Who are some good setup men?

[stlcards234]

Was wondering if anyone knew of some good overall setup men for the bullpen? My bullpen is struggling a bit with most ERA over 5. Fortunately, my starting rotation is really strong and I only need 1-2 innings on most nights before my closer steps in.

I am playing as the Cardinals and have made a lot of moves so I have a strong farm system that I can trade for long-term, A potential middle relievers or lefty specialists.

Right now, my only good middle reliever/setup man is Eduardo Sanchez who has yet to blow a Save/Hold and is keeping his ERA under 2. Salas/Rzcepskinski have ERA 5+. Same with all others, high 4's and up.


I'm looking for a couple of R-handed relievers/setup men and a good lefty specialist or two I could look for.

[The Kid 24]

Re: Who are some good setup men?

Was wondering if anyone knew of some good overall setup men for the bullpen? My bullpen is struggling a bit with most ERA over 5. Fortunately, my starting rotation is really strong and I only need 1-2 innings on most nights before my closer steps in.

I am playing as the Cardinals and have made a lot of moves so I have a strong farm system that I can trade for long-term, A potential middle relievers or lefty specialists.

Right now, my only good middle reliever/setup man is Eduardo Sanchez who has yet to blow a Save/Hold and is keeping his ERA under 2. Salas/Rzcepskinski have ERA 5+. Same with all others, high 4's and up.


I'm looking for a couple of R-handed relievers/setup men and a good lefty specialist or two I could look for.

KRod in Milwaukee

[Blzer]

Re: Who are some good setup men?

I got Rafael Perez from Cleveland (lefty).

[FunkeyMonkey]

Re: Who are some good setup men?

Clay Rapada on the Yanks has been an absolute stud for me so far. lefties don't stand a chance against him

[thegut]

Shutdown set up men are worth their weight in gold for me. Get a hold of Venters, Clippard, or Robertson for relievers that excel in all high leverage situations.

[h4mbon3s]

Re: Who are some good setup men?

rafael soriano, tyler clippard, and johnny venters are good options.. not too sure about lefties.

[UK0wnag3]

Re: Who are some good setup men?

David Hernandez has been nails for me.

[Urban Achiever]

Re: Who are some good setup men?

I got Rafael Perez from Cleveland (lefty).

I like Perez a lot too, not just because I'm a Tribe fan.

But against human opponents I go with Joe Smith - his sidearm is brutal to pick up since it flies below the batter's eye in every ball park.

[nag5115]

Re: Who are some good setup men?

joe beimel can be signed as a free agent and for some reason pitches like a stud for me against leftys. he was my L specialist for three years in my pirates franchise and didnt disappoint.

[nomo17k]

Re: Who are some good setup men?

In the past Johnny Venters and Taylor Buchholtz pitched well for me.

[Blzer]

Re: Who are some good setup men?

Haha, I should have mentioned that I am the Braves, so I already have Johnny Venters. I guess it's hard to think about the players you already have, versus the players which you are looking for.

[MostlyChilly]

Re: Who are some good setup men?

Grant Balfour(closer in game, but he's exceptional in the set-up role too.)

Mujica/Dunn/Webb from the Marlins, at least one of those three always have a sub 3 ERA in every franchise I run.

[Scott]

Re: Who are some good setup men?

Mike Adams & Alexi Ogando are solid.

[NEOPARADIGM]

Re: Who are some good setup men?

Alternatively, you might consider trying to "find" one in the organization - continue to give the job to different guys until one of them establishes himself. More fun than buying or trading for an established guy, imo.

[derelictojama]

Re: Who are some good setup men?

Alternatively, you might consider trying to "find" one in the organization - continue to give the job to different guys until one of them establishes himself. More fun than buying or trading for an established guy, imo.

That's a great idea, really--good relievers are hard to find, and if you've got a guy who you don't have a spot for in the rotation, that might be worth checking out. Best if he has 2 dominant pitches rather than 4-5 good ones, obviously. Venters came into the Braves organization as a swing guy, they only figured out he was good in that role sort of by happenstance. Arodys Vizcaino is a similar case (though we'll see when/if he comes back, but after a serious injury like that, I'd bet he'll stay a reliever), was a starter, then with Delgado/Teheran/Minor etc. ahead of him, looked good in a relief role. And, by the way, does grow into a closer type in the game (he's an A pot but D ovr in most of the rosters I've seen, but I've seen him develop well and quickly in a couple of sim franchises). So, yeah, trying someone you've already got is a great idea. That low-B pot starter that has a good fastball but not much else and relatively low stamina, that calls out for a shift to the pen.

Otherwise, I always seem to end up trading for Phil Coke at some point, or at least thinking about it. Don't know what it is, but he kills for me, even more than Venters. And some of the older guys, if you're looking just for this or next year, can be ridiculously good: Octavio Dotel, Shawn Camp, guys like that are pretty useful in the game. Heck, I have Vicente Padilla on the Angels as a middle reliever; I always hated him as a starter, but he's been very effective for me. So, if your needs are short term, look for a team that's out of it and find their A rated 35-37 year old reliever and give them a decent but expendable prospect for him!