Two longtime bullpens were shaken up this week, and Ted explains who to add in this week’s Fantasy Baseball Closer Report.

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Fantasy Baseball Closer Report! As always, I’ll start with some detailed breakdowns of teams with changing situations (though there are fewer of those each week) and then finish with a list breakdown of the remaining teams. Let’s get started!

Chicago Cubs: Release of opens door for

In a move that came out of nowhere, the Cubs released Neris, who had been their closer for most of the season, on Tuesday. It’s not entirely clear why they did it. Perhaps they had their eye on next season, since he had appeared in 45 of the 60 games needed to turn the Cubs’ team option into a player option. Or perhaps they just got tired of a closer with a 1.52 WHIP. Either way, there’s an open closer job in Chicago.

The Cubs found themselves in a rescue situation that same day when they recognized Neris and turned to Hodge.

Hodge, a 23-year-old rookie selected in the 13th round of the 2019 draft, got the job done, allowing a leadoff double before settling for three straight outs to earn his second save of the season. Although this was only his second save, Hodge has impressive numbers in his 30.1 MLB innings: A 2.08 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 31% strikeout rate will appeal to fantasy managers.

He’s worth a speculative signing, although , who made a save on Saturday (before Neris was released), could also play a role.

Chicago White Sox: Team’s first save since July

That’s the thing about the White Sox: They’re so bad that it’s hard to say who their closer is, but they’re also so bad that it doesn’t matter.

He was my favorite for the closer position after the team traded to the Dodgers, but it was actually Kuhl who made a save last Friday, the team’s first since Kopech joined the team on July 10.

That last fact points to a deeper truth: The White Sox don’t generate enough save opportunities to have a fantasy-relevant closer, even in leagues with very reliever-friendly settings. Since Kopech’s departure, the White Sox bullpen has managed just one save in eight opportunities… and most of those would have been holds anyway, since the team is rarely competitive in the ninth inning.

Their closer could be Kuhl, Brebbia or someone else, but none of them should be on fantasy rosters.

Kansas City Royals: Returnee from IL to form a potential committee

Schreiber, who spent several weeks on the injured list with a knee injury, returned to the mound on Monday and immediately earned his second save of the season. Before his return, he seemed to have separated himself from the rest as the team’s closer.

Erceg has yet to allow a run in a Royals uniform and had the team’s last two saves before Schrieber’s return. He’s still likely the closer on the roster, but Schrieber’s return could shake up an already relatively unstable situation.

Los Angeles Dodgers: and Michael Kopech form a productive committee

Most teams use a closer-by-committee approach because they couldn’t find a player they could trust. The Dodgers, perhaps not surprisingly, seem to have a different kind of committee.

All three, Hudson, Phillips and Kopech, have recorded at least one save in the last week (Kopech has two). Hudson has the most impressive secondary stats and is the player I would add to the roster, but he clearly won’t be used in a traditional closer role, so don’t expect huge save numbers.

Tampa Bay Rays: Moves to IL, records first save

Fairbanks was a key player in this article, remaining solid in the ninth inning for Tampa Bay for most of the season. However, the veteran right-hander’s season may be over, as he was placed on the team’s injured list on Monday with a latissimus injury.

In his absence, Uceta made the first save of his career on Tuesday. Uceta is a very interesting player, boasting a WHIP of 0.90, a 0.57 and a strikeout rate of 34% in 30 innings this season.

It’s by no means guaranteed that he’ll get most of the save opportunities for Tampa Bay (and could even be involved in all of them), but he’s definitely worth adding now.

Stable teams

• Atlanta Braves:

• Arizona Diamondbacks: Get on

• Baltimore Orioles: Fight for the job

• Boston Red Sox:

• Cincinnati Reds:

• Cleveland Guardians:

• Colorado Rockies:

• Detroit Tigers: still the ugly committee’s best choice

• Houston Astros:

• Los Angeles Angels:

• Miami Marlins:

• Milwaukee Brewers:

• Minnesota Twins:

• New York Mets:

• New York Yankees:

• Oakland Athletics:

• Philadelphia Phillies:

• Pittsburgh Pirates:

• San Diego Padres:

• San Francisco Giants: takes over after surprising demotion

• Seattle Mariners:

• St. Louis Cardinals:

• Texas Rangers:

• Toronto Blue Jays:

• Washington Nationals:

#2024 Fantasy Baseball #Closer