Need Bullpen Help? The 9 Biggest Names to Monitor Between Now and July 31st

Every year at the July 31st Trade Deadlines, every contending team or team that is close to contention, goes wild and on a rampage looking for as much bullpen depth as possible. Over the past couple of postseasons, the bullpen has become more important than ever and teams are beginning to realize that it is absolutely to have plenty of bullpen depth when the playoffs roll around.

Thanks to the Kansas City Royals, who ended up starting the trend of having a super bullpen and basically building a pitching staff from the back to the front, other teams began to realize the importance of it and began to copycat that exact model. For proof of that, refer to the Chicago Cubs of 2016 when they went onto win the World Series or the Houston Astros who won the World Series in 2017. Last year, the Boston Red Sox went onto win the World Series, but it wasn't necessarily because of a deep bullpen, but rather the fact that they used some of their starters in relief roles to get those important outs - reference Nathan Eovaldi pitching in relief in Games 1 and 2 last year.

While it is important to realize the role that bullpens play in the game today and the idea that every team is looking to bulk up on bullpen help at every Trade Deadline, it is equally as important to know exactly what names to monitor on the trade market. Here are 9 of the biggest relievers that will likely be on the move between now and July 31st.

* All stats current prior to the start of play today. *

1. Ken Giles (Toronto Blue Jays) - The Ken Giles-Roberto Osuna Trade was one that has definitely benefitted both teams (the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays) and it would certainly not be a surprise if Giles ends up finding a new home before July 31st. Outside of Marcus Stroman, Ken Giles is the Blue Jays next best trade chip and might even be their greatest trade chip that will bring in the biggest haul of prospects in return. While aggression might be an issue for Giles during certain moments, as illustrated during one on-field scrum in Houston, that should not stop a contending team from adding him to the back end of their bullpen. So far this season, the 28-year old has posted a 1.33 ERA over 27 innings of work with a (1.07) Fielding Independent Percentage (FIP) and a (15.7) strikeouts-per-9 rate. Those numbers will certainly provide plenty of attraction on the trade market.

2. Robert Gsellman (New York Mets) - With all of the chaos that has occurred surrounding the New York Mets over the past couple of days, it seems likely that they're trending in the direction of being more of a seller, but it's still hard to completely understand if rookie General Manager, Brodie Van Wagenen, will even want to do anything at all. If you recall, the New York Mets were identified as one of the teams where there might be more crickets than anything else leading up to July 31st, but if the Mets do indeed end up selling, Robert Gsellman could draw some attention. While his surface ERA (4.83 over 41.0 IP) is not pretty to look at, he's still only 25-years old and could greatly benefit from being traded to a team where analytics are embraced and a team that could promote him to rely on his fastball more and less on his slider. Last season, Gsellman was throwing his fastball (62.7%) and his slider (16.6%) of the time, while so far this season he's relying on his fastball (49.8%) of the time and his slider (26.9%).

3. Felipe Vasquez (Pittsburgh Pirates) - It's always hard to decipher what the Pittsburgh Pirates Front Office brass is going to do and that's the case this year (they were another team listed in our article of teams where there could be more crickets than anything) as they are not bad enough to be a bottom dweller, but not good enough to be a serious contender either. While many Pirates fans are going to argue for keeping Felipe Vazquez as their closer for the foreseeable future and are tired of watching their favorite players depart, they need to realize the type of haul that Vasquez would bring in. So far this season, Vasquez has racked up 19 saves over 20 save opportunities with a 1.91 ERA over 33 innings of work, 51 strikeouts, and an Opponent Batting Average Against of (.214). Considering all of those numbers, Vasquez overall makeup and mechanics, and the fact that he is signed to a contract that pays him, $13.5 million dollars over the next two and a half years which includes two $10 million dollar team options for 2022 and 2023, there might be a contending team out there that absolutely blows Pittsburgh away with a tremendous offer.

4. Brad Hand (Cleveland Indians) - The Cleveland Indians approach to the coming July 31st Trade Deadline remains fluid as one week it appears that they'll be sellers and the following week it appears as though they'll be buyers. While it appeared as though the Indians could sell last week, they have now won 4 games in a row, heading into play tonight, and have an 8-2 record over their last 10 games. Granted, their current win streak is against the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals, two teams that are in full blown rebuild mode, but it's going to effect how they approach the Trade Deadline. That's where Brad Hand comes in because if they make him available, he could be one of the first names off the block as every contender is going to be overwhelming the Indians will superb trade offers. Among closers this season, Hand ranks first in ERA (1.05), is tied for second with (22) saves, and has an impressive (13.1) strikeouts-per-9 rate. There's a reason why the Indians paid a premium for Hand last July and why they'll expect a premium in return, this year, if they ultimately decide to trade him.

