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What's this? New potential saves sources for the Phillies and White Sox?
Are you kidding me?
As if we weren't still reeling from Roberto Osuna's sudden removal from the Blue Jays bullpen and all the ex-closers now vying for saves there.
Meanwhile, Keynan Middleton's elbow is aching again, once again subjecting us to the whims of Mike Scioscia — maybe for good this time. Also, A.J. Minter, not Arodys Vizcaino, got the save for the Braves Monday.
And have you seen who got two of the past three saves for the Orioles? Yup, it's our old friend Brad Brach. (Though when your friends have a 4.60 ERA and 1.72 WHIP, who needs enemies, right?)
I count seven teams with clear questions at the back of the bullpen, and I'm here to provide answers — or at least the closest you're going to get to them.
Keep in mind that the "pecking order" refers to who's most worth rostering in Fantasy Baseball and not necessarily who's in line for the very next save.
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I don't know if I buy that Edubray Ramos is now the guy after he collected his first save Sunday. Hector Neris blew his most recent save chance Friday in particularly brutal fashion, serving up two home runs, so perhaps manager Gabe Kapler just wanted to give him a chance to clear his head.
It doesn't help that Kapler played dumb when asked about it after the game:
"We said from spring training and the beginning of the season that we would use the most appropriate reliever in a situation. Sometimes, that's going to be Hector. Sometimes, that's going to be others late in the game."
Sure, Gabe. Not like you've used Neris in every save chance up until now. No, not at all.
I do buy the idea that Kapler may begin experimenting in the ninth inning, but if he's not automatically turning to Neris in save chances, I don't know why he would choose Ramos either. The 25-year-old throws hard and gets his share of strikeouts, but he had a 4.21 ERA last year and has a 3.77 FIP this year. I'm not saying he couldn't handle the job, but between the walks and fly-ball tendencies, he's not an overwhelming choice for a manager who seems inclined to weigh his options.
And if he's weighing his options, he may want to take a long look at Seranthony Dominguez, who has 1.31 ERA, 0.54 WHIP and 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings in 15 appearances between the majors and minors this year.
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Kapler and Rick Renteria must have swapped notes or something, because the White Sox manager was singing the exact same tune as his friend in Philly after turning ninth-inning duties over to Bruce Rondon, of all people, Sunday at the Cubs.
"It just happened to be the ninth inning and Bruce got us the outs he needed," Renteria said. "I don't talk to our relievers about innings; I talk to them more about getting outs."
I say "of all people" because you may remember Rondon was once billed as the Tigers closer of the future, armed with a fastball that touches 100 mph. But he's erratic and was once shut down at the end of a season because of a lack of effort. Judging by his high walk rate and frightening batted-ball tendencies, I still don't believe reliability is his strong suit.
I could see why the White Sox might want to try someone other than Joakim Soria, who has a 4.38 ERA and two blown saves in six chances, but even if Rondon gets the next chance, he won't last. I see the White Sox turning back to Soria or maybe even their best reliever, Nate Jones, sooner than later.
Considering the White Sox have won only nine games this year, you probably shouldn't be bending over backward for anyone in this bullpen.
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All we can say for sure is that Keynan Middleton won't be the Angels closer anytime soon. He has UCL damage in his elbow and is likely headed for Tommy John surgery.
What comes next is anybody's guess because we've learned over the last couple seasons that Mike Scioscia is to closers as Mike Shanahan is to running backs.
"I don't think we ever had one guy that was the ninth-inning guy," Scioscia told MLB.com. "We've got some guys in the back end that are going to have to get outs for us, and how they line up in a certain game right now will be dictated by how the game unfolds and some matchups and things like that. But we're confident that we're going to have arms down there that will get the outs we need."
And to think this guy managed the single-season record holder for saves.
I can tell you that he turned to rookie Justin Anderson for the Angels' most recent save Monday, and Anderson indeed preserved a one-run lead in a big division game against the Astros. Of course, he also allowed three baserunners and boasts a 5.23 ERA and 1.55 WHIP so far.
