Some RP moves..

UPDATE: Lyon signed for 3 years, $15 million with Houston. As I said, he’s in decline, and not a legit closer. Crazy big deal for a mediocre middle reliever. Epic-fail by the Astros.

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The Florida Marlins have sent Matt Lindstrom to the Houston Astros for a couple of scrub minor leaguers. This almost guarantees that Leo Nunez will start the season as closer, but as his 5.17 FIP from last season shows, he’s simply a disaster waiting to happen. Keep tabs on who his setup man will be this spring, and make sure to have him on your team, at least until Nunez proves he can handle the role.

Meanwhile, some relievers are commanding big chunks of change on the open market. The Brewers signed LaTroy Hawkins to a 2 year, $7.5 million deal. Don’t let his 2.13 2009 ERA fool you. He’s not a realistic closing candidate going forward. Just look at his 6.39 K rate, and 3.97 FIP. He’s solid, but he’s being overpaid. Don’t think of him as a dominant middle reliever, and don’t expect him to pick up many saves.

Brandon Lyon is rumored to be looking for a similar deal, coming off a season with a 2.86 ERA. But he, much like Hawkins, doesn’t have the skills to close. His control took a major step back last year, and his FIP and xFIP both topped 4. He’s another solid reliever, but his fantasy relevance extends only to saves, and his grip on any closers role would be shaky at best.

Finally, the best reliever readily available at the Winter Meetings has to be Rafael Soriano. The Braves, who brought in Billy Wagner to close, are trying to move Soriano, who unexpectedly excepted arbitration a couple of days ago. He is an elite talent, with a 12.10 K rate last season and a 2.54 FIP. He’s in the prime of his career, and despite some significant injuries, he’s managed a career FIP of around 3.3 and a career K rate just under 10. This guy is the real deal, and could close for almost any team. Even if he ends up setting up, he’s a fantasy asset because of his Ks, ERA, and WHIP, and if that closer were to go down, he’d be a very good source for saves.