Closers and late-inning relievers are some of the most volatile positions in all of MLB, but saves remain vitally important in many fantasy baseball leagues. A few players have a lock on the position, but many move in and out of the role due to injuries, poor performances, or committees.
Fortunately, relief pitchers don’t necessarily need save opportunities to have fantasy value. Strong middle relievers can hold value in Saves+Holds leagues and Ottoneu formats, but it can be difficult to stay on top of so many moving pieces.
Fortunately, the RotoBaller team is here to help! Fantasy owners can check the Closers Depth Chart for current bullpen hierarchies and up-to-date news. One month into the season, let’s take a look at how the bullpen landscape has shaped up so far.
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Fantasy Baseball Closer Updates
By Connelly Doan
AL East
Things have recently been disrupted in the American League East. Starting with the constants, Jordan Romano has slotted back into the closer’s role for the Blue Jays since returning from the injured list. Jordan Hicks is now the clear No. 2 with Erik Swanson on the IL with thoracic spine inflammation.
Pete Fairbanks has remained the primary closer for the Rays, converting all four save opportunities in August. Jason Adam is the next in line, but he will likely only see sporadic opportunities.
The biggest news has been the Orioles’ Felix Bautista hitting the IL with a right UCL injury. Bautista had been perhaps fantasy’s best closer, so this is a huge blow to both the O’s and fantasy owners. The silver lining is that the O’s have an All-Star reliever in Yennier Cano, who will likely fill the vacant role. He has been excellent this season with a 1.57 ERA and 23.9-percent strikeout rate, so he should be rostered wherever available.
Injury has also plagued the Red Sox. Kenley Jansen has been dealing with right hamstring tightness, although manager Alex Cora said that he is now available to close again. Jansen has been a reliable fantasy option once again this season, so he is the clear arm to roster. Should he miss any more time, Chris Martin, John Schreiber, and Josh Winckowski could all be in the mix. Martin has pitched the best of those three if deep roto-league owners are in search of saves.
Finally, things have overall gone off the rails for the Yankees. The team is currently five games under .500 and have seen just four save opportunities in August. Clay Holmes has seen half of them, converting both with an 8.68 ERA. He is still the arm to roster, but fantasy owners should not expect a ton of fantasy production in general from the Yankees down the stretch.
AL Central
Things changed quite a bit in August in the American League Central, as well. Emmanuel Clase had a solid month for the Guardians, converting six-of-eight save opportunities with a 2.61 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 10.1 innings pitched.
Jhoan Duran also stayed strong for the Twins, converting all six save opportunities with a 2.31 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 11.2 innings. It's worth noting that Griffin Jax did see two save opportunities, although his 8.68 ERA in the month does not instill much confidence even in deep roto leagues.
Alex Lange’s issues have started to catch up to him such that six different Tigers' relievers saw save opportunities in August. Jason Foley led the way, converting all three with a 3.86 ERA. Beau Briske converted both of his with a 2.70 ERA, and Lange converted both of his with a 2.00 ERA. Lange and Foley have seen the most opportunities over the course of the season, so both are worth rostering in roto leagues, with Briske worth a speculative look in deeper leagues.
Things have truly devolved for the Royals since Aroldis Chapman and Scott Barlow got traded. Carlos Hernandez has taken over the closer’s role, converting two-of-three save opportunities with an ugly 8.00 ERA and 1.78 WHIP. Four other relievers have each seen one save opportunity, although none have pitched well this season. Fantasy owners should avoid this bullpen down the stretch if possible.
A similar assessment can be made for the White Sox. Gregory Santos has taken over primary closing duties, converting two-of-four save opportunities in August with a 7.56 ERA. Unlike with the Royals, Santos does have a decent 3.32 ERA and 23.3-percent strikeout rate on the season, so while he doesn’t offer a ton of fantasy upside, he certainly is a safer bet over anyone in the Royals’ bullpen.
AL West
The American League West has seen the least amount of closer movement recently. Ryan Pressly’s August ERA has been a bit high at 4.70, but he has converted three-of-four save opportunities for the Astros and remains one of fantasy’s most reliable closers. Carlos Estevez has been in a similar situation, racking up five saves but posting a bloated 9.90 ERA after a few blowup outings for the Angels.
Trevor May has continued his surprise second half with the Athletics, converting four-of-five save opportunities with a 3.24 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. At this point, May appears primed to provide fantasy value for the rest of the season in all but shallow roto leagues.
