Bottom End Closers: National League

On Wednesday, I looked at a few American League closers who went cheap and looked at their status so far in the young season. Today, I'll do the same for the National League.

St. Louis Cardinals. Closer: Jason Motte. Set-ups: Ryan Franklin, Kyle McClellan, Chris Perez (minors), Dennys Reyes.
What a mess. Motte started the year as the closer, but was quickly replaced by what looked like a committee at first. Franklin has picked up the last two saves and is probably the guy to get if he's available. I'm not sure if Franklin is a short-term solution, the guy who LaRussa has trusted before and will trust again, or if we're going to see more of a committee approach. Motte has great heat but hasn't shown much else this year and was getting smoked. Perez just got called back up. I like him long term, but if LaRussa doesn't it doesn't matter much what I think. I'd FAAB Franklin aggressively if you can and try to stash Perez if your league allows it.

Florida Marlins. Closer: Matt Lindstrom. Set-up: Leo Nunez.
Most of the concern surrounding Lindstrom had to do with the minor injury he suffered during the World Baseball Classic. He's only blown one save so far and the numbers have been there. Fangraphs says that the velocity is down a little bit, though. The sample size is too small to be alarmed, and Lindstrom is still throwing in the mid-90s. Whether he's rusty or nursing the injury is not apparent. He's the guy right now, and there are no indications that the surging Marlins are going to change horses. Nunez is the obvious choice to replace Lindstrom if he did get hurt. The sleeper in this pen is Kiko Calero, who looks like he's healthy for the first time in three years and brings very good stuff to the table when everything is going right for him.

Colorado Rockies: Closer: Huston Street. Set-ups: Manny Corpas, Jason Grilli.
The Rockies announced that Street had won the role of closer right before Spring Training ended. So far, though, Clint Hurdle has been using both Street and Corpas in non-save situations with regularity. Street entered the 9th inning of the Rockies most recent win in a 5-1 game, allowed three baserunners and a run without retiring a batter, and Grilli came in to clean up the mess and pick up a save. That's the only reason Grilli's listed here; at the moment, I don't think he's a serious contender for saves. Corpas is probably the better pitcher than Street, but I think Street is going to have to do more than pitch poorly in non-save situations to lose the job. So far, Street has thrown his slider half as much as he usually does and the velocity on his fastball continues to be low. He's a risky option, but I'm not sure Hurdle has the upmost confidence in Corpas either if Street is yanked. This is a bullpen I'd stay away from if I had the luxury to do so.

Milwaukee Brewers: Closer: Trevor Hoffman (DL), Carlos Villanueva. Set-up: Seth McClung.
There is no doubt that Hoffman will close when he returns, but the reports on his health have been inconsistent. Some reports have him back at the end of April, while others list him as out indefinitely and not ready for a rehab assignment. If I owned Hoffman, I'd assume a mid-May return at the earliest and plan on another option for saves if I was planning on competing in the category. I list McClung here because Villanueva is a fill-in, but I don't think he's serious competition for Villaneuva. Villanueva blew a save in his most recent appearance, but he should be fine. He's not your typical closer; he's never been a hard thrower and his stuff works due to deception and the fact that he can mix in four pitches for strikes when everything's working for him. Villanueva should be treated as a lower-tier option, but he should be viewed as an option for the next 3-4 weeks.