-With fans and fantasy owners on the edge of their seats, Red Sox skipper signaled for “new” closer Koji Uehara to close out the Blue Jays in the top of the ninth frame at Fenway today. The 38-year-old veteran needed just 16 pitches while facing the minimum to induce two strikeouts and a ground out en route to his second save since being named Andrew Bailey’s replacement last week and his third overall save on the season. The Japanese right-hander has now made eight consecutive appearances without surrendering an earned run and has lowered his twenty-thirteen ERA and WHIP to 1.97 and 0.81 respectively. Additionally, Uehara’s K% spiked to 37.4% after fanning two Toronto batters in today’s contest. Going forward, I’d consider Uehara a borderline top-ten closing option.

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With the All-Star Break upon us, and the trade deadline getting closer, the Bullpen Report will look a little different over the next few days. Stay along for the ride as we dive into the world of trade rumors and how that might affect some of the bullpens in baseball.

• The Houston Astros are ready-and-willing to unload their ninth inning man, Brett Myers, and as much as they can of the remaining portion of the $11 million he was to earn in 2012. Teams that will likely inquire about the right-hander’s services are the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets. The Astros’ current general manager, Jeff Luhnow, served as the Vice President of the Cardinals from 2003-2011 and had a hand in drafting many of the players in their farm system, which seems to make them a decent fit.

While the Cardinals’ current closer Jason Motte has locked down 20-of-24 save opportunities, the bullpen as a whole ranks in the bottom five of all MLB bullpens with a 4.48 ERA. As for the Mets, well, it’s no secret they’re on the hunt for some relief reinforcements to improve on that league-worst 4.94 ERA.

So what does a trade mean for the guy that has saved 18-of-20 with a 3.34 ERA (3.92 xFIP) and a 3.17 K/BB? First and foremost it means that Myers’ wallet would get a little fatter, as he would claim a $500,000 kicker for being traded. It also means that Myers would likely be reduced to a set-up role, and for those outside of holds leagues, he could have little-to-no fake baseball value. If by chance he landed in Flushing Meadows, Myers could see a few save chances depending on how well Frank Francisco returns from his oblique injury as well as the continued development of Bobby Parnell.

This is way too much speculation for me, so I’d be looking to sell my shares of Myers before the Astros move him. Brandon Lyon looks like a good bet to take over the ninth inning role when Brett Myers is dealt. Lyon, who has 78 career saves, is 0-2 with a 3.24 ERA (3.70 xFIP) and a 9.45 K/9 (4.38 K/BB) in 35 appearances (33.1 IP) this season.

• Not that Buster Olney is the end-all-be-all when it comes to potential moves at the trade deadline, but he is one of the more reliable insiders who always seems to have his ears to the ground. With that said, back in June Olney tweeted that the Colorado Rockies would have to be “overwhelmed” by rival clubs in order to move their closer Rafael Betancourt (or Matt Belisle).

Despite Olney’s remarks, teams would still be wise to inquire on Betancourt due to his reasonable contract and overall performance in the recent years, as Ben Duronio notes. Through the first half of 2012, the 37 year-old Betancourt is 15-of-19 in save opportunities with a 2.84 ERA (3.56 xFIP) and a 3.78 K/BB.

If by chance a team is able to pry Rafael Betancourt out of Colorado, Matt Belisle or Rex Brothers could be called upon to close out games. Belisle has had the better overall season to date (3-2, 1.93 ERA, 2.96 xFIP, 5.00 K/BB) but Brothers had a monster June with a 0.66 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and a 7.0 K/BB in 13.1 IP.

• Sometimes a team’s best acquisition around the deadline isn’t in the form of a trade. It may come as a player returning from the disabled list like Jacoby Ellsbury, or in the case of the Miami Marlins, a player returning from suspension.

Juan Oviedo, the reliever formerly known as Leo Nunez, will finish his eight-week suspension for identity fraud on July 22nd and rejoin the Marlins bullpen. Oviedo and his 92 career saves will immediately bolster the depth in the Marlins’ bullpen and give Ozzie Guillen an additional experienced arm to call on in save situations.

Although Heath Bell was a perfect 6-for-6 in save chances in June, he is just 3-of-5 in July and now 19-of-25 on the season with a 6.75 ERA. Ozzie Guillen stated that the Marlins would begin the second half with a closer-by-committee based on Bell’s recent struggles, and once Oviedo returns, he figures to be a part of that committee. Oviedo makes for a fine add for you saves chasers.

Closer Grid:

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

• Dale Thayer entered in the bottom of the ninth this afternoon with the hopes of preserving a 6-6 tie to send the Padres and Cubs to extras. Thayer surrendered a lead-off single to Bryan LaHair before serving up a walk-off two-run long ball to Darwin Barney.

