In this week's Closer Report, Jordan Romano is taking a step back from high-leverage work. In Seattle, Andrés Muñoz has the makings of an elite closer as he joins the top tier with a dominant start to the season. Emmanuel Clase picks up his first start amid some early-season struggles. And Randy Rodríguez is becoming a name to watch and this week's top middle reliever on the rise.
Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
Tier 1: At the Top
Mason Miller - Athletics
Josh Hader - Houston Astros
Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners
Miller recorded back-to-back saves in Colorado, tossing a pair of scoreless innings for his second and third saves of the season. The 26-year-old right-hander has been outstanding, striking out eight batters with just one walk and two hits allowed over four innings of work.
Since giving up a run on Opening Day, Hader has allowed one baserunner through six innings. He worked a pair of two-inning outings, collecting seven strikeouts while picking up a win on Sunday against the Twins.
Joining the top tier is Muñoz. The 26-year-old right-hander is pitching as well as anyone in the early going. He made three scoreless appearances this week, picking up his fourth save, and is up to nine strikeouts over six frames.
Tier 2: The Elite
Devin Williams - New York Yankees
Emmanuel Clase - Cleveland Guardians
Robert Suarez - San Diego Padres
Ryan Helsley - St. Louis Cardinals
Edwin Díaz - New York Mets
Raisel Iglesias - Atlanta Braves
Williams hasn't been at his best early on. He returned from the paternity list on Friday and tossed a scoreless inning before taking the loss in extra innings against the Pirates on Sunday. He then struggled in an appearance Wednesday, giving up three runs and recording two outs against the Tigers before Mark Leiter Jr. entered for the final out to record the save.
Clase joins Williams as they come down a tier. The 27-year-old right-hander surrendered two runs in a non-save situation on Friday before recovering with two strikeouts in a scoreless innings against the White Sox on Tuesday for the win. He then gave up a run Wednesday but held on to convert his first save of the season. Clase has now given up four runs over six innings and is looking far from his dominant self.
It seems there's nothing to Suarez's second-half struggles from last season. The 34-year-old right-hander has been lights out, working six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. He's yet to allow a hit while walking just two batters. Suarez locked down three saves in four days this week and leads baseball with six.
Helsley was charged with a blown save on Sunday against the Red Sox as he struggled with control, giving up two runs and walking four batters. The 30-year-old right-hander has been otherwise excellent, striking out nine batters over five frames.
Díaz struck out the side to fall in line for the win against the Blue Jays on Saturday before working a scoreless inning Sunday for his second save. The 31-year-old right-hander got the ninth inning down by two against the Marlins on Wednesday and surrendered three runs in the non-save situation. He had tossed four scoreless innings with six strikeouts before Wednesday's trouble. In Atlanta, Iglesias got on the board with his first save of the season, working around a walk in a scoreless inning against the Phillies on Tuesday. He then took the loss Wednesday after giving up a solo homer before striking out the side.
Tier 3: The Solid Options
Jeff Hoffman - Toronto Blue Jays
Ryan Walker - San Francisco Giants
Jhoan Duran - Minnesota Twins
Tanner Scott - Los Angeles Dodgers
Félix Bautista - Baltimore Orioles
Hoffman entered Saturday's game against the Mets in a tie with runners on the corners and one out in the bottom of the ninth. He tossed one pitch as the Mets walked it off on a sacrifice fly. The 32-year-old right-hander then worked a scoreless frame with one strikeout in a non-save situation against the Red Sox on Monday and fell in line for a win with two innings of work on Wednesday.
Walker recorded a save against the Mariners on Saturday, then pitched a clean inning against the Reds on Wednesday with the game tied in the ninth. He's converted three saves with five strikeouts and one run allowed over six innings.
Rocco Baldelli's shenanigans in the ninth inning never stop. Presumed closer Duran has now worked the eighth inning in three of his five appearances. He recorded a hold on Sunday against the Astros, pitching a clean inning against the 8-9-1 batters in the order. Griffin Jax got the save chance in the ninth and blew the lead. Duran is still the likeliest to get the majority of save chances in Minnesota, but recent usage tells us not to expect a 30-save season for the 27-year-old right-hander. If not for the Twins scoring one more run in the ninth on Wednesday, he'd have gotten the save. Instead, he pitched a scoreless inning with a four-run lead.
There's a similar situation in Los Angeles. Scott picked up his third save Saturday against the Phillies, then pitched the seventh inning against the top of the Nationals' lineup on Wednesday. Blake Treinen got the ninth and converted his second save.
The Orioles bullpen is still searching for their first save. Bautista made one appearance this week, tossing a clean inning against the Diamondbacks on Monday. The 29-year-old right-hander has allowed two runs with a 3/3 K/BB ratio over three innings. A slower start could be expected coming off Tommy John surgery.
Tier 4: Only Here for the Saves
Pete Fairbanks - Tampa Bay Rays
Trevor Megill - Milwaukee Brewers
Kenley Jansen - Los Angeles Angels
Aroldis Chapman - Boston Red Sox
Justin Martinez/A.J. Puk - Arizona Diamondbacks
Jose Alvarado/Orion Kerkering - Philadelphia Phillies
Kyle Finnegan - Washington Nationals
Carlos Estévez - Kansas City Royals
Luke Jackson - Texas Rangers
Ryan Pressly - Chicago Cubs
Fairbanks took the loss on Tuesday, giving up a run with the game tied in the top of the ninth against the Angels. The 31-year-old right-hander bounced back on Wednesday with a scoreless inning to record his second save. He's looked great as he's collected seven strikeouts while generating the swing-and-miss that was missing last season. In Milwaukee, Megill is also flashing encouraging stuff in a limited sample. He picked up his first save on Friday and has struck out six batters over 3 1/3 scoreless innings of work.
