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
The closers for the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Orioles have all performed as expected to this point and have been locks in fantasy owners’ lineups.
The Rays are notorious for relying on a committee approach in recent years. However, only three pitchers have seen save opportunities for them so far. Pete Fairbanks appears to be the lead arm for the end of games, as he has seen the majority of the team’s save opportunities. The strikeouts haven’t been there, but he has yet to allow a run and has converted all of his save opportunities. Jason Adam has also pitched well, but it seems like Fairbanks is the fantasy arm to roster.
AL Central
This division has been much more volatile. It's no surprise that Emmanuel Clase has been fantastic in Cleveland, but it was expected that Jhoan Duran and Jorge Lopez would share closing duties for the Twins. Duran has seen the majority of save opportunities and has pitched well, so his stock is on the rise while Lopez’s has fallen.
Reynaldo Lopez has been inconsistent for the White Sox but appears to be the go-to interim closer for the team. Fantasy owners should avoid him in all but the deepest of roto leagues given his volatility. The good news is that Liam Hendriks announced last week that he is cancer free.
Five different relievers have seen save opportunities for the Tigers, making it a very murky fantasy situation. Alex Lange and Justin Foley have both pitched well, and while the Tigers may not offer a ton of saves, it does appear that Lange has the edge at this time.
Scott Barlow has pitched poorly for the Royals, converting two of three save opportunities with a massive 8.22 ERA. He may be given a bit of a leash, but Aroldis Chapman is waiting right behind him with a solid 1.00 ERA and 16.00 K/9 rate.
AL West
Things have also gotten off to an interesting start in the AL West. Paul Sewald has done well as the Mariners’ primary closer with Andres Munoz dealing with a right deltoid strain. Matt Brash has also seen a few save opportunities and has huge strikeout upside, but he has yet to convert a save and has yielded poor results overall.
Jose Quijada and Carlos Estevez have emerged as two viable closing options for the Angels and fantasy owners. Quijada has had one awful outing that has skewed his numbers, but both have pitched well overall and are worth rostering in deeper leagues, particularly since the Angels have gotten off to a decent start.
For the Rangers, it looks like Jose Leclerc and Will Smith will be the primary closing options for now. Both have pitched well and have seen two save opportunities, although walks have continued to be an issue for Leclerc. Both have also been viable fantasy closers in the past, so they are worth rostering in deeper leagues at this time.
The A’s have been a mess overall. I would suggest steering clear of the A’s relievers, as none who have seen save situations have pitched well.
The most interesting developments have been in the Astros’ bullpen. Ryan Pressly came into the season as the team’s clear closer and a higher-end fantasy option. However, he has pitched poorly and only has one save while three other players have at least one save. Bryan Abreu leads the team with two saves in three opportunities and has pitched very well. Pressly will likely be granted leeway given his track record and is still the team’s definitive closer, but Abreu is worth keeping an eye on in all leagues.
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NL East
Fortunately, this division has also gone mostly as expected. David Robertson and Adam Ottovino have split saves for the Mets with Edwin Diaz (knee) out with a patellar tendon tear in his right knee. Both are worth rostering in all leagues, with Robertson getting the edge given his history.
A.J. Minter has turned in several poor outings lately, but he's still served as the Braves' primary closer while Raisel Iglesias (shoulder) rehabs from right shoulder inflammation. The good news is that Iglesias could be back in early May, at which time he should take over as the full-time closer.
A.J. Puk has emerged as the Marlins’ primary closer and has pitched quite well. It's encouraging to see him finally emerge as a fantasy option after several years as a prospect. The Marlins may not see a ton of save opportunities, but Puk is worth rostering in roto leagues as long as he maintains the job.
Jose Alvarado has emerged as the save leader for the Phillies early on and has been a huge strikeout asset. Craig Kimbrel started poorly but has served as the team’s second option, converting both of his save opportunities. Right now, Alvarado is the arm to roster for fantasy, but Kimbrel should also end up seeing a decent number of chances.
Finally, the Nationals have stuck with Kyle Finnegan, who has picked up four saves but also has an 8.59 ERA and 12.1-percent strikeout rate. Carl Edwards Jr. would likely be next in line and has pitched well, but fantasy owners should avoid this bullpen if they can.
NL Central
Things have gone as planned for a few teams in this division. David Bednar and the Pirates have been crushing it to start the season, while Ryan Helsley has maintained the primary closer role for the Cardinals.
Three different relievers have seen save situations for the Cubs, and while Michael Fulmer has seen the most at three, none have pitched well. Fantasy owners should let this situation sort itself out before investing heavily in any Cubs’ arms.
Alexis Diaz was given the Reds’ vote of confidence as the closer coming into the season, but four different relievers have seen save opportunities. Ian Gibaut currently has the most save opportunities, but I would stick with Diaz for now given his upside and respectable performance.
The Brewers’ situation looks odd on paper, with five relievers seeing save opportunities and three tied with three. Looking closer, Devin Williams has exclusively pitched in the ninth inning so far, has yet to allow a run, and has picked up two wins in addition to three saves. Bryse Wilson has pitched well out of the bullpen and has two saves of his own, but Williams is still clearly the team’s best option. Fantasy owners should not fret.
NL West
Last but not least, the National League West. Josh Hader has returned to form as an elite fantasy closer, much to fantasy owners’ delight.
The Giants have been slightly weird, with Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers each seeing two save opportunities. However, Doval is the better fantasy option and should see more save opportunities as they arise for the team.
Pierce Johnson has done a decent job serving as interim closer while Daniel Bard is on the injured list with anxiety issues, but hopefully, Bard can return to being the team’s go-to closer now that he is back with the team. He will likely be eased in and his velocity is not where it was, but he has looked solid in his two outings so far.
After Scott McGough failed to make anything of his opportunity with the Rockies, Andrew Chafin has emerged as the primary closer for the Diamondbacks. He has pitched well, converting three of four save opportunities with a 2.89 ERA and 37.8-percent strikeout rate. He's rostered in just 63 percent of leagues right now, so he's available for a surprisingly hot Diamondbacks team.
Five pitchers have seen save opportunities for the Dodgers, with Evan Phillips leading at two. He has converted both and has pitched pretty well. However, Brusdar Graterol has also pitched well late in games. The closer for the Dodgers should be a fantasy asset in theory, but it isn’t yet clear if there is a favorite arm for them. For now, fantasy owners can lean toward Phillips while keeping an eye on Graterol.
