A.J. Puk DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, left-handed relief pitcher A.J. Puk and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a one-year, $2.95 million contract to avoid salary arbitration. Puk began the 2024 campaign in the Miami Marlins rotation but struggled as he posted a 9.22 ERA and a 2.63 WHIP across four starts. He was then placed on the injured list with a shoulder injury and was moved back to the bullpen when he returned. Puk returned to form in the bullpen and was eventually shipped to Arizona to help them down the stretch. Across 57 2/3 innings of relief, the southpaw posted a stellar 1.72 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. He struck out batters at a strong 29.9% rate and generated an impressive 2.72 xERA and a .197 xBA, which were both within the 90th percentile among qualified pitchers. Fantasy managers should expect Puk to compete for save opportunities with Justin Martinez in the Arizona bullpen in 2025.

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher A.J. Puk was called upon to hold a one-run lead versus the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. Originally, Ryan Thompson started the ninth inning but got into trouble which forced manager Torey Lovullo to change pitchers. Puk got the final two outs of the game to earn himself his second save of the season. The closer role is wide open in Arizona right now. That being said, Puk could be in line for more save chances if he continues to pitch well.

Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander A.J. Puk got the final two outs of the team's 6-5 victory over the Pirates on Sunday. The newly-acquired reliever notched his second save of the season and first with the Diamondbacks after the team shifted from Paul Sewald in the closer role. Sewald got the win after pitching a scoreless sixth inning Sunday. Puk has been pretty good since joining Arizona before the trade deadline and could be an interesting arm if he continues to get save opportunities. He struck out one in his two outs during Sunday's outing and has six strikeouts over four innings with his new team and has given up just one run.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are acquiring left-handed reliever A.J. Puk from the Miami Marlins for infield prospect Deyvison De Los Santos and outfield prospect Andrew Pintar. Puk has been a lights-out setup man for the Marlins since transitioning back to the bullpen this year following his disastrous stint as a starter, posting a 2.08 ERA and 0.76 WHIP with 33 strikeouts and six walks over his last 30 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old southpaw, who is making $1.8 million in 2024, has two more years of arbitration eligibility before he can become a free agent and will join Joe Mantiply as the only lefties in the D-backs' bullpen. Puk has closing experience and gives Arizona another option in high-leverage situations alongside stopper Paul Sewald as the club looks to make a postseason push, and his fantasy value remains virtually unchanged with the move. If anything, his stock slightly drops since he could've taken over as Miami's closer if Tanner Scott were dealt.

Miami Marlins relief pitcher A.J. Puk closed out the Detroit Tigers in Tuesday's extra-inning win, tossing a clean 10th inning for his first save of the year. It was actually closer Tanner Scott who was called upon for the ninth inning in a scoreless game, which indicates he's still the preferred ninth-inning man, but this was certainly an encouraging performance out of Puk. The 29-year-old left-hander pumped in nine of this 13 pitches for strikes in Tuesday's sharp outing and just his second appearance since coming off the injured list with a shoulder issue, lowering his ERA to 8.40 with a 2.40 WHIP and a ghastly 12:17 K:BB across 15 innings for the Marlins this season. Puk is worth keeping an eye on in all fantasy leagues, as he appears to be the next in line for save opportunities out of Miami's bullpen in situations where Scott may be unavailable.