Welcome back to the Fantasy Baseball Closer Report. This first 2026 edition will feature my season-opening closer rankings. All year long, we’ll be breaking down the last week in saves for every team and highlighting some relievers on the rise and potential stash candidates for saves.
Let’s get started!
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2026 Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
▶ Tier 1
Mason Miller – San Diego Padres
Edwin Díaz – Los Angeles Dodgers
Cade Smith – Cleveland Guardians
Andrés Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
Jhoan Duran – Philadelphia Phillies
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Miller comes in as the number one reliever to start the season. With the departure of Robert Suarez, manager Craig Stammen made it clear early this spring that Miller would be assuming the closer role. The 27-year-old right-hander carries over a 21 1/3-inning scoreless streak from last season, striking out 42 batters to just nine walks and four hits across his last 20 regular-season appearances. He put his talents on display in the World Baseball Classic, striking out ten batters over four scoreless innings for the United States.
Elite talent, track record, and now he’s bringing the trumpets to Los Angeles for the defending champion Dodgers. You can make the case for Díaz as the game’s top closer. Coming off an excellent bounce-back campaign, the 32-year-old veteran brings a career 2.82 ERA and 253 career saves.
This might seem like jumping the gun, placing Smith among the top three closers, but there’s no denying the talent. He’s been one of the game’s best relievers over the last two years, posting back-to-back 100-plus strikeout seasons in a setup role for the Guardians. Smith took over the closing role down the stretch in Cleveland following Emmanuel Clase‘s suspension and finished with 16 saves. Now set to close full-time for a team that has created numerous save chances in recent years, Smith has the skills to finish as the most valuable closer.
Muñoz was in Smith’s position last season, an exceptionally talented young reliever poised for his first full season as closer. He made good on the upside, converting 38 saves with a 1.73 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 83 strikeouts over 62 1/3 innings. It’s the persistent walk issues that keep Muñoz just behind the top three. Still, he’s solidly among the best in baseball.
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Rounding out the top tier and the last of this elite grouping of closers in drafts, Duran is coming off his best season, in which he posted a 2.06 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 80 strikeouts over 70 innings while converting a career-high 32 saves. The 28-year-old right-hander pitches to a little more contact, generating a whopping 65% ground ball rate while still collecting a solid share of strikeouts and limiting walks. The high ground ball rate does make him a bit more susceptible to a higher WHIP than the relievers ranked above him. Though that’s just splitting hairs.
▶ Tier 2
Devin Williams – New York Mets
David Bednar – New York Yankees
Aroldis Chapman – Boston Red Sox
Daniel Palencia – Chicago Cubs
Ryan Helsley – Baltimore Orioles
This next tier features a group of closers that are all incredibly skilled, yet come with a slightly elevated level of risk. That starts with Williams, who will be looking to bounce back with the Mets after a disappointing season with the Yankees. The 31-year-old right-hander struggled to a 4.79 ERA over 62 innings while cycling in and out of the closer role. Though the underlying skills suggest he was more of the pitcher he’s always been, the one with a 2.45 career ERA. And he still collected 90 strikeouts. There’s a great chance we get that bounce-back season from Williams.
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Next up is Bednar, who stepped in for Williams down the stretch to finish the season as the Yankees’ closer, converting ten saves for New York and 27 for the year to go with a 2.30 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 86 strikeouts over 62 2/3 innings despite being demoted by the Pirates for three weeks at the start of the season.
Chapman is coming off perhaps the best season of his 16-year career. It was certainly one of the best from a skills perspective as he posted a career-low 6.6% walk rate. But the improvements actually started in the second half of 2024. He was able to carry over, ending a volatile four-year stretch and posting a 1.17 ERA with 85 strikeouts and 32 saves across 61 1/3 innings with the Red Sox. The fact that Chapman is now in his age-38 season seems to be the only red flag.
The next emerging elite young closer, Palencia, enjoyed a breakout season with the Cubs, converting 22 saves with a 2.91 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 61 strikeouts over 52 2/3 innings. The 26-year-old right-hander had some helium in later drafts this spring after putting his talents on display during the World Baseball Classic, tossing five scoreless innings with nine strikeouts for Team Venezuela. The concern with Palencia is his injury history, as he’s missed time with a shoulder injury in each of the last two seasons.
Helsley had a down year after converting 49 saves with a 2.04 ERA in 2024. He finished the year with a 4.50 ERA and 21 saves across 56 innings with the Cardinals and the Mets. Helsley was actually worse down the stretch in a setup role with New York, giving them a 7.20 ERA over 20 frames. This season, he’s set to operate as Baltimore’s full-time closer and could be in for a bounce-back season.
▶ Tier 3
Jeff Hoffman – Toronto Blue Jays
Raisel Iglesias – Atlanta Braves
Emilio Pagán – Cincinnati Reds
Ryan Walker – San Francisco Giants
Kenley Jansen – Detroit Tigers
Pete Fairbanks – Miami Marlins
Trevor Megill – Milwaukee Brewers
Josh Hader/Bryan Abreu – Houston Astros
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We get a step down in either skills or situations in this next group, starting with Hoffman, who, despite collecting 33 saves for the Blue Jays, wasn’t nearly the save pitcher he was in Philadelphia. He had some odd splits, with his underlying numbers suggesting he wasn’t as bad as his first-half stats indicated, nor was he as good as his improved second-half surface stats. Still, the strikeout stuff remained, and that’s good enough to project a bounce-back.
Iglesias turned his season around after the team briefly went away from him as the closer. That decision may come easier if he struggles again, given that the Braves brought in last season’s National League saves leader in Robert Suarez. Still, expect Iglesias to handle the ninth inning out of the gate for as long as he’s effective.
