Will Luke Gregerson or Pat Neshek Close?

Jul 8, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Luke Gregerson (44) pitches the ball against the San Francisco Giants during the eighth inning at O.co Coliseum. The Oakland Athletics defeated the San Francisco Giants 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Lost in all of the madness of this year’s Winter Meetings was that the Houston Astros signed two very good relievers on Wednesday in Pat Neshek and Luke Gregerson.  Neshek was an All-Star in 2014 because of his 1.87 ERA and dominance in the eighth and occasionally the ninth inning.  Gregerson is a veteran reliever with a proven track record and a drop of closing experience under his belt.

I would assume that one of these two men will take over in the ninth, and I believe that Luke Gregerson is the favorite for the role.  He may only have 19 career saves, but that is over triple Pat Neshek’s six saves.  All six of his saves took place in 2014 with the St. Louis Cardinals.  While neither reliever has a long track record in the ninth inning, Luke Gregerson has 48 saves in the Minors.

Between Luke Gregerson’s time saving games in Minor League Baseball and his very brief stint as the Oakland A’s closer in 2014, I think the Houston Astros will open the season with Neshek in the eighth and Gregerson in the ninth.  Plus, Pat Neshek was fantastic in the eighth inning in 2014, so the new Astros manager, A.J. Hinch, may want to try to keep the momentum rolling.

Of course, this closer prediction is very speculative and either one will be a lower-end closer simply due to the fact that the Astros will probably have a losing record in 2015.  Furthermore, it is certainly a reasonable assumption that both signings are trade bait.  It is almost expected that the Houston Astros would attempt to deal both Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek for prospects.

Due to the fact that either or both relievers could be dealt mid-season, it sets the potential for saves even lower.  Gregerson and Neshek are both very good arms, but whoever gets the ball in the ninth inning in Houston is still probably a bottom five closer in 2015 due to the lack of save opportunities.