Welcome to The Game Day’s Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings, Depth Charts, Bullpen Report, & Sleepers For Saves.
When you’re working the fantasy baseball waiver wire and trying to find the best sleepers for saves, you must know each Major League Baseball team’s relief pitchers.
Who has a path to 2024 fantasy baseball saves? Who’s going to focus on holds and set-up appearances? Frank Ammirante ranks each fantasy bullpen from strongest (1) to weakest (30) while giving security ratings for each club’s relief corps.
Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
Drag the table to the left to see the entire closer depth charts and rankings list. All caps denote news updates or new closers.
| Rk | Team | Closer | Next In Line | Watch | Job Security | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guardians | Emmanuel Clase | Scott Barlow | Hunter Gaddis | GREAT | |
| 2 | Cardinals | Ryan Helsley | JoJo Romero | Andrew Kittredge | GREAT | |
| 3 | Yankees | Clay Holmes | Ian Hamilton | Luke Weaver | GREAT | |
| 4 | Mets | Edwin Díaz | Adam Ottavino | Reed Garrett | GREAT | |
| 5 | Athletics | Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Austin Adams | GREAT | |
| 6 | Twins | Jhoan Duran | Griffin Jax | Caleb Thielbar | GREAT | |
| 7 | Padres | Robert Suarez | Yuki Matsui | Wandy Peralta | GREAT | |
| 8 | Braves | Raisel Iglesias | A.J. Minter | Joe Jiménez | GREAT | |
| 9 | Giants | Camilo Doval | Tyler Rogers | Taylor Rogers | GREAT | |
| 10 | Astros | Josh Hader | Ryan Pressly | Bryan Abreu | GREAT | |
| 11 | Blue Jays | Jordan Romano | Yimi Garcia | Trevor Richards | GREAT | |
| 12 | Rangers | Kirby Yates | David Robertson | Jose Leclerc | SOLID | |
| 13 | Royals | James McArthur | John Schreiber | Chris Stratton | SOLID | |
| 14 | Orioles | Craig Kimbrel | Yennier Cano | Danny Coulombe | SOLID | |
| 15 | Nationals | Kyle Finnegan | Hunter Harvey | Dylan Floro | SOLID | |
| 16 | Mariners | Andres Munoz | Ryne Stanek | Gabe Speier | SOLID | |
| 17 | Reds | Alexis Diaz | Emilio Pagan | Fernando Cruz | SOLID | |
| 18 | Tigers | Jason Foley | Alex Lange | Shelby Miller | SOLID | |
| 19 | Red Sox | Kenley Jansen | Chris Martin | Justin Slaten | SOLID | |
| 20 | Diamondbacks | PAUL SEWALD | Kevin Ginkel | Ryan Thompson | SOLID | Sewald is expected be activated this week. |
| 21 | Pirates | David Bednar | Aroldis Chapman | Colin Holderman | SHAKY | |
| 22 | Angels | Carlos Estevez | Matt Moore | Luis Garcia | SHAKY | |
| 23 | Cubs | Hector Neris | Mark Leiter Jr. | Adbert Alzolay | SHAKY | |
| 24 | Marlins | Tanner Scott | Calvin Faucher | Andrew Nardi | SHAKY | |
| 25 | Brewers | TREVOR MEGILL | Joel Payamps | Devin Williams (IL) | TEMPORARY | Megill is the best bet for saves in Milwaukee. |
| 26 | Rays | Jason Adam | Garrett Cleavinger | PETE FAIRBANKS (IL) | TEMPORARY | Fairbanks is starting a rehab assignment. |
| 27 | Dodgers | DANIEL HUDSON | Joe Kelly | Evan Phillips (IL) | TEMPORARY | Hudson takes over for the injured Phillips. |
| 28 | Phillies | Jose Alvarado | Jeff Hoffman | Gregory Soto | COMMITTEE | |
| 29 | Rockies | Justin Lawrence | Jake Bird | Nick Mears | SHAKY | |
| 30 | White Sox | Michael Kopech | John Brebbia | Jordan Leasure | COMMITTEE |
Read on for more fantasy baseball closer tips.
