Bullpen Report: September 17, 2014

-Welp. After just talking about some of Glen Perkins‘ issues last night, word came out this morning that the lefty is dealing with a myriad of issues involving his neck, shoulder, biceps, and elbow. What a laundry list. To make a long story short, the Twins’ closer is out until at least the weekend, and given the team’s situations, seems like a prime candidate to be shut down for the rest of the season.

While Ron Gardenhire wouldn’t tip his hand when asked by reporters who his new closer might be, Jared Burton seems like the most likely candidate. The 33-year-old setup man put up back to back seasons with SIERAs in the low 3.00s in 2012 and 2013, but has tailed off a bit in 2014. K% down, BB% up; not a lot to like. The rookie Michael Tonkin might also be an option, but has similarly mediocre peripherals. Lester Oliveros was also mentioned as a potential option by the Twins manager, although he’s been plagued by walk issues in the minors. Grab Burton if you are scraping for SV, but don’t count on more than one or two before the clock strikes midnight on 2014.

-If you are looking for a sleeper closer candidate for 2015 in keeper/dynasty leagues (and guys like Adam Ottavino and Ken Giles are gone), don’t look past Andrew Miller. The former top-pick-turned-bust has reinvented himself out of the bullpen and owns a sparkling 0.37 xFIP over the past month. Barring some sort of total meltdown, he’ll finish with the highest strikeout rate and lowest walk rate (by far) of his career. He’s not just a lefty specialist, either, as his .193/.217 lefty/righty wOBA split attests. He’ll be a free agent this offseason and while he doesn’t have the “proven closer(TM)” tag, he’ll likely garner at least some interest as a potential ninth inning option.

-After a day off, David Robertson bounced back from an ugly blown save on Sunday to rack up his 37th save. He’ll be a highly interesting free agent to follow this offseason. Hector Rondon tallied save number 25. His peripherals have sagged a bit lately, but he remains one of the best “waiver wire pickups” amongst relievers this season. Joaquin Benoit’s bullpen went well and he looks to be back either Friday or Saturday. Sean Doolittle completely melted down, ruining an absolute gem of a Jeff Samardzija start. It’s his first blown save since the all-star break, so his job is not in jeopardy, but the outing comes at a horribly inopportune time for Oakland (and owners in head-to-head leagues).

Closer Grid:

[Green light, yellow light, red light: the colors represent the volatility of the bullpen order.]