In this week’s Closer Report, Tanner Scott’s three saves for the Dodgers solidify his role as the team’s primary closer. Robert Suarez leads a Padres bullpen that’s been the best in baseball. And Trevor Megill appears to be fine despite some injury speculation.
Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
Tier 1: At the Top
Mason Miller – Athletics
Josh Hader – Houston Astros
Andrés Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
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Miller picked up his fourth save on Saturday against the Mets, then struck out the side on 12 pitches Wednesday against the White Sox for his fifth. He’s struck out 12 batters with just one walk and three hits allowed over six scoreless innings. The 26-year-old right-hander is just flat-out dominating when on the mound.
Hader pitched a scoreless inning in a non-save situation on Sunday before locking down his fourth save Tuesday against the Cardinals. He’s made six scoreless appearances, including a pair of two-inning outings, since giving up one run on Opening Day.
We stay in the AL West to finish out the top tier, with Muñoz pitching lights out in Seattle. He worked three save chances this week and is up to seven saves over nine scoreless innings. The only knock on the 26-year-old right-hander is an elevated walk rate, but it helps to have an 18.5% swinging-strike rate.
Tier 2: The Elite
Robert Suarez – San Diego Padres
Devin Williams – New York Yankees
Ryan Helsley – St. Louis Cardinals
Emmanuel Clase – Cleveland Guardians
Edwin Díaz – New York Mets
Jeff Hoffman – Toronto Blue Jays
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Suarez picked up his MLB-leading eighth save on Wednesday against the Cubs. He’s tossed nine scoreless frames as the leader of a Padres bullpen that leads the majors with the best ERA. The 34-year-old right-hander got off to a similarly impressive start last season. This time around, it’s with more strikeouts as he’s generated a 17.1% swinging-strike rate behind increased usage of his changeup.
It was a better week for Williams as he made three scoreless appearances, including two saves to bring his total to three. The 30-year-old right-hander isn’t getting the whiffs he’s accustomed to getting in the early going while struggling with control. He’s posted an 8/6 K/BB ratio across six innings of work.
Helsley picked up his second save of the week on Wednesday against the Astros and third on the season. His one outing in which he walked four batters and allowed two runs on April 6 against the Red Sox has skewed his ratios a bit, but he’s been otherwise solid.
Clase picked up his second save of the season Tuesday against the Orioles, working just his fourth scoreless appearance in eight games. There’s nothing suggesting a decline for the 27-year-old right-hander. His profile indicates he’s been more a victim of bad luck to start the season with a bloated .467 BABIP. Clase continues to limit walks and has generated an 18.1% swinging-strike rate. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him go on a dominant stretch as his BABIP normalizes.
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Díaz had allowed five runs over his last two outings before striking out two batters in a scoreless inning on Wednesday in a tie game against the Twins. Walking five batters over his last three games hasn’t helped, but he also has been hurt by an inflated BABIP. The 31-year-old right-hander’s velocity has been down a bit before getting back up to 97 on Wednesday, an encouraging sign.
After working back-to-back two-inning outings, Hoffman closed out Wednesday’s game against the Braves with his fourth save of the season. The 32-year-old right-hander is off to an excellent start with Toronto, giving up two runs with a 14/1 K/BB ratio across 10 1/3 innings.
Tier 3: The Solid Options
Tanner Scott – Los Angeles Dodgers
Ryan Walker – San Francisco Giants
Raisel Iglesias – Atlanta Braves
Jhoan Duran – Minnesota Twins
Félix Bautista – Baltimore Orioles
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Walker picked up his fourth save of the season against the Yankees on Sunday, striking out one batter in a clean inning. While the 29-year-old right-hander has been effective at limiting walks and hard contact, the strikeouts haven’t been there yet with his swinging-strike rate down in the early going.
Scott converted the three save chances for the Dodgers this week, giving him three straight and six of the team’s nine saves. Blake Treinen has mixed in for two saves, but Scott is solidifying his role as the primary closer despite the early mixing and matching. The 30-year-old left-hander has allowed three runs with a 10/0 K/BB ratio across 10 innings.
Iglesias gave up a solo homer against the Rays in Tampa on Saturday but held on to the lead for his second save. The 35-year-old right-hander has allowed a lot of hard contact so far but holds a strong 7/1 K/BB ratio across six innings.
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
Jose Alvarado/Matt Strahm – Philadelphia Phillies
Kyle Finnegan – Washington Nationals
Carlos Estévez – Kansas City Royals
Luke Jackson – Texas Rangers
Emilio Pagan – Cincinnati Reds
Ryan Pressly – Chicago Cubs
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Fairbanks added his third save of the season on Friday with a scoreless inning against the Braves. His swinging-strike rate is up to an impressive 20.4% over six outings after seeing a decline all last season. Durability will always remain a concern for the 31-year-old right-hander, but he should otherwise be a solid closing option.
