How's everybody feeling waking up from your trade deadline hangover? The 2021 trade deadline did not disappoint, particularly as it pertained to relievers. Both Brad Hand and Craig Kimbrel were traded, but those were just the headliners. Here's a summary of all the trades that happened on Friday (and before) that impacted relievers along with analysis of the expected fantasy impact.
Craig Kimbrel - traded from the Cubs to White Sox.
Fantasy Impact: Kimbrel and Liam Hendriks will not compete for saves on the South Side, something that surely a decrease in value for both players. With that said, Tony LaRussa is more of a traditional manager, so we could see one emerge here. As we wrote about last week, Hendriks struggled a bit in the month of July, so Kimbrel may be the lead horse, at the moment. With Andrew Chafin and Ryan Tepera also on the move, Dan Winkler and Rex Brothers are two of the remaining Cubs that could close games, but newly acquired Codi Heuer (from the Kimbrel deal) could be a darkhorse. Also don't sleep on Rowen Wick, a preferred late inning option for the Cubs in 2020 and currently rehabbing in Triple-A.
Brad Hand - traded from the Nationals to the Blue Jays.
Fantasy Impact: Fellow reliever Daniel Hudson was also sent packing, so the Nationals will turn to a combination of 29 year old Kyle Finnegan and 28 year old Tanner Rainey, although the latter has a 17% walk rate this year. Meanwhile, Hand will immediately fill the closing role for the Blue Jays moving Jordan Romano into a set-up role.
Kendall Graveman & Rafael Montero- traded from the Mariners to the Astros.
Fantasy Impact: The Astros completely revamped their bullpen this trade deadline, also adding Yimi Garcia from the Marlins. Ryan Pressly has been very good in the closing role for Houston and wont likely be replaced by any of the newcomers, so consider Montero and Graveman as mixed league options only in holds leagues. Newly acquired Diego Castillo will likely be the closer of the future in Seattle.
Yimi Garcia - traded from the Marlins to the Astros.
Fantasy Impact: Same as above. Dylan Floro or Anthony Bender (who we long-term ) are the two names being tossed around as replacement options in Miami.
Diego Castillo - traded from the Rays to the Mariners.
Fantasy Impact: With Pete Fairbanks hitting the injured list, it's probably going to be some combination of Matt Wisler, Andrew Kittredge and Jeffrey Springs until Fairbanks is healthy. The trade of Castillo seems to have come at a strange time for the Rays, but like many of their decisions, it was probably at least partially motivated by money since Castillo will have been in line for a substantial raise this off-season.
Ian Kennedy - traded to the Phillies.
Fantasy Impact: Ian Kennedy should compete for the closing job immediately in Philly, a role that's been a bit of a revolving door since the struggling Hector Neris was removed as closer at the end of June. Heading into Friday, the Phillies were .500, but just 3 games out of first place, so Kennedy will have an opportunity to close for a winning ballclub. He's definitely an unexpected winner at the trade deadline since he was unlikely to slot in as a closer of many, if any, other contending clubs. As for Texas, expect a committee between Spencer Patton, Josh Sborz, and Joe Barlow to handle the few remaining save opportunities for the Rangers.
Hansel Robles - traded from Minnesota to Boston.
Fantasy Impact: With Matt Barnes locked in as closer for the Red Sox, Robles will merely be bullpen depth. On the Twins side, it's likely that Alex Colome will once again have the opportunity to take the closing job after losing those responsibilities earlier this season.
Ryan Tepera - traded from the Cubs to the White Sox. Andrew Chafin - traded from the Cubs to the Athletics
Fantasy Impact: Both players would have likely served as potential closers in the wake of the Craig Kimbrel trade, but as it stands, both relievers will now most likely serve as middle relief depth for their new teams and will probably remain off the fantasy radar.
Joely Rodriguez - traded from the Rangers to the Yankees.
Fantasy Impact: Once viewed as the closer of the future in Texas, Rodriguez failed to capitalize on his opportunities to seize the role during Ian Kennedy's absences earlier this year. The raw talent is there and perhaps Larry Rothschild can unlock his full potential as he joins one of the stronger bullpens in baseball.
