Andrew Bailey

Andrew Bailey was an All-Star closer early in his career, and the Los Angeles Angels hope he can become a bullpen force once again after re-signing him to a new contract.  

This weekend, the Oakland Athletics will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the organization’s 1972 World Series championship, as part of their three-game series hosting the Cleveland Indians.

As we close in on the July 31st MLB trade deadline, many teams are in the market for a shutdown closer. 

Closers can serve two purposes for these teams.

In the case of the St. Louis Cardinals, Fernando Salas has been more or less serviceable, but without Eduardo Sanchez, they could use another option in the ninth inning.

Other teams hope to make use of a closer acting as a lights-out setup man.

The Oakland Athletics dodged a major bullet this week when it was revealed that Andrew Bailey “only” suffered a strain to his elbow.  While that news is great, at this point we still have no clue exactly when Bailey will be able to return to the mound.  You have to think that he is going to miss the beginning of the season, especially with Brian Fuentes in place to step into the role.

How does this affect the rankings?  Let’s take a look:

Forget “As the World Turns.” This is much more important. Much more dramatic.

As we continue to work our way through spring training 2011, we continue to have some interesting player updates that deserve our attention as fantasy baseball aficionados. You can call this “As the Spring Turns.” Or not.

Andrew Bailey, OAK.

As fantasy baseball drafts quickly approach, I thought it would be helpful to provide a quick reference cheat sheet for closers.

Remember, don't take a closer too early, as there is value to be had late in drafts.

AL East

Right now the Oakland athletics are trying to establish a core of a winning team. They have already given two players multi-year contracts: Brett Anderson and Kurt Suzuki. Although they still have some cheap young players who haven't hit arbitration, I think they should continue to create a young core and give some players long contracts.

There has been a lot of news as of late regarding players being shut down for the rest of the season (and others who we aren’t quite sure about). 

Let’s take a look at a few of the names that influence fantasy owners.

Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs

Shoulder surgery brought his renaissance campaign to a bitter conclusion as he hit .280 with 17 HRs, 53 RBI, and 47 runs on the year.

Words that you never want to hear if you are a pitcher: “We are going to send you to Alabama to see Dr. James Andrews.”

Those are the words that Oakland A’s pitcher Andrew Bailey heard this morning. The odds have already been set to 3-1 that we will next see Bailey in August of 2011.

It’s time to continue our journey around the league, looking at each team’s closer situation.  

The AL West saw a major change in their closing duties, with Brian Fuentes dealt in a waiver wire deal.  Let’s take a look at their updated situation, as well as the other three teams in the division:

Los Angeles Angels

Closer: Fernando Rodney