Closer Encounters: 2025 Closer Rankings

Welcome to the 2025 fantasy baseball season!

Over the past several months, I've written more than 100 relief pitcher outlooks for the site and have been continuously updating our Closer Grid to prepare for the upcoming season. I'm excited to share these initial closer rankings with you in hopes that you'll reach your save category targets throughout draft season. I've included my personal save projection for each relief pitcher listed, but keep in mind these numbers may differ from the RotoWire save projection seen on our site rankings and player pages.

Step one of my process is forecasting team win and save totals for the 2025 MLB season. First, I aggregated projected 2025 win totals from FanGraphs, one sports book, and Clay Davenport. Then I took the average of each team's save percentage of overall wins from the past three years to project team saves for 2025. It's not a perfect science, but it's what I have done for the past five years or so. Below are the results of this exercise.

Next, I list out probable closer candidates for each team. At the time of this writing, a few notable free-agent closers remain unsigned, including Kenley Jansen, Carlos Estevez, Kyle Finnegan and David Robertson. All four could significantly impact these rankings depending on where they sign and their projected role for that club.

Once I have my initial list of closer candidates by team, I review each player's percentage of team saves from recent seasons. I also consider their history of closing games, the strength of alternate options within each bullpen, leverage index, arbitration and free-agency status, health risk and trade risk before assigning a projected percentage of team saves for 2025. Then I multiply that percentage by the team's total save projection to come up with the player's individual save projection.

That brings me to my initial 2025 closer rankings!

Below the rankings, I've included several of my closer targets and fades for 2025. As always, you are welcome to share your thoughts in the comments section.

2025 Closer Rankings

Unranked relievers whom I have initially projected for 5-plus saves: Jorge Lopez (12), Seth Halvorsen (9), Tyler Kinley (9), Jesus Tinoco (9), Calvin Faucher (9), James Karinchak (8), Justin Slaten (7), Tony Santillan (7), Yuki Matsui (7), Abner Uribe (7), Prelander Berroa (7), Hunter Harvey (6), Jeremiah Estrada (5), Hunter Bigge (5), Jordan Leasure (5).

Upside relievers to monitor this spring, who could make an appearance in my updated rankings within the next month or two: Jeremiah Estrada, Michael Kopech, Tony Santillan, Yuki Matsui, Jose Leclerc, Abner Uribe, Nick Mears, Michel Otanez, Prelander Berroa, Hunter Bigge, Nate Pearson, Craig Yoho, Zach Maxwell, Daysbel Hernandez.

Please note: any ADP data referenced below is based on the past two weeks of NFBC Draft Champions drafts.

TARGETS

Josh Hader, Astros: After spending several years pitching under self-imposed usage rules, Hader was more flexible with his usage after securing a five-year deal with Houston last offseason. In fact, he established a career high with 71 appearances — seven of which were multi-inning affairs — while his 71 innings pitched were his most in a season since 2019. The southpaw tied for fifth in the league with 34 saves, and his 79.1 percent team save share was eighth-highest among closers. Hader permitted 12 home runs (fourth-most among relief pitchers), but he was dominant otherwise. He led all relievers with 105 strikeouts — his fourth time eclipsing the century mark in his career — and his 37.8 percent strikeout rate ranked third. Without usage restrictions, he's one of the safest bets among closers to exceed 100-plus strikeouts again in 2025. In addition, Hader significantly improved his walk rate last season, which correlated with an improved 0.96 WHIP. His eight wins only improved his fantasy value. The veteran is one save away from 200 for his career and is my top-ranked closer for 2025, based on my initial rankings. Since Hader is currently the fifth closer off the board on average (ADP 41), I've been targeting him heavily in my early drafts.

Kirby Yates, Dodgers: Yates thrived in a full-time closing role last season for the first time since 2019, racking up 33 saves (seventh in the majors) in 34 chances for the Rangers. The veteran reliever also posted seven wins alongside elite ratios, pitching to a 1.17 ERA (second among relievers) and 0.83 WHIP (10th) across 61.2 innings. Yates stifled opposing hitters with his low-90s fastball and splitter, allowing a miniscule .111 BAA, the best mark in the league. His .169 BABIP and 88.1 left-on-base percentage (second among relievers) suggests luck was on his side, but Yates' outstanding comeback campaign landed him a tentative agreement with the 2024 World Champions. Yates has plenty of competition for closing duties in Los Angeles, especially after the club recently added Tanner Scott on a multi-year deal. The Dodgers led the league last year with 14 pitchers recording at least one save and have used 10-plus relief pitchers for saves in each of the past four seasons. However, manager Dave Roberts has used a primary closer before, and with Yates in that role, it allows him to be more flexible with Scott, Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips and Michael Kopech. This could certainly blow up in my face, but it's a stance I'm willing to take at this point during draft season.

