Tampa Bay Rays Rumors: Who Is New Rays Closer With Brad Boxberger Injury? [Breaking]
Tampa Bay Rays rumors address who the new closer will be to replace Brad Boxberger. These Rays rumors stem from a report that he will miss about eight weeks due to a surgery. The Twitter page for the Tampa Bay Rays stated that Boxberger has undergone surgery to repair a “core muscle” on March 17, forcing the team to decide who will close games when the 2016 MLB season begins.
So who is the new closer for the Tampa Bay Rays? Manager Kevin Cash hasn’t made an official announcement on who will be handling ninth-inning duties, but it looks like there could be a committee of pitchers covering it for now. This isn’t the news that fantasy baseball owners want to hear, as having a defined closer is always easier to work with, but the team does have some depth to work with.
The three pitchers who could see save opportunities are Danny Farquhar, Alex Colome, and Steven Geltz. There had been prior Rays rumors about Farquhar getting the opportunity, but he struggled a lot during the 2015 MLB season. After finishing 2014 with a 2.66 ERA and 1.13 WHIP, those numbers ballooned to 5.12 and 1.37 last year. Colome split time last year between the bullpen and starting rotation, finishing the year with a 3.94 ERA and 1.30 WHIP.
Steven Geltz had the best numbers for the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2015 MLB season, posting a 3.74 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over 67 1/3 innings of work. He registered 20 holds for the Rays, appearing in 70 games for the team. He could have been one of the primary setup guys for Brad Boxberger for the 2016 MLB season, but may have to take on bigger responsibilities for the team.
Boxberger didn’t finish with a very clean 2015 MLB season, posting a 3.71 ERA and 1.37 WHIP as the primary closer. There had been several Tampa Bay Rays rumors about the team switching ninth inning pitchers, as he posted six blown saves and 10 losses in late-inning duties. Despite his struggles with control, Boxberger came into Spring Training with the job still his to lose. Now a surgery will take away his job in the short-term.
From the three choices to be the new Tampa Bay Rays closer, Danny Farquhar has had the best Spring Training. In five innings of work, he has a 1.80 ERA but has struggled to keep runners off base (1.40 WHIP). Alex Colome has a 3.00 ERA and 0.67 WHIP through three innings, Boxberger had a 4.50 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through two innings, and Steve Geltz is at a 5.40 ERA and 2.10 WHIP through 3 1/3 innings of work. Another interesting option could be Ryan Webb, who has a 1.69 ERA and 0.94 WHIP through 5 1/3 innings of work.
The Tampa Bay Rays rumors about a new closer could also lead to the front office considering a trade of Brad Boxberger when he finally returns from surgery. USA Today gave a very flattering report about the 2016 Rays, predicting that the team would finish 83-79 and third place in the American League East. That would put the team just five games out in the East and in serious contention to win the division. In a report from CBS Sports, the Rays looked to be a playoff team, finishing with a 91-71 record in new predictions.
If the Rays do remain in contention for most of the 2016 MLB season, then there would be no reason for the front office to deal Brad Boxberger. Instead, the eight weeks that he is out would serve as a way to see just how good the depth of the bullpen is this year. If the team struggles following Spring Training, though, anything could happen down in Florida. Until that point, fantasy baseball owners will want to pay close attention to a Tampa Bay Rays closer situation that could become very fluid.
[Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images]
