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Fantasy Baseball 2018: 3 Relief pitchers worth adding

By Bill Pivetz

TORONTO, ON - JULY 25: Roberto Osuna #54 of the Toronto Blue Jays delivers a pitch in the ninth inning during MLB game action against the Oakland Athletics at Rogers Centre on July 25, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JULY 25: Roberto Osuna #54 of the Toronto Blue Jays delivers a pitch in the ninth inning during MLB game action against the Oakland Athletics at Rogers Centre on July 25, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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With many relief pitchers switching teams, new players step up into new roles. Here are three relievers worth adding to your fantasy baseball teams.

The trade deadline is heating up with many relief pitchers already on the move. With that come new players in new roles. If you are in need of a relief pitcher with some save potential, there are a few players to pick from for your fantasy baseball team.

Alex Colome, Kelvin Herrera, Brad Hand, Jesse Chavez and Jeurys Familia are off the trade market. There are still a few relief pitchers that could be traded within the next week, specifically Zach Britton and Raisel Iglesias as the next rumored trade candidates. If they are traded, someone’s value goes up and down as a result.

With the already-made trades and some recent injuries, here are three relief pitchers worth adding because of their increased fantasy value in the second half.

Honorable mention: Robert Gsellman (NYM), Brad Brach (BAL), Pedro Strop (CHC)

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Kirby Yates, SD

Yates was also rumored to be on the trading block but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. The Padres traded closer Brad Hand to the Indians, making Yates the de facto closer.

On the season, he has a 1.43 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 48 strikeouts and two saves. He is the highest owned of all three relievers at 32.0 percent after a 20.5 percent increase.

AJ Minter, ATL

Minter has been getting more saves due to Arodys Vizcaino landing on the DL for shoulder inflammation. He dealt with the same issue in mid-June and recently returned from that.

Minter has had one bad game in his last 10 appearances when he gave up three runs and recorded just one out. He’s been perfect since then. He’s been the go-to reliever for Brian Snitker but fantasy owners should expect to see some of Dan Winkler in the mix.

Minter is owned in just 18.9 percent of ESPN leagues, up 6.1 percent over the last week.

Roberto Osuna, TOR

It’s surprising to see his name on the list but when the suspension was announced, many fantasy owners dropped Osuna. He isn’t eligible to return until August 5 but he is expected to jump right back into the Blue Jays closer role when he’s back.

Osuna is owned in just 29.4 percent of ESPN leagues. For someone who was drafted as a top-six closer, that’s very low. If you need a reliever that will have little threat in losing his job, Osuna is the pitcher you want.

Next: Starting pitchers to add for July 24

For someone who went undrafted in most leagues, Yates and Minter are now two closers worth owning in the final two months. This is why I always say saves can be found late. Guys like Blake Treinen and Brad Hand don’t have as high of a value as they did before the deadline since they won’t be getting many saves.

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