What a mess.

That statement could apply to any number of things in my life at this very moment. It could apply to looking to my right seeing Zingo, Memory, and the Paw Patrol game sprawled out over my living room floor because my kids forgot to clean up before bedtime. It could apply to the half-eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and the three open bags of potato chips that are on my kitchen island right now because my wife went out with her friends tonight and said, “Just make the kids whatever you know how to make for dinner.”

But actually, it refers to the closer landscape. In going through the rankings below, I tried to ask myself which teams I thought would have the same closer for the remainder of the season. It was about half. There are only a handful of situations in which I feel remotely confident. It’s seriously a dire situation.

So join me in an attempt to make some sense of it all, won’t you? Here is this week’s closer report.

Bookmark our Closer Depth Chart for updated coverage throughout the season

 
The Big Movers

The Giants situation takes a big drop this week, with Mark Melancon hitting the disabled list with a pronator strain in his right elbow. Word is that Sam Dyson will be the primary closer, though Hunter Strickland got and converted a one-out save on Thursday with Dyson unavailable. Melancon had an MRI that showed no structural damage, but he had a PRP injection this week, which likely means he’ll be sidelined for several weeks. Plus, with the way the Giants are going, there’s just no reason to rush him back. As for Dyson, he’s authored a truly terrible season, but has been “better” since he joined the Giants after his stint with Texas, with just a 4.91 ERA and 1.36 WHIP (and yeah, that’s MUCH better than he was with Texas). Dyson has “closer experience,” and you never know how these things will go, so he’s an immediate add. But the Giants provide only rare save opportunities and Dyson’s leash will be short. In other words, he’s certainly an add, but don’t be too excited about it.

Other than the Giants, the Mariners are the big movers, as they drop several spots thanks to Edwin Diaz and his complete inability to succeed at the closer’s job thus far. He has allowed seven runs in his last three outings (four of those were unearned, but still) and three home runs over that span. You can tell Scott Servais is nearing the end of his rope if he hasn’t reached it already, and obviously, he’s already pulled Diaz from the role once this season. The Mariners have several relievers who could step into the role, and Nick Vincent or Steve Cishek would be the most likely to take over. Neither is a terrible stash, though the Mariners want Diaz to be able to figure it out, and would likely move him back to the role after a few decent performances even if he does lose the job. But obviously, the situation is not particularly desirable for fantasy owners.

Random Musings

The Astros move up a bit, but that’s far more about Ken Giles surviving a war of attrition among his fellow closers. Giles is always going to have his ups and downs, but he plays for a team that provides him with plenty of chances and he is (at the moment) the unquestioned closer. While he does have his occasional bouts with walks and can be prone to blowups, the majority of those come in non-save situations, as he’s blown only two saves. In an uncertain landscape, he’s still uncertain – just less uncertain than most!

The same thing can be said of Felipe Rivero and Matt Bush. Between the two, only Rivero has been truly impressive (his 0.86 ERA trails only Kenley Jansen among closers), but they both have the same thing going for them – they have job security. Although Tony Watson has pitched better, he’s a prime trade candidate, and so will likely be dealt before the trade deadline, who is not a big threat to take back the job. As for Matt Bush, he certainly has struggled some, but Jeff Banister had stuck with him through the good times and the bad, and Bush has responded well recently. He’s under team control until 2023, and the Rangers aren’t in a good enough position to mortgage major assets for a bona fide closer. So, at this point, that’s pretty much all it takes to move up.

Despite his recent struggles, I actually feel better about Cody Allen now than I did last week, because it seems clear that he does have the closer’s job and that the Andrew Miller thing was just a blip on the radar. If you’ve owned Allen before, you know that he likes to throw in one terrible stretch per season (6.97 ERA last April, 11.57 ERA in April of 2015), and he always figures it out. So, I’m not particularly concerned.

There is only one thing that would comfort me if I were a Seung-Hwan Oh owner – the lack of a viable alternative. Trevor Rosenthal converted a messy save on Wednesday, but he’s got a 7.15 ERA with eight walks in 11 1/3 innings in June. It’s Oh’s job by process of elimination.

I’d stash Kyle Barraclough now. At this point, I’d be shocked if A.J. Ramos isn’t traded. He’s got a 1.64 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP in June, and is under contract for just one more year. Given that most teams in the American League are in playoff contention, there’s a decent chance that someone is going to pay up for Ramos.

Fernando Rodney has thrown a no-hitter in June. Nine innings, zero hits, 14 strikeouts. He’s my hero. But there’s still a decent chance the Diamondbacks deal for a closer!

Hector Neris likely bought Pete Mackanin some anti-anxiety medication, because Mack did not pull Neris from the closer’s role after his struggles, and Neris easily converted the most recent save chance. So, assuming he holds that job the rest of the year, Neris should deliver a small handful of saves. I mean, it is the Phillies.

Bud Norris looks like he should be back shortly, and all signs point to him taking over the closer’s role once again. So, to recap, a) Bud Norris became a closer this year and b) Bud Norris was so effective that we all kept him stashed after an injury and are eagerly awaiting his return from the DL. Congratulations, universe. You win.

The Nationals are the most frustrating team in the world, though it’s really not their fault. With Koda Glover on the DL, they have zero reliable relievers and are blowing saves left and right, but they have no pressure to hurry to trade for a solid closer because they have a gazillion-game lead in the division. They’ll eventually deal for someone (my money is still on David Robertson), but seriously, avoid that situation. And considering that Glover’s “lower back strain” was actually a “severely inflamed rotator cuff,” you can feel free to cut him.

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Dan Harris is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Dan, check out his archive or follow him on Twitter at @danharris80.