Jansen has locked things down with the Angels. He struck out two to record his third save of the season against the Rays on Tuesday. The 37-year-old right-hander has fired five scoreless frames with six strikeouts in the early going. Meanwhile, Chapman worked a pair of scoreless outings to convert his second save and pick up a win in Boston.
It's Martinez's week in Arizona. After Puk recorded two saves last week, Martinez was called on to close things out against the Nationals and Orioles for his first two saves of the season.
Jordan Romano will officially take a step back from high-leverage work with seven runs allowed over four innings so far. Alvarado picked up his second save on Sunday against the Dodgers. He'll likely be joined by Kerkering in a matchup-based committee. However, Alvarado has shown the best skills in the bullpen, striking out ten batters over five innings, and figures to get most ninth-inning opportunities as things stand.
Finnegan had a busy week on the mound, converting saves on three straight days including a five-out save against the Dodgers on Monday. The 33-year-old right-hander has allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings with a 5/4 K/BB ratio.
In Kansas City, Estévez picked up saves on back-to-back days, giving him three on the season. Meanwhile, Lucas Erceg continues to be thrown into high-leverage situations. He's been solid behind Estévez, pitching 5 1/3 scoreless innings in the early going.
Jackson further solidified his role as the Rangers' closer with two more saves this week. He's already up to five saves on the year and has not allowed a run over his last six appearances since giving up three on Opening Day.
Pressly continues to just get by. The 36-year-old right-hander picked up a save against the Padres on Friday before taking the loss Sunday. He's struck out just two batters with six walks and 11 hits allowed over seven frames. Despite giving up a run in each of his last two outings, Porter Hodge has been the better pitcher and should be ready to take over the ninth-inning role at some point if Pressly's skills don't see an improvement.
Tier 5: Bottom of the Barrel
Dennis Santana - Pittsburgh Pirates
Seth Halvorsen - Colorado Rockies
Beau Brieske/Tommy Kahnle/Tyler Holton - Detroit Tigers
Emilio Pagan/Tony Santillan - Cincinnati Reds
Anthony Bender - Miami Marlins
Mike Clevinger/Fraser Ellard/Jordan Leasure - Chicago White Sox
Santana has yet to see a save chance since the Pirates optioned David Bednar. He pitched the eighth inning against the Yankees on Sunday with Ryan Borucki getting the ninth against a left-handed heavy part of the lineup. Still, all signs point to Santana being the closer in Pittsburgh. He pitched the ninth and tenth innings with the game tied against the Cardinals on Wednesday.
Halvorsen had been enjoying a solid early start to the season until a six-run blowup against the Brewers on Wednesday as he got work in during a non-save situation. It's just the risk you run when rostering a Rockies pitcher.
Brant Hurter now leads the Tigers in saves with two after his second three-inning save on Tuesday against the Yankees. But Kahnle was used in a traditional closer spot. With Detroit up by four runs on Monday against New York, he struck out two in a clean inning.
Hunter Greene ran out of gas one out short of a complete game against the Giants on Monday. With two runners on and two outs, Santillan was summoned to record the final out for the save. Pagan then got the ninth inning on Tuesday in a more traditional save chance. Santillan should continue to see usage in the most high-leverage situations.
The Marlins didn't see a save chance this week. Bender pitched a scoreless ninth inning with a four-run lead against the Braves on Saturday, then recorded a hold Wednesday pitching the seventh and eighth against the Mets. Lake Bachar pitched the ninth with a five-run lead after Miami scored three runs in the top of the inning. He appears to have jumped Calvin Faucher in the bullpen hierarchy. Meanwhile, there hasn't been anything to gain from rostering a White Sox reliever as all of Clevinger, Ellard, and Leasure either blew a save or took a loss this week.
Relievers On The Rise/Stash Candidates
There appears to be a middle reliever on the rise in San Francisco. Randy Rodríguez has been incredible for the Giants in the early going, emerging as an excellent high-leverage option that seems to gain manager Bob Melvin's trust with every outing. The 25-year-old right-hander has pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings with ten strikeouts and zero walks. Rodriguez had underwhelming results in 2024, producing a 4.30 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 53 strikeouts across 52 1/3 innings. However, his 3.19 xERA and 3.34 FIP suggested he pitched better than the surface stats indicate. This season, he's shown improved control while narrowing his pitch mix to a fastball that can touch 100 paired with a wipeout slider that is generating plenty of swing-and-miss. While Camilo Doval has operated as the next-in-line to close, his struggles with consistency could open the door for Rodríguez to make his way into setup duties if he continues on this track. And there's future closer stuff in that arm.
Though they don't have the same eclectic high-velocity stuff as Rodríguez, Justin Sterner and Bryan King are two more relievers on the rise with their respective teams. Sterner was claimed by the Athletics off waivers from the Rays in November. The move is paying off early as Sterner has pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts and is already working his way into late-inning work behind Mason Miller. Meanwhile, King is off to a good start with the Astros. The 28-year-old left-hander has struck out nine batters over 5 2/3 scoreless frames. He recorded a 2.39 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts over 26 1/3 innings for Houston in 2024.
