Once upon a time, St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinez was a top-20 starting pitcher in the fantasy world, the rare ace and seemingly a strong keeper. It feels like such a long time ago ... but it was merely 2017 when he surpassed both 200 innings and 200 strikeouts. Then last season, Martinez started getting hurt, served more than a few injured list stints and -- voila! -- that is how the starter ends up in the bullpen. The Cardinals are paying him lots of money and want some value, and with Jordan Hicks done for the season, someone has to close. Martinez is doing precisely that.
In fact, C-Mart is
I traded for Martinez in an NL-only league recently and did so because I needed the saves, as three teams are right in the rear-view mirror in the category and every point could matter there. Plus, my other closers are San Diego Padres right-hander Kirby Yates and San Francisco Giants lefty Will Smith, and to be blunt, I was a bit afraid either or both could be traded before the Wednesday deadline and end up in a setup role for a contender. Or they could be closing. Perhaps the Cardinals are interested too. Today, I have three closers. By Wednesday afternoon, however, I might not.
Martinez has permitted eight runs on 12 hits in his past seven appearances, with four walks versus five strikeouts. He has hardly dominated, especially against left-handed hitters, and his fastball, while back to his normal levels in terms of speed and usage rate from pre-2018, has been ordinary. We have discussed in this space how so many seemingly secure closers remain available in at least half of ESPN's standard leagues, so there seems little need to quote rostered percentages -- who knows who is still paying attention in your leagues -- but with these numbers, I wonder if Martinez is worth the trouble.
As always, it comes down to saves and value. The Cardinals could give Martinez 10-plus save chances in August, or half that number. I cannot recall a season in which fantasy managers seemed so disinterested in closers, not only in finding the next ones but also in ignoring the actual closers. The Missouri closers have saved 17 games this month, albeit with a combined 4.50 ERA. If all you want are the saves, then it works. Martinez might be a lot more like Kennedy than anyone cares to admit, and I will be mighty skeptical if the organization returns him to a starting role. Dynasty value is gone here.
While we're at it, there could be some other former starting pitchers with saves in their future. I thought about this while watching Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Nick Pivetta thrive in his new role, though he hardly boasts the starter history that Martinez and Kennedy do. Hector Neris is not exactly Dennis Eckersley in his prime, you know. Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta has a 2.38 ERA in relief this season, and Josh Hader should be used earlier in games when needed. Atlanta Braves lefty Sean Newcomb has a 2.23 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in his relief work and is, frankly, better than Luke Jackson. There are others.
Some of this could change before the trade deadline, but here are my thoughts today on other closers.
-- I'm sure the Toronto Blue Jays would love to trade Ken Giles, but a sore elbow could prevent it. Regardless, focus on a bigger picture in fantasy. His elbow hurts. Daniel Hudson and Joe Biagini seem next but could be traded as well. Derek Law? Anything is possible here because the Jays could shut Giles down for a while.
-- Shane Greene has to go somewhere, but be prepared for a setup role. In this era in which nobody believes ERA, wins or saves tell the story of success -- and we should applaud that -- this All-Star remains a risk. The Detroit Tigers would likely turn to Joe Jimenez, but he has struggled. Buck Farmer could be the option.
-- I doubt the Boston Red Sox trade for Greene, but wow, Nathan Eovaldi looks awful. I already gave up in one mixed league. I know, I know, he needs more time, but there is reason to worry. Boston has 21 saves, and their leader (Ryan Brasier) is in the minors. Nobody currently on the club is getting 15 saves, which is wild since the Sox could win 90.
-- Move on from Oakland Athletics right-hander Blake Treinen, and please, please resist the urge to draft the hot reliever from the year before in Round 6 next season. Yes, that means Kirby Yates. Awesome season, just like Treinen last year. Most relievers cannot sustain from year to year. Talking to you, Jose Leclerc.
-- Nice job by Leclerc in blowing Sunday's win against Oakland. In an odd twist in one of my head-to-head leagues, I had Leclerc active, but ERA, WHIP and saves were settled for the week. My opponent had Jesse Chavez, and had Leclerc held the lead, Chavez would win the game and cost me a point. So I liked the result but benched Leclerc this week. I foolishly thought with Shawn Kelley out he would regain the closer role and thrive. Chris Martin should be saving games for the Texas Rangers. Should have been for months.
-- New York Yankees lefty Aroldis Chapman looks like 75 percent of the dominant pitcher he used to be, and perhaps it is still good enough. Kenley Jansen is good enough. Still, do not keep these once-dominant relievers next season. Bad investments. And did you see Chicago Cubs right-hander Craig Kimbrel last week? Yeah, that is going well. Chapman has nine walks this month, just like deposed Arizona Diamondbacks closer Greg Holland. I wonder when the Yankees will just sit him for two weeks to prepare him for October. He needs a rest.
-- There was nary a save among Monday's seven games. That hardly signals some big trend or is predictive for Tuesday, but I found it interesting. Saves are slightly down through four months.
Monday takeaways
• Glad to see Padres infielder Luis Urias hit his first home run, though it was against the Baltimore Orioles and David Hess -- 25 blasts allowed in 72 2/3 innings! -- so grain of salt and all that. Still, people are judging Urias and his .078 batting average through 65 plate appearances. Remember how Alex Bregman started? Get Urias now if his investor panics. He will hit. I panicked a bit when a pitched ball grazed Urias across the lips later in the one-sided game, but he is fine. Wow.
• I wasted $40 on Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto and Cardinals outfielder Harrison Bader in the 12-team, NL-only LABR league this spring and somehow I am fighting for first place. We have dissected Votto's season in this space. He will not reach 20 home runs. He has 21 the past two seasons combined. Bader, hitting .146 in July, is now playing for Triple-A Memphis after Monday's surprise demotion. He gave my team six home runs and six steals. Should I have known? Well, Bader did not hammer right-handed pitching last season, but I thought he was safe for playing time due to his defense and he would steal 20 bases. He is 25, and I would give him more time in dynasty formats, and I bet he is back with the Cardinals for September.
• Los Angeles Angels right-hander Jaime Barria went his customary five innings on Monday in an appealing home matchup with the Tigers, but I was reminded early why it was a good decision not to employ him in fantasy just because of his appealing matchups this week. Miguel Cabrera homered. Yikes. That is like allowing a Votto home run.
• Jason Vargas is a Phillie now. It is so sad that he is now their No. 2 starter. I would tell you to avoid in fantasy, but you have to know this, right?
• I never know what to expect from Colorado Rockies right-hander Jon Gray, which is why I simply do not want to deal with it. Eight great innings at home against the Dodgers? Sure, that sums him up. The Giants lit him up two weeks ago. This is not about a Coors Field pitcher. This is about an inconsistent though tantalizing one.
Health report
• As somewhat expected, the Washington Nationals took no chances with right-hander Max Scherzer and sent him to the injured list, his second time there since the All-Star break. I doubt Scherzer pitches in a week, but I still feel confident in trading for him in fantasy.
W2W4
• Tyler Beede faces Drew Smyly in Philadelphia, and you might think neither pitcher deserves any attention, but the former has actually been OK the past six weeks -- though only at home -- while the latter made one start for his new team and it went well. Still, in deep leagues, there isn't much out there. I was outbid for Smyly in NL LABR this week!
• A better matchup features Justin Verlander and Shane Bieber in Cleveland. My top tier of starting pitchers for 2020 includes, in order, Scherzer, Verlander, Jacob deGrom, Chris Sale and Gerrit Cole, but Bieber deserves top-10 consideration along with about 10 others. Anyway, the Giants-Phillies game could be wild. Expect runs to be scarce in Cleveland.
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