With Neftali Feliz and Jose Contreras on the shelf for a while, someone has to step up and pick up some saves for the Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies.
Ryan Madson seems to be the logical go-to guy in Philly, while Arthur Rhodes will seemingly get most of the save opportunities for Texas during Feliz’s absence.
So, are either of these guys worth picking up?
Obviously, if you had to put either Feliz or Contreras on your DL, it’s logical to pick up these guys as a stopgap.
But, what if you just desperately need saves?
Ryan Madson should be your first choice. He was competing with Contreras for the closer role during spring training.
With Brad Lidge on the DL until around the All-Star break, Madson could take control of the Phillies’ closer role for a couple of months.
That makes him a guy with longer save potential than Rhodes.
Rhodes will probably split save opportunities with Darren Oliver, dropping both of their fantasy values.
Also, when Feliz comes off the DL, he is the unquestioned closer in Texas.
So essentially, Rhodes only has about another week and a half to gather up as many saves as possible. There’s just no way he or Oliver can pry the closer job from Feliz.
For those of you looking for more than just a stopgap to cover for an injury, Madson is the best option.
He’s a guy who can continue getting saves well into July.
And he’ll be doing it for the Phillies, a team that figures to have plenty of save opportunities.