In this week’s closer report, the Pirates made a surprising move, sending David Bednar to the minors amid his struggles on the mound. Mason Miller’s strikeouts propel him to the top spot in the rankings. And the Rangers go with Luke Jackson in the ninth-inning role. All that and more as we look at the closer landscape after the first week of baseball.
Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
Tier 1: At the Top
Mason Miller - Athletics
Emmanuel Clase - Cleveland Guardians
Devin Williams - New York Yankees
Josh Hader - Houston Astros
Miller takes over the top spot with an electric first showing as he struck out the side in his one appearance for his first save against the Mariners. He then got some work in on Wednesday with the Athletics down against the Cubs, striking out two more in a scoreless inning. The 26-year-old right-hander has the best all-around skillset at the closer position. It’s only a matter of how many save chances the Athletics can get him.
Clase did nothing to alleviate any concerns following his postseason performance. He gave up a run on three hits to blow a save his first time out. He bounced back his next time out with a scoreless frame, striking out one batter in a non-save situation. Despite the blown save, it’s too early to warrant any legitimate concern.
Williams was also shaky in his first outing, giving up a run on two hits and a walk before holding on for his first save with the Yankees. He’s absent from the team for a couple days while on the paternity list. Luke Weaver remains next in line to step in for saves.
Hader followed the trend of turbulent first outings as he surrendered a run before holding on for the save on Opening Day against the Mets. He followed up with his second save in a scoreless appearance against the Mets two days later.
Tier 2: The Elite
Ryan Helsley - St. Louis Cardinals
Edwin Díaz - New York Mets
Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners
Raisel Iglesias - Atlanta Braves
Helsley has been impressive over his first few outings. The 30-year-old right-hander has six strikeouts with two hits and no walks allowed over three scoreless innings with one save so far for the Cardinals. In New York, Díaz struck out one batter in a clean outing for his first save against the Astros, then pitched a scoreless eighth in a tie game against the Marlins. Meanwhile, Muñoz has locked down three saves with five strikeouts over three scoreless frames.
Iglesias is still searching for his first save as the Braves have yet to win a game. He fired a scoreless inning with one strikeout in a non-save situation his first time out, then entered in the eighth against the Dodgers on Wednesday with a two-run lead and blew the save on a two-run double by Max Muncy. Iglesias returned in the bottom of the ninth and surrendered the walk-off homer by Shohei Ohtani.
Tier 3: The Solid Options
Jeff Hoffman - Toronto Blue Jays
Robert Suarez - San Diego Padres
Ryan Walker - San Francisco Giants
Jhoan Duran - Minnesota Twins
Tanner Scott - Los Angeles Dodgers
Félix Bautista - Baltimore Orioles
Hoffman looks sharp in the early going after some off-season concerns. The 32-year-old right-hander has been busy, recording three saves with one run allowed and five strikeouts to no walks over four innings of work.
Suarez has been lights out to start the season. He converted his third save with a clean outing against the Guardians on Wednesday. The 34-year-old right-hander has not allowed a hit, walking one batter and striking out four through three innings.
Walker picked up an Opening Day save against the Reds. The 29-year-old right-hander was then held out for the following two days as he was dealing with some back tightness. Camilo Doval stepped in for a clean save in his absence. Walker returned to lock down his second save, striking out two batters against the Astros. With Walker unavailable Wednesday after pitching in back-to-back games, Doval filled in once again for his second save.
Duran had a rough go his first time out, recording one out and giving up one run on two walks and a hit. He bounced back with a scoreless outing against the White Sox in a non-save situation. The 27-year-old right-hander is still searching for his first save chance.
After Scott saw one of the two save chances during the Tokyo Series, it was Blake Treinen who got the first save on the traditional Opening Day. Scott did get the following two save chances, blowing a save against the Tigers before bouncing back with his second save in a clean outing against the Braves. Even if Treinen and Kirby Yates mix in for the occasional save chance, Scott figures to continue getting regular opportunities on a Dodgers team poised to win many games.
Bautista is still finding his footing early on in his return from Tommy John surgery. The 29-year-old right-hander has allowed two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out two over two innings of work. His fastball remains down about two miles per hour from where he was in 2023. With the team likely to take it easy on Bautista to start the season, Seranthony Dominguez could be next in line based on the bullpen usage through the first week.
Tier 4: Only Here for the Saves
Pete Fairbanks - Tampa Bay Rays
Trevor Megill - Milwaukee Brewers
Kenley Jansen - Los Angeles Angels
Aroldis Chapman - Boston Red Sox
Justin Martinez/A.J. Puk - Arizona Diamondbacks
Jordan Romano/Jose Alvarado - Philadelphia Phillies
Kyle Finnegan - Washington Nationals
Ryan Pressly - Chicago Cubs
Carlos Estévez - Kansas City Royals
Luke Jackson - Texas Rangers
Fairbanks has gotten his season off to a good start, firing two scoreless innings with four strikeouts while recording one save and a win. The 31-year-old right-hander is looking to bounce back after a down season. Avoiding the injured list will be the biggest factor for Fairbanks.
Megill hasn’t seen a save chance yet for the Brewers but has been sharp on the mound in the early going. He’s tossed 2 1/3 scoreless frames, striking out five batters with one hit and no walks allowed.
