MLB Closer Watch 2008
Baseball closer is not a position with much job security. We update our Closer Watch grid daily so you know who's in line for saves with each MLB club.
Update: BOS -- 7/7/2008
Justin Masterson, once considered a closer candidate, is being returned to a bullpen role. He'll start in AAA, but Boston will want him in the big league bullpen for September, if not sooner. It's usually a bad idea to mess with roles like this in mid-season, but Masterson always has projected as a better reliever than starter. Hopefully for Boston, their regular rotation will hold up and they won't need to re-re-deploy Masterson again.
Updated 7/8/2008
| Closer | Leaning In | Notes | |
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BAL Sherrill |
Aquino Hoey (DL) Ray (DL) |
New lefty George Sherrill has taken over in Baltimore, with Chris Ray likely to be left on the outside looking in when he returns late in the year. That's unless the Orioles decide to flip Sherrill for more young talent at the deadline. Speaking of young talent, James Hoey is out for the year after surgery, but ex-Cub Rocky Cherry still has a shot at some fill-in saves along the way. |
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BOS Papelbon |
Okajima Timlin Hansen |
It brought them a World Series, so why mess with success? Papelbon has the attitude and the dance moves to stay a closer for his whole career. He'll be rested often, though (the Papelbon Rules?), which means Okajima could pick up saves all year long, too. Craig Hansen is a nice dark horse as he returns from throat surgery. |
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NYY Rivera |
Farnsworth Ramirez Melancon, Cox |
Ignore the hype: Mo is a Yankee for life and will be holding the league in check once again. After Joba's moved to the rotation, the Yankees are looking at Farnsworth, one of the highest paid and riskiest setup men in the league. Youngster Edwar Ramirez looks like a better bet for the setup job eventually, but minor leaguers Cox and Melancon have the hunger and the heat. |
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TOR Ryan |
Accardo (DL) Frasor Benitez |
Toronto gambled on Ryan in 2007 and got one of the league's best, at least until his year ended with TJ surgery in mid-May. His return has had bumps along the way, which means Accardo will continue to see action as the Jays rest and protect their veteran fireman often. |
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TB Percival (DL) |
Reyes (DL) Wheeler Balfour |
The Rays acquisition of Percival and early announcement that he'd be their closer for 2008 left Al Reyes, who did a superb job in the role last year, in limbo. While they recently re-signed Reyes, Dan Wheeler would appear to be superior in a setup role. Percival, while no longer the dominant force he was in the 90's, will bring some stability and experience to the young team. Rookie Grant Balfour, whose moving fastball is one of the best in the minors, is a dark horse option. |
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OAK Street |
Casilla Embree Devine Devine* |
Even in a down-year, Street remained a top-ten closer. Duchscherer, usually a solid backup, will be tested in the rotation this year. Embree had a terrific 2007, closing in place of Street for some time, too, so he's a smart lockup/setup man, along with Re-A'd Keith Foulke, who will look to revive his career. The A's have also collected a number of other young potential closers, such as baby closer Santiago Casilla and ex-Brave Joey Devine, as they look to the future. |
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LAA Rodriguez |
Arredondo Shields Speier |
K-Rod has remained one of the very best closers in baseball, even while his setup men come and go. Will Shields bounce back from a forgettable 2007? Will Speier be enough to bring the game home, or will the Angels look for extra support from outside? |
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SEA Morrow |
Putz (DL) Lowe Green |
Putz was the big man once again, and he did not disappoint, ending up as one of the AL's best in 2007. The best arm behind him was George Sherrill (gone to Baltimore) and the next-best belonged to Mark Lowe. Brandon Morrow, bounced between the rotation and the pen, is also an intriguing play. |
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TEX Wilson |
Guardado Francisco Fukumori |
Otsuka was probably the best choice, but the Rangers have chosen CJ Wilson for 2008. Behind him, Francisco and import Fukumori are capable, and there's always 'Everyday' Eddie Guardado hanging around the park. Longer term, the Rangers may look to prospect Wes Littleton for future ninth-inning duty. |
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CHW Jenks |
Dotel Linebrink Thornton |
The big man remains solid, if a little dramatic, but the real fireworks happened in the 7th and 8th last year, as the Sox struggled to find consistent arms to bridge the distance. In addition to Ozzie fave Thornton, the Sox have added Scott Linebrink and Octavio Dotel to what should be a much-improved bullpen. |
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CLE Kobayashi |
Betancourt Perez |
