Welcome to a new series here at RotoWire. Every Monday and Friday, I'll take a look back at the previous series and wrap up everything you need to know about the rapidly changing closer market.
These articles will contain five parts:
- Who Earned Saves This Week/Weekend? A division-by-division look at who picked up saves in the previous series, as well as "true" blown saves and a few quick notes.
- Closers I'm Worried About: A breakdown of a handful of closers whose jobs seem the most tenuous, as well as a look at the setup men who could be about to step up.
- Bullpen Deep Dive: A closer look at a bullpen where everything is even more up in the air than usual, focusing on key stats and usage trends.
- Injury Round-Up: A quick look at any currently injured closers and their progress toward a return to action.
- Closer Grid: A snapshot of the RotoWire Closer Grid, which can also be found here.
Who Earned Saves This Weekend?
| American League East | Saves | "True" Blown Saves* | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | Ryan Helsley 2 (2) | none | |
| Boston | Aroldis Chapman (1) | none | |
| New York | David Bednar 2 (2) | none | |
| Tampa Bay | none | Griffin Jax (1) | Jax's blown save came in extra innings. |
| Toronto | Jeff Hoffman (1) | Jeff Hoffman (1) | See "Closers I'm Worried About" below |
*A pitcher can earn a blown save if he enters in what is technically a save situation prior to the ninth inning and blows the lead. For
Welcome to a new series here at RotoWire. Every Monday and Friday, I'll take a look back at the previous series and wrap up everything you need to know about the rapidly changing closer market.
These articles will contain five parts:
- Who Earned Saves This Week/Weekend? A division-by-division look at who picked up saves in the previous series, as well as "true" blown saves and a few quick notes.
- Closers I'm Worried About: A breakdown of a handful of closers whose jobs seem the most tenuous, as well as a look at the setup men who could be about to step up.
- Bullpen Deep Dive: A closer look at a bullpen where everything is even more up in the air than usual, focusing on key stats and usage trends.
- Injury Round-Up: A quick look at any currently injured closers and their progress toward a return to action.
- Closer Grid: A snapshot of the RotoWire Closer Grid, which can also be found here.
Who Earned Saves This Weekend?
| American League East | Saves | "True" Blown Saves* | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | Ryan Helsley 2 (2) | none | |
| Boston | Aroldis Chapman (1) | none | |
| New York | David Bednar 2 (2) | none | |
| Tampa Bay | none | Griffin Jax (1) | Jax's blown save came in extra innings. |
| Toronto | Jeff Hoffman (1) | Jeff Hoffman (1) | See "Closers I'm Worried About" below |
*A pitcher can earn a blown save if he enters in what is technically a save situation prior to the ninth inning and blows the lead. For fantasy purposes, we don't really care about blown saves where a reliever was clearly being used as a setup man and coughed up the lead. What matters to us is when a reliever was genuinely being given a chance to save the game but blew it. Therefore, for the purposes of this article, I'm only going to report blown saves of that variety.
