any thoughts on where Baez stands in the saves game in Baltimore? he's still floating around in the free agent pool in my league, but his numbers look pretty brutal.
With that in mind, I thought I'd look at some changes that took place today in major league bullpens, starting with the American League tonight.
Orioles: This is sort of a cheat, since the Orioles didn't make a move today. However, Danys Baez is getting healthier and might be in the mix for some saves soon. Chad Bradford and Jamie Walker have been the ones primarily getting the saves. Ordinarily, I'd say be wary of reports that so-and-so is going to get saves, especially when the manager is clearly exhibiting a preference by usage. In this case, though, I think Baez is worth a shot if he's a free agent in your league. The Orioles are paying him big money, and I suspect there's some pressure from management to use Baez as a closer. He'll get a crack this week and if he doesn't blow two or three saves in a row, I think he might get most of the saves. That doesn't mean Bradford and Walker aren't worth owning, but my hunch in the short-term is Baez.
Red Sox: Unless the Red Sox clinch very early, Jon Papelbon will continue to close and Eric Gagne will set him up. The larger question is how will Gagne's acquisition affect Hideki Okajima's usage? My guess is that the Sox will rest Okajima a little more and give Gagne some opportunities in the 8th inning. Both pitchers are good vulture candidates, though losing Gagne as a closer still stings.
Devil Rays: The fact that Al Reyes is still a Devil Ray tells me that he'll close the rest of the year. Wheeler improves the pen, and is definitely second in line, but Reyes is who management likes right now. One possible positive effect here is that Scott Kazmir and James Shields have slightly improved their chances at picking up wins with a deeper bullpen.
Yankees: The Scott Proctor trade has little impact. Luis Vizcaino had become Torre's go-to guy in the 7th and 8th, and I see that continuing for now. I think you might see Kyle Farnsworth get another opportunity to pitch in key situations since he wasn't traded, but I wouldn't go crazy. Farnsworth, by the way, is a guy who should slip through waivers due to the $9 million plus he's owed from now until the close of 2008, so don't count on him staying with the Yankees the rest of the way.
Royals: It sounds like Joakim Soria will close for the rest of the year. Next year, I think Zack Greinke gets first crack at the job, unless the Royals decide that they want to move Greinke back to the rotation. The Kyle Davies acquisition makes this a little less likely, but I wouldn't rule it out: the organization seems to really, really want to see Greinke start at some point.
Rangers: Akinori Otsuka should be back next week, but the Rangers said that two weeks ago and he's still on the DL with the mysterious "inflammation of the forearm." Joaquin Benoit should be the favorite for saves with Eric Gagne out of town, though C.J. Wilson got the opportunity tonight.
1 comment:
Walker and Bradford have combined to give up 1 run in 22 innings in the month of July - not a bad piece of work. Baez is awful, and the Orioles upcoming schedule is brutal. On the other hand, we are at crunch time - if you have some FAAB, Baez is worth a flier.
I think CJ Wilson will get some more chances than we might think. Texas is going nowhere, and Otsuka is not being traded, so there is no reason to bring him back early. Wilson strikes me as a guy who could get 5-8 saves solely as the guy who starts an inning against lefties.
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