In this week’s Closer Report, Atlanta is searching for answers in the ninth inning amid Raisel Iglesias’ struggles. The Diamondbacks lose Justin Martinez to the injured list again. And David Bednar is putting his early season troubles behind him with better performance on the mound. All that and more as we run down the last week in saves.
Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
Tier 1: At the Top
Josh Hader – Houston Astros
Hader keeps on rolling as the top closer in baseball. He picked up a save and a win in two scoreless outings this week. He’s struck out multiple batters in each of his last six appearances. The 31-year-old left-hander is up to 17 saves with a 1.29 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and a 43/7 K/BB ratio across 28 innings.
Tier 2: The Elite
Andrés Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
Robert Suarez – San Diego Padres
Edwin Díaz – New York Mets
Jhoan Duran – Minnesota Twins
Emmanuel Clase – Cleveland Guardians
Mason Miller – Athletics
Muñoz bounced back after blowing back-to-back save chances. He struck out two batters in a scoreless inning for a save against the Angels on Sunday, then tossed a clean frame in a non-save situation against the Diamondbacks on Monday.
Suarez has now fired off 11 consecutive scoreless appearances since giving up five runs on May 12. He converted two more saves this week and leads baseball with 21.
Díaz tossed two clean innings and recorded one save this week. He’s at 14 this season with a 2.30 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and a 42/11 K/BB ratio across 27 1/3 innings. While not producing the same strikeout rate as his peak in 2022, his 39.3% strikeout rate ranks among the top five relievers in baseball.
Duran gave up a run in a non-save situation against the Blue Jays on Saturday, then bounced back with a clean inning and a save on Sunday. The 27-year-old right-hander has posted an outstanding 1.15 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and a 37/11 K/BB ratio across 31 1/3 innings.
Clase pitched back-to-back games against the Astros over the weekend and converted his 14th save of the season. After struggling to start the season, he’s allowed just one run over his last 15 outings since the start of May. Meanwhile, Miller is getting back on track with five straight scoreless outings, including a five-out save with three strikeouts against the Orioles on Friday.
Tier 3: The Solid Options
Tanner Scott – Los Angeles Dodgers
Aroldis Chapman – Boston Red Sox
Trevor Megill – Milwaukee Brewers
Camilo Doval – San Francisco Giants
Will Vest/Tommy Kahnle – Detroit Tigers
Devin Williams – New York Yankees
Jeff Hoffman – Toronto Blue Jays
Félix Bautista – Baltimore Orioles
David Bednar – Pittsburgh Pirates
Ryan Helsley – St. Louis Cardinals
Pete Fairbanks – Tampa Bay Rays
Daniel Palencia – Chicago Cubs
Kyle Finnegan – Washington Nationals
Emilio Pagan – Cincinnati Reds
Carlos Estévez – Kansas City Royals
Scott starts this large tier of closers that have had some volatility but have mostly gotten the job done. Scott made three appearances this week, adding two saves for a total of 12. The Dodgers got Kirby Yates and Michael Kopech back from the injured list this week, both of which can factor into the ninth inning based on matchups.
Chapman’s strong season continues with another good week on the mound. The 37-year-old left-hander locked down three more saves to give him 12 to go with a 1.59 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and a 39/9 K/BB ratio across 28 1/3 innings. With Justin Slaten on the injured list with a shoulder injury, Garrett Whitlock figures to step in as the next in line for saves.
Megill surrendered two runs to blow a save chance against the Padres on Saturday before falling in line for a win. He then bounced back with a clean inning on Tuesday against the Braves, striking out two for his 13th save.
After snapping a 21-game scoreless streak in a blown save last week, Doval came back with three saves. The 27-year-old right-hander is up to 10 saves with a 1.69 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and a 30/15 K/BB ratio across 32 innings. Behind Doval, Randy Rodríguez has been one of the best middle relievers in baseball and has solidified himself as a top setup man and next in line for saves in San Francisco. As many close games as the Giants play, Rodriguez wouldn’t be a bad streamer in deep leagues.
It’s a similar situation in Detroit, with the team generating plenty of save chances. Vest locked down two more saves this week and is up to 11, with Kahnle behind him at eight. And in New York, Williams struck out one batter in a scoreless inning for a save against the Red Sox on Friday before cleaning up the ninth with two outs for the save Wednesday against the Royals.