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Fantasy Baseball Closer Report
Here are some important closer tidbits from the fifth week of the fantasy baseball season as we head into Sunday’s action:
Blown Saves
- Raisel Iglesias (1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K) had a blown save vs the Dodgers on May 3.
- Justin Lawrence (0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K) blew the save vs the Marlins on April 30.
Relief Appearances
- Carlos Estevez (1.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) had a rough week.
- Jason Foley (0.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K) has struggled lately.
Successful Saves
- Hector Neris was shaky at times, but converted three saves this week.
- Jose Alvarado had a dominant week, racking up two saves in four scoreless innings.
Save Specs News
- Lucas Erceg racked up two saves with the Athletics managing Mason Miller’s workload.
- Alex Lange converted the save on May 1 with Jason Foley unavailable.
Fantasy Baseball Closer News
Now, on to the latest news in saves, which are all current as of Sunday, May 5 at 5 p.m. ET.
Diamondbacks: Paul Sewald is expected be activated this week
According to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com, the Diamondbacks plan to activate Paul Sewald off the injured list on Tuesday. The former Mariner threw an extended spring training game on May 4.
- Paul Sewald Fantasy Tip: Expect Sewald to immediately retain his role as closer for Arizona. I’ll rank him a bit lower until we see some positive results.
Brewers: Trevor Megill is the best bet for saves in Milwaukee
Trevor Megill converted the last two saves for the Brewers, establishing himself as the preferred option in the ninth over Joel Payamps, at least for the foreseeable future.
- Trevor Megill Fantasy Tip: Megill has better stuff than Payamps, giving him more strikeout upside. But this remains a fluid situation that could change at any time.
Outlast your competition in fantasy baseball with more tips
- Keep up with our Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings.
- See who our experts are targeting among Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire.
Rays: Pete Fairbanks is starting a rehab assignment
Pete Fairbanks is ready for a rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham this Tuesday, which is a good sign that he’ll be able to return earlier than expected.
- Pete Fairbanks Fantasy Tip: While Jason Adam has been a strong option in Fairbanks’ absence, we have to project the latter returning to the closer role once he’s back.
Dodgers: Daniel Hudson will take over for the injured Evan Phillips
Evan Phillips (hamstring) was placed on the injured list, but he’s not expected to be out long-term. Daniel Hudson will take over as closer while Phillips recovers.
- Daniel Hudson Fantasy Tip: If you’re desperate for saves, make sure to pick up Hudson for a boost while Phillips is out.
Fantasy Baseball Closer Waiver Wire Pickups
Find out how I’d rank the fantasy baseball closer and reliever waiver wire pickups below. The percentage in brackets is how often they are rostered in Yahoo! leagues. Only players rostered in fewer than 50% of leagues are included here.
Closers
- Trevor Megill (14%)
- Jason Adam (47%)
- Daniel Hudson (20%)
Relievers
- Jeff Hoffman (16%)
- Alex Lange (44%)
- Lucas Erceg (8%)
How to Find Fantasy Sleepers for Saves
It can be difficult navigating bullpen usage, especially over the long haul of a 162-game season. That’s why we’re here to help you find fantasy sleepers for saves.
Follow the tips outlined below to decipher how each MLB team likes to use their bullpen.
Team Trends
Determining how each team and manager like to deploy their relievers is important. Some prefer the traditional approach of using one reliever in the ninth. Others prefer to use their best reliever in high-leverage situations.
You have to accept that some closers will have a lower percentage of team save opportunities than others, depending on their team.
This means that you should never drop your committee closer if they were bypassed for a save opportunity on a given night. It could be that their manager wants to use them to face their opponent’s best hitters in the seventh or eighth inning.
Bullpen Usage
When trying to decipher a team’s preferences in the bullpen, take a look at how their manager uses their relievers, even in non-save situations. This can help you understand the pecking order for saves within each bullpen.
Stuff and Command
If you’re debating which reliever to pursue on a team with an unclear situation, the best bet is to target the one with the best stuff. If they have strong command as well, that’s an added bonus.