Jansen has gotten the job done for the Angels, picking up two saves with three scoreless innings. Fellow veteran closer Chapman has made one appearance, picking up a win against the Rangers on Opening Day as Justin Slaten recorded the save. Chapman was called on to close out the game against the Orioles on Wednesday. He worked around a walk, striking out one for the save. The 37-year-old left-hander should be in line for most save chances, though he’ll be used earlier in the game should the situation call for the hard-throwing left-hander.
The Diamondbacks appear to be going with a matchup-based committee approach to close out games. Martinez pitched the ninth inning down by one on Opening Day. He then pitched the eighth in high-leverage spots in his following two outings. He’s struck out five with no walks allowed over 2 2/3 frames. Meanwhile, Puk recorded the team’s first save, giving up a solo homer against the Yankees on Tuesday. He then entered with two runners on and one out with a four-run lead on Wednesday and surrendered a three-run homer before locking down a second save.
Romano blew his first save chance with the Phillies, giving up two runs to the Nationals on Opening Day. He bounced back with two strikeouts in a scoreless frame against the Rockies. Alvarado has looked like the best reliever in the bullpen, striking out five over two scoreless innings. He could find himself in line for occasional saves as things stand, with upside for more if Romano struggles or fails to stay healthy.
Finnegan loaded the bases but kept the Phillies off the board in a tie game on Opening Day. He then got the Nationals out of a jam on Sunday, entering with no outs and the bases loaded with a four-run lead. A groundout, strikeout, and lineout ended the game with Finnegan’s first save.
Pressly has already worked four appearances, converting a pair of saves for the Cubs. He’s yet to have a clean outing and has struck out just one batter to four walks and seven hits allowed. It’ll be hard for him to sustain any success allowing that many base runners without missing more bats.
Estévez got the first save chance for the Royals, striking out one in a clean inning against the Guardians. With Lucas Erceg pitching the eighth inning against the Brewers on Wednesday, Estévez took the mound with a one-run lead in the tenth and allowed the game-tying run before sending the game to the 11th. The 32-year-old right-hander figures to see most save chances, with Erceg working the occasional opportunity pitching the highest-leverage situations.
Jackson surrendered three runs and took the loss on Opening Day against the Red Sox. He bounced back with a save the following day. After Jackson pitched on back-to-back days, Chris Martin recorded a save before Jackson locked down two more. The 33-year-old right-hander appears to be set as the Rangers’ primary closer as long as he can be effective in the role.
Tier 5: Bottom of the Barrel
Dennis Santana - Pittsburgh Pirates
Seth Halvorsen - Colorado Rockies
Beau Brieske/Tommy Kahnle/Tyler Holton - Detroit Tigers
Scott Barlow/Tony Santillan - Cincinnati Reds
Anthony Bender/Calvin Faucher - Miami Marlins
Mike Clevinger/Fraser Ellard/Jordan Leasure - Chicago White Sox
After surrendering runs in each of his three outings, David Bednar was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. There’s no telling how long Bednar will remain in the minors and he can be dropped in all seasonal formats. Santana got the team’s first save chance without Bednar and worked around a walk to secure the save. He’s worth a pickup in all 12-team leagues and deeper where saves are needed. The 28-year-old right-hander is coming off his best season, posting a 3.89 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 69 strikeouts over 71 2/3 innings. While he doesn’t have the velocity and bat-missing ability in prototypical closers, Santana did well at limiting walks and hard contact last season and is likely the reliever best suited to close on the Pirates roster.
After an impressive small sample with the Rockies last season, Halvorsen could be zeroing in on the team’s closer role. The 25-year-old right-hander locked down a clean four-out save against the Rays on Saturday. Meanwhile, both Victor Vodnik and Tyler Kinley have recorded a blown save.
Brieske got the first save chance for the Tigers against the Dodgers on Friday and failed to secure the win, giving up four runs and recording one out before taking the loss. Kahnle saw the next ninth-inning save chance and tossed a scoreless frame against the Mariners on Tuesday. The team appears set to continue using a closer-by-committee approach.
The Reds’ closer situation hasn’t provided too much clarity. Ian Gibaut saw the first save chance on Opening Day and surrendered the lead to the Giants. Pagán recorded the team’s first save on Saturday, then pitched the ninth down by one run against the Rangers on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Santillan should remain in the mix but is likely to be deployed as the team’s highest-leverage reliever.
With Jesus Tinoco on the injured list, Bender has been elevated in the bullpen hierarchy. He recorded the team’s first save on Tuesday against the Mets. Faucher pitched the eighth inning with a three-run lead on Wednesday and gave up a game-tying home run to Pete Alonso.
The White Sox have yet to see a save chance, but early usage suggests Clevinger is set to see save chances. However, chasing save chances on this team could be a hopeless effort.
Relievers On The Rise/Stash Candidates
Porter Hodge was expected to enter the season as the Cubs’ closer after converting nine saves to end the 2024 season. Ryan Pressly has taken that role after coming over in a trade with the Astros. While Pressly has locked down the first two saves, he’s just getting by with one strikeout, four walks, and three runs allowed over four innings. Meanwhile, Hodge has tossed four scoreless frames with five strikeouts. If this trend continues, Pressly won’t be long for the ninth inning.
Last week, Jason Adam was mentioned in this section as a next-in-line closer stash. This time, we take a look at another dominant reliever in San Diego. Jeremiah Estrada is developing into one of baseball’s best setup men with no doubt he has a future closing games. The 26-year-old right-hander has tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts while giving up one walk and one hit. He makes for an excellent pickup in leagues that count holds.