| American League Central | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | none | Seranthony Dominguez (1) | See "Closers I'm Worried About" below |
| Cleveland | Cade Smith (1), Connor Brogdon (1) | Cade Smith (1) | Brogdon's save came in the 10th inning Saturday after Smith blew the save in the ninth. |
| Detroit | Kenley Jansen (1) | none | Kyle Finnegan pitched the eighth with a three-run lead in front of Jansen. Will Vest pitched the ninth with a six-run lead on Opening Day. |
| Kansas City | Lucas Erceg (1) | Carlos Estevez (1) | See "Closers I'm Worried About" below. |
| Minnesota | Cole Sands (1) | none | Taylor Rogers pitched in the eighth inning down one run on Opening Day. |
| American League West | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | none | Michael Kelly (1), Scott Barlow (1) | Kelly blew the save on Saturday in the ninth inning after getting the final out of the eighth. Barlow blew the save in the same game in the 10th. |
| Houston | Bryan King (1) | none | See "Closers I'm Worried About" below. |
| Los Angeles | Jordan Romano (1) | none | Drew Pomeranz pitched the eighth on Opening Day before Romano got the save in the ninth, but Pomeranz was used against Houston's 3-4-5 hitters, which could mean he's the highest-leverage option and will wind up getting a handful of saves, or it could mean he's just a setup man. Romano also "closed" a game in which the Angels had a four-run lead, though they had just a three-run lead when he started warming up in the top of the ninth. |
| Texas | Tyler Alexander (1) | Chris Martin (1) | Robert Garcia got the first two outs on the ninth inning on Saturday but allowed two baserunners and was replaced by Martin, who blew the save. Tyler Alexander then saved the game in the 10th. |
| Seattle | none | none |
| National League East | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | none | none | Robert Suarez pitched the eighth with a six-run lead on Opening Day. Raisel Iglesias has yet to make an appearance. |
| Miami | Pete Fairbanks 2 (2) | none | |
| New York | none | none | |
| Philadelphia | Jhoan Duran (1) | none | |
| Washington | Clayton Beeter (1) | none |
| National League Central | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | none | none | |
| Cincinnati | Emilio Pagan (1) | Emilio Pagan (1) | Pagan was asked to get a four-out save on Saturday but blew it with two outs in the ninth inning. |
| Milwaukee | Trevor Megill (1) | none | |
| Pittsburgh | Jose Urquidy (1) | Hunter Barco (1) | Barco's blown save came in the 10th inning Saturday after Gregory Soto and Dennis Santana had already pitched. Urquidy's save came in the 10th inning Sunday after Santana had already pitched. |
| St. Louis | Ryne Stanek (1) | Ryne Stanek (1) | See "Bullpen Deep Dive" below. |
| National League West | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | none | none | Paul Sewald recorded the final out of the eighth with his team down one run on Saturday. |
| Colorado | none | Victor Vodnik (1) | |
| Los Angeles | Edwin Diaz (1) | none | |
| San Diego | Mason Miller (1) | none | |
| San Francisco | none | none |
Closers I'm Worried About
Carlos Estevez, Royals: The warning signs were flashing bright red with Estevez throughout spring training, as his velocity was down not just the one or two ticks you often see with veteran pitchers easing into the season but a full six or seven miles per hour. That sort of drop tends to mean a pitcher is dealing with an injury which hasn't yet been reported (or even one that hasn't yet been discovered), but even if this is merely a sudden mechanical issue and Estevez is full healthy, he isn't going to be a trustworthy closer until that velocity returns.
Estevez's fastball velocity did creep back up to 91.3 mph in his season debut Saturday, the hardest he's thrown yet this season, but that's still far below the 96.1 mph he averaged last season. The results were disastrous as well, as he retired just one of the seven batters he faced and allowed six runs, including a game-losing grand slam to Dominic Smith. The Royals need to take Estevez out of the firing line as soon as possible if they have aspirations of making the playoffs this year, and it looks like that might be happening sooner rather than later, with manager Matt Quataro saying, "We're not averse to putting him in a lower leverage situation."
Worry-o-meter: 5 out of 5. Maybe 6 out of 5.
Setup man to stash: Lucas Erceg. Matt Strahm pitched the seventh inning Saturday while Erceg pitched the eighth before Estevez imploded in the ninth. With Estevez unavailable Sunday (nominally because he took a liner off his ankle Saturday), Strahm recorded the last two outs in the seventh, while John Schreiber pitched the eighth and Erceg got the save in the ninth. That pretty clearly indicates that Erceg is the next man up, and it was good to see him regain the tick of velocity that he lost last season. Erceg may have the job already, so pick him up wherever he's available if you need saves.
