Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report: Louis Varland, Tanner Scott become two of the top closer targets

Jeff Hoffman left the Blue Jays no choice but to make a change, blowing three of his first six save chances and then very nearly blowing a fourth Tuesday before being bailed out by Louie Varland (known as Louis on most platforms). Varland recorded the save that day and has registered two more saves in the days since, continuing to impress with a 0.60 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 13.8 K/9. He's ostensibly part of a committee -- one that may even include Hoffman, but it's hard to envision the Blue Jays switching from Varland if he continues to pitch like he has so far. Hoffman still misses bats at an incredible rate, which suggests there may be a path to redemption for him, but after his struggles last year, which were mostly home run-related, it may be a long one.

Dodgers

The Dodgers have a long-term closer opening with Edwin Diaz being sidelined until the second half with loose bodies in his elbow. Officially, they're filling that opening by committee, which is how they went about it with roughly the same personnel last year, but their preference would likely be for Tanner Scott to fill the role, if only because he was their big free agent reliever investment just a year prior to Diaz. And indeed, Scott has been deployed like a closer since the Diaz news broke, recording a save Thursday and then blowing a ninth-inning tie Friday. Maybe that last outing will cost him some trust, but overall, he's looked much better than he did last year with a 2.38 ERA and 0.71 WHIP. Left-hander Alex Vesia and right-hander Blake Treinen could also step in if Scott falters, but neither would be likely to claim the closer job outright.

Cubs

The Cubs are surely counting down the days until Daniel Palencia returns from a lat strain, which may be soon enough that they don't have to settle on another closer. Caleb Thielbar, who had been filling in, was lost to a hamstring strain over the weekend. The Cubs were already without Phil Maton and Hunter Harvey, their intended setup men at the start of the year, and are really scraping the bottom of the barrel now.

Corbin Martin, who was formerly a starting pitcher for the Astros and Diamondbacks, got the Cubs' latest save Friday, and all four of his appearances have come in the eighth or ninth. Meanwhile, Maton is expected back from his bout with knee tendinitis Monday and could immediately slot back into a high-leverage role. The uncertainty inclines me to list Ben Brown second here just because I know he'll have some value in Rotisserie leagues even if he's not a part of the saves mix. It's a stretch to think he would be given that all eight of his appearances so far have spanned multiple innings.

Rangers

Jake Junis recorded three saves for the Rangers in the span of one week back in early April, and he hasn't recorded a save since. Worse yet, four of his five appearances since that last save have come prior to the ninth inning. We were able to give him the benefit of the doubt for a couple weeks there because no other Rangers reliever had gotten a save during that time either, but that changed Saturday when left-hander Jacob Latz notched a save. And who set up for Latz with a scoreless eighth? Why, none other than Junis. Latz has been pretty good for the Rangers, as has Junis, but with fellow left-hander Robert Garcia recently being sidelined by shoulder inflammation, now would be an odd time to dedicate the left-handed Latz to the ninth inning. More than likely, he and Junis will share save chances, which is an arrangement that usually favors the right-hander in the long run.

Athletics

Joel Kuhnel appeared to be securing the closer role for the Athletics with four saves in about a two-week span. But then he failed to preserve a tie Wednesday, serving up four hits in the process, and was most recently tasked with working the fourth inning Sunday. Jack Perkins ultimately recorded the save that day, and it was of the two-inning variety. In fact, each of Perkins' past two appearances was a two-inning save, and they also happened to be the Athletics' two most recent saves. Whether or not the Athletics would want to commit a multi-inning reliever with starting capability to the closer role is anybody's guess, but Perkins is far and away their most talented reliever with 11.9 K/9 and a 17.8 percent swinging-strike rate. At the very least, we should be rooting for it in Fantasy.

Giants

Ryan Walker recorded a save on back-to-back days last week and most recently worked the ninth inning with a four-run lead Saturday, which is often how a closer would be used. Suffice it to say, then, he seems to be getting the closer treatment from rookie manager Tony Vitello after some odd appearances in the seventh and eighth innings earlier in April. It still doesn't seem like the closer gig is entirely his, though, considering that left-hander Erik Miller recorded a four-out save Sunday. Miller wasn't any more rested than Walker, but with left-handed hitter Kyle Stowers due up to start the ninth, Vitello obviously chose to play the matchups. How committed he'll remain to that approach is anybody's guess.

Mets

The Mets' miserable start has given them few opportunities to test their commitment to Devin Williams, but at least vocally, they remain supportive, with pitching coach Justin Willard saying the right-hander is a few "minor tweaks" away from regaining his form. By the looks of it, Williams' "Airbender" changeup has lost much of its bend -- six inches, to be exact -- which has taken it from a weapon to a liability. I wouldn't doubt that the right tweak could fix it, but I question how likely he is to discover that tweak or how likely the Mets are to stick with him in the meantime. He struck out two over a perfect inning in his latest outing Sunday against the Rockies, so perhaps it's already begun to click for him.

Astros

The Astros need Josh Hader back in the worst way, but a recent move to the 60-day IL will keep the left-hander out another month or so. His ready-made replacement, Bryan Abreu, has lost a couple miles per hour off his fastball and struggled to throw strikes, taking him out of save consideration. Right-hander Enyel De Los Santos has notched three saves as the replacement for the replacement, but his track record makes him a dubious one. He's allowed six earned runs over his past three appearances to raise his ERA to 6.10. His left-handed alternative, Bryan King, has been shaky as well, though the presence of fellow lefties Steven Okert and Bennett Sousa gives the Astros a little more leeway to try King in the role. They've just shown no inclination to do so, however. The best hope until Hader is back would be a return to form for Abreu, but that's hoping against hope at this point.

Phillies

No Phillies reliever has recorded a save since Jhoan Duran was lost to an oblique strain, but Brad Keller has been deployed more like a closer would be, most recently working the ninth inning in a tie game Saturday. He and left-hander Jose Alvarado have appeared in the same game four times since Duran went down, and on three of those occasions, Alvarado preceded Keller. Keller did precede Alvarado once, which would suggest that Phillies manager Rob Thomson is playing matchups to some degree. There may not be time for either reliever to gain a foothold, really, with Duran's injury said to be "very mild." The right-hander is already back to playing catch.

Nationals

As Louis Varland steps into the closer role in Toronto, his brother, Gus Varland, may be doing the same in Washington. The Nationals' presumed front-runner for saves, Clayton Beeter, just went on the IL with forearm soreness, but the truth is that Varland's two saves had come more recently than Beeter's anyway. Of course, Varland wasn't tasked with the ninth inning Sunday but, rather, the eighth. Left-hander Paxton Schultz worked the ninth for the save, but he makes for a rather pathetic closing option who isn't even worth listing in the pecking order. For Fantasy purposes, it's Varland or bust, not that manager Blake Butera has to cooperate.