David Bednar, Pirates: What a difference one year makes. After recording 39 saves and making his second straight All-Star team in 2023, Bednar struggled to a 5.77 ERA and 1.42 WHIP last season. The right-hander had a rough start to the campaign, allowing 14 earned runs in his first 13 outings, nearly matching his full-season total from the year prior. Perhaps he wasn't fully recovered from the lat injury he suffered during spring training, but Bednar eventually settled in, pitching lights out for about a month before succumbing to a strained left oblique in June. Bednar returned a few weeks later, but so did his struggles. By the end of August, Pittsburgh removed him from closing duties and he never regained the role, pitching in low-leverage scenarios for the rest of the season. Pirates GM Ben Cherington recently indicated Bednar could reclaim the closer role in 2025 and I feel his chances of doing so are high, especially with such little competition on the Pirates' current roster. As such, I have him ranked 11th with an optimistic projection of 31 saves. I'm just willing to overlook last year's dreadful performance due to the injuries he was dealing with. With health in 2025, I expect Bednar to perform at his dominant 2021-2023 levels, during which he posted a sub-3.00 ERA each year.

Jason Adam, Padres: Adam was excellent for the third consecutive season, posting top-15 marks among relief pitchers with a career-high 73.2 innings pitched (T-14th), a 1.95 ERA (T-13th), 0.86 WHIP (11th) and 31 holds (seventh). The 33-year-old right-hander was especially sharp after he was traded midseason to San Diego, where he's under team control through 2026. Adam hasn't featured a slider much throughout his career, but threw more than ever in 2024 with great success, generating a remarkably high 57 percent whiff rate; second only to Josh Hader for that pitch type. I consider Adam's chances of getting regular save opportunities with the Padres in 2025 to be very high, especially since oft-injured closer Robert Suarez has been the focus of trade rumors.

Tyler Holton, Tigers: Holton outperformed his expected stats once again last season, but he was still valuable for fantasy purposes. The lefty earned seven wins, eight saves and 14 holds during the 2024 regular season to go along with a pristine 0.76 WHIP that ranked sixth among qualified relievers. Holton's strikeout and whiff rates were below league average, but he limited traffic thanks to a 4.8 percent walk rate (94th percentile). Holton was excellent against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .153 BAA with a sinker-sweeper approach. He also fared better against right-handed bats (.187 BAA), deploying a cutter, changeup and fastball with the occasional curve. With six pitches at his disposal, Holton will be a valuable weapon for the Tigers in 2025, especially since he was their most trusted reliever during last year's playoffs. Holton's versatility — being able to serve as an opener, closer, or work multiple innings — may influence whom Detroit deploys in the ninth inning on any particular day. I currently have the southpaw projected for 11 saves, but I could see him eclipsing 20-plus, especially after Detroit's 2024 saves leader, Jason Foley, only pitched once in seven postseason contests.

Andrew Nardi, Marlins: I believe there is a market inefficiency when it comes to Miami's current closer candidates, Calvin Faucher (ADP 346), Jesus Tinoco (431) and Nardi (732). Can you honestly say Faucher or Tinoco's chances of closing for the Marlins are so much greater than Nardi's that it's worth a 300-plus pick difference in ADP? I have all three currently projected for nine saves apiece, but I'd rather draft the reliever going past pick 700 who has demonstrated better skills.

Matt Brash, Mariners: Brash missed the entire 2024 campaign and is coming off an internal brace procedure on his right elbow last May. However, he's been working out at the team's spring training complex in Arizona and is considered ahead of schedule in his recovery. Brash is targeting a late-April return, and while that might be optimistic, he should quickly return to a high-leverage relief role for Seattle whenever he does make it back from the injured list. The flamethrowing righty is not far removed from a fantasy-friendly stat-line, as he posted nine wins and four saves with a 3.06 ERA and 107:29 K:BB across 70.2 innings in 2023.