Bryan Abreu, Astros: With Josh Hader set to miss at least most of April while recovering from biceps tendinitis, Abreu seemed to have a very firm grip on a temporary closer job, with the possibility of winning a permanent grip on the role should Hader's injury issues (which also include a season-ending shoulder strain last August) continue to be a problem. Abreu has been an elite reliever in recent seasons, recording a 2.30 ERA and 34.3 percent strikeout rate from 2022 to 2025, numbers which suggest he could close for most teams around the league.
Through two outings this year, however, Abreu appears to be a different pitcher. He entered the ninth inning Saturday with a five-run lead and was able to close out the victory, but not before giving up three runs. He was given a true save chance with a three-run lead Sunday but was pulled after facing just three batters, walking two and giving up a hard flyout. Making matters particularly concerning is the fact that his fastball velocity, which averaged 97.3 mph last year, dropped to 95.9 mph in his season debut and fell all the way to 93.2 on Sunday. Given that Abreu was only ever a fill-in closer to begin with, the Astros could move on quickly.
Worry-o-meter: 4 out of 5.
Setup man to stash: Probably Bryan King. King was the one who cleaned up Abreu's mess Sunday, and he also got the eighth inning Saturday (albeit with a five-run lead). King had good numbers last year (2.78 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 21.1 K-BB%) and also picked up a pair of saves, so he should have his manager's trust. He is a lefty, though, so if the Astros go with a committee approach, he could be used against opposing lefties in the seventh or eighth inning. Steven Okert (3.01 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 23.6 K-BB% last season) is another candidate, but he's also left-handed. AJ Blubaugh (1.69 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 19.4 K-BB% in 32 innings as a rookie swingman last year) looks like the top right-handed alternative to Abreu, but he's pitched multiple innings in both of his appearances so far this year, and the Astros may prefer to keep him in a multi-inning role.
Jeff Hoffman, Blue Jays: There were whispers throughout the early part of the offseason that the Blue Jays might look to replace Hoffman as their closer, either due to his issues with the long ball — his 15 homers allowed last season were the most among any pitcher with double-digit saves last season, with Tanner Scott a distant second with 11 — or because his velocity dipped late last season.
The Jays declined to bring in a closer, adding premier setup man Tyler Rogers instead, but when Hoffman blew his first save of the year Friday by giving up a solo homer to Shea Langeliers, it was hard not to be at least a little bit worried. It would be wrong to worry too much, though, as Hoffman's velocity has bounced all the way back, and he rebounded to save Sunday's game without issues. He's struck out six of the nine batters he's faced so far this season.
Worry-o-meter: 2 out of 5.
Setup man to stash: Tyler Rogers. In Friday's season opener, Louis Varland pitched the seventh and Rogers pitched the eighth before Hoffman blew the save in the ninth, setting up a pretty clear late-inning hierarchy. Rogers would be an unconventional closer, as the sidearmer combines a very poor strikeout rate (17.7 percent for his career) with an elite walk rate (4.5 percent) and groundball rate (56.8 percent), but he was given a three-year, $37 million deal over the winter and is very clearly the top setup man in the Toronto bullpen. For now, with Hoffman generally pitching well outside of one bad pitch, Rogers is only worth a stash in very deep leagues or if you have nothing better to do with your final bench spot.
Seranthony Dominguez, White Sox: Dominguez saved 16 games for the Phillies as a rookie back in 2018, but that was eight years and one Tommy John surgery ago. In recent years, he's been a capable setup man but little more than that, with a 3.60 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 16.4 K-BB% from 2022 to 2025, averaging six saves a season.That wouldn't be enough for Dominguez to close for many teams, but the White Sox handed him a two-year, $20 million contract this winter and officially named him the closer.
That clear backing from the team should buy him time to work his way through some early struggles, but his performance in his first save chance was nonetheless discouraging. He entered with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning Sunday against the Brewers but couldn't hold onto a three-run lead, allowing all three inherited runners to score as well as two more of his own. Given that Dominguez isn't the most talented reliever in this bullpen, he might not be able to afford many more blow-ups