Bullpen Report: June 9, 2019

• Jeremy Jeffress pitched a scoreless 8th handing the ball off to Josh Hader who recorded his 15th save of the year. After Jeffress returned from the IL, it was mentioned that he might bite into Hader’s save chances, giving him more flexibility but even though Jeffress has been effective, Hader has kept the sole closer job. The trade deadline hot stove might heat up in Milwaukee with additional relief options, but even if the Brewers bring in another closer, Hader’s value would remain fairly high given how utterly ridiculous he is. There are no strong rumors at the moment but those in redraft leagues should hold firm regardless. However, year to year relievers can be pretty fickle and there may be no higher time to sell Hader if you are in a keeper or dynasty league.

• The Braves surprised me in signing Dallas Keuchel since they had passed on Kimbrel who was maybe a bigger need in the pen. With that said, Luke Jackson remains their go-to-guy, getting the last four outs for his 9th save. Anthony Swarzak pitched 1.2 perfect innings in the 7th and 8th and his recent performances along with Jacob Webb’s struggles have placed him on the grid. Swan Newcomb got two outs in the 8th and he remains the main set up option ahead of Luke Jackson. The Braves still have a ton of young arms that could emerge from the pen or be used for additional seasoned bullpen arms but for now it looks like Jackson could be an above average closer here on out, both in terms of saves and ratios.

• John Brebbia and John Gant had off nights in the Cardinals bullpen, with each allowing a pair of earned runs. Andrew Miller got the final two outs of the 6th after Gant couldn’t end the inning and if that trend continues, Miller could find himself back on the grid. John Gant has been great this season and Carlos Martinez won’t be replaced right away but if Andrew Miller has a few more shutdown innings he could emerge as a bullpen favorite, something the Cardinals expected when they signed him in the offseason.

• No real news in the Dodgers bullpen but Julio Urias continues to work out of the pen and picked up his second hold of the season after pitching the 6th and 7th innings last night. Urias has been mentioned in the comments and while he’s expected to rejoin the rotation at some point this season, he could provide solid innings and strikeouts out of relief with a few holds or even a three inning save depending on the situation.

• Edwin Diaz gave up a hit in an otherwise clean inning, striking out a pair for his 14th save. Whether or not it’s sound strategy, the Mets have said they are only using Diaz for one-inning or fewer in his appearances this season, and they have adhered to that thus far. Diaz likely won’t be pitching 70+ innings but he should remain an elite option.  Diaz has seen his K% fall from last year but he’s still 7th in the league and maintains an iron clad grip on the 9th inning.

• Quick Hits: Sean Doolittle was called of the final out and succeeded in getting his 14th save. Mychal Givens and Shawn Armstrong were unavailable and Miguel Castro got the save for Baltimore. The Orioles have a closer committee without a particularly intriguing option so unless you’re desperate for saves I would avoid, and even in that situation Miguel Castro is still behind those options. No save situation for Cleveland but Brad Hand pitched a scoreless 9th, lowering his ERA to 0.98. If the Indians hold on to Hand or trade him at the deadline, he’s likely to continue to see saves outside of a few teams with elite closers. Alex Colome struck out a pair in a perfect inning for his 13th save, and along with every closer on a bad team he remains a prime trade suspect.