Veteran Willy Adames and prospect Wander Franco were the names most associated with the weekend trade between the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays, one for actually being the centerpiece of the deal and the other for not getting the promotion to replace said centerpiece. However, right-handed relief pitcher J.P. Feyereisen delivered the initial value for fantasy managers with his Sunday save -- and more of those seem likely to be on their way.
Nothing against Adames, but the Rays have multiple replacements at shortstop. Their bullpen, for the way manager Kevin Cash prefers to utilize it, coveted more high-leverage depth and Feyereisen (and perhaps Drew Rasmussen) offers that. In fact, this reminds me of when the Rays acquired right-hander Nick Anderson from the Miami Marlins at the July 2019 trade deadline and people initially wondered why they did it. Anderson missed bats for Miami, but missed the strike zone quite a bit as well. The Rays knew exactly how to fix that and created a dominant pitcher.
Feyereisen is himself a walker and one with an average fastball in the 93 mph range. However, his slider and changeup boast elite spin rates, and they are among the most unhittable pitches in the sport, generating awesome swing-and-miss rates. Feyereisen just needs to command them in the right places and keep hitters uncomfortable with his fastball in order to dominate, and I suspect the Rays know how to harness his stuff. This is no slight on the Brewers, but Josh Hader and Devin Williams are the stars there. The Rays do things differently.
Meanwhile, the right-handed Rasmussen seems more like a power swingman for the Rays, a potential starter with high-end velocity but lacking a pitch to handle left-handed hitters. The team sent him to Triple-A Durham, perhaps to stretch him out for multi-inning work, but also, I believe, to see if he can throw more than just his fastball and slider. He has a changeup and curveball. Watch the Rays maximize his arsenal and see Rasmussen, like Pete Fairbanks last season, end up with a key role in October.
Who will save the Rays?
Fantasy managers want to know who gets the saves, and I think Diego Castillo remains the primary choice for ninth-inning work. Then again, manager Kevin Cash felt safest with Castillo the first two months, but he felt safe with his new acquisition just hours after the organization acquired him. Feyereisen permitted a two-out, opposite-field single to Marcus Semien in the ninth inning on Sunday but then whiffed Bo Bichette on three pitches to end it, the latter two being well-placed four-seam fastballs high in the strike zone. They were unhittable. Bichette looked overpowered. I felt empowered to add Feyereisen to a few fantasy teams.
After last season's "ultimate share" situation in which everyone but Esteban Yan saved a game, adding any Rays pitcher to your roster and expecting saves can be dangerous. Cash could alter his bullpen hierarchy at any point, and sans warning. However, Castillo has already permitted a mildly alarming four home runs, three to right-handed hitters. There may well be opportunities for others.
Fairbanks not only is another fellow who occasionally loses command of his wicked offerings, but has an odd reverse split. The right-hander has had more success versus left-handed hitters each of his three big-league seasons, some of that due to BABIP magic. His fastball is rather straight, so now he utilizes his salacious slider far more. Feyereisen offers a different look with his dominant changeup.
Add Feyereisen because he is going to pitch well and pile on the strikeouts, and perhaps he is the next Nick Anderson. I doubt Castillo is going to save more than 25 games this season. I think Feyereisen (and perhaps Fairbanks) will share the ninth inning with him more in the coming months. Each of them offers fantasy value, but the one readily available in ESPN standard leagues is the one who just joined the team.
Around the rest of the league
Back to the Brewers, Hader put a few San Diego Padres on base Monday, but earned his 11th save anyway. He has issued a walk in three out of four appearances, which is something to watch. Still, in a fantasy baseball world in which half the teams offer unreliable closer situations, there is little reason for concern here. Williams, so dominant last season but rough in April, has been considerably better this month. Then what? Is fun lefty Brent Suter the seventh-inning fellow? Is it journeyman Brad Boxberger? The Brewers needed a shortstop, but they will miss the bullpen depth quite a bit, and it could affect their volume of future save chances.
Kansas City Royals: Everyone presumes that right-hander Josh Staumont keeps the closer role, but he had a weekend blowup and the now-healthy Kyle Zimmer won Sunday's game versus Detroit with two perfect innings. Greg Holland remains the most-rostered Royals reliever. Ugh. Please change that.
Minnesota Twins: Righty Hansel Robles is the popular pickup this week -- and for good reason -- but be prepared to pivot when his BABIP rises over .200. He has been fortunate. It does seem like fantasy managers can safely part ways with Alex Colome without regretting it later, though.
Cincinnati Reds: It has to be Tejay Antone, right? Five different Reds have collected their seven saves this season and I wonder if any one of them ends up in double-digits. Amir Garrett pitched the sixth inning in his last appearance and Lucas Sims took a shelling in the seventh, needing Antone to save him. Roster Antone. He is the only one pitching effectively.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Five saves this entire season? Five saves! Stefan Crichton is not good at all, but he has the only Arizona save in May. I think wily veteran Joakim Soria, with five consecutive scoreless outings, is about to get his first of his eventual double-digit saves any day now.
Seattle Mariners: Keynan Middleton saved Monday's win because Kendall Graveman is on the COVID-19 list, though that status may change any minute. Rafael Montero pitched the seventh inning, and not effectively. If you need every MLB save, add Middleton, because the way the team utilizes the valuable Graveman, he's no lock for every Seattle save.