Pagán displayed nearly identical skills over the last two years, but had a 4.50 ERA in 2024 and a 2.88 ERA in 2025 while converting 32 saves. The true difference between the two seasons came down to a .351 BABIP and a .200 BABIP. The volatility is likely a product of pitching in Cincinnati, as his home and road splits last season exhibited (3.60 ERA at home, 1.88 away).
Walker would’ve come in a little further down the list before Spring Training after he finished last season with a 4.11 ERA and just 17 saves. The Giants seem to be trusting that he’ll bounce back, as they didn’t bring anyone in behind him to compete for save chances. There was some thought that it could be Joel Peguero, but Peguero will open the season on the 15-day injured list with a hamstring injury.
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Jansen is still going strong as he enters his 17th MLB season. The 38-year-old right-hander converted 29 saves with a 2.59 ERA across 59 innings with the Angels last season. Now 24 saves away from 500 for his career, he’s set to get the majority of save chances with the Tigers. Though Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest could still factor into the mix on occasion.
Fairbanks was able to stay on the mound all season for the first time in his career with the Rays, converting 27 saves with a 2.83 ERA across 60 1/3 innings. The strikeouts have been down over the last two years, coinciding with a slight decline in velocity. Perhaps that helped Fairbanks avoid the injured list while pitching effectively enough to get the job done in the ninth inning. He’ll operate as the primary closer in Miami.
Things get riskier with a couple of high-ceiling plays to round out the tier. Megill has been excellent when on the mound and off the injured list. He converted 30 with a 2.49 ERA and 60 strikeouts over 47 innings last year, but missed time with an elbow strain late in the season. Abner Uribe filled in for Megill and held the role through the postseason. Megill looked excellent this spring, and while he should get the bigger share of save chances, Brewers manager Pat Murphy has indicated that he’ll be smarter with all of the reliever workloads, potentially spreading out the save chances.
Another situation tough to project, Hader ended last season on the injured list with a left shoulder strain and starts this season on the 15-day injured list with a biceps issue. There’s no doubt that when the 31-year-old left-hander is healthy, he’s the solidified closer for the Astros. But until then, Bryan Abreu is set to fill in. Abreu has been perhaps the best and most reliable high-leverage reliever in baseball over the last several seasons. But he’s raised some concerns with some struggles on the mound this spring, posting a 5/7 K/BB ratio over seven innings of work.
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▶ Tier 4
Griffin Jax/Garrett Cleavinger – Tampa Bay Rays
Seranthony Domínguez – Chicago White Sox
Dennis Santana – Pittsburgh Pirates
Robert García/Chris Martin – Texas Rangers
Carlos Estévez – Kansas City Royals
We’re not quite at last resort levels here, but you’re not exactly feeling secure in the saves category if relying on this group. Jax is by far the most talented and should provide some category value regardless of his role. He had his worst season by results in 2025 but displayed some of his best skills, including a career-high 35% strikeout rate. The Rays are sure to utilize a committee in the ninth inning, so expect ratio help and strikeouts, and hope that he ends up leading the team with 15-20 saves.
The White Sox signed Domínguez in free agency and immediately made their intentions known in naming him the team’s closer. The 31-year-old right-hander has flashed upside throughout his career, and even set a career high with 79 strikeouts across 62 2/3 innings with the Orioles and Blue Jays last season. What will get Domínguez in trouble is his high walk rate. Still, his swing-and-miss ability and role as a full-time closer made him worthwhile as an RP2 during draft season.
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Santana won’t wow you with his numbers. He had one of the lowest strikeout rates among the closers discussed so far. Still, he got the job done with a 2.18 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and 16 saves over 70 1/3 innings with the Pirates last season. While manager Don Kelly has indicated that Gregory Soto could see some save chances, particularly against a left-handed-heavy lineup, Santana should be expected to get most of the ninth-inning work as long as he’s effective.
It’s odd to see last year’s MLB saves leader this far down the rankings to start the season. Estévez was already a big regression candidate after his 2.45 ERA did not match the underlying skills, including an 11.9% K-BB rate. He did little to squash any concerns this spring, giving up four runs with a 3/4 K/BB ratio while showing significantly diminished velocity. Big red flag here.
▶ Tier 5
Riley O’Brien/Jojo Romero – St. Louis Cardinals
Paul Sewald – Arizona Diamondbacks
Clayton Beeter – Washington Nationals
Hogan Harris/Mark Leiter Jr./Justin Sterner – Athletics
Taylor Rogers/Cole Sands – Minnesota Twins
Jordan Romano/Drew Pomeranz – Los Angeles Angels
Victor Vodnik – Colorado Rockies
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Now we’re in desperation territory. For many of these situations, we’ll have to see how things play out, starting with St. Louis, where Riley O’Brien and Jojo Romero are expected to work in a committee. They converted six and eight saves in 2025, respectively. Matt Svanson and Ryne Stanek are names to watch that can work their way into save opportunities.
The Diamondbacks brought Sewald back on a one-year deal. He made enough of an impression this spring for manager Torey Lovullo to name him as a potential closer candidate. Sewald is the most experienced reliever in the bullpen with 86 career saves and will likely get the first chance at running with the closer role.
The Nationals have another ambiguous situation. Beeter appears to be the leading candidate. He possesses some strikeout ability but struggles mightily with control, walking 17.3% of batters last season. He’ll need to make significant strides there if he’s to emerge as a consistent late-inning option.
The remaining closing candidates are hardly worth a look outside the deepest of leagues. The Angels placing Kirby Yates on the 15-day injured list to start the year came as a bit of a surprise. It paves the way for Jordan Romano to work his way into save chances early on, likely in a committee with left-hander Drew Pomeranz. And as far as the Rockies go, well, they’re just punting wins and saves as some of us do.
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