Aaron Loup

Loup was a steady veteran presence for the Rays' relief corps last season, ranking third on the team with 24 appearances and collecting four holds. He held a 3.95 ERA on Aug. 24 but settled in to close out the regular season on a strong note, yielding only one earned run over his final 11 outings. The southpaw finished with his best ERA (2.52) since 2013 while registering a career-best 0.84 WHIP, albeit over a small sample size. Loup isn't going to wow anyone with his low-90s fastball, and his 22.9 K% was acceptably unimpressive. Where he excelled was in limiting walks (4.2 BB%) and hard contact (24.2 Hard%). The 33-year-old also shrugged off MLB's new rule limiting lefty specialists; he held right-handers to a .192 average, though all three homers against him came from righties. Loup signed a one-year deal with the Mets and projects to be their top lefty reliever.

Loup is a serviceable lefty reliever. Feel free to move along. He made 59 appearances last season between Toronto and Philadelphia, totaling 39.2 innings. The results on the field certainly weren't great, but Loup struck out more than a batter per inning (24 K%) and trimmed his walk rate from 2017 by more than three percentage points (to 7.7%). In the end, his FIP was 3.61. He held same-handed hitters to a .341 SLG (zero home runs allowed, 92 batters faced) and .302 wOBA. Right-handed hitters beat up on Loup and his future should be as a strict LOOGY. Lefty specialists hold plenty of real-world value to major-league teams, but they rarely gain relevance in fantasy leagues. Even in leagues counting holds, Loup's appeal is minimal. There should be better options.

Loup opened the 2016 season on the DL and the results were generally poor following his return, with Loup eventually admitting that he returned several weeks too soon. With better health in 2017, Loup was able to get back to being a viable big-league reliever. Walks were a bigger issue than ever before (4.5 BB/9), but Loup limited the damage from the free passes with a 10.0 K/9 and a big reduction in home-run rate (0.62 HR/9, down from 1.26 in 2016). He got better as the season wore on, posting a 2.73 ERA and .302 wOBA with one hit batsman in 26.1 innings after the All-Star break (4.60 ERA, .328 wOBA, five hit batsman in the first half). Opposing hitters had trouble squaring Loup up, as evidenced by his 22.3 percent hard-hit rate. He could take on more late-inning work in the Blue Jays' bullpen this year and thus has some appeal in leagues that count holds.

An injury quickly derailed Loup's season early in 2016: He hit the disabled list on Opening Day with soreness in his throwing elbow and experienced a setback soon after his recovery began. Once healthy, the 29-year-old notched 26 strikeouts over (20 appearances) while managing a 1.83 ERA at Triple-A Buffalo. While there, he issued just three walks and limited lefties to a .188 average. Unfortunately for Loup, that success didn't translate to his subsequent 21 appearances in the majors. However, he has been successful at the MLB level (3.24 ERA with 191 strikeouts over 225.1 big league innings). With Brett Cecil headed to free agency, Loup could be in for a career-high workload in 2017.

After three strong seasons in a row, Loup regressed a bit in the bullpen. From 2012 to 2014, Loup held a 2.77 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP while holding a 130:45 K:BB ratio in 168.2 innings. Last season, Loup put up a 4.46 ERA with a 1.28 WHIP and a 46:7 K:BB ratio. While he reduced his walk totals significantly, going from a 3.9 walks per nine innings rate to 1.5, he gave up 1.3 home runs per nine innings, more than double the next-highest single-season rate of his career. Loup finds himself as one of the rare lefties in the Toronto bullpen; however, he gave up an identical .275 batting average to both left-handed and right-handed hitters, albeit with all six of his home runs surrendered to right-handed hitters. Loup should slot in as one of the team's middle relievers and one of the two lefties in the bullpen, barring an addition in free agency.

Loup has been a steady option in the Toronto bullpen since getting his first taste of the big leagues in 2012. Lefties couldn't touch him last season, as he held them to a .154/.237/.322 line. Most of his value comes from getting hitters to pound the ball into the ground (career 56.8 GB%), but prior to 2014, Loup demonstrated excellent control. Although he was used to pick up four saves last season, it remains to be seen if the Jays trust him enough against right-handed batters to give him a regular opportunity to close. Working with a three-pitch mix that includes a low-90s fastball, slider and changeup, Loup figures to take on a similar matchup role in the seventh and eighth innings for the Jays in 2015.

Loup followed up his impressive rookie season with another strong year in 2013. He was dominant enough against lefties to finish with a 2.47 ERA, despite surrendering a .286/.321/.455 line to right-handers. Loup wasn't strictly used as a lefty specialist, but may ultimately be best suited to that role. While he doesn't have overpowering stuff (6.9 K/9 in 2013), he also doesn't allow many walks (1.7 BB/9). Loup is all but assured of a spot in the Toronto bullpen, and with the team now boasting some excellent right-handed relievers, it won't be surprising if a higher proportion of Loup's work comes against lefties.

Loup was called up from Double-A in July after numerous injuries to the Toronto pitching staff forced their hand. Pitching 30.2 innings, he recorded a 2.64 ERA, walking only two batters while not allowing any home runs. Loup will be given an opportunity in spring training to earn a spot in the bullpen and could step into a lefty specialist role if Darren Oliver retires.