Sleeper of the Week

When veteran fireman Danny Graves was unceremoniously ousted by the Cincinnati Reds, fantasy owners scrambled to acquire longtime closer-in-waiting Ryan Wagner. Yet in the Reds’ first save opportunity of the post-Graves era, an eventual 5-3 victory over Washington on May 23, it wasn’t Wagner who came out of the pen but journeyman David Weathers.

It’s hard to say what’s more surprising: that Cincinnati would cut ties with a pitcher who had been with the team since 1997 so abruptly, or that manager Dave Miley would call on anybody other than Wagner to close out games. For now, however, Miley seems to plan on going with that bane of fantasy owners everywhere, the closer-by-committee approach. Along with Weathers and Wagner, Kent Mercker and Matt Belisle are among those who may find themselves on the mound with a lead in the ninth. For now, it’s a fantasy nightmare, but eventually, it’s likely that Miley and pitching coach Don Gullett will settle on one of these candidates to take full-time control of the job.

For now, Wagner (3.91 ERA, 1.26 WHIP in 2005) remains the front-runner, but don’t count Weathers (4.62, 1.38) out, either. In his first audition, the veteran righty came through with a strong performance, not allowing a baserunner while striking out two of the three batters he faced. A few more outings like that, and Weathers might find himself the surprise winner of this latest closer derby. If you have room on your roster and could stand to add a few more saves, he’s worth a shot, particularly if Wagner has already been snapped up in your league.