Ryan Brasier

Brasier was sporting an unsightly 7.29 ERA and 1.57 WHIP when the Red Sox released the righty in late May. A couple of weeks later, Brasier signed a minor-league deal with the Dodgers and was assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. After three scoreless frames with five strikeouts on the farm, Brasier was summoned to the Dodgers bullpen where he excelled, recording a pristine .70 ERA and .72 WHIP in 38.2 frames. Even so, the Dodgers let Brasier go after the season. His second half exploits will land the 36-year-old veteran a job, perhaps in a late inning capacity, but not as a closer. Relievers not accumulating saves can be fantasy relevant, but Brasier doesn't miss ample bats to be a fantasy factor.

Brasier pitched his way out of the closer role in a hurry in 2019 and even pitched his way off the roster for a full month of that season. A toe injury was said to be the culprit, with compensation for the injury leading to kinks in Brasier's mechanics. He returned to form in 2020 and re-established himself as an important piece of the Boston relief corps, leading the team with 10 holds, twice as many as anyone else in the bullpen. Brasier sits 96-plus mph and can break off a good slider. He's posted swinging-strike rates right at 15% in three consecutive seasons and it would be unwise to forget about him.

Has anyone ever mentioned that it's hard to trust relievers? Brasier provided the latest example in reliever volatility last season. He entered the year as a closing candidate after posting a 1.60 ERA in 33.2 innings in 2018 but finished it with an unimpressive 4.85 ERA. Those who invested in him in draft season didn't leave entirely empty-handed, as he did at least grab seven saves, but the overall package was still considerably below expectations. He managed to increase his strikeout rate slightly, from 23.4% to 25.3%, but the rest of his supporting stats trended in the wrong direction. His walk rate jumped from 5.7% to 8.7% and his HR/9 jumped from 0.53 to 1.46, corresponding with a big dip in groundball rate. Brasier even spent a month in the minors in the second half and he's unlikely to factor into the back-end mix in 2020, at least not to begin the season.

Prior to last season, Brasier's only major-league experience was a nine-inning cameo with the Angels back in 2013. After a series of detours including Tommy John surgery and a season spent in Japan, the righty signed a minor-league deal as a 30-year-old last offseason and went on to record a sparkling 1.60 ERA in 33.2 innings for the Red Sox, adding 8.2 more innings with just one run allowed during the team's championship run. It's unlikely that Brasier can repeat an ERA quite that low, but his underlying numbers back him up as a trustworthy reliever. His strikeout rate sat at a solid 23.4%, while he walked just 5.7% of batters. Saves are available in Boston if Craig Kimbrel doesn't return, though the Red Sox may prefer a more experienced alternative. In a setup role, Brasier is unlikely to have much fantasy value as he doesn't strike out enough batters or throw enough innings.

Brasier came into 2014 looking to break camp with the Angels after posting a 2.00 ERA over nine innings in 2013, but he never threw a pitch in major league spring training, as he reported to camp with elbow tightness. Brasier attempted to rehab the ailment, but eventually underwent Tommy John surgery in June, which sidelined him the entire 2014 season. There has been no official word as to Brasier's progress in recovery, but the 27-year-old was outrighted from the 40-man roster in October. Brasier had previously pitched at Triple-A Salt Lake for the majority of the last three seasons prior to sustaining the injury, tallying a 4.40 ERA and 137 strikeouts with 49 walks in 143.1 innings. He could potentially have a hard time establishing himself with the organization upon his return, as the Angels have taken steps to shore up their bullpen depth.

Despite three separate call-ups from Triple-A Salt Lake to the major leagues in 2013, Brasier pitched only nine innings for the Angels, and instead spent the majority of his year in the minors. Despite strong peripherals across the board, he found himself sporting a 4.13 ERA in 56.2 innings of relief with Salt Lake, as he was victimized by a career-high .364 BABIP. Heading into 2014, the Angels may choose to look past the results and employ Brasier's skill set to assist what was something of a revolving door bullpen last season.