Well, that didn't take too long. Brad Lidge's days as the Astros' closer are over, at least "for the foreseeable future." Manager Phil Garner mercifully pulled the plug on Lidge, who's never been the same since Albert Pujols abused him in the 2005 playoffs. Lidge's two ugly outings in the first week of the season were enough to get him buried at the back of Houston's bullpen in favor of new closer Dan Wheeler, sho responded by notching a save Monday.
Lidge's value is virtually nil at this point, so he's safe to dump in most leagues. His roster spot in Houston should be pretty secure, but I'm not sure how much value he'll have as a middle-relief guy, and he may never get that closer's job back unless everybody else really blows it. If you built your staff around Lidge, my condolences (sucker). If you took a chance on him and are loking for another reliever to take his spot, here are some candidates:
• Wheeler is an obvious first choice. He was a popular draftee in a lot of leagues because of the uncertainty surrounding Lidge, although we weren't expecting him to take over this quickly. Wheeler's never been a closer before in the majors, and he won't approach Lidge's strikeout totals, but he's had two nice years in Houston and is an obvious replacement candidate.
• Salomon Torres might have been skipped over in some shallow mixed leagues, but he won't be available for long if he keeps this up. The guy leads the league in saves so far (4), so ride the hot hand. Matt Capps has been a steady set-up man so far in Pittsburgh, but Torres is keeping him at bay for now.
• Next up is a trio of low-level guys who may be out on the waiver wire but are getting the job done. Ryan Dempster's been fine, working two scoreless innings for two saves, and his job's safe. Armando Benitez says he's almost 100 percent healthy, and believe it or not, he's had success as a closer before. And David Weathers has been the man for Cincinnati so far and is worth trotting out there for the time being. After all, saves are saves
• Al Reyes is probably the best option in the Devil Rays' bullpen, but that's kind of like saying "she's the hottest chick at the retirement home." Reyes is still working his way back from Tommy John surgery, but the veteran was an effective reliever the last time we saw him in St. Louis, and he has the Rays' only save so far. There won't be many to go around for Tampa, but Reyes is the best bet if you're really in dire straits.
• David Riske is the Royals' temporary closer until Octavio Dotel comes back, but I'd keep my distance. A better bet might be little-known Rule 5 draft pick Joakim Soria, a 22-year-old who was fantastic in spring training and before that in the Mexican Pacific League in the winter. And you know how tough the Mexican Pacific League is! Soria's got three scoreless innings under his belt already as a setup man, so keep tabs on him. Dotel is no sure thing.
• If the vets above aren't available, or if you're just not dying for saves at the moment, may I suggest going with a quality set-up man? The two I really recommend are two L.A. dudes, the Angels' Scot Shields, probably the best set-up guy out there, and young Jonathan Broxton of the Dodgers. Shields will get saves whenever Francisco Rodriguez is tired (or when they identify that mysterious substance on K-Rod's cap), but he'll also notch a handful of wins and give you some great ratios. Ditto for the studly Broxton, who has five strikeouts in four scoreless innings thus far and will someday steal the closer's job from Takashi Saito, perhaps before the season's over.
Finally, here's the Youtube clip of the Cincinnati mayor's Opening Day "pitch" I promised. Enjoy.
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4 comments:
Hell Ya, J. I just went out there and ganked Soria off the market and made everyone look like a fool. Thanks for the advice. I love your body!
Thanks for the kind words. You may have noticed Soria pitched two perfect innings Tuesday vs. Toronto for his first save ...
how frustrating is cincinnati's bullpen situation? i mean, there are times i'd rather eat my own fecies than have to decipher what the hell is going on there.
You're right, David Weathers isn't exactly Catfish Hunter out there, but he's the best they have. The job's probably his to lose, and it would take an awful lot to lose it, so he's the guy to own if you're looking for saves (and nothing else). There aren't many other candidates breathing down his neck: Mike Stanton is about 10 years past his prime, and Todd Coffey is an OK setup guy but tanked as the closer last year. Believe it or not, there might be an Eddie Guardado sighting sometime this summer in Cincy, too.
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