Shawn Armstrong - traded from the Orioles to the Rays.
Fantasy Impact: Armstrong will likely serve primarily as a set-up man.
Daniel Hudson - traded from the Nationals to the Padres.
Fantasy Impact: Armstrong will likely serve primarily as a set-up man to Mark Melancon.
Mychal Givens - traded from the Rockies to the Reds.
Fantasy Impact: The Reds bullpen has been a revolving door for most of the season, but Mychal Givens has previous closing experience and did have a scoreless 8th inning in his first appearance with Cincy on Thursday. He's a sneaky stash option that may go overlooked with the rest of the moves that happened.
Joakim Soria - traded from the Diamondbacks to the Blue Jays. He'll serve as middle relief depth.
Fantasy Impact: He'll serve as middle relief depth. Tyler Clippard seems like the most likely candidate to close for the Diamondbacks.
Richard Rodriguez - traded from Pirates to the Braves.
Fantasy Impact: This is a tricky one - Rodriguez is technically a better pitcher than the Braves' current closer, Will Smith. Nonetheless, Smith hasn't exactly been shaky so it also seems unlikely that Atlanta would make a change in the ninth inning. This is one situation that will need to play out before there's clarity. On the Pittsburgh side, David Bednar is the primary target for fantasy owners chasing Pirates saves.
Around the League:
-Just when it looked like Gregory Soto was once again the undisputed closer in Detroit, Michael Fulmer was activate from the injured list. Fulmer was successful in the bullpen earlier this year and will presumably be a factor in the late innings once again.
-The Brewers activated Devin Williams from the injured list on Tuesday.
-The Twins lost Taylor Rogers earlier this week and effectively sunk his trade value. As a result, he remains on the Twins and could challenge Alex Colome for saves once he gets healthy.
-The Indians bullpen has been frustrating with both Emmanuel Clase and James Karinchak splitting chances. With Terry Francona stepping away from the team for a period of time, it remains to be seen whether or not the split closer role will continue with Demarlo Hale taking over as manager for the rest of the season.
Closer and Handcuff Ranking:
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How's everybody feeling waking up from your trade deadline hangover? The 2021 trade deadline did not disappoint, particularly as it pertained to relievers. Both Brad Hand and Craig Kimbrel were traded, but those were just the headliners. Here's a summary of all the trades that happened on Friday (and before) that impacted relievers along with analysis of the expected fantasy impact.
Craig Kimbrel - traded from the Cubs to White Sox.
Fantasy Impact: Kimbrel and Liam Hendriks will not compete for saves on the South Side, something that surely a decrease in value for both players. With that said, Tony LaRussa is more of a traditional manager, so we could see one emerge here. As we wrote about last week, Hendriks struggled a bit in the month of July, so Kimbrel may be the lead horse, at the moment. With Andrew Chafin and Ryan Tepera also on the move, Dan Winkler and Rex Brothers are two of the remaining Cubs that could close games, but newly acquired Codi Heuer (from the Kimbrel deal) could be a darkhorse. Also don't sleep on Rowen Wick, a preferred late inning option for the Cubs in 2020 and currently rehabbing in Triple-A.
Brad Hand - traded from the Nationals to the Blue Jays.
Fantasy Impact: Fellow reliever Daniel Hudson was also sent packing, so the Nationals will turn to a combination of 29 year old Kyle Finnegan and 28 year old Tanner Rainey, although the latter has a 17% walk rate this year. Meanwhile, Hand will immediately fill the closing role for the Blue Jays moving Jordan Romano into a set-up role.
Kendall Graveman & Rafael Montero- traded from the Mariners to the Astros.
Fantasy Impact: The Astros completely revamped their bullpen this trade deadline, also adding Yimi Garcia from the Marlins. Ryan Pressly has been very good in the closing role for Houston and wont likely be replaced by any of the newcomers, so consider Montero and Graveman as mixed league options only in holds leagues. Newly acquired Diego Castillo will likely be the closer of the future in Seattle.
Yimi Garcia - traded from the Marlins to the Astros.
Fantasy Impact: Same as above. Dylan Floro or Anthony Bender (who we long-term ) are the two names being tossed around as replacement options in Miami.
