Tampa Bay Closer Situation

July 6, 2007 @ 16:00:00

By David Wysocki
Edited by Ryan Dodson

Golden Globe award winning producer Samuel Goldwyn stated, "You've got to take the bitter with the sour." This kind of bumper sticker-like reassurance is probably starting to get old among many patient Tampa Bay Devil Rays fans. On July 4, closer Al Reyes was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a rotator cuff strain to add to the growing baseball compost in Tampa.

This pill is especially hard to swallow for the Rays, who have lost 11 straight as of July 6. Their latest loss came at the hand of the division-leading Boston Red Sox, who managed to shoot up 15 runs onto the scoreboard.

Reyes, 37, has played for five teams over his major league career that began in 1995. Since 2002, he has posted dominant numbers in limited appearances that have carried over early into his 2007 campaign.

On June 17, after finishing off the Colorado Rockies, Reyes had a glistening 2.17 ERA and had been a perfect 16-for-16 in save opportunities. He looked to be a fantasy steal until his next outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 19 where the wheels seemed to fall off for the Dominican-born righty. He proceeded to give up eight runs, including three home runs, in his next four innings. He blew his first save, picked up a loss and saw his ERA skyrocket to 4.09.

The Rays hope Reyes' injury doesn't keep him on the shelf for more than two weeks as they are finding it hard enough to win games.

Manager Joe Maddon announced on Wednesday that assuming the closer's role will be the 6-foot-5 righty, reliever Gary Glover. Glover's numbers are nothing to be proud of, and if you are scrambling to fill Reyes' void on your club, it may be wise to look beyond northern Florida.

Since breaking into the league in 1999, Glover has never posted an ERA lower than 4.74 in a season that he has pitched more than 18 innings. In 2007 he looks like he doesn't belong in the majors as he's posting some of the worst numbers of his short career. So far Glover has compiled an ERA of 5.23 and a WHIP of 1.512. Furthermore, he has struck out just 25 in 43 innings of work. But maybe this move won't hurt the D-Rays too much. After all, they are sitting on an American League-worst record of 33-51.

As of now the prognosis in Reyes' shoulder is positive. The injury is considered mild thus far. The Devil Rays expect him to return when he's eligible in a couple weeks.

Some are worried, however. Reyes missed all of the 2006 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery the previous October following maybe the best year of his career. He has also thrown 33 innings thus far in 2007. This amount would put him at his second-highest season total since 1999 at the major league level, raising durability questions. At 37 and fresh off the knife, Reyes is no longer the rubber-armed youngster that his competition may be in comparison.

If you need to replace Reyes, Glover doesn't seem to be the answer. Right now the D-Rays are scuffling big time and unless they drastically turn it around, he wouldn't have many save chances.

A couple other players to watch may be Atlanta Braves setup man Rafael Soriano, who is behind a struggling Bob Wickman, or anyone who will replace the recently demoted All-Star, Brian Fuentes in Colorado. Manny Corpas and Jeremy Affeldt appear to be in the mix for that job with Jorge Julio having an outside shot.

Table: Possible Relief Alternatives (2007 statistics)

Player	Team	Wins	Saves	SO	IP	ERA	WHIP
R. Soriano	ATL	2	5	33	37.2	2.87	0.85
M. Corpas	COL	2	0	30	41	2.63	1.24
J. Affeldt	COL	4	0	24	34	2.65	1.24
J. Julio	FLA/COL	0	0	18	25.2	6.31	1.91
G. Glover	TB	3	0	25	43	5.23	1.51

If you have innings available, it also may be worth your time to pick up a starting pitcher that has relief pitcher eligibility. Some players that may be available are Baltimore Orioles Jeremy Guthrie and Los Angeles Dodgers Chad Billingsley, who embarrassed the San Diego Padres in his last outing.

Reyes will have a longer leash with many owners. He has blown just one save despite his high ERA. But keep an eye on Reyes. There is an injury history here. It looks as if he should be ok, but with a pitcher his age that has only thrown 60-plus innings twice, stay on your toes and be prepared to make a move if he scuffles upon his return.

KFFLians are saying....

Comment

 

---

What do you think? We want to hear from you!

Name: E-mail: Please, enter the number that you see

Comment Guidelines

David Wysocki

David has been a KFFL writer since 2005. He is a San Diego native and a History and Geography student at California State University-Chico. He has a writing background and has appeared in, and helped produce, various local newsletters and magazines on sports and music. He also pitched for the No. 2 nationally ranked Rancho Buena Vista Longhorns his senior year of high school in 2002.

Talk Sports 24/7!
KFFL Sports Forums: Over 24,000 strong and growing!

One Day FREE Fantasy Contest - $350 in cash prizes (05/24)
Fantasy Closer Hot Seat: Addison Reed, J.J. Putz, Ernesto Frieri, more (05/24)
Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market: Brian Roberts seeing the light at the end of the rehab tunnel (05/24)
Fantasy baseball players in the news (05/24)
Fantasy football players in the news (05/24)
Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market: Dee Gordon's problems at bat (05/23)
Fantasy Baseball Player Prospecting: Will Smith, Yordano Ventura, Wil Myers, more (05/23)
Fantasy Baseball Roundtable: How trade talks develop (05/23)
Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat: Tyler Clippard, J.J. Putz (05/23)
Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market: Mark Teixeira's ill beginnings (05/23)