Huston Street took to the bullpen at Wrigley Field this afternoon for a high-intensity session, and if he feels well tomorrow, the Padres’ closer could head to Class A Lake Elsinore on Friday to begin his rehab assignment. Prior to hitting the disabled list earlier this month with a right shoulder strain, Street converted each of his four save opportunities while strutting a 6.50 K/BB and a 2.10 xFIP in just under ten innings. Street, the Padres’ highest paid player at $7.5 million, figures to regain the closer’s role once given a clean bill of health.
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You’d have been hard-pressed this offseason to find an unbiased observer who didn’t think that the three-year, $27 million contract that the Marlins handed to closer Heath Bell was foolish. (In fact, look no further than our own Paul Swydan’s review in December.) Yet while few liked the idea of giving such a large contract to a declining closer on a team which had more pressing needs, nobody could have foreseen just how disastrous Bell’s Miami debut would be. After blowing four saves in his first eleven appearances with the Marlins, Bell was bounced from his job in early May, and it was no fluke; after melting down on May 4 against his old San Diego teammates, Bell had struck out just six in 8.2 innings while allowing 25 baserunners and 11 earned runs.

Bell’s demotion lasted only about a week, as Steve Cishek & Edward Mujica handled the late-inning duties for the club until Bell returned to the role on  May 11. Since then, Bell has seen better results, saving four and winning two in seven outings. That’s miles ahead of his performance in April, and considering his reputation & contract this turnaround ought to be enough to solidify his hold on the closer’s job for the foreseeable future. Fantasy players have noticed, since he’s among the most-added relievers this week after many had cut bait on him earlier this month.

Yet while that all seems nice on the surface… it’s hard to say that he’s “back”, isn’t it? Read the rest of this entry »

The San Diego Padres appear to have their closer.

After watching Heath Bell leave in free agency, many expected the Padres to look to their own pen to find their late-inning solution — but on Wednesday morning, they have reportedly acquired Huston Street from the Colorado Rockies for the reliable player to be named later. The trade for the Rockies is almost assuredly to clear cash in an effort to create flexibility for other moves, but until we learn more about their own plans for the closer role, the fantasy impact for now is that Huston Street’s stock just rose pretty significantly.

Why? The happiest place on Earth to pitch, of course.

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As we sit and wait for all the big-named free agents to find themselves new homes, it’s time to start thinking about strategy for next year.  There are numerous of ways to go about drafting your team and you’re going to hear plenty of do’s and don’ts from a variety of people.  So allow me to chime in here first and tell you why punting saves should not be in your plans when developing a proper draft strategy.  Some people see no harm in it and tell you to just bulk up elsewhere.  I disagree.  It’s an automatic concession of points to your competition and immediately puts you at a disadvantage.

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In case you hadn’t heard, it’s officially the Hot Stove season in ottoneu Fantasy Baseball, so it’s time to start talking trades with other owners in your league. The FanGraphs Staff league is already buzzing with rumors and conjecture, but most of those have to do with what Eno is hiding under his hair. That aside, three trades have already been made, and I was proactive enough to be involved with two of them. Let’s take a look and talk strategy, shall we?

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Since arriving in San Diego via Queens prior to the 2007 season, Heath Bell has put up Playstation-like (or should I say, Wii-esque) numbers. He ranks sixth among all relievers in Wins Above Replacement and leads the league in primal screams, bullpen sprints, pitching mound stolen bases and Elvis impersonations. The 34-year-old seemingly had another vintage season in 2011, rocking a 2.44 ERA and nailing down 43 saves. But look a little closer, and you might begin to wonder if there was a Bell impostor on the mound for the Padres this year.

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One of the primary reasons that people give as to why they opt not to play fantasy baseball but are the first to form a fantasy football league is the sheer length of the season.  Six months is apparently two months too long for them.  However, those of us that are able to cope with the time frame know the real answer; the amount of work it takes to, not only prep for the season, but to stay active and alert all season long can be a testament to one’s patience, work ethic and mental endurance.

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To close out our series of looks at the values of players in ottoneu Pick Six, we look today at pitchers.  As before, the numbers below are based on weighted averages of THT’s Oliver and BPro’s PECOTA (more weight to Oliver b/c it includes this season’s data).  The numbers are FP (FanGraphs Points per IP), though keep in mind that for starters this number is divided by four to keep starters from being the only thing that matters in pick six.

Starting Pitchers

Elite Five (they cost a fortune, but they’re worth it)

Tim Lincecum, 5.33 FP/IP, $48
Josh Johnson, 5.21 FP/IP, $38
Felix Hernandez, 5.04 FP/IP, $49
Cliff Lee, 5.04 FP/IP, $43
Roy Halladay, 5.01 FP/IP, $52

Johnson’s injury risk has kept his value down in traditional ottoneu, but when he’s healthy (currently has shoulder ouchie), he’s the best value of this group.  But you can’t go wrong here: more than any other pitchers in baseball, these guys should give you lots of productive innings per start.

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