While Mariners' manager Scott Servais recently confirmed that the team is using a closer committee approach since trading Paul Sewald, Andres Munoz has been the clear favorite, converting eight-of-10 save opportunities with a 2.08 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 13 innings. Matt Brash has converted three-of-four opportunities with a 4.35 ERA, but he has recently been dealing with arm soreness. Both may offer some fantasy value in roto leagues the rest of the way, but Munoz is the arm to roster in all leagues at this time.
Finally, things have been decidedly disappointing from a fantasy perspective for the Rangers. Will Smith has converted five-of-seven save opportunities, but he has done so with a 10.38 ERA and 1.62 WHIP. Aroldis Chapman has pitched well with 1.50 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 12 innings, but he has blown both of his save opportunities. Both players are worth rostering in roto leagues, and Chapman may end up seeing more opportunities down the stretch.
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NL East
This division has seen some movement while maintaining some stability. Raisel Iglesias has remained strong for the Braves, converting all five save opportunities with a 0.00 ERA in August. Craig Kimbrel has also maintained his role as the primary closer for the Phillies, converting three-of-four save opportunities with a 3.60 ERA. Seranthony Dominguez has converted both of his save opportunities with a 1.04 ERA, but Kimbrel has likely done enough to stick in his role.
Kyle Finnegan has emerged as the primary closer option for the Nationals, converting all nine save opportunities with a 2.13 ERA. He now has 24 saves with a 2.81 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 24.2-percent strikeout rate. He may not be the most exciting option, but Finnegan should be useful in all but shallow leagues for the rest of the season.
Things have not gotten any better for the Mets after trading away David Robertson (stay tuned for him). The scuffling Mets have seen just six save opportunities in August, which were shared by four pitchers. Adam Ottavino has been the best option, converting one-of-two chances with a 2.00 ERA. He and Brooks Raley have pitched well all season and could both see opportunities down the stretch. However, with as poorly as the Mets have played, both players may only offer marginal fantasy value.
Finally, things have shifted several times in the Marlins bullpen. The team brought in David Robertson at the trade deadline in an attempt to solidify the role. However, the veteran only converted three of six save opportunities with an 8.00 ERA and was recently ousted from the position. It appears that Tanner Scott will get the next chance, as he converted his recent save opportunity and has a 2.55 ERA and 34.4-percent strikeout rate on the season. Robertson may eventually get another chance given his career history, but it looks like Scott is worth the speculative add for now.
NL Central
The National League Central has been the most consistent division in August. David Bednar posted an uncharacteristically lackluster 5.56 ERA in the month for the Pirates, but he has converted seven-of-nine save opportunities and remains a higher-end fantasy option. Alexis Diaz has remained a top fantasy option for the Reds, racking up 34 saves with a 2.22 ERA and 33.3-percent strikeout rate. Finally, Devin Williams has really gotten things going for the Brewers and now has 31 saves on the season with a 1.46 ERA and 37.9-percent strikeout rate.
Adbert Alzolay has fully settled in as the primary closer for the Cubs. He has converted all nine of his save opportunities with a 3.86 ERA. With the Cubs in the middle of a push for the playoffs, Alzolay should offer considerable fantasy value in all leagues.
Things have gotten messy for the Cardinals after they traded Jordan Hicks. The team has only seen four save opportunities which were split between Giovanny Gallegos and JoJo Romero. Gallegos has continued his disappointing season with a 14.73 ERA in August, while Romero has looked sharp with a 2.92 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 12.1 innings. While Ryan Helsley is eying a return from the 60-day IL this week, he will likely be eased back into high-leverage situations. At this point, Romero looks like the arm to roster while Helsley gets back into the swing of things.
NL West
Things have settled down in the National League West compared to previous months. The Padres have been disappointing as a team, but Josh Hader has stayed excellent, racking up 28 saves with a 0.79 ERA and a 40.1-percent strikeout rate on the season. Camilo Doval went through a rough patch for the Giants, only converting four-of-eight save opportunities with a 5.40 ERA, but he has converted consecutive saves and remains a higher-end fantasy option.
Evan Phillips has mainly served as a traditional closer for the Dodgers in August, converting all eight of his save opportunities with a 2.89 ERA. Four other pitchers have seen save opportunities, leaving some ambiguity, but Phillips’ fantasy value will continue to rise as long as he continues to be used more frequently than a committee.
The Diamondbacks have finally solved their closer problem after trading for Paul Sewald. Sewald hasn't been quite as good as he was with the Mariners, but he has converted seven-of-nine save opportunities with a 4.66 ERA and will remain a strong fantasy option down the stretch.
Finally, things have gone downhill for the Rockies. Six different relievers have seen save opportunities. Justin Lawrence has led the way with five, although he has only converted two with a 9.39 ERA. None of the relievers have been that inspiring, and fantasy owners will likely want to look elsewhere for closer help.
