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 2025 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.
| Rk | Team | Closer | Next In Line | Job Security | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Astros | Josh Hader | Bryan Abreu | GREAT | |
| 2 | Guardians | Emmanuel Clase | Cade Smith | GREAT | |
| 3 | Yankees | Devin Williams | Luke Weaver | GREAT | |
| 4 | Athletics | Mason Miller | Jose Leclerc | GREAT | |
| 5 | Mets | Edwin Diaz | A.J. Minter | GREAT | |
| 6 | Mariners | Andres Munoz | Collin Snider | GREAT | |
| 7 | Twins | Jhoan Duran | Griffin Jax | GREAT | |
| 8 | Cardinals | Ryan Helsley | Ryan Fernandez | GREAT | |
| 9 | Orioles | Felix Bautista | Andrew Kittredge | GREAT | |
| 10 | Braves | Raisel Iglesias | Pierce Johnson | GREAT | |
| 11 | Padres | Robert Suarez | Jason Adam | TRADE RISK | Suarez has been in trade talks. |
| 12 | Dodgers | Tanner Scott | Kirby Yates | COMMITTEE | Scott will get the bulk of the save chances. |
| 13 | Brewers | Trevor Megill | Abner Uribe | INJURY RISK | Megill has a minor injury issue in spring. |
| 14 | Blue Jays | Jeff Hoffman | Yimi Garcia | INJURY RISK | Hoffman failed physical with Braves and Orioles. |
| 15 | Pirates | David Bednar | Colin Holderman | SOLID | |
| 16 | Giants | Ryan Walker | Camilo Doval | SOLID | |
| 17 | Cubs | Ryan Pressly | Porter Hodge | SOLID | |
| 18 | Rays | Pete Fairbanks | Edwin Uceta | INJURY RISK | Fairbanks struggles to stay healthy. |
| 19 | Reds | Alexis Diaz | Taylor Rogers | SOLID | |
| 20 | Diamondbacks | Justin Martinez | A.J. Puk | COMMITTEE | Martinez leads this committee. |
| 21 | Phillies | Jordan Romano | Orion Kerkering | INJURY RISK | Romano is returning from injury. |
| 22 | Angels | Kenley Jansen | Ben Joyce | SOLID | |
| 23 | Royals | Carlos Estevez | Lucas Erceg | SHAKY | |
| 24 | Red Sox | Liam Hendriks | Aroldis Chapman | COMPETITION | Two veterans competing for the job. |
| 25 | Rangers | Chris Martin | Robert Garcia | SHAKY | Martin is expected to be the closer. |
| 26 | Marlins | Calvin Faucher | Jesus Tinoco | SHAKY | |
| 27 | Tigers | Jason Foley | Beau Brieske | COMMITTEE | |
| 28 | Rockies | Seth Halvorsen | Tyler Kinley | SHAKY | Halvorsen is the most talented arm. |
| 29 | Nationals | Jorge Lopez | Lucas Sims | SHAKY | Could they sign a familiar face? |
| 30 | White Sox | Justin Anderson | Prelander Berroa | SHAKY |
Read on for more fantasy baseball closer tips.
Sportsbook Play of the Day
Fantasy Baseball Closer News
Now, on to the latest news in saves, which are all current as of Wednesday, February 19 at 4 p.m. ET.
Padres: Robert Suarez has been in trade talks
Robert Suarez is coming off a terrific season where he racked up 36 saves, but there’s a slight risk that the Padres trade him as they try to shed salary. We’ve seen Suarez linked to the Cubs. While this is unlikely to happen before the season, I need to bake in that risk with his ranking.
- Robert Suarez Fantasy Tip: I’m always wary about closers with limited experience, even if they’ve been dominant. There’s no guarantee that Suarez would remain the closer if he joined a different team, especially one with a stacked bullpen. Let Suarez fall past ADP before taking him in your drafts.
Dodgers: Tanner Scott will get the bulk of the save chances
Tanner Scott is expected to get most of the save opportunities for the best team in baseball. Even if the former Marlin gives way to Kirby Yates on rare occasions, that still should be good for 20+ saves with elite ratios on a team that is likely to win 100+ games.
- Tanner Scott Fantasy Tip: Scott was absolutely dominant for the Marlins and Padres last year, putting up a 3.55 SIERA and 28.6 K%. This is one of my favorite closer targets right now, even at the increased price.
