Padres: Brandon Maurer Deep Waiver Wire Add

By Bill Pivetz | Jul 17, 2016

Jul 17, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Brandon Maurer (37) celebrates after the last out in a 5-3 win over the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

The Padres traded closer Fernando Rodney to Miami in late June. As a result, Brandon Maurer has stepped up as San Diego’s new closer.

The San Diego Padres have been piling up prospects for the future. The team does have some veterans, but management is undoubtedly looking towards the future. That is evident by the two trades San Diego has done over the last month. With those trades comes new opportunities for players.

One of those trades saw closer Fernando Rodney shipped off to Miami. This left an opening in the bullpen. Brandon Maurer has taken the charge and has made a splash in the Padres bullpen. He’s converted three saves this month. With your options limited on the waiver wire, you should pick him up now.

Now, if you look at his season-long stats, they aren’t good. In 42.2 innings, he has a 5.27 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 11.0 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9. He does have 13 holds, so it’s not like he has been a total bust in relief.

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Since June 15, 11.2 innings., he has given up just one run, seven hits and zero walks while striking out 13. He converted two save opportunities against the San Francisco Giants over the weekend.

If you are looking for a relief pitcher to add to your strikeout totals, Maurer is the guy to own. Since June 1, 19 games, he has at least one strike out in 14 appearances. He had at least two strikeouts five times in that span.

There are two things that the Padres don’t do well enough that would make owning Maurer difficult. One, the team doesn’t score a lot of runs, 17th in the league. Two, the starting pitching is giving up more runs. Not counting Drew Pomeranz, who is now in Boston, not a single member of the rotation has an ERA below 4.25. It’s tough to earn save opportunities when one of those two things are happening, let alone both.

However, things may be turning around for the team. In 13 games this month, the Padres are fourth in runs scored with 70. San Diego is 8-5 in those games. With Wil Myers and company hitting the way they are, Maurer could see an increase in save chances.

Next: Peter Bourjos: Deep Waiver Add?

Maurer is owned in just 13.2 percent of ESPN leagues. His first half is behind him and is pitching better over the last couple of weeks. With very little closers available in most leagues, he is someone worth owning if you need help in the saves category.

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