Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings & Grid

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.

Read on for more fantasy baseball closer tips.

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Fantasy Baseball Closer Report

Here are some important closer tidbits from the first week of the fantasy baseball season as we head into Sunday’s action:

Blown Saves

• Alexis Diaz (0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K) blew the save vs the Nationals.
• Ryan Helsley (1.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) had a blown save vs the Dodgers.
• Adbert Alzolay (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K) squandered the lead vs the Rangers.

Relief Appearances

• Camilo Doval (0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K) got hit hard in a non-save situation.
• Jose Leclerc (1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K) gave the Cubs the lead in a shaky outing.
• Jose Alvarado (0.2 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K) came on in the seventh inning.
• Will Smith (1.0 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K) was rocked in a 1-1 game in the ninth inning.

Successful Saves

• Robert Suarez (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K) survived the ninth for his second save.
• Evan Phillips (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K) worked a clean ninth for his second save.
• Clay Holmes (2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K) got two saves (first was shaky, second was clean).

Save Specs News

• Dany Jimenez pitched in the fourth inning, while Mason Miller came on in the ninth.
• Kirby Yates came on in the eighth before Leclerc — Josh Sborz worked in the seventh.

Fantasy Baseball Closer News

Now, on to the latest news in saves, which are all current as of Sunday, Mar. 31 at noon ET.

Brewers: Abner Uribe is leading the way

Abner Uribe (2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) got two saves this week. The first appearance was clean, but he allowed one run on March 30. Trevor Megill was used in the seventh in both games, while Joel Payamps came on in the eighth in the first game.

• Abner Uribe Fantasy Tip: We’ve now got a clear hierarchy that has taken shape in Milwaukee. I’ll be a bit conservative in ranking Uribe at RP18, but I understand if you’re more bullish. If Uribe is still available, pick him up immediately.

Rockies: Justin Lawrence was announced as closer

Rockies manager Bud Black announced that Justin Lawrence will be the team’s closer this season. This was confirmed when we saw Tyler Kinley work in the eighth and Lawrence in the ninth with the Rockies holding a 9-4 lead on March 30.

• Justin Lawrence Fantasy Tip: The Rockies are a bad team, but closers can still rack up saves in these situations. This makes Lawrence a worthy pickup if you’re in need of saves. I landed on RP25 because at least we know that Lawrence will get the next opportunity.

Twins: Looks like a committee in Minnesota

Griffin Jax got the save with Brock Stewart working the eighth on March 28, but their usage flipped in the next game. Jax got the win after coming on in a 1-1 game to face the Royals top three hitters. Stewart got it done in the ninth with the Twins up 5-1.

• Griffin Jax Fantasy Tip: Expect Jax to lead the Twins in saves with Jhoan Duran out. However, there are going to be times when Jax works in the eighth if the top of the order is coming up, which limits his fantasy upside.

Prepare for your fantasy MLB drafts with more tips

• Keep up with our Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings.
• See who our experts are targeting among Fantasy Baseball Sleepers.

Tigers: The Tigers are going with a committee

Jason Foley looked dominant on March 28, striking out two White Sox to secure a 1-0 win on Opening Day. Alex Lange came on in the seventh in a 6-6 game on March 30. Shelby Miller worked two innings to secure the save in that matchup.

• Jason Foley Fantasy Tip: It’s interesting that the Tigers didn’t use Foley on March 30, especially with Miller going two innings. While I still prefer Foley here, we need to bake in some risk that this is a full-blown committee.

White Sox: The White Sox situation is unclear

There’s an unclear hierarchy in Chicago right now. Michael Kopech pitched in the eighth with the White Sox down 1-0 on March 28. Jordan Leasure worked in the sixth on March 30, while John Brebbia came on in the ninth in that same game.

• Michael Kopech Fantasy Tip: Kopech remains the best bet in this group. The converted starter has the stuff required to be a successful closer. The fact that Leasure came on so early on March 30 makes me hopeful that Kopech will ascend these ranks in short order.

Blue Jays: Interesting bullpen usage in Toronto

The bullpen usage in Toronto has been interesting. We’ve seen Tim Mayza come on in the eighth and ninth in his two appearances. Meanwhile, Yimi Garcia worked in the sixth in a game where the Blue Jays were down 3-0. Chad Green hasn’t gotten a relief appearance yet.

Chad Green Fantasy Tip: The Blue Jays haven’t had a save opportunity, so the fact that Green hasn’t been used makes me think that he’s most likely to get the first crack. Having said that, Jordan Romano is likely to return sooner rather than later.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups

Here’s how I’d rank the potential waiver wire pickups for this week:

Closers

1. Abner Uribe
2. Kevin Ginkel
3. Justin Lawrence
4. Griffin Jax
5. Jason Foley
6. Michael Kopech
7. Chad Green

Relievers

1. Shelby Miller
2. Jeff Hoffman
3. Brock Stewart
4. Hector Neris
5. Kirby Yates
6. John Brebbia
7. Tim Mayza

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.