In this week’s Closer Report, the Diamondbacks lose another closer to the injured list. The Padres send two relievers to the All-Star game. And Raisel Iglesias appears to be getting back on track in Atlanta. There’s much more to cover as we run down the last week in saves.
Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
Tier 1: At the Top
Josh Hader – Houston Astros
Hader has been hurt by home runs of late, with five of his seven allowed on the year coming over the last month. After notching his 25th save against the Dodgers on Saturday, he took the loss on Tuesday, giving up a grand slam in the tenth inning after a scoreless ninth. Still, the 31-year-old left-hander has been the most valuable closer in baseball, posting a 2.38 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and a 63/9 K/BB ratio across 41 2/3 innings to earn his sixth All-Star honors.
Tier 2: The Elite
Andrés Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
Edwin Díaz – New York Mets
Aroldis Chapman – Boston Red Sox
Jhoan Duran – Minnesota Twins
Emmanuel Clase – Cleveland Guardians
Robert Suarez – San Diego Padres
Muñoz, making his second All-Star appearance, is a close second behind Hader. He locked down two saves this week with a pair of clean outings against the Pirates. The 26-year-old right-hander has recorded a spectacular 1.06 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and a 45/13 K/BB ratio over 34 innings.
Díaz, now a three-time All-Star, continues his dominant season with three scoreless outings, picking up a save and a win. The 31-year-old right-hander has allowed just one earned run over his last 24 innings since the start of May. Meanwhile, Chapman extended his scoreless appearance streak to 16 games, striking out two batters against the Nationals on Sunday. The 37-year-old veteran left-hander has been so dominant this season, earning an eighth All-Star selection, that it’s fair to speculate whether the Red Sox should trade him regardless of their standings in the playoff race, given the return they could potentially get.
Duran struck out three batters over two innings and picked up the win against the Rays on Saturday. He was then unavailable to pitch on Tuesday due to an illness before returning Wednesday to lock down his 14th save against the Cubs.
Clase blew a save on Sunday against the Tigers, then bounced back against the Astros on Monday with a clean inning for his 19th save. After pitching in a tie game Tuesday, his third straight day on the mound, he got the day off Wednesday as Paul Sewald stepped in for a save.
Suarez, replacing Chris Sale for his second All-Star selection, picked up two saves this week with a pair of clean outings. The 34-year-old right-hander is up to 26 saves with a 3.72 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 41/12 K/BB ratio across 38 2/3 innings. Setup man Jason Adam joins him on the NL All-Star roster for the first time with a 1.58 ERA over 45 2/3 frames.
Tier 3: The Solid Options
Mason Miller – Athletics
Devin Williams – New York Yankees
Trevor Megill – Milwaukee Brewers
Félix Bautista – Baltimore Orioles
Tanner Scott – Los Angeles Dodgers
Will Vest – Detroit Tigers
Emilio Pagán – Cincinnati Reds
David Bednar – Pittsburgh Pirates
Daniel Palencia – Chicago Cubs
Camilo Doval – San Francisco Giants
Jeff Hoffman – Toronto Blue Jays
Ryan Helsley – St. Louis Cardinals
Carlos Estévez – Kansas City Royals
Pete Fairbanks – Tampa Bay Rays
Kyle Finnegan – Washington Nationals
Kenley Jansen – Los Angeles Angels
Miller didn’t see a save chance this week. He tossed a clean inning with one strikeout in a non-save situation against the Giants on Sunday. In New York, Williams struck out two batters in a perfect inning for his 12th save on Sunday, then converted his 13th with two more strikeouts in a clean frame against the Mariners on Wednesday.
Megill collected three saves and a win this week, with three clean outings against the Marlins and Dodgers. His 21 saves match his season total from 2024 while posting a 2.41 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and a 43/15 K/BB ratio across 33 2/3 innings.
Bautista added a win and a save, then struck out the side in a tie game in the ninth against the Mets on Tuesday. The 30-year-old right-hander is enjoying a strong comeback season, converting 17 saves with a 2.48 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and a 48/20 K/BB ratio across 32 2/3 innings.
The Dodgers converted no saves as the team rides a six-game losing streak. Scott tossed a clean eighth inning with two strikeouts against the White Sox last Thursday, then gave up two runs in the eighth against the Astros on Sunday before blowing a save Wednesday against the Brewers. Meanwhile, Vest picked up two saves, striking out the side against the Rays on Tuesday for his 15th of the season. With Vest getting the day off on Saturday, Tommy Kahnle picked up his ninth save, first since June 4.
