Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat: Chris Perez

By Tim Heaney
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

KFFL.com's Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat series gives you no-nonsense ratings of performances, injuries and managerial decisions in MLB bullpens. Get your arm loose: Let's find fantasy baseball players in your rotisserie or head-to-head baseball league who'll get saves.

Mound meetings

Long-term SV candidate

Chris Perez voiced his displeasure with ownership and management Thursday, arguing that they haven't been aggressive enough in finding ways to improve the Cleveland Indians. The right-hander, who's had a renaissance season and admitted to pitching injured last year, has been outspoken on numerous occasions.

All things equal, Perez has locked down the Tribe's closer job, but there were whispers of him being trade bait within the past few months. Will this set the Indians off and increase the effort to swap him in the offseason? Don't bank on it, but don't write it off; he might outright request one at some point. He's arbitration-eligible this year, so following his breakthrough season, maybe it's not the best year to put him on the market.

Their backup plan, Vinnie Pestano, gives them some security in pulling the trigger on a deal, though. Pestano, already one of the best non-closer RPs in the game, remains a long-term commodity with this possibility of a back-end switch.

Other Thursday saviors

Craig Kimbrel (34), Braves

Joe Nathan (30), Rangers

KFFLians are saying....

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