former Royals' closer Kelvin Herrera, but he's also on the disabled list. Looking at that list and checking my math, it appears the Nationals are currently relying on their fifth best end-game option. Today, that would be Koda Glover. He had an audition last year, but injuries (and the arrival of the cavalry) ended that experiment. If they don't get healthy soon, I think the newly acquired Greg Holland – mark him option six – could receive some opportunities if you are desperate. By far, the best bet for fantasy owners and the Nationals, would be to send "Get Well Very Soon" cards to Doolittle.

• Los Angeles Dodgers – How much difference can one reliever make? Ask the Dodgers. They lost Kenley Jansen to the recurrence of a heart condition late last week, and the overall disruption to their bullpen has, at least so far, been catastrophic. Jansen is an anchor. His presence provides a calming effect that ripples throughout the organization. When we lead late, we win. That is what an elite closer brings to the table. Scott Alexander was presumed to be Jansen's replacement. That was (or is currently) a disaster. Alexander is a competent set-up man, but finishing games in a pennant race is a whole different scenario. Now, Kenta Maeda has been shifted to the bullpen, and I think he could see the majority of save chances until Jansen returns. Dylan Floro has also done a very good job since coming over from Cincinnati in July, but I think the Dodgers would prefer to keep him in his current role. Jansen says he hopes to be back sooner rather than later. The Dodgers (and his fantasy owners) hope that happens, too.

• Atlanta Braves – Arodys Vizcaino hit the disabled list with a balky shoulder, and the Braves seized on the opportunity to audition A.J. Minter for the part. It has worked out pretty well, and I think there is a good chance that Minter could maintain the job when Vizcaino comes back. It's all about command for Minter. When the lefty throws strikes, he has the stuff to be very successful, but he has experienced periods of wildness, and that is a concern. Being cautious, the Braves also acquired Brad Brach as an insurance policy. Brach, while still best suited to a key setup role, has proven to be a competent closer when called upon. Vizcaino isn't expected back until early September so Minter has time to solidify his claim on the closer's role.

• San Francisco Giants – The Giants are going to face a decision soon. Their primary closer, Hunter Strickland, lost a boxing match against a wall in mid-June after a bad outing, and broke a finger that required surgery. He's on a rehab assignment and could be back this weekend. Hopefully he learned a valuable lesson. A closer's life is full of very high pressure scenarios, and remembering a poor performance is counter-productive. They tried (briefly) both Sam Dyson, who never has been a true closer, and Mark Melancon, who still hasn't been able to recapture the electricity that made him a premier end-gamer a couple years ago. They then turned to Will Smith. He has done a respectable job, but I think the team sees Strickland as the long-term answer. I anticipate Smith and Strickland sharing the gig, at least initially.

• St. Louis Cardinals – Just a couple weeks ago this one looked fairly clear cut. The Cardinals appeared to be falling out of playoff contention, and the chance to look into the future (Jordan Hicks) seemed appropriate as today's interim closer, Bud Norris has been banged up with nagging injuries (finger, triceps and most recently hip). However, a nifty winning streak has found the team in contention for a wildcard berth. As long as they stay in the hunt, and assuming he can continue answering the bell, Norris will likely be the first call. However, there is growing confidence in Hicks. He's probably best served in a set-up role while he works on harnessing his impressive power arm. I do believe it's only a matter of time before he claims the job, but inconsistency with command still provides too many easy takes, while allowing hitters to sit on his fastball, and if they know it's coming, it's somewhat hittable.

• New York Mets – I saved this one for last because, quite frankly, this might be the most unpredictable bullpen in the National League. Jeurys Familia was dealt to Oakland, the musical chairs began. It was assumed Robert Gsellman would step into the closer's role – he is still probably the most qualified – but the Mets kept finding the need to use him in other situations. It then began to look like Anthony Swarzak might be in line for the job, but he promptly landed on the disabled list with a sore shoulder. Their best long reliever/spot starter Seth Lugo has had a turn, and lefty Jerry Blevins got the call when the matchups fell into place, while Gsellman has also logged a couple of saves along the way. This is a genuine committee, and it might last the remainder of the season. If I had to pick one guy, it would probably be Gsellman, but counting on him for a windfall of saves over the next few weeks is likely wishful thinking.
  

• The Red Sox briefly put Chris Sale on the disabled list, in what may have been a mini-vacation to freshen him up. It worked. He returned last weekend and struck out 12 in five innings. I assumed his pitch count was getting high. Wrong. He did it on 68 pitches – 10 less than any pitcher has ever needed for 12 whiffs.

• We're starting to see a few more young pitchers with upside getting looks at the MLB level. The Braves gave the ball to Touki Toussaint, and he did a solid job against an admittedly weaker Miami team. With him, it will be all about command. I love his breaking stuff, and he could be useful in deeper fantasy leagues.

• Toronto brought up Sean Reid-Foley, and he gave us mixed results. I don't put too much focus on debut starts – good or bad – but there were positives and negatives. He displayed good stuff, and I liked how he didn't crack when he got into a major fourth-inning jam. But, he missed his spots on too many pitches.

• It might be a short-term boost for fantasy owners, but the Cardinals are surging and they are hoping to get Michael Wacha back in the next couple of weeks. He was pitching very well before landing on the disabled list in June. If he was cut in your league, he might be worth stashing for a September run.

• The Angels have cut back a bit on Shohei Ohtani's workload as a designated hitter while he has ramped up his mound work in anticipation of a return to pitching before the end of the season. Earlier this week he threw at close to full effort and reported no problems. He could be back on the hill in September.

• Things seem to be progressing for Washington's Stephen Strasburg following an intense bullpen session and a full speed simulated game. The Nats' playoff hopes rely heavily on him being healthy, and it looks like he is headed in that direction. A return timetable should be forthcoming soon.
  

Next week, we'll have a look at the trials and tribulations for the American League. Today things are more settled there, but that can certainly change quickly.