5. Shane Greene (Detroit Tigers) - Shane Greene is absolutely going to be the Detroit Tigers biggest trade chip and the guy that will bring in the biggest haul over the next few weeks. While the Tigers have been rumored to be open to trading any veteran on their 25-man roster, Greene stands out the most because of his results this season and the type of reliever that he has proven to be in various situations. So far this season in high leverage situations, which have accounted for 11 innings for Greene, he has an opponent batting line of: .158/.256/.316 with (11) strikeouts and a (.243) Weighted On-Base Average. Furthermore, when there are men on base which has accounted for approximately 10 of Greene's innings this year, he has an opponent batting line of: .094/.216/.281 with a (.210) Weighted On-Base Average. Those numbers certainly play in Detroit and will play for any contending team looking to bulk up the back end of their pen.

6. Sergio Romo (Miami Marlins) - While Sergio Romo might be in his age 36 season, there's a reason why the Miami Marlins signed him this past offseason and that was not only to solidify the back of their bullpen, but to have a valuable trade chip come the July 31st Trade Deadline. Well, here we are a few weeks away from the deadline and Romo's name is once again going to be mentioned in plenty of trade rumors. While he is not having the best of seasons, his overall ERA is 4.76 over 28.1 innings pitched, he has done vastly better on the road away from Marlins Park than in Miami. At Marlins Park, Romo has a 7.90 ERA over 13.2 innings of work, while on the road his ERA is dramatically better coming in at 1.84 over 14.2 innings pitched. In addition, teams are going to be interested not only because of his track record and overall pedigree of being a reliable veteran, but because of his reliance on his slider which is still his prime pitch. According to Statcast, Romo still gets plenty of spin on that slider as it clocks in at (2,853) RPM and has an average exit velocity of (85.5) MPH.

7. Alex Colome (Chicago White Sox) - Even though the Chicago White Sox have been a nice surprise and could end up buying at the Trade Deadline, they should ultimately decide to stay the course and continue focusing on the future rather than the present in terms of contention. With that being said, outside of first baseman Jose Abreu, one of their trade chips that will draw significant interest, if he's made available is closer, Alex Colome. Colome, whose nickname is The Horse, is having a nice bounceback season on the Southside and is a perfect 16 for 16 in saves, heading into play tonight. Beyond the usual ERA and strikeouts-per-9, Colome has rated really well in BABIP (.104), left on-base percentage (90.3), and Opponent Batting Average Against (.115) over 29.1 innings of work this year. What's really fascinating about Colome is that he used to be a four-pitch reliever with the Tampa Bay Rays from 2014-216, but since the start of 2017 has only relied on two pitches in his pitch repertoire (a fastball and cutter).

8. Will Smith (San Francisco Giants) - The San Francisco Giants are going to be open to listening on any of their bullpen corps, but Will Smith is going to be the guy that ends up garnering the most attention from the group. So far this year among qualified relievers, Smith ranks tenth in strikeouts-per-9 rate (13.50), fourth in walks-to-strikeout percentage (34.8%), and tenth in Opponent Batting Average Against (.157). Outside of those phenomenal numbers, Smith is going to garner a lot of attention because he is also a lefty and there are going to be contending teams that are going to want to add that type of arm to their bullpen mix. One fascinating team to monitor regarding Will Smith, outside of the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox, are the Houston Astros who currently have a righty only bullpen and will be in need of a left-hander to balance things out especially come the postseason. Who knows if a package deal, involving Madison Bumgarner, is a potential there too, but it's one of the many fascinating storylines to watch over the coming weeks leading up to July 31st.

9. Kirby Yates (San Diego Padres) - If you're looking for the best closer in baseball right now and the guy that represents a classic closer of all time in Trevor Hoffman, look no further than Kirby Yates. Now, whether or not the San Diego Padres will be open to trading him is entirely open for discussion because they are still in the postseason mix to a degree and if they're going to plan on making the postseason, they will need Yates locking things down at the back end of their pen. However, if they decide to put him on the open market, Yates is going to bring back a fantastic haul of prospects for San Diego to add to their already stellar farm system. So far this season, Kirby Yates has recored 26 saves in 27 save opportunities with a 1.36 ERA over 33 innings of work, a (0.91) WHIP, and is averaging a career best (15.6) pitches-per-inning. All of that is extremely fascinating and makes for a case why the Padres might end up being overwhelmed with a stellar trade offer.