As the season winds down, attempting to speculate on bullpen changes is a tough task. Any fluid closer situation is that way for a reason, and there isn’t enough time left to get the clarity needed for fantasy managers. With that in mind, this will be my penultimate article for the season. I will summarize all bullpens to their fullest extent in next week’s finale.
For now, same as last week, I’ll recap the latest in bullpen news, rank all available closers, and note the top risers and fallers in holds leagues along with how I’d manage them.
(stats updated through Saturday, 8/23)
Closer News (by team)
ARI
The Diamondbacks’ lone save this week went to Andrew Saalfrank. The battle for Arizona’s sparing save chances has come down to Saalfrank and Juan Morillo, and will likely be matchup-dependent between the two. Both are near the bottom of my closer rankings this week.
ATH
The A’s continue to play the mix-and-match game in the late innings. No one is particularly worth rostering for saves here, though Sean Newcomb continues to be solid in a relief role. Elvis Alvarado, Justin Sterner, and Tyler Ferguson could each pop up with a save from time to time. Newcomb is the only Athletic that manages to crack my rankings, but this is generally a bullpen to avoid.
BAL
The Orioles’ bullpen is strikingly similar to the A’s for fantasy purposes. There’s one decent lefty with SP eligibility who is the frontrunner (Keegan Akin), and a handful of mediocre arms (Rico Garcia, Dietrich Enns, Corbin Martin) who could vulture saves at random. Akin is worth rostering in very deep leagues out of desperation, particularly where his SP eligibility holds value. If you’re relying on any Oriole for saves, it’ll be a rough go.
CLE
It was a week to forget for Cade Smith, who’s given up a run in three straight appearances, including a dreaded “ing” (an outing without an out) in an ugly blown save on Friday. Smith gets the benefit of the doubt; he’s been excellent since assuming the closer role in Cleveland. It’ll take more than a couple blown saves to see Hunter Gaddis take over.
LAD
Tanner Scott came off the IL on Friday. What this means for the Dodgers’ save chances remains to be seen, as Scott was struggling plenty himself prior to his injury. Still, with no one running away with the role in his absence, Scott figures to be a favorite to regain closing duties. He enters near the middle of my closer rankings this week.
MIA
Anthony Bender hit the IL on Tuesday, ending his season and thinning the Marlins’ closer committee. Calvin Faucher remains the favorite for Miami’s save chances and gets a small boost in value with Bender out of the picture. Faucher is worth a look in deeper roto leagues where available.
NYY
While David Bednar remains the closer in the Bronx, I have to mention the absurd numbers that Devin Williams has put up over the last couple of weeks. Since (again) losing the closer role, Williams has struck out thirteen batters while surrendering just three baserunners across 5.1 innings. He picked up a save in extras on Wednesday after Bednar blew his chance in the ninth. I’m hopeful that the Yankees continue to use Williams in a fireman role where, for whatever reason, he continues to thrive. Williams enters my closer watchlist and is a top-10 RP in holds leagues through season’s end.
SF
It’s been a tough run for Randy Rodríguez, who’s allowed six earned runs across his last seven appearances. He has more losses (4) than saves (3) in that stretch. I can’t say there’s zero cause for alarm here; it’s possible Rodriguez is overworked as he nears the end of his first full MLB season. Still, I’d have to bet on Rodriguez snapping out of this funk, and he only falls a couple spots on my closer rankings for now. Ryan Walker enters the watchlist in case Rodriguez’s downswing persists.
TEX
While Phil Maton rebounded from a rough stretch with a pair of strong outings, it was Shawn Armstrong who picked up the Rangers’ only save this week. Armstrong has had a phenomenal season and is my top SPRP in any league format. While Maton still has the edge for saves, it’s fair to expect a share going forward. Both Maton and Armstrong find themselves in the middle of my closer rankings.
Closer Rankings (<80%-rostered Yahoo)
NOTE: I upped the roster threshold to 80% this week to include more relevant names with recent changes.
