Mound Musings: The Endgame Odyssey Continues – National League

Here are some National League bullpens, but they don't have a monopoly on questions by any means. We'll look at the American League next week. There are plenty of bullpens in the National League, especially now that we are past the trade deadline, with evolving roles including decisions on who will get the call in the ninth inning.

Delving into unsettled bullpens has become one the most popular topics in the Musings because, quite frankly, it is one the most challenging scoring categories in fantasy baseball, and a timely addition to your roster can propel you to new heights in your league standings. The trick is in identifying an upcoming change in roles.

Let's review some NL bullpens, many with question marks still remaining:

Cardinals – This bullpen seemed to be fairly settled. Ryan Helsley was touted as the ultimate end-gamer, and with his arm it's easy to see why (he averages nearly triple digits with his fastball). However, when the Cardinals fell out of contention, he was dealt, opening the door for others. JoJo Romero gets my vote as the most likely closer, but don't be surprised if hard-throwing Riley O'Brien collects the odd save, too.

Diamondbacks – The Diamondbacks really cleaned house, and don't have what I would call a genuine closer. They have given Kevin Ginkel the majority of the interim chances with Justin Martinez out until September, but now Ginkel is on the IL. A.J. Puk would be closing, but Tommy John surgery has taken him out of the mix for this year and next. Sorry as it may be, Jalen Beeks might be the main the man until Martinez returns. Beeks is out of his depth, so Martinez will be an upgrade when healthy.

Dodgers – The Dodgers are one of the teams doing it with numbers. They were fairly settled on southpaw Tanner Scott before he got hurt. They have tried various options, including veterans Kirby Yates and Blake Treinen, but it's been mostly match-ups. When healthy, Evan Phillips is worth a look, too, and they have others worthy of some consideration like Alex Vesia and Brusdar Graterol, but other than Scott (due back later this month) I don't see anyone claiming the job full time.

Giants – Here's another one that appeared to be a done deal. Camilo Doval has closer stuff, and has successfully finished a lot of games the past couple years, but when the Giants ran up the white flag, he was dealt. They do have a couple viable options, though. Randy Rodriguez is the favorite (deservedly so), and Ryan Walker has closing experience. They should handle the late innings pretty well.

Marlins – The Marlins have played surprisingly well, and a big part of that has been their endgame committee. The options have included guys like Ronny Henriquez, Andrew Nardi and Calvin Faucher, but none of them has totally claimed the job. A sleeper for saves, righty Anthony Bender could also get into the mix. I'm going to give a very slight edge to Faucher, but there is certainly no guarantee.

Nationals – The Nationals did some serious house cleaning, including long time closer Kyle Finnegan being shipped to Detroit. He had been their closer for most of five seasons. His departure left the cupboard virtually bare. I'm going to give a slight edge to Jose Ferrer. He probably has the best stuff of those remaining. Also, the door is just slightly ajar for a couple bullpen sleepers, Cole Henry and Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who doesn't have great stuff, but he does throw strikes

Padres – Assuming good health and adequate rest, Robert Suarez, other than an occasional hiccup (we all have them), has been one of the premier closers in the game. So, what's the question? They went out and added another experienced closer. The former A's closer, Mason Miller, is also part of this extremely deep pen. I think Suarez keeps the job unless he stumbles. Also, waiting patiently in the wings is Yuki Matsui. He is joined by righties Jeremiah Estrada and Adrian Morejon.

Pirates – The trade rumors were prominent again as we approached the deadline, but this time closer David Bednar made it out of town. He was generally reliable for the Pirates. Dennis Santana and Isaac Mattson did a pretty good job of getting the game to Bednar and are the favorites to finish games now. I make it a toss-up, so keep an eye on it. There is also a sleeper in southpaw Ryan Borucki who could find himself in the mix if the Pirates decide to make it a full-blown committee.

Rockies – We always need at least one pen completely up for grabs, and the Rockies are now the NL version of that. Their closer choice seemed to be a done deal with Seth Halvorsen doing the job. However, he blew out his elbow, and opened the door for the likes of Victor Vodnik (my lukewarm choice) along with Juan Mejia. Halvorsen could be back before the end of the year, and they could definitely use him.

Some Notable Rotation Ramblings:

• How the once mighty have fallen. Earlier this week, the White Sox released former ace Noah Syndergaard. He hasn't pitched in the majors since 2023 as the injuries have piled up. Most recently he has been with Triple-A Charlotte, but he was bombed in two starts there. It could be a very long road back.
• At the beginning of the season, Miami's Sandy Alcantara suffered through a couple poor outings. As I like to do, I made an offer and eventually added him to my rotation, convinced better days were ahead. I was partially correct, as he enjoyed some very strong innings, but the overall outcome was disappointing.
• It didn't take the Yankees long to snap up 37-year-old Kenta Maeda after he was released by the Cubs. He's starting out at Triple-A, but my guess is he'll get a shot starting in New York fairly soon. He has just eight MLB innings this season, and control is a problem. They will try to iron out those issues.
• Cubs right-hander Michael Soroka left his last start with a balky shoulder. They will be assessing his status in the coming days, but we all know how finicky a shoulder can be. Chicago had high hopes for him when they acquired him from Washington at the trade deadline, but his injury history seems to haunt him.
• Here's a little homework. When asked what I see that predicts extreme success, I look at quality of stuff coupled with pitch location and sequencing. Nobody does it better than Texas' Nathan Eovaldi. Very good stuff, up and down, in and out, and everything moves. So few pitchers we can say this about these days.
• The Giants keep getting quality innings out of Justin Verlander (he has allowed just one run over 15 innings in his last three starts), but they aren't giving him much run support. Of note, in his next start, Verlander will be shooting for the 3,500-strikeout plateau. He is currently sitting at 3,497.

Next week we will visit the American League bullpens.

Find out which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!