Pagán continued his stellar season with another save in a scoreless outing against the Phillies on Friday. The 34-year-old right-hander is up to 19 with a 2.92 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and a 45/12 K/BB ratio across 37 innings. Pagán could also be on trade watch depending on where the Reds are in the standings by the end of the month.
Bednar didn’t get a save chance this week. He made one appearance, striking out the final batter in the eighth inning against the Royals on Monday for his first outing since July 1. It was a similar situation for Palencia, who needed just five pitches in his only outing this week.
Doval gave up a run on two walks and a hit in a non-save situation against the Athletics on Sunday, then worked around a walk to record his 14th save against the Phillies on Monday. But it was top setup man and bullpen breakout Randy Rodriguez who earned All-Star honors with a 0.69 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and a 54/8 K/BB ratio across 39 innings.
Hoffman extends his modest scoreless streak to six games as he continues to recover from a terrible May in which he allowed 15 runs over 10 innings. He converted two saves this week to give him 22 on the year.
Helsley tossed a clean inning with one strikeout for a save against the Cubs on Saturday, then worked around a hit and a walk for his 18th save on Tuesday against the Nationals.
In Kansas City, Estévez gave up a run last Thursday, but held on for a four-out save against the Mariners. He then fell in line for a win against Pittsburgh on Tuesday before picking up his 25th save Wednesday. Meanwhile, Fairbanks recorded five outs to fall in line for a win against the Twins on Sunday for his only appearance this week.
Finnegan made a pair of scoreless appearances in non-save situations. And Jansen has extended his streak to 11 outings without allowing an earned run, picking up a win against the Rangers on Monday and his 16th save on Wednesday.
Tier 4: Here for the Saves
Dylan Lee/Raisel Iglesias – Atlanta Braves
Kevin Ginkel – Arizona Diamondbacks
Matt Strahm/Orion Kerkering – Philadelphia Phillies
Robert Garcia – Texas Rangers
No save chances for Atlanta this week. Lee and Iglesias will presumably continue to work in a committee for saves. Iglesias could work his way into the primary role again, with no runs allowed over his last 9 2/3 innings since giving up three runs on June 5. He’s posted a 14/1 K/BB ratio in that span.
The Diamondbacks lost yet another closer with Shelby Miller hitting the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain. The team had already lost AJ Puk and Justin Martinez to season-ending injuries. Ginkel has hardly been effective this season, posting a 9.00 ERA across 20 innings. But he’s expected to step in for most save chances. He picked up a save on Monday against the Padres with a scoreless inning. Left-hander Kyle Backhus, mentioned in last week’s column, could be someone to watch if Arizona goes to a matchup-based committee.
Jordan Romano hadn’t recorded a save since May 29. He got the save chance Tuesday against the Giants with a two-run lead, but gave up three runs on an inside-the-park home run to blow the opportunity and take the loss. Philadelphia should be a team in the market for a closer at the deadline, much like last season when they acquired Carlos Estévez.
There isn’t much more clarity in Texas. Garcia has not been sharp on the mound and has just one save over the last month. He took a loss Friday against the Padres. Chris Martin also took a loss this week against the Angels, while both Shawn Armstrong and Hoby Milner were charged with blown saves.
Tier 5: Bottom of the Barrel
Calvin Faucher/Ronny Henriquez – Miami Marlins
Seth Halvorsen – Colorado Rockies
Grant Taylor – Chicago White Sox
Relievers On The Rise/Stash Candidates
Braydon Fisher has emerged as an excellent reliever for the Blue Jays and a big part of the team’s recent success. The 24-year-old right-hander made his major league debut this season, posting a 2.30 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and a 36/7 K/BB ratio across 27 1/3 innings. Working his way up the high-leverage ladder, he’s picked up four holds and three wins for Toronto. While Yariel Rodríguez has been effective in a setup role, it could be Fisher in line for saves should Hoffman ever be unavailable. In Pittsburgh, Isaac Mattson has been effective for the Pirates. The 29-year-old right-hander has posted a 1.89 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and a 21/7 K/BB ratio across 19 innings while working his way into high-leverage work. With both David Bednar and Dennis Santana expected to draw trade interest at the deadline, Mattson could be someone to watch for save chances down the stretch.