Fantasy baseball: Closer carousel starts spinning early

It's only day two of the MLB season and already we've seen some major changes at closer.

Mets

Entering the 2014 season there were already concerns about Bobby Parnell's health after he suffered a herniated disc in his neck and missed the last two months of the season in 2013. But it's a different injury that has Parnell on the shelf now. Doctors discovered a partial tear to the medial collateral ligament in Parnell’s right elbow Tuesday following a blown save in the Mets opener Monday. 

Jose Valverde, who struck out three in 1 1/3 innings Monday, will take over the closer’s role. The once dominant righthander hasn’t been the same since 2011 when he posted a career-high 49 saves, but he’ll at least have the opportunity to prove he can get back there. Valverde’s been a risk the past couple of seasons, but in a terrible Mets bullpen, he's the best option in the ninth, at least until Parnell returns.

Chicago White Sox

After it seemed the White Sox were going to go with 28-year-old Nate Jones, who had never recorded a save in two MLB seasons, manager Robin Ventura announced just before Chicago’s opener Monday that Matt Lindstrom would be closing. Lindstrom made Ventura look good as he threw 11 strikes on 12 pitches en route to the save in a 5-3 win over the Twins. Lindstrom, 34, recorded 23 saves for the Houston Astros in 2010. Neither Jones nor Lindstorm have a ton of experience, so it’s probably worth owning both in deeper leagues as things could easily change throughout the season.

Toronto Blue Jays

The day before Opening Day, the Blue Jays put Casey Janssen on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back/abdominal strain, retroactive to March 29. Sergio Santos, who picked up 30 saves as a member of the Chicago White Sox in 2011, will step in to close in Janssen’s absence. Santos has been limited to 30 2/3 innings the past two seasons and has notched just three saves in that time, but he had an outstanding 0.584 WHIP and 1.75 ERA last season in a minimal 25.2 innings. If he can maintain that, he should succeed as a closer.

Milwaukee Brewers

Jim Henderson was supposed to be the Brewers closer. But when the ninth inning rolled around and the Brewers had a 2-0 lead over the Atlanta Braves on Monday, they went with Francisco Rodriguez instead. According to reports, Milwaukee made the change after Henderson’s velocity and life on his pitches seemed to diminish during the spring. K-Rod successfully recorded the save while allowing a hit and striking out two. In 13 MLB seasons, Rodriguez has 305 saves, so he’s no stranger to finishing games. It’s been six years since his extraordinary 62-save season with the Los Angeles Angels, but with 10 saves in as many opportunities last year, the 32-year-old seems to have turned things around. If the Brewers’ concerns about Henderson are as serious as they sound, Rodriguez could be closing for the long haul.