AJ Ramos

Ramos saw his career in Miami come to an end when he was traded to the Mets this past summer. He was a prime candidate for trade as early as last winter given his potential raise in arbitration, but the Marlins waited forever to pull the trigger and sent him to the Mets after New York lost Familia to suspension. Ramos gets his strikeouts (11.1 K/9 last season), but is also prone to the free pass (5.2 BB/9) and needs either luck with his home run rate or his strand rate to be a top-tier closer. He had neither last year, which is why his ERA was where it was. Entering 2018, both he and Familia are going to make over $10 million out of their bulpen and both are free agents next winter. Familia could be dealt, allowing Ramos to get the job, or both could be dealt and another reliever gets the saves. Either way, he's not someone to pay full freight for.

The plan was for Ramos to battle Carter Capps for the right to close games in South Beach, but after Capps required Tommy John surgery, Ramos took advantage, setting a new career best with 40 saves. Ramos continued his dominant ways, fanning bats at a double-digit rate per nine for the third straight season. However, he gave back some of the control gains he made the previous season, along with being victimized with a high hit rate. The result was a rather high 1.36 WHIP, the worst of his career. Ramos' saving grace was allowing only one homer in 64 innings, a repeat of the feat he also accomplished in 2014. Funny things can happen to relievers in small samples, but an increase in walks is worrisome. Ramos will open the campaign where he ended the last one, as closer. The sketchy control keeps him from the elite tier despite the requisite whiffs. Don't wait too long, however, as someone will see the saves and strikeouts and pounce.

Is it possible for someone to save more than 30 games with a 2.30 ERA and nobody notice it? That is what Ramos did while pitching in the Miami circus last season. He had one of the best swing-and-miss rates among relievers, struck out 31 percent of batters faced and kept the ball in the yard. He has all of the redeeming qualities fantasy owners want in a closer, even if he closes for a bad team. He does not have any discernible splits to be concerned about and at 29, is primed to do this closing gig for a few years at this level. Closers are inherently risky, but it is tough to find anything to worry about with Ramos.

Despite showing slightly diminished velocity on his fastball in 2014 and continuing to struggle with his control, Ramos put together his finest season as a pro, striking out 73 batters in 64 innings while posting a 2.11 ERA to go along with a spotless 7-0 record and 20 holds. Ramos has long been billed as the Marlins’ closer of the future, but he has yet to truly be tested in that role while Steve Cishek has established himself as one of the most consistent stoppers in the game. Ramos works a fastball-slider-changeup combination to keep hitters off balance, and thanks to an elite 27 percent K%, he is able to get away with a bloated 15.9% BB%. At 28, Ramos enters the 2015 season as the Marlins’ primary setup man behind Cishek and will likely battle with Carter Capps among others for save opportunities whenever Cishek is not ready to go. Even without the save chances, Ramos will provide plenty of holds and strikeouts in the coming season, picking up the late-inning setup work at the back end of a strong pitching staff.

Many view Ramos as the closer of the future in Miami and while the team has, fortunately, not had a need in that role since Steve Cishek earned the job, the organization must certainly be happy with what they saw from the right-handed reliever during his first full season in the majors. The 27-year old Ramos struck out 86 batters in 80 innings pitched in 2013, recording a 3.15 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. He earned 11 holds last year and should be in line to beat that total in 2014 as the team gives him a look in more high-leverage situation. Ramos put up elite strikeout totals while working a slider, changeup and curveball combination in with his 93 mph fastball, but he will need to show improved control (4.7 BB/9 in 89.1 major league innings) to secure the primary setup role in Miami.

Ramos earned a September callup following a very nice season in Double-A and made an immediate impact, striking out the side in his major league debut. The 26-year-old righty works in the mid-90s and brings elite strikeout ability to a Marlins bullpen in desperate need of some consistency. Over his first ten major league innings, Ramos posted a superb 13:4 K:BB while building on the solid numbers he posted in the minors. Ramos will have the inside track to a bullpen spot for the Marlins in 2013, and with his elite strikeout ability (11.6 K/9 across two levels in 2012), he could work his way into the saves mix down the road if Steve Cishek falters in the closer role.