Brad Ziegler is now the arm to own in Boston
With the All-Star Break now behind us and the trade deadline rapidly approaching (albeit a bit less rapidly this year due to the August 1st date), there will soon be many changes in ninth innings across baseball. There were already two changes this week due to injuries, one with a closer heading to the disabled list and another with a closer coming back. Here’s a look at what went on this week in the world of closers.
Bookmark our Closer Report for updates on current closers and job security 
Closer News From Around The League
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox recently acquired submariner Brad Ziegler from the Arizona Diamondbacks, effectively killing his fantasy value by removing him from the closer’s role. Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel landed on the DL almost at the same time as Ziegler was acquired, but the Sox named veteran Koji Uehara their closer, while Ziegler would continue to set up. Soon after that, Uehara was forced to the disabled list with a pectoral injury. Now, after a very brief wait, Ziegler is back in the ninth inning, now pitching for a much better team. While his fantasy value is higher right now than it was with the Diamondbacks, it is only a temporary boost. We can assume Uehara is still ahead of him when healthy, and we can be sure Kimbrel is. For now, though, Ziegler is the arm to own in the Boston bullpen.
Arizona Diamondbacks
When the Arizona Diamondbacks traded away closer Brad Ziegler, manager Chip Hale announced the team would go with a closer-by-committee. Veteran Tyler Clippard was expected to be the reliever to pick up the most save opportunities, with high-upside arm Daniel Hudson also picking up some chances. Things, as they often do, did not go as planned, with Clippard and Hudson already having bad outings and Jake Barrett actually picking up a save. It’s still a muddy committee that will prove frustrating to own, but Clippard is likely to be moved before the deadline as well, making Hudson or Barrett the arm to own in Arizona after the deadline.
Kansas City Royals
Wade Davis was one of the best setup men in baseball until he became a closer. Now he is one of the best closers in baseball. He was on the shelf for a while, so Joakim Soria and Kelvin Herrera split duties for a bit. Now that Davis is back, though, he’s once again the guy to own in the Royals’ bullpen, and should soon go back to being one of the best guys to own in a fantasy bullpen.
Injury Updates
As mentioned above, Red Sox temporary closer Koji Uehara suffered a pectoral strain and landed on the disabled list, opening the door for the newly-acquired Brad Ziegler to return to the ninth inning. Red Sox manager John Farrell mentioned that the injury Uehara suffered is not something that pitchers commonly suffer, so his return timetable is completely up in the air right now.
Top Performers From July 14 – July 21
A.J. Ramos (MIA): 4 IP, 7 K, 4 SV, 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP
Marlins closer A.J. Ramos picked up four saves this week, allowing just three hits and no other base runners. He struck out seven in his four games, and he is showing much better control recently.
Ryan Madson (OAK): 3 IP 0 K, 3 SV, 3.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP
Not a great week by any means from Oakland A’s closer Ryan Madson, as he allowed a run on two hits and did not strike anyone out, but he and Ramos were the only closers to record at least three saves this week, so he sneaks his way onto the top performers list on that merit. Madson is very unlikely to have an A’s jersey on come August.
Seung-Hwan Oh (STL): 3 IP, 6 K, 2 SV, 3.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP
With 10 closers earning two saves this week, the final spot in this list of top performers goes to Cardinals closer Seung-Hwan Oh because of his six strikeouts. Those six were the second most among closers this week, behind only A.J. Ramos.
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David A. Marcillo is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from David, check out his archive and follow him @DavidMarcillo77.