- Bryan Abreu – HOU (53%)
- David Bednar – NYY (77%)
- Daniel Palencia – CHC (60%)
- Dennis Santana – PIT (34%)
- Cade Smith – CLE (59%)
- Randy Rodríguez – SF (44%)
- Jose A. Ferrer – WAS (16%)
- Kenley Jansen – LAA (79%)
- Emilio Pagán – CIN (75%)
- Tanner Scott – LAD (79%)
- Phil Maton – TEX (13%)
- Will Vest – DET (55%)
- Kyle Finnegan – DET (77%)
- Victor Vodnik – COL (19%)
- Riley O’Brien – STL (9%)
- JoJo Romero – STL (24%)
- Shawn Armstrong – TEX (8%)
- Calvin Faucher – MIA (22%)
- Justin Topa – MIN (5%)
- Andrew Saalfrank – ARI (1%)
- Keegan Akin – BAL (8%)
- Sean Newcomb – ATH (4%)
- Juan Morillo – ARI (<1%)
The Watchlist: Devin Williams (NYY), Ryan Walker (SF), Tony Santillan (CIN), Hunter Gaddis (CLE)
Holds – Risers
Steven Okert – HOU (2%)
Steven Okert has made multiple appearances in this column, and for good reason. Okert has quietly been one of the league’s best relievers all season; look no further than his blindingly-red Baseball Savant page if you need proof. Nonetheless, rostering Okert has been difficult for fantasy managers, as the counting stats – a mere two wins and seven holds – haven’t matched the ratios. Now, with closer Josh Hader and top setup man Bennett Sousa landing on the IL, Okert should see usage befitting his skillset. He makes for a top-20 RP in holds leagues, ranking among or even ahead of quality arms like Brendon Little, Matt Brash, and Dylan Lee.
Bryan Baker – TB (1%)
It’s been a volatile season for Bryan Baker, to say the least. After emerging as the Orioles’ best reliever, Baker was traded to the Rays on July 10th. What followed was nothing less than disastrous, as Baker put up a 10.80 ERA through the rest of July with his new team. Since the calendar turned to August, however, Baker has regained his footing. His nine appearances have been good for three holds, with a 2.00 ERA and 12:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Despite the preceding rough patch, Baker’s season-long numbers still show a guy with a 32.4% strikeout rate and 1.07 WHIP. While being available in 99% of leagues, Baker is a top-30 RP for holds and a worthy replacement for bigger names like Ryan Helsley, Camilo Doval, and Tyler Rogers.
Caleb Thielbar – CHC (4%)
No matter how many times I’ve recommended Caleb Thielbar here, it’s not enough. Thielbar is simply the best setup man – among a few good ones – on one of the league’s best teams in the Cubs. His last month has been good for six holds and a win, with a 2.00 ERA and 10:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. I would gladly take Thielbar over more heavily-rostered RPs such as Lucas Erceg, Orion Kerkering, and Blake Treinen. On this list, Baker and Thielbar are similar in value, both falling in the top-30 range.
Holds – Fallers
Griffin Jax – TB (19%)
I have no clue what to make of Griffin Jax and his continued struggles. In the last month, Jax has surrendered 14 hits and 10 earned runs across 9.1 innings, including yet another clunker on Friday against the Cardinals. Nonetheless, everything under the hood continues to look phenomenal for Jax, who boasts chase and whiff rates (38.6% and 37.6%) among the best in the league. His strikeout and walk rates (35.2% and 6.4%) closely match those from 2024, a season where he was arguably baseball’s best reliever. Despite all that, he just keeps getting hit, with a .313 wOBA allowed and atrocious 46.3% hard-hit rate.
If that seems like a lotta numbers, it’s because I really am throwing everything at the wall here. I still see Jax as a top-20ish holds league pitcher, and would only drop him for the likes of Garrett Cleavinger, Gabe Speier, and Edwin Uceta among those with any reasonable chance of being available in your league.
Tyler Rogers – NYM (19%)
A guy who’s always defied the typical RP look, Tyler Rogers makes up for his meager strikeout rate (17.4%) with world-class control (2.1% walk rate) and batted-ball metrics (63.2% groundball rate, .246 wOBA allowed). Despite his lengthy track record, Rogers is the sort of pitcher I tend to sour on quickly when things go bad. And while hardly catastrophic, Rogers’ numbers of late are more than concerning. His WHIP over the last month is 1.57, with 22 hits allowed against only seven strikeouts over 14.2 innings.
While you should be able to depend on Rogers as a source of holds, I can’t see rostering him over those with a more reliable profile like Pierce Johnson, Erik Sabrowski, and even teammate Gregory Soto. Rogers is no more than a fringe top-40 RP.
Reed Garrett – NYM (8%)
Reed Garrett makes for the third Met on the wrong side of this list in the last two weeks. In his last five appearances, Garrett has surrendered eight earned runs as he’s now nearly a month removed from his last hold. Garrett’s always been the volatile sort, and his walk rate (11.6% across the last two seasons) makes him particularly blowup-prone. It’s hard to see Garrett as more than a borderline top-50 RP for holds leagues, and I would happily drop him for anyone above him on this list, along with other less-rostered RPs like Danny Coulombe, Brad Keller, and Isaac Mattson.
