Fantasy Baseball owners, I urge you to add Carl Edwards Jr to your roster. In this week’s Closing Arguments I will also provide you with the closer list and some analysis of teams looking to make moves at mid-season.
Carl Edwards Jr is available in 88% of leagues. He is probably owned in most NL only and dynasty leagues. If you have watched any Cubs’ broadcast, you have heard him referred to as “their closer of the future.” This is always something that is #good to hear. Carl Edwards Jr. clearly has the stuff, his fastball velocity is 95 mph per www.mlb.com. That is very good. He has 100:31 K:BB in his MLB career, mostly from the past two seasons. His minor league stats, are equally impressive at 404:149 K:BB.His stuff is electric, in a game Tuesday he fanned in succession Goodwin, Harper, and Zimmerman. This table further highlights why Carl Edwards Jr should be on your roster:
| Carl Edwards Jr. | IP | K | ERA | WHIP | HOLDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB Career | 72.0 | 100 | 2.88 | 0.85 | 16 |
There is are versions of the second half of the Cubs’ season which have Edwards serving as their closer. If the Cubs fall further out of the playoff hunt, they could sell a few assets including Wade Davis. Davis could also sustain an injury. He isn’t alone in the bullpen though as Strop, Rondon, and Uehara all get used in late-ish relief. Coach Joe Maddon is also been probably more unpredictable than any other MLB coach. That is part of his value to the Cubs but also makes predictions dicey at best. With the caveats out of the way, Carl Edwards Jr is worth owning on current value alone.This is the spot where I should mention “holds-leagues,” yet I have never seen an actual holds league. Maybe it is in the Ottoneu format? Carl Edwards Jr. also gets holds. The concept of holds leagues is probably foreign to most of you as well. Don’t worry, it’s normal.
| Current Closer | Next in line | Team | League | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Brach | Darren O'Day | Baltimore | American League | Zach Britton rehab, will return soon |
| Craig Kimbrel | Joe Kelly | Boston | American League | |
| Aroldis Chapman | Dellin Betances | New York Yankees | American League | |
| Alex Colome | Brad Boxberger | Tampa Bay | American League | Boxberger to come off DL very soon |
| Roberto Osuna | Ryan Tepera | Toronto | American League | Grilli DFA'd |
| David Robertson | Tommy Kahnle | Chicago White Sox | American League | Nate Jones DL |
| Cody Allen | Andrew Miller | Cleveland | American League | |
| Justin Wilson | Francisco Rodriguez | Detroit | American League | |
| Kelvin Herrera | Joakim Soria | Kansas City | American League | |
| Brandon Kintzler | Ryan Pressly | Minnesota | American League | |
| Ken Giles | Luke Gregerson | Houston | American League | |
| Cam Bedrosian | too many to list | Los Angeles Angeles | American League | Bud Norris DL / committee? |
| Santiago Casilla | Sean Doolittle | Oakland | American League | Committee? |
| Edwin Diaz | Nick Vincent | Seattle | American League | |
| Matt Bush | Keone Kela | Texas | American League | Jeremy Jeffress DL |
| Jim Johnson | Jose Ramirez | Atlanta | National League | |
| A.J. Ramos | Kyle Barraclough | Miami | National League | |
| Addison Reed | Fernando Salas | New York Mets | National League | Jeurys Familia - Blood clot issue |
| Hector Neris | Pat Neshek | Philadelphia | National League | Committee? |
| Enny Romero | Matt Albers | Washington | National League | Koda Glover DL / Shawn Kelley DL/ committee |
| Wade Davis | Carl Edwards | Chicago Cubs | National League | |
| Raisel Iglesias | Drew Storen | Cincinnati | National League | |
| Corey Knebel | Jacob Barnes | Milwaukee | National League | |
| Felipe Rivero | Juan Nicasio | Pittsburgh | National League | |
| Seung Hwan Oh | Trevor Rosenthal | St. Louis | National League | |
| Fernando Rodney | Randall Delgado | Arizona | National League | |
| Greg Holland | Adam Ottavino | Colorado | National League | |
| Kenley Jansen | Pedro Baez | Los Angeles Dodgers | National League | |
| Brandon Maurer | Ryan Buchter | San Diego | National League | |
| Sam Dyson | Hunter Strickland | San Francisco | National League | Mark Melancon DL |
We have reached the point in the season when the fantasy baseball analysts type “we have reached the point in the season.” Seriously though, owners need to keep in mind the shifting landscape in MLB from now until July 31st. It is amazing how much changes every year. Some guys that are pitching in the 7th and 8th innings now, will take on 9th inning roles. It may give you an advantage so let’s take a brief tour around the bullpens.
The Miami Marlins have already begun selling; A.J. Ramos could be next. Other probable sellers: Atlanta, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati, Detroit, Los Angeles Angels (bullpen is a mess), New York Mets, Oakland, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Texas.
The Nationals have publicly announced they are looking to buy a closer. Other bullpen buyers include possibly Arizona and Saint Louis; their current closers have not been lights out. Milwaukee and Pittsburgh are tough to figure out because they are currently in the playoff hunt but also have decent closers. Both teams could easily fall out of the playoff mix in the next five weeks and in general are unlikely to spend on big arms.
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Everyone in the AL East is in the hunt and the American League’s playoff picture is as murky as a dirty glass full of bad whiskey. Tampa Bay and Toronto seems like teams that might need a lockdown closer. Tampa’ Alex Colome has recently stunk and the team turned to Tommy Hunter for a save. The reason I am not recommending adding Hunter is that he doesn’t profile as a closer. Tampa Bay has already begun buying assets.
In Toronto, Roberto Osuna admitted to having some anxiety issues, but he may hold on to the closing gig. However Toronto could also pursue a trade for a closer without those issues. New York, Boston and Baltimore appear to be set at closer.
Getty Images
The AL Central’s Cleveland, Minnesota, and Kansas City appear set for now. Although Cody Allen has faltered a bit, Cleveland also has Andrew Miller so I don’t see them adding a closer. Detroit and the Chicago White Sox should be selling. Everyone other than Houston in the AL West is probably selling.
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The playoff picture could be a lot different in a few weeks and the All Star break, effectively July 10th through July 13th, is when a lot of the trade talks begin. Personally I would not use a lot of FAAB money for current closers on selling teams or even a next in line closer on a selling team. Unless of course they bring a lot to the table, like Carl Edwards Jr. does. Stay tuned on twitter to the buzz around teams, often the fantasy baseball owners can catch a rumor of a trade before it happens. Below is the updated closer list. Please note, previous Closing Arguments target Keone Kela has taken on the 8th inning recently with Jeremy Jeffress on the DL. Good luck and thanks for reading.
