Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
One of the most frustrating aspects of fantasy baseball is finding a reliable closer. More and more teams are changing their closers and it has caused the weekly free agent run to become full of relievers.
Among these teams that have seen several different pitchers grab the ball in the ninth inning is the New York Mets.
Bobby Parnell was slated to open the year as the team’s closer, but he will now miss the season after tearing the UCL joint in his elbow. Jose Valverde quickly grabbed the reins in the ninth inning, but after one blown save and a 4.82 ERA, the team decided to look elsewhere.
The new option to close out games in Flushing goes to Kyle Farnsworth. He has been lights out so far this season and quickly showed he has the job under control in his first save opportunity. Farnsworth pitched a spotless inning against the St. Louis Cardinals. He allowed a hit in the outing, but the righty was still able to secure the 4-3 win for the Mets. The 38-year-old now has a sizzling 0.96 ERA to go along with a 1.07 WHIP.
Farnsworth has been used as a closer before. He has 54 saves on his resume, including a 25-save season in 2011 with the Tampa Bay Rays. The veteran knows how to finish off opposing hitters and could end up becoming a decent low-end closer with the recent promotion.
Either way, Farnsworth is worth picking up in all formats as long as he holds onto the job. There are only so many full-time closers out there, so grab Farnsworth now before the rest of the world finds out he has the job locked up.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
