At some point – and that point is right now – it gets really difficult to evaluate the closing situations around baseball. Trade rumors are flying, and upwards of 10 closers are rumored to be on the trading block, many of them purportedly heading to teams to become setup men.

After all, Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel are having superb seasons. But if I knew right now that they were going to be traded to set up Aroldis Chapman and wouldn’t get another save opportunity all season, I’d certainly take Brandon Kintzler over either one of them.

Thankfully, neither Jansen nor Kimbrel is in any danger of losing his job, getting traded, or putting up anything other than video game numbers. But let’s take a deep dive into the landscape and see how we feel about the other mere mortals who currently hold the ninth inning role. Here is your closer report for Week 14.

Bookmark our Closer Depth Chart for updated coverage throughout the season

 
The Big Movers

So, last week I listed Matt Bush among the “safer” closers because Jeff Banister appeared to have a long leash and Bush began to rebound after receiving the dreaded vote of confidence. He then blew his next save chance and was immediately removed from the closer’s role. Now, there’s actually a very scientific explanation for my poor analysis – I totally misread the situation.

My bad, guys. But at least we know now that five blown saves is when Banister finally pulls the plug on his closer! Anyhoo, the Texas situation is now officially labeled a committee and drops all the way down to 29, held out of the lowest spot by the dumpster fire that we call the Nationals bullpen. As I’m sure most fantasy owners suspected, Keone Kela would’ve almost certainly gotten the first shot had he not hit the disabled list immediately after Bush lost the role. Kela is expected back right after the All-Star break, so add him if he’s still available. In the meantime, Jose Leclerc or the newly-added Jason Grilli is probably the best bet to get the next save chance. As for Bush, it’s a small sample size, but he clearly pitched better in the eighth inning than as the closer (.527 OPS against in the eighth inning, .807 OPS against in the ninth). It’s possible he’s just more comfortable there, but he still could get another shot if all goes well.

Other than the Rangers, the Giants situation is the only one to make a significant move, as Sam Dyson has been solid since taking over for Mark Melancon as closer. On Thursday’s FantasyPros baseball podcast, I equated Sam Dyson, and most mediocre relievers, to just your average-joe golfer. There are stretches when you feel totally out of sorts and nothing you do works, and others when you’re going to feel locked in, with even the slightest change in your mechanics making all the difference. Dyson was awful with the Rangers and gave up two earned runs without recording an out in his first appearance with the Giants. Since then, he has allowed zero runs in nine of his 10 outings and has converted all three of his save opportunities. Dyson isn’t special, but he’s got the role, and he’s just made a couple of pars in a row, so he’s feeling pretty good about himself. Keep him owned and expect him to hold the job until the Giants trade him or Melancon returns.

Random Musings

Kenley Jansen retakes the No. 1 ranking from Craig Kimbrel. That is purely a product of me feeling bad that Kenley Jansen is not in the top spot right now despite his historically great season. I will flip flop these two frequently for the rest of the season unless one of them gets injured and/or becomes less dominant. It’s only fair.

I have some numbers for you. 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0. Those are the earned runs allowed per game by Alex Colome from May 1 through June 17. I have some more numbers for you. 2, 3, 2, 1, 2, 0. Those are the earned runs allowed per game by Colome since June 17. Suddenly, Colome has a 3.99 ERA and 1.33 WHIP on the season. Considering his track record, this is likely just a blip, but he’s certainly not as dominant as he once was. And yeah, I know there was an easier way to make that point than by listing Colome’s game log. But I feel like if I use more words, you guys will feel you got your money’s worth on analysis, right? No? That’s not how this works? Shoot.

Corey Knebel is good, y’all. It’s really a little insane that he has appeared in 41 games this season and struck out at least one batter in all of them. That’s not normal. Between Knebel, Kimbrel, and Jansen, the bar for what constitutes an “elite” reliever has been raised to a preposterous level.

Raisel Iglesias is also excellent, but suddenly there are trade rumors swirling around him, and it’s unclear whether he’d retain the closer’s role if he got dealt. His two best assets for the Reds – his ability to pitch multiple innings and his team-friendly contract (he’s signed for the next three seasons at a total cost of $14.5 million) – make him an incredibly valuable trade chip for a rebuilding team and also a great target as a setup man. If Iglesias remains with the Reds, he’ll move up the rankings a bit, but for now, there’s enough smoke to keep him grounded.

Zach Britton is back and should slide back into the closer’s role after the All-Star break, assuming he doesn’t have any setbacks. He didn’t look great on Wednesday, but there’s bound to be some rust. As I said the last time Britton came off the DL, keep Brad Brach owned for AT LEAST two or three weeks. As we’ve seen with Britton and Melancon, these injuries have a way of lingering.

Bud Norris is still the Angels closer! Hooray, I guess? Norris will likely be dealt closer to the trade deadline, and I’d expect Cam Bedrosian to get save chances for the majority of the rest of the season. But for now, Norris is your man.

I really hope the Diamondbacks do not trade for a closer and let Fernando Rodney have the gig all season. Can you imagine Rodney with a one-run lead in the ninth inning of the Wild Card game? Get out a bottle of your finest bourbon and a defibrillator and buckle up. I’m still thinking they’ll bolster their ‘pen, though, which keeps Rodney relatively grounded. But if they don’t, then Rodney and the D’backs may shoot up to No. 1! That dude rocks.

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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.