American League Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Who Will Replace Mason Miller for the A's?

Ted gives an update on every AL team's closer situation a week removed from the All-Star break.

After a full season recap last week for the All-Star break, this week’s American League Closer Report will keep things short and sweet … except for those teams where things have changed over the last week. Let’s get going!

Baltimore Orioles: Stable — Craig Kimbrel

Nothing much to report here: The Orioles as a team didn’t have a single save opportunity, so Kimbrel made just one uneventful appearance to finish off a four-run win over the Rangers.

Boston Red Sox: Stable — Kenley Jansen

The Red Sox racked up four blown saves over the last week, with three coming in early innings and one from Jansen himself. Still, his job is likely safe.

Note: Jansen won’t be joining the rest of the team for their trip to Colorado, as the elevation presents a risk given his pre-existing heart condition — he should rejoin the team after the trip.

Chicago White Sox: Unstable — Michael Kopech

We are now three teams into a relief-focused article without a single save recorded over the last week. However, unlike with Kimbrel and Jansen, there is reason to be concerned about Kopech.

His only appearance of the week came in the seventh inning, and White Sox manager Pedro Grivol made comments after the game indicating that this usage change wasn’t a one-off. With that said, Justin Anderson and John Brebbia both blew saves over the last week, so we will see if Kopech can reclaim a traditional closer role.

Cleveland Guardians: Stable — Emmanuel Clase

Finally, we get some saves, and who better than the AL leader in the category to break our drought? With two successful outings in one-run games, Clase is now up to 31 saves on the season (and down to an absurd 0.76 ERA).

Detroit Tigers: Unstable — Jason Foley

Foley did not record the Tigers’ only save of the week, as that distinction went to Tyler Holton (his third of the season). However, Holton only pitched the ninth inning of that win because Foley had been called upon to clean up a mess in the eighth.

This indicates that the Tigers were likely planning on using Foley in the ninth until circumstances forced him into the game only. He’s by no means a top-tier reliever, but Foley is still the favorite to pick up saves in this bullpen

Houston Astros: Stable — Josh Hader

Hader picked up two more saves this week, bringing himself to 20 on the season. He is now in the top 10 for the year, and I expect him to just keep rising.

Kansas City Royals: Unstable — James McArthur, Hunter Harvey

Harvey, who was recently acquired in a trade with the Nationals, made his Royals debut this week. He made two appearances, both in the eighth inning, including once as the set-up man to McArthur’s closer in a close game.

However, McArthur proceeded to blow the save with five earned runs, and his other appearance of the week also came in the eighth inning (Kris Bubic pitched the ninth in that game, although with the Royals losing, it was not a save situation). I would still put my money on McArthur to lead the team in saves down the stretch, but this is mostly a situation worth avoiding.

Los Angeles Angels: Stable Pending The Trade Deadline — Carlos Estevez (Luis Garcia)

Estevez was not traded this week, and he recorded three more saves to bring his total to 20 on the year. Given his 2.38 ERA, WHIP well below 1.00, and expiring contract, I have to imagine some contender will come calling for Estevez’s services before the trade deadline, opening the door for Garcia to close for the Angels.

Minnesota Twins: Stable — Jhoan Duran

The Twins recorded a save this week, but Duran was not the man to do it. That honor went to Cole Sands, who picked up his third save of the season with a two-inning, low-leverage appearance against the Phillies. For his part, Duran picked up both a win and a loss this week, with all three of his appearances coming in traditional closer spots — his role seems safe.

New York Yankees: Stable — Clay Holmes

The inconsistent Yankees did not generate any save opportunities this week, so there’s not much to report. Holmes made just one appearance, pitching an uneventful ninth inning in a losing effort for the pinstripes.

Oakland Athletics: INJURY ALERT — Lucas Erceg Likely To Replace Mason Miller (IL15)

Miller, who has been one of the best closers in the country all season, hit the IL this week with a fractured finger. Luckily, the broken pinkie is on his non-pitching hand, so Miller may return sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, Lucas Erceg (two saves, 3.55 xERA) is the favorite to replace Miller in the ninth inning, with Austin Adams (zero saves, 4.23 xERA) his main competition. Obviously, we can’t expect either player to replace Miller’s value, so it may be worth just avoiding this situation until the All-Star’s return.

Seattle Mariners: Stable — Andres Munoz

Munoz picked up both a save and a blown save this week, but you can’t exactly blame him for the latter. His “blown save” came without him even allowing a baserunner, as he entered a one-run game in the eighth with two runners already on, one of whom came around to score on a sac fly.

Tampa Bay Rays: Stable — Pete Fairbanks

Fairbanks has been absolutely racking up saves over the last two months, and he added two more this week. He is now at 19 for the season, 14 of which have come since June.

Texas Rangers: Stable — Kirby Yates

Yates continues to expand his lead as the player with the most saves without a blown opportunity, as he added two more this week to bring his total to 18 (Chad Green is second with just seven).

Toronto Blue Jays: Unstable — Yimi Garcia, Chad Green

Green was the only Blue Jay to record a save this week, a 1.2-inning effort against the Tigers. However, Garcia also made two ninth-inning appearances. This appears to be more of a committee than anything as Toronto deals with the lack of Jordan Romano.

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