Megill was hit with a blown save after giving up three runs on Saturday against the Diamondbacks. There was some concern following the outing as he reportedly has been pitching through a lingering knee issue. An MRI revealed no structural damage and he bounced back with a scoreless inning in a non-save situation on Wednesday against the Tigers. Abner Uribe has pitched well and figures to be next in line for saves if Megill is unavailable.
Jansen picked up a save on Saturday with a scoreless inning against the Astros. He’s yet to allow a run over six innings while posting a 7/2 K/BB ratio. While not as dominant as he once was, Jansen is as safe a bet for saves as they came when healthy
Chapman took a loss on Saturday, giving up one run against the White Sox. He bounced back with saves on Monday and Tuesday, giving him four with a 1.23 ERA and a 40% strikeout rate across 7 1/3 innings. With Chapman unavailable Wednesday, Justin Slaten picked up the save against the Rays. Liam Hendriks appears set to come off the injured list in the next week and could factor into the late-inning mix. However, I wouldn’t expect him to step in to save chances right away.
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The Diamondbacks continue to play the matchup game in the late innings. After Martinez converted a pair of saves last week, Puk got the save chance against the Brewers on Sunday and converted his third of the season.
Not to the same extent, but the Phillies will mix and match the high-leverage situations. Alvarado picked up his third save on Saturday against the Cardinals, then faced the top of the Giants’ lineup on Tuesday before Matt Strahm picked up the save in the ninth.
As usual, Finnegan works through trouble to get the job done. The 33-year-old right-hander made a pair of scoreless appearances to convert two saves, giving him six with one run allowed and an 8/4 K/BB ratio across 7 2/3 innings.
Estévez is up to five saves after picking up two this week against the Twins and Guardians. He had his most impressive outing Sunday in Cleveland as he struck out the side. Lucas Erceg is pitching well in a setup role, but Estévez is locked in as the closer.
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Jackson worked around a hit and struck out one batter in a scoreless inning to finish out the game against the Angels with a four-run lead on Tuesday. He then pitched a clean ninth on Wednesday for his sixth save.
Pagán has pitched well as he’s settled into the closer role in Cincinnati. The 33-year-old right-hander worked three perfect outings this week, picking up two saves to bring his total to four. Manager Terry Francona has stated that Pagán will continue to work as the team’s primary closer despite Alexis Díaz returning from the injured list.
Pressly has his best week as a Cub. The 36-year-old right-hander had not worked a clean inning through seven outings until tossing two perfect frames this week to pick up a save and a win.
Tier 5: Bottom of the Barrel
Dennis Santana – Pittsburgh Pirates
Tommy Kahnle – Detroit Tigers
Seth Halvorsen – Colorado Rockies
Anthony Bender/Calvin Faucher – Miami Marlins
Jordan Leasure – Chicago White Sox
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The Pirates have not converted a save since sending David Bednar to Triple-A. Still, Santana’s usage suggests he should be getting the save chances, at least until Bednar is back in the majors.
Kahnle gave up a run against the Twins on Friday but was able to hold on for his second save. Meanwhile, Jason Foley has not allowed a run over 6 2/3 innings with Triple-A Toledo.
Halvorsen pitched a scoreless inning against the Brewers last Thursday, then gave up a run against the Dodgers on Tuesday. Both outings were in non-save situations as the Rockies have won just three games all season.
Bender was charged with a blown save after giving up one run in the eighth inning against the Nationals on Friday. Calvin Faucher got the save chance the following day and converted his first.
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Another week with no save chances in Chicago for the White Sox. The team did designate Mike Clevinger for assignment after he allowed five runs with a 3/8 K/BB ratio over 5 2/3 innings. It’s not much use speculating here, but Leasure seems likely to be in line for any save chances.
Relievers On The Rise/Stash Candidates
The Angels placed right-handed setup man Ben Joyce on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation after seeing a dip in velocity during his last outing. With Joyce sidelined, Ryan Zeferjahn is in line to step into more high-leverage work behind closer Kenley Jansen. Zeferjahn has collected strikeouts over his last few outings and owns a 47.4% strikeout rate behind a 22.1% swinging-strike rate, albeit over a small sample so far. The 27-year-old right-hander has closer stuff with a 98 mph fastball and wipeout slider. Zeferjahn should be next in line to close on days Jansen is unavailable, at least until Joyce returns. He’s a solid option to roster in holds leagues, especially if he can maintain the strikeouts. Staying in Southern California, Dodgers long reliever Jack Dreyer is another reliever gaining some value in deeper roto leagues. The team has leaned on the 26-year-old southpaw to give them some length in the middle innings and he’s come through with one run allowed and a 16/1 K/BB ratio across 12 innings. He’s also falling in line to pick up two wins, which could be invaluable in those 15-plus team roto/category formats.
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