DFAing Borowski leaves Cleveland with no clear closer. Betancourt has struggled when asked to handle the ninth in the past, and Rafael Perez is in the middle of a down season. Japanese import Kobayashi, despite a tendency to give up runs in almost half his appearances, seems the most likely bet for the short term. |
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DET Jones |
Zumaya Lopez Rodney |
Old Reliable Todd Jones is back for one more year, while setup men Rodney and Zumaya should be back at full-speed in the second half of 2008. Deeper-in, Franky Cruceta is a scout's darling who's not yet been tested much in pro ball. |
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KC Soria |
Yabuta Greinke |
Soria gets his second chance to succeed in the post-Dotel era, with the unusual pressure of converted (?) starter Greinke behind him combined with a surprise challenger: Japanese setup-man deluxe Yasuhiko Yabuta. |
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MIN Nathan |
Rincon Crain Neshek (DL) |
Nathan will be back, contrary to many predictions. Super-setup man Pat Neshek, one of the league's best setup men, is out for the year, leaving Jesse Crain, seen as the closer of the future for many years now, as the current heir apparent. |
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ARZ Lyon |
Pena Qualls Cruz |
Young Tony Pena was the closer for the tail end of 2007, but as 2008 opens, management feels safer with Brad Lyon in the role. Chad Qualls, acquired in the package of players received for previous closer Valverde, should now be seen as TWO breakdowns away from taking over... but then again, those are pretty high-probability breakdowns. |
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COL Fuentes |
Corpas Vizcaino Weathers |
Corpas and Fuentes have now flip-flopped three times in the last full season of play. They're likely to do so at least a few more times, too. Standout college closer Casey Weathers is also one to keep an eye on, but not for this season. |
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LAD Saito |
Broxton Seanez Meloan |
Saito was ichi-ban again last year and the NL showed no signs of figuring him out, as he remains one of the league's very best closers. Broxton kept up the heat all year, though, which means if the Dodgers let Saito go, he could step in any time. Further in the future, Jon Meloan is another lights-out shut-down artist whose strikeout stuff might be better than Broxton's all-heat approach. |
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SD Hoffman |
Bell Meredith |
One more year for one of the game's best? Meredith's a solid setup guy who could close when the old man needs a break, but the Padres have so many good relievers that none are really locks for the job. Heath Bell is having his best season and looks primed to take over whenever he's called. |
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SF Wilson |
Walker Hennessey Correia |
Wilson, Hennessey and Correia all showed that they could close games well enough last season, so this one comes down to who the Giants trust first and stick with longest. Wilson looks to be securing the role as the Giants show remarkable patience, but he's not yet a long-term lock. Flame-throwing Merkin Valdez, returning from surgery, is also on the radar. |
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CHC Wood |
Marmol Howry |
The chips have fallen, at least for now, and Kerry Wood is the man, as we expected back in December. Marmol is the hot but unproven backup plan, while Howry remains a stable, if unspectacular, option. Wood should hold this down until he breaks, but Marmol, if given the chance again, could lock down the job for good. |
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CIN Cordero |
Burton Bray |
By signing Francisco Cordero, the Reds have stabilized a bullpen that was a wild ride of changing players last season. With Cordero at the end, the other wannabe-closers in Cincinnati suddenly look like a solid bunch of setup guys. If Bill Bray can refind his touch, he might be the best raw arm on the club. |
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HOU Valverde |
Brocail Villarreal Sarfate |
No Lidge, no Wheeler, no Qualls, but somehow the Astros come up with last year's MLB saves leader, Jose Valverde in a head-scratching deal with Arizona. Valverde immediately takes over for a team that will trust him, though they probably won't hand him as many save opportunities as the Diamondbacks did. Behind him, Brocail and Villarreal are shaky bets, with Sarfate a longshot with upside. Let's just say the Astros are REALLY counting on Valverde repeating his 2007 performance. |
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MLW Torres |
Mota Riske Gagne (DL) |
With Cordero and Linebrink both gone to much, much greener pastures, Derrick Turnbow was poised to get the first shot to reclaim the closer's gig in Milwaukee, but 1-year gamble Eric Gagne arrived to delay that plan. With Gagne benched and Turnbow demoted, this one's a bit of a mess now. Solomon Torres and David Riske both have experience in the role, while Mota's been best so far in limited use... but none are standout options. Even veteran lefty Brian Shouse could get some save opportunities here. |
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PIT Capps (DL) |
Marte Sanchez Yates |
