Cockcroft: Bye Bye Bob
Here's a shocker: The Braves, fed up with Bob Wickman's all-too-frequent meltdowns, designated the portly right-hander for assignment on Friday.
So ends one of the more surprising runs by a closer the past two-plus seasons. Wickman, who had Tommy John surgery in 2003, managed 78 saves from 2005 to '06, fourth best in baseball. Plus, it's not like he was simply lucky in that department; with a 2.56 ERA those two seasons combined, he was actually one of the more effective closers in baseball.
Wickman capped that off with an 18-save, 1.04-ERA performance in 28 games after coming to the Braves last July, locking up the closer position the team had so much trouble filling the first half of 2006. Chris Reitsma, Jorge Sosa, Ken Ray and Mike Remlinger each had a chance and failed. Wickman filled the void so effectively, in fact, that the team inked him to a $6.5 million deal for this season last September.
This season, though, has been largely a different story. Back problems snapped a string of 10 consecutive scoreless appearances to begin the year, and sent him to the DL on April 30. Since that date, Wickman hadn't been close to the same pitcher he was in his first 38 games in a Braves uniform. He has a 3.90 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and .274 BAA in 36 appearances since being activated on May 15. Apparently, the game-ending two-run homer he allowed to the Reds' Adam Dunn on Thursday proved the final straw. Wickman the 4.00-ERA pitcher might have been sufficient enough for the Cleveland Indians to trust in 2002 and 2004, but not so much for the Braves, now six games out in the division and slipping.
Don't be surprised if Wickman catches on elsewhere. As with all "DFA" transactions, the Braves have 10 days to trade, release or send him to the minors, and the former seems the most likely result. The New York Yankees, for instance, were linked to rumors of Wickman going in exchange for Kyle Farnsworth at the trade deadline. The Seattle Mariners were also in the hunt for relief help a few short weeks back.
Unfortunately, while Wickman could get another chance, it's almost guaranteed his days as a closer are over. His 3.58 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and .260 BAA in his MLB career aren't nearly as low as teams generally like to see in their closers. Wickman's best chance at fantasy value the remainder of the year is as a saves handcuff in the right situation. His ratios aren't nearly low enough to help in a set-up or middle-relief role if he's not getting saves.
So who closes in Atlanta? Former Royals closer Octavio Dotel would appear the most logical choice, though a shoulder injury has him on the DL for at least another week. NL-only and deep-mixed owners can hope for saves value from the right-hander in September, though he'll first need to prove healthy in a few low-pressure outings.
Rafael Soriano is the next-most likely candidate, though his 5.21/1.21/.257 numbers in 18 games since the All-Star break say he'll need to earn the role, as he did in early May when Wickman hit the DL. NL-only and deep-mixed owners could add Dotel, shift him to their DL spot, then pick up Soriano, called by many a closer of the future.
Among other candidates to monitor in deeper leagues: Peter Moylan, who has 1.90/1.01/.198 numbers in 21 second-half games, and Oscar Villarreal, who has 4.70/1.39/.256 in 16 such contests. Moylan in particular is an NL-only sleeper.
Tristan H. Cockcroft covers fantasy sports for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.
