Who Will Be The Closer In Washington After Ryan Madson Trade?
By Mike Marteny
Who Will Be The Closer In Washington After Ryan Madson Trade?
The Washington Nationals are trying to keep up with the Cubs by adding talent to their only real weak spot: the bullpen. Injuries to Koda Glover and Shawn Kelley have left Matt Grace closing out games despite a 3.66 ERA. They added two veteran relievers with closing experience, so can Ryan Madson or Sean Doolittle help fantasy owners desperate for saves? Here is the full deal:
The Nationals did a great job adding veteran leadership to the league’s worst bullpen ERA at 5.34. Not surprisingly, the Nationals have blown more saves than any other bullpen as well. Doolittle has dominated lefties this year, not allowing a hit to them in 23 at bats. Madson has a 0.74 WHIP this year and saved 30 games for Oakland last year. This really does make the Nationals bullpen better, but can it make your fantasy team better?
The Nationals figure to use Madson as the closer since Doolittle is so dominant against lefties. Doolittle could still see a few saves if a couple of lefties are due up in the ninth, but Madon is still a pretty good upgrade over Matt Grace. Grace can safely be dropped in leagues that don’t count holds, and Madson should be owned anywhere you need save help. He wont be a savior for the Nats or your fantasy team, but he should be able to help without destroying your ratios. Doolittle is worth owning as well for spotty saves and his great ratios.
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Don’t give up too much for either of them though, as a high waiver priority could be much more valuable before the trade deadline passes. I tend to believe that Madson is only temporary since the Nationals are still kicking the tires on David Robertson. He can still help though because nothing with Robertson is a sure thing.
The loser in this is definitely Matt Grace, and it would appear that Blake Treinen is as well, though he hasn’t closed in Washington since May. This wont alter much on the fantasy landscape except for Madson, if you are willing to endure some growing pains. Despite his 30+ saves last year, he still had an ERA in the mid 3’s. There is no guarantee that he will flourish in this role, but his chances of succeeding are better than most on waivers.
Neither of the prospects heading to Oakland will have a fantasy impact, and it’s doubtful that Treinen will either considering he had an ERA of over 7 when he was removed as the Nationals closer.
Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for more trade deadline deals and the impacts they will have on your fantasy teams! We also have all the DFS picks for both FanDuel and DraftKings!