Jim Johnson got the previous save and has the most closer experience, but he imploded in that role for the Braves last year and doesn't have a big swing-and-miss arsenal. Jose Alvarez has been the Angels best reliever this year, and of course Cam Bedrosian and Blake Parker have both gotten chances to close in the past. Both got off to miserable starts this year, but have also pitched a little better lately.
In a situation like this one, you roster as many as you can and hope it sorts itself out quickly.
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The Blue Jays closer situation sorted itself out about as quickly as anyone could have hoped. On their first day without Roberto Osuna, each of the four candidates worked in succession, with Seung-Hwan Oh throwing the sixth inning, John Axford the seventh, Ryan Tepera the eighth and Tyler Clippard the ninth. The Blue Jays haven't had a save chance since, but they have reserved Clippard for the end of games.
And why not? He has closing experience and a 1.23 ERA. Then again, Oh and Axford also have closing experience as well as a 1.45 and a 1.31 ERA, respectively.
There's a reason Clippard is with his eighth team in the past five seasons. He's susceptible to walks and home runs, which predisposes him to an ERA on the wrong side of 3.50. Even this year, he has a 4.10 FIP.
Still, he's the clearest choice among the bullpens we've looked at so far, so even though he's a risky one with presumably flimsy job security, he's a high priority among the desperate save seekers.
Of course, all of this is assuming Osuna's domestic assault charges keep him out for weeks at a time, but he's not expected in court until mid-June, with a suspension likely to come even later.
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Corey Knebel has made three appearances since returning from a month-long absence for a hamstring injury, only one in the ninth inning and none with a save on the line. Meanwhile, Jeremy Jeffress and Josh Hader have both recorded saves during that time, seemingly splitting the closer role just as they did when Knebel was sidelined.
Presumably, it's a case of the Brewers easing Knebel back into the role after such a long layoff. Presumably. But Craig Counsell is their manager, and like everyone else who wears a hoodie in the dugout, he's as coy as a cucumber.
"We'll get him there. Not right away," Counsell told MLB.com after Knebel was activated. "I do think it frees Josh [Hader] and the rest of the guys to be utilized in a lot of different ways... The big thing is we're not going to get stuck on, 'This is how it has to be.' The job is still going to be to continue to get outs. But the way I'm seeing it right now, it will be best if we can get Corey to the back of the game."
I mean... it's more forthright than most managers seem to be about their bullpen, but he was careful not to name roles, referring only to the "back of the game." It's nitpicking by me, probably. Knebel was one of the most dominant closers in all of baseball last year and will surely re-assume the role in short order, but I do suspect there will be times when Hader, as good as he is, enters in the seventh or eighth inning and pitches all the way through.
The top non-closer to own right now, that one.
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Just when you thought Darren O'Day had settled into the closer role, which was a long time coming considering he spent the better part of a decade as a setup man, he hyperextended his elbow and went on the DL. And in his absence, the Orioles have gotten more save opportunities than O'Day himself actually got in the role.
So who knows how committed the Orioles are to him filling it? They never officially committed to him in the first place. And while it's true the three save chances in his absence were divided between two relievers, Mychal Givens' came with a three-run lead in the first game of a doubleheader. The Orioles were presumably preserving Brad Brach for the possibility of an even tighter score in the second game.
Seeing as Brach was the Orioles' top choice at the start of the year and is coming off four scoreless appearances, I don't know that they don't stick with him. At least until he gives them reason not to, which is of course likely.
And keep in mind each of these options is just a temporary fix. Zach Britton, recovering from a torn Achilles, may be back closing games in a month.
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So it's pretty clear Arodys Vizcaino was unavailable Monday after pitching back to back days, but if A.J. Minter's goal as a fill-in was to give the Braves a taste of what they're missing in the ninth inning, it was a bitter one. He allowed three baserunners and one run, hitting a batter with the bases loaded.
And though it has gone unnoticed thanks to his 2.65 ERA, control has been a major issue for him. After having 23 strikeouts to just two walks in his 15 major-league innings last year, he has just 15 strikeouts to 12 walks in 17 innings this year.
He probably still has that knockout potential somewhere inside of him, but he's not exactly pushing Vizcaino and is hardly on the verge of overtaking him. As middle relievers go, I'm not sure he's a particularly high-priority stash anymore. The production just isn't that impressive.