FADES

Robert Suarez, Padres: Suarez was outstanding in 2024, racking up nine wins (T-2nd among relievers), 36 saves (fourth in the league) and an 81.8 percent team save share that was sixth-highest among closers. He was named NL Reliever of the Month for May and earned his first All-Star selection. With these remarkable results, you'd figure the 33-year-old would be drafted among the top-five closers the following season, but the 2025 draft market is sharp. Suarez is currently the 11th closer off the board on average with an ADP of 79.5, which aligns with my current ranking of him at 14. The right-hander struggled during the second half of 2024 (4.28 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) and injury concerns remain despite Suarez surprisingly avoiding the IL last season. Suarez is also a trade candidate as San Diego looks to free up payroll, which could result in a different role for him if he changes clubs.

Andres Munoz, Mariners: This is not an indictment of Munoz's skills, which are incredible. It's simply a matter of the market drafting the right-hander a bit higher — he's currently the ninth closer off the board with an ADP of 60.5 — than I'm willing to take him. I'm looking for 30-plus saves from my CL1, but Munoz has yet to record more than 22 saves in a season. His team save share in 2024 was merely 64.7 percent despite the fact that he turned in a healthy season for Seattle. Munoz only dealt with a few minor ailments last year, but I'd still tag him with the injury-prone label, hence my tepid save projection. The Mariners are also expected to welcome the return of Matt Brash to its pen at some point in 2025, which may further limit Munoz's save chances.

Jhoan Duran, Twins: Duran's skills are tantalizing, but he's another "fade" of mine for the same reasons as Munoz. The market is drafting him as the 10th closer on average (ADP 66), but I'm seeking 30-plus saves if I'm going to draft a closer that early. I currently have Duran projected for 24 saves, which is somewhat capped due to Griffin Jax's emergence last year and opting to remain in a relief role for 2025.

Alexis Diaz, Reds: Diaz's performance was rocky at times in 2024, but his stability as the Reds closer was always high. The right-hander finished with 28 saves in 32 chances and a 77.8 percent team save share, both of which ranked ninth in the league. The velocity on his four-seamer (94 mph) dipped for the second consecutive year, but the pitch yielded better results than his slider, which was reflected in its usage (58 percent — a plus-9.5 percent difference from 2023). Diaz's perennially poor walk rate (12.8 percent) and plummeting strikeout rate (22.7 percent) attributed to a higher WHIP (1.30), which may not sit well with new manager Terry Francona. Diaz will likely open 2025 as Cincinnati's closer, but his leash may not be as long as it was under David Bell.

Trevor Megill, Brewers: Megill has emerged as a dependable late-inning reliever when healthy, pitching to a 2.72 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 50:14 K:BB across 46.1 innings during the 2024 regular season. With Devin Williams absent for the first four months of the campaign, Megill got some well-deserved run as the Brewers' closer, ultimately leading the team with 21 saves and a 39.6 percent team save share. The 30-year-old right-hander ceded closing duties back to Williams upon his return but remained a high-leverage fixture for Milwaukee. Megill mixed an upper-90s fastball with a knee-buckling knuckle curve that generated an MLB-best 55 percent whiff rate for that pitch type. While Megill established a new career-high with 48 appearances, he did miss time on the injured list, once for a concussion and once due to a back injury. With the Brewers trading Williams to the Yankees, Megill stands out as the current favorite to close for Milwaukee, but his durability is a concern and his save projection and ranking reflect that. Joel Payamps, Abner Uribe and perhaps Craig Yoho will give Megill competition for closing duties. Both Uribe and Payamps were given the opportunity to close for Milwaukee last season before Megill ultimately took over.

Justin Martinez, Diamondbacks: As the D'Backs' roster currently stands, Martinez is one of the favorites to close games in 2025 after racking up eight of Arizona's 13 saves after August 1. The 23-year-old hurler posted closer-like numbers, including a 29.5 percent strikeout rate, thanks to a devastating splitter (.098 BAA, .122 SLG) that yielded a 54 percent whiff rate, third-highest in the league for that pitch type. He also averaged 100.3 mph on his sinker while inducing groundballs at a 60 percent clip. On the flip side, the flamethrower had trouble throwing strikes, walking 36 over 72.2 innings and inflating his WHIP to 1.31. I'm not disputing Martinez's upside, but it's difficult to project him for 20-plus saves due to the traffic he allows on the base paths. I also think Arizona will add to its bullpen. The team was rumored to be pursuing Kirby Yates before he landed with the Dodgers, and there are currently a handful of free-agent closers still on the market.

Stay tuned to our Closer Grid throughout the offseason for all the latest closer updates.