Brewers: Trevor Megill has a minor injury issue in spring
Trevor Megill reportedly has some minor health issues that have delayed his start in spring. Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy said that Megill seems fine, but we all know that teams often avoid disclosing injury.
- Trevor Megill Fantasy Tip: With that said, I’m buying the dip on Megill. This has the makings of an elite closer, coming off an impressive season where he put up 21 saves and a 27.3% strikeout rate.
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.
Blue Jays: Jeff Hoffman failed physical with Braves and Orioles
Jeff Hoffman failed physicals with the Braves and Orioles this offseason. However, these are teams with entrenched closers in Raisel Iglesias and Felix Bautista. It’s likely that they were looking at Hoffman as a starter — the former Phillie was rumored to be converting there earlier this winter.
- Jeff Hoffman Fantasy Tip: The Blue Jays were probably fine with Hoffman’s injury concerns because he’d be in a late-inning role, which is less taxing. With that in mind, I’m totally fine targeting Hoffman as one of my closers, fresh off a 2.39 SIERA season.
Rays: Pete Fairbanks struggles to stay healthy
If you’re targeting Pete Fairbanks, I suggest that you make him your third closer. This is a reliever with a ton of injury risk, being limited to 45.1 innings or fewer in each season of his six-year career.
- Pete Fairbanks Fantasy Tip: Add in the fact that Edwin Uceta was terrific in the role last year, and you can see why Fairbanks is a risky play. I’d prefer to just wait until later on in your draft (or keep an eye on the waiver wire) for Uceta.
Diamondbacks: Justin Martinez leads the committee
I was listening to Rates & Barrels — a popular baseball podcast on The Athletic — and Eno Sarris brought up a good point about the Diamondbacks’ closer situation, stating that A.J. Puk is the only dominant lefty in this bullpen. That means that he could be deployed in high-leverage situations outside of the ninth inning.
- Justin Martinez Fantasy Tip: As a righty, that would make it more likely that Justin Martinez would get more of the save opportunities. This is a good reliever in his own right, coming off a year where he racked up eight saves with a 29.5% strikeout rate.
Phillies: Jordan Romano is returning from injury
Jordan Romano dealt with elbow issues last season. While the Phillies were willing to give him a one-year deal worth $8 million, that doesn’t change the fact that Romano is a risky pick this year.
- Jordan Romano Fantasy Tip: It’s also worth noting that the Phillies have Orion Kerkering waiting in the wings. This is a reliever who put up a 2.71 SIERA and a 28.8% strikeout rate in 63 innings last year. I’d rather place my chips on Kerkering if I’m making a bet on a Phillies closer.
Red Sox: Two veterans competing for the job
The Red Sox are having a competition for the closer job. The two likeliest candidates are Liam Hendriks and Aroldis Chapman, with Justin Slaten as more of a longshot (although I think he’s the best of the bunch).
- Liam Hendriks Fantasy Tip: Hendriks and Chapman were both dominant closers at one point. I’m leaning Hendriks as the best bet for saves because Chapman has been more of a setup man in recent years. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in camp.
Rangers: Chris Martin is expected to be the closer
The Rangers signed Chris Martin to a one-year deal this offseason while they let Kirby Yates depart in free agency. The 38-year-old put up an impressive 2.43 SIERA in 44.1 innings last season.
- Chris Martin Fantasy Tip: While Martin has been a setup man throughout his career, he looks like the most suitable choice for the ninth-inning role right now. You can get Martin super late in your drafts.
Rockies: Seth Halvorsen is the most talented arm
You may be thinking — why would I want a Rockies’ closer? My answer to that is just look at Daniel Bard in 2022 when he racked up 34 saves. I’d recommend Seth Halvorsen, who can touch 100 MPH and put up a 28.3% strikeout rate last season.
- Seth Halvorsen Fantasy Tip: While Tyler Kinley has a chance to open the season as closer, I expect talent to win out here sooner rather than later. The best move for this situation is to target Halvorsen or avoid it entirely.
Nationals: Could they sign a familiar face?
Right now, Jorge Lopez looks like the best bet for saves in D.C. But the former Oriole hasn’t been a closer since 2022. Kyle Finnegan — who racked up 66 saves for the Nationals in the last two seasons — is still a free agent.
- Jorge Lopez Fantasy Tip: While the Nationals originally seemed content with letting Finnegan walk, the veteran hasn’t had much of a market in free agency. There’s a chance that Washington can bring him back on a cheap deal. I’d steer clear of this situation for now.
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.