Diego Castillo - traded from the Rays to the Mariners.
Fantasy Impact: With Pete Fairbanks hitting the injured list, it's probably going to be some combination of Matt Wisler, Andrew Kittredge and Jeffrey Springs until Fairbanks is healthy. The trade of Castillo seems to have come at a strange time for the Rays, but like many of their decisions, it was probably at least partially motivated by money since Castillo will have been in line for a substantial raise this off-season.
Ian Kennedy - traded to the Phillies.
Fantasy Impact: Ian Kennedy should compete for the closing job immediately in Philly, a role that's been a bit of a revolving door since the struggling Hector Neris was removed as closer at the end of June. Heading into Friday, the Phillies were .500, but just 3 games out of first place, so Kennedy will have an opportunity to close for a winning ballclub. He's definitely an unexpected winner at the trade deadline since he was unlikely to slot in as a closer of many, if any, other contending clubs. As for Texas, expect a committee between Spencer Patton, Josh Sborz, and Joe Barlow to handle the few remaining save opportunities for the Rangers.
Hansel Robles - traded from Minnesota to Boston.
Fantasy Impact: With Matt Barnes locked in as closer for the Red Sox, Robles will merely be bullpen depth. On the Twins side, it's likely that Alex Colome will once again have the opportunity to take the closing job after losing those responsibilities earlier this season.
Ryan Tepera - traded from the Cubs to the White Sox. Andrew Chafin - traded from the Cubs to the Athletics
Fantasy Impact: Both players would have likely served as potential closers in the wake of the Craig Kimbrel trade, but as it stands, both relievers will now most likely serve as middle relief depth for their new teams and will probably remain off the fantasy radar.
Joely Rodriguez - traded from the Rangers to the Yankees.
Fantasy Impact: Once viewed as the closer of the future in Texas, Rodriguez failed to capitalize on his opportunities to seize the role during Ian Kennedy's absences earlier this year. The raw talent is there and perhaps Larry Rothschild can unlock his full potential as he joins one of the stronger bullpens in baseball.
Shawn Armstrong - traded from the Orioles to the Rays.
Fantasy Impact: Armstrong will likely serve primarily as a set-up man.
Daniel Hudson - traded from the Nationals to the Padres.
Fantasy Impact: Armstrong will likely serve primarily as a set-up man to Mark Melancon.
Mychal Givens - traded from the Rockies to the Reds.
Fantasy Impact: The Reds bullpen has been a revolving door for most of the season, but Mychal Givens has previous closing experience and did have a scoreless 8th inning in his first appearance with Cincy on Thursday. He's a sneaky stash option that may go overlooked with the rest of the moves that happened.
Joakim Soria - traded from the Diamondbacks to the Blue Jays. He'll serve as middle relief depth.
Fantasy Impact: He'll serve as middle relief depth. Tyler Clippard seems like the most likely candidate to close for the Diamondbacks.
Richard Rodriguez - traded from Pirates to the Braves.
Fantasy Impact: This is a tricky one - Rodriguez is technically a better pitcher than the Braves' current closer, Will Smith. Nonetheless, Smith hasn't exactly been shaky so it also seems unlikely that Atlanta would make a change in the ninth inning. This is one situation that will need to play out before there's clarity. On the Pittsburgh side, David Bednar is the primary target for fantasy owners chasing Pirates saves.
Around the League:
-Just when it looked like Gregory Soto was once again the undisputed closer in Detroit, Michael Fulmer was activate from the injured list. Fulmer was successful in the bullpen earlier this year and will presumably be a factor in the late innings once again.
-The Brewers activated Devin Williams from the injured list on Tuesday.
-The Twins lost Taylor Rogers earlier this week and effectively sunk his trade value. As a result, he remains on the Twins and could challenge Alex Colome for saves once he gets healthy.
-The Indians bullpen has been frustrating with both Emmanuel Clase and James Karinchak splitting chances. With Terry Francona stepping away from the team for a period of time, it remains to be seen whether or not the split closer role will continue with Demarlo Hale taking over as manager for the rest of the season.
Closer and Handcuff Ranking:
