The MLB trade deadline has passed, and the dust has settled. It is now your responsibility as a fantasy baseball owner to pick up the pieces and figure out how to put this puzzle together for your second-half run. The fantasy community was not hit as hard this year as we have been in years past with very few impact position players on the move, but where we did see significant movement — the bullpens — we must be ready to react immediately if we are going to find success. After all, saves continue to be a hot commodity.
When the Tigers sent Shane Greene to the Braves, the majority of the fantasy world stayed glued to Braves updates to see if the team would make additional moves or if Greene would retain his job as a closer. The savvy fantasy owner did that as well, but he also turned around and added Joe Jimenez. While the Tigers may be looking ahead to next year, they are still going to finish this season and should a save opportunity arise, they need to have someone available.
This isn’t to say that Jimenez is a great option. Despite allowing just one run over his last seven outings, he does have a 4.93 ERA with a rather unsavory 1.29 WHIP. He does, however, have a fantastic 12.64 K/9, which is always helpful in fantasy circles, but the most important thing here is opportunity. Jimenez is the new Tigers closer. He will get the save opportunities for them and, therefore, contribute to your fantasy needs. Opportunity is everything and as a result, you should be scouring all of the bullpens that saw movement during the trade deadline.
When the Mariners sent both Hunter Strickland and Roenis Elias to the Nationals, opportunity opened up in Seattle. Anthony Bass appears to be the first in line for save chances, but you should also keep a watchful eye on both Mike Magill and Cory Gearrin. Most teams that end up in situations like this will turn to a committee if one player doesn’t step-up the way they need.
Blue Jays closer Ken Giles remains out with an injury, and the team traded away most of its relief assets. That puts Justin Shafer in a good spot for saves. When the Marlins traded away Sergio Romo and Nick Anderson, they opened the door for Jarlin Garcia and possibly even Jose Quijada. And sometimes it’s the trades that don’t get made. Ownership percentages for Ian Kennedy are ridiculously low and he, somehow, stayed with the Royals and will continue to close for them.
Opportunity knocks in a number of different places. It’s your job to open the door.
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 4-6 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy sports advice, MLB lineups and DFS weather updates.
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