Hoffman had one of his better weeks, converting four saves in five days despite giving up a pair of home runs. He’s had home run issues this season with eight, passing last season’s total of six. Still, he’s continued to collect strikeouts and saves.
Bautista struck out the side, working around a walk in a scoreless inning against the Athletics on Saturday for his 12th save. The 29-year-old right-hander has had an overall effective season coming back from Tommy John surgery, posting a 3.32 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and a 28/16 K/BB ratio across 21 2/3 innings.
Bednar has been lights out since returning from a brief minor-league stint on April 19, with a 2.49 ERA and a 30/3 K/BB ratio across his last 21 2/3 innings. He added two saves and a win over the last week.
Helsley gave up a run in each of his last three outings, blowing three straight save chances. The 30-year-old right-hander has had an up-and-down season, posting a 3.75 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, and a 28/12 K/BB ratio across 24 innings while converting 13 of 18 save opportunities.
Fairbanks logged a save with a clean inning against the Marlins, then blew a save chance against the Red Sox on Monday, giving up two runs. Meanwhile in Chicago, Palencia had a rare bad outing, giving up a run on two hits and a walk to take the loss against the Phillies on Monday.
Finnegan converted a save against the Rangers on Friday, then was charged with a blown save as he failed to strand the inherited runners in the eighth against the Mets on Tuesday.
Pagán struck out two batters in each of his two scoreless outings this week, adding a save against the Guardians on Monday. The 34-year-old right-hander has converted 16-of-18 save chances with a 3.45 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and a 35/8 K/BB ratio across 28 2/3 innings.
Estévez pitched in both games of a doubleheader against the Cardinals last Thursday, taking a loss with two runs allowed in the first game before locking down a save in the second. He then worked around a hit and a walk to record his 19th save against the White Sox on Sunday.
Tier 4: Here for the Saves
Kenley Jansen – Los Angeles Angels
Shelby Miller – Arizona Diamondbacks
Raisel Iglesias/Pierce Johnson – Atlanta Braves
Jordan Romano – Philadelphia Phillies
Robert Garcia – Texas Rangers
Jansen pitched four times in five days this week, adding two saves to his total, bringing him to 14 with a 4.37 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and a 19/9 K/BB ratio across 22 2/3 innings. With Jansen unavailable Wednesday, Reid Detmers stepped in for the save against the Athletics.
For a second time, the Diamondbacks lost closer Justin Martinez to the injured list. The 23-year-old right-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list with a UCL sprain in his right elbow and could be facing a lengthy absence. This puts Miller back in line for regular save chances in Arizona. He struck out two in a scoreless inning for the save against the Mariners on Wednesday.
The Braves are searching for answers at the closer role with Iglesias taking a step back. The team will likely go with a committee approach. Both Iglesias and Johnson blew save chances in the last week. Dylan Lee could be a speculative pickup for saves as the team has fellow left-hander Aaron Bummer pitching effectively.
No saves for the Phillies this week. Romano was charged with a loss against the Pirates on Friday while Matt Strahm and Taijuan Walker were each charged with a blown save. The Phillies could be a team looking to add to their late-inning mix via trade. In Texas, Garcia surrendered three runs in a blown save against the Rays last Thursday, then converted a save against the Nationals on Sunday.
Tier 5: Bottom of the Barrel
Calvin Faucher – Miami Marlins
Zach Agnos – Colorado Rockies
Brandon Eisert/Steven Wilson – Chicago White Sox
Relievers On The Rise/Stash Candidates
The White Sox closer situation has not been one to go chasing for quite a while, but the team did call up an intriguing young reliever from Double-A Birmingham, skipping the Triple-A level. Twenty-three-year-old Grant Taylor logged 26 2/3 innings in Double-A, posting an impressive 1.01 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and a 37/11 K/BB ratio while generating a 17.1% swinging-strike rate. If he can translate similar production at the MLB level, Taylor can quickly work his way into the saves mix in Chicago, few as they may come.
Reid Detmers has quietly been on an impressive run with the Angels. He’s made 11 consecutive scoreless appearances, striking out 18 batters to just four walks in that span. The 25-year-old left-hander has struggled to realize the upside he’s displayed at times throughout his young career. However, he just might be figuring it out in this new role as a reliever. Detmers converted a save on Wednesday with Kenley Jansen getting the day off. On Thursday, manager Ron Washington hinted at Detmers possibly being stretched out as a starter again at some point, but he seems to be thriving in the late innings.
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