Kirby Yates

The Padres kept their assembly line of elite relievers running when Brad Hand's midseason trade propelled Yates into the ninth inning. Hardly a downgrade, he posted a 2.14 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with the sixth-highest K-BB% (29.2) of all qualified relievers. He could follow Hand's path out of San Diego, but they may be summer buyers with Manny Machado leading a young squad back to relevancy. That'd make Yates a top-10 stopper with strong job security.

The Padres aren't expected to compete with the Dodgers or even Rockies for the division, but San Diego plays in enough low scoring close games that their closers tend to rack up the saves. This year should be no different for their new closer, who just so happened to be one of the best setup men in baseball before Brad Hand left the closer job open. Yates should find his way to 80+ Ks to go with amazing ratios once again.

Yates took over as the Padres' closer following the Brad Hand trade last July, and the team didn't skip a beat. Yates finished with an impressive 2.14 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 12.86 K/9, so he should return as the unquestioned 2019 closer barring a surprise acquisition. Yates' fantasy value also gets a bit of a boost from the Padres signing Manny Machado, as it decreases the likelihood of Yates getting dealt to a contender at the trade deadline.