Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report: Alvarado, Gomez Emerge as Closer Contenders

I had planned to skip the Bullpen Report this week. The closer landscape seemed to have stabilized, and my routine was becoming a bit stale.

But then, as luck would have it, two of the closer situations that had been in disarray from the start showed real signs of stability this weekend. As available as Elvis Alvarado and Yoendrys Gomez are, I wanted their names to be front and center.

It may be an abbreviated Bullpen Report , but it's one that needed to be written.

Note: "Pecking order" refers to rosterability in Fantasy and not necessarily who's first in line for saves (though it's usually one and the same).

Athletics Pecking order

Elvis Alvarado ATH RP

Hogan Harris ATH RP

Mark Leiter ATH RP

Justin Sterner ATH RP

Elvis Alvarado is someone who Athletics beat writers have been floating as a closer candidate ever since Mason Miller was traded, possibly because he also throws hard, but he didn't record his first save until Wednesday against the Brewers . And then he recorded his second save three days later. Here's what manager Mark Kotsay had to say in between:

"This is the best I've seen Elvis throw the ball. Not only at 100 mph, but commanding the baseball. The slider's got depth. The confidence is there."

I'll say. In his 5 1/3 innings since returning to the majors in early June, Alvarado has allowed just two baserunners while striking out 11. And he hasn't just peaked at 100 mph, but 102. I should note that left-hander Hogan Harris also recorded a save over the weekend, directly in between Alvarado's two, and leads the team with six. He was a little more rested than Alvarado at that point, though, and had already entered the game in the eighth. The way Kotsay went right back to Alvarado Saturday after speaking so glowingly about him after that first save tells me the right-hander is quickly emerging as the preferred choice to close.

Twins Pecking order

Yoendrys Gomez MIN RP

Anthony Banda MIN RP

Taylor Rogers MIN RP

I'll admit I didn't see Yoendrys Gomez coming. Minnesota is the 26-year-old's fourth organization in the past 13 months, and his most recent one, Tampa Bay, is the one most known for extracting talent from previously unheralded hurlers. Since joining the Twins in May, though, Gomez has a 1.65 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 11.0 K/9 and, most critically, five saves. That includes four of the team's past six, and the other two who recorded saves during that time, Travis Adams and Andrew Morris , don't even seem worth including in the pecking order.

In fact, no one in the Twins bullpen does. Gomez is their only reliever with an ERA below 4.50, which makes him far and away the obvious choice to close now. I'm not sure how stable he is -- other than leaning on his sweeper more with the Twins, the source of his breakthrough is unclear to me -- but he's by far the strongest closer contender their bullpen has put forth all season.

White Sox Pecking order

Grant Taylor CHW RP

Seranthony Dominguez CHW RP

Bryan Hudson CHW RP

A week ago, it seemed like the White Sox were in the early stages of reassigning the closer role from Seranthony Dominguez to Grant Taylor . The latter had just notched his second save, and the former had worked some innings prior to the ninth in back-to-back appearances. But their usage this weekend -- namely Sunday against the Dodgers -- cast more doubt on the situation. Taylor worked the seventh and eighth innings of that contest, surrendering two runs, while Dominguez handled the ninth for his 12th save. Dominguez was shaky, allowing one run on one hit and two walks, but then again, so was Taylor.

It's also worth noting that left-hander Bryan Hudson had recorded the team's most recent save prior to Sunday, with Dominguez preceding him in that contest. The White Sox seem to have more of a three-man committee right now than an obvious pecking order. Taylor is the most talented of the three and most likely the eventual inheritor of the role, but the White Sox still like to deploy him for multiple innings at times. Dominguez has the most experience and biggest contract, but he's also been the shakiest. I'm leaning toward Taylor in Fantasy Baseball for the upside and seeming inevitability, but he and Dominguez both probably need to be rostered in leagues where saves are scarce.

Royals Pecking order

Alex Lange KC RP

Daniel Lynch KC RP

Matt Strahm KC RP

Lucas Erceg KC RP

John Schreiber KC RP

Alex Lange was the headliner in last week's Bullpen Report, having recorded three consecutive saves for the Royals , but one detail that may have gotten lost in the hubbub is that he's never been very good. A hard-thrower, yes, and an experienced closer from his 2023 season with the Tigers , but strike-throwing has been a major issue. We saw it rear its ugly head this past week, which resulted in him taking losses in consecutive appearances Wednesday and Saturday. Neither was a save chance, but in both cases, he blew the tie. The Royals haven't had a chance to try anyone else in the role since then and likely wouldn't anyway, given that neither loss was a full-blown meltdown. I wouldn't let left-handers Daniel Lynch and Matt Strahm out of your sight, though, if you're relying on Lange for saves.

Mariners Pecking order

Andres Munoz SEA RP

Jose Ferrer SEA RP

Eduard Bazardo SEA RP

Gabe Speier SEA RP

Andres Munoz , who has been surprisingly shaky for the Mariners all season, had his most discouraging outing yet Sunday. He not only put two runners on without recording an out (both of which came around to score), but he also left with lower back tightness. Curiously, he was working the eighth inning rather than the ninth, though I think that was because the Mariners were desperate to give him some work after he had gone nearly a week without.

If Munoz were to miss some time, which might be for the best given his recent struggles (six earned runs in his past six appearances), it's unclear who would take his spot. Matt Brash might have been the most likely candidate, but he just went on the IL with a lat strain. Jose Ferrer throws hard, got a smidgen of closing experience with the Nationals last season, and is second on the Mariners with three saves, but his numbers aren't any better than Eduard Bazardo's or Gabe Speier's ; both of them are more frequently tasked with the eighth inning. I suspect a committee would develop without Munoz, given the surplus of quality options.

Orioles Pecking order

Ryan Helsley BAL RP

Rico Garcia BAL RP

Andrew Kittredge BAL RP

Yennier Cano BAL RP

Out since late April with elbow inflammation, Ryan Helsley made his first two rehab appearances Thursday and Saturday, striking out five of the seven batters he faced. His velocity was about where it should be, so it doesn't seem like he'll need an extended stay at Triple-A. There was a time when I thought Rico Garcia might seize the job in his absence -- his 1.82 ERA and 0.74 WHIP are still awfully impressive -- but Craig Albernaz wouldn't commit to him even with Helsley sidelined. Three of Garcia's past four appearances have come prior to the ninth inning (and none were scoreless, I should also note). The Orioles ' most recent save Thursday went to Andrew Kittredge . If you've been clinging to Garcia but are hurting for roster space, it's probably safe to let him go at this point.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/fantasy-baseball-bullpen-report-elvis-alvarado-emerges-as-closer-contenders-for-twins/)._