Capps had the job in spring, but his poor performance in June revealed a shoulder injury. Marte's done it before, and guys like Yates, Bayliss and even Kolb are hovering as other options. With new management in Pittsburgh, this one is too volatile to depend on, no matter how good Capps's stuff looks. Young Romulo Sanchez is a nice dark horse who seems to be a favorite of management. |
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STL Franklin |
Isringhausen Thompson |
Wainwright remains the best option, but he's still more needed in the rickety Cards rotation. Izzy should bring the usual heat, and the usual fireworks. Thompson was the nominal backup plan, but not much of one, with Dove a dark horse (pigeon?) candidate, but the early performance of Ryan Franklin makes him the hot hand right now. Long-term, the closer's gig looks like it will be prospect Chris Perez's to lose by mid-2009. |
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ATL Gonzalez |
Soriano (DL) Acosta Boyer |
The Atlanta bullpen roller coaster is finally settling down again. Soriano is still the pro forma closer, but until he shows his elbow can stand up to daily work, lefty Mike Gonzalez and proto-closer righthander Manny Acosta will continue to get their saves in. John Smoltz is a non-factor for the foreseeable future. |
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FLA Gregg |
Lindstrom Nolasco Miller Kensing |
Kevin Gregg's been doing the job far, but there's nothing separating him from a number of other quality arms in Florida Any of Lindstrom, Nolasco, Tankersley, Miller or even Kensing could do the job, though none of them are worth getting excited about. Nothing's certain for 2009 here, or even for the rest of 2008. |
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NYM Wagner |
Sanchez Smith Heilman |
While he's no sure-thing, Wagner will keep getting the chances while the Mets look for a better option. Joe Smith is a dark horse with significant upside, and his 2007 performance means he's starting to get noticed. Duaner Sanchez, a onetime super-setup man, is back from injury this year and quickly reclaiming high-leverage duties. |
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PHI Lidge |
Gordon Madson Condrey |
Myers was near-perfect in his stint as closer, so naturally the Phillies abandoned the idea immediately and returned him to the rotation. Lucky thing that Brad Lidge has re-found himself and is holding down the job well. Down the road, the Phillies could consider Ryan Madson or even Joe Bisenius if Lidge falters or is moved. |
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WAS Rauch |
Rivera Cordero (DL) |
Cordero's season ends with shoulder surgery. Along with Jon Rauch, he's a prime candidate for an off-season or early-2009 trade. Saul Rivera is a good bet to take over someday, and the Nats have a bevy of young power arms to draw from. |
Notes and Updates
Update: BOS
Justin Masterson, once considered a closer candidate, is being returned to a bullpen role. He'll start in AAA, but Boston will want him in the big league bullpen for September, if not sooner. It's usually a bad idea to mess with roles like this in mid-season, but Masterson always has projected as a better reliever than starter. Hopefully for Boston, their regular rotation will hold up and they won't need to re-re-deploy Masterson again.
Update: DET
The Detroit front office is reportedly considering moving Joel Zumaya to the rotation, either at the end of the year or in early 2009. This is a bit of a shocker, since Zumaya's been expected to close in 2009, but we should remember that he was a phenomenal starter in the minors. He made 18 starts with AA Erie back in 2005, for example, when he went 8-3 and posted a nice 2.77 ERA along with his usual ridiculous strikeout rate (exactly 12/9 innings), so he's certainly capable.
Update: CLE
You can't say we didn't warn you... Joe Borowski has been designated for assignment by the Indians, leaving the shaky triumvirate of Kobayashi, Betencourt and Perez as the Tribe's ninth inning options. Kobayashi would seem to be the risky favorite right now, but none of these three have been very good this year. Not a good situation.
Update: PIT
According to the AP, Pirates closer Matt Capps will be on the shelf for eight to ten weeks to rehabilitate shoulder bursitis discovered today. If he fails to respond to therapy, he could be a candidate for a cleanup surgery that would sideline him until early 2009. For the next few months, Damaso Marte is the logical fallback closer in Pittsburgh, though Romulo Sanchez is a pretty intriguing option too.
Update: TB
Troy Percival is on his way back to the DL, as he continues to struggle while trying to come back from his injured hamstring. Dan Wheeler is the nominal closer while Percival is out, but the unfortunately-named Grant Balfour has actually been more effective, and is worth consideration.
Update: DET
A sign of things to come? With Todd Jones having worked back to back nights, Joel Zumaya got the opportunity to close last night and delivered for his first save of the year. Any fantasy player still hoping to buy low on the recovering Zumaya better move fast, as he seems to be taking one more step to locking down the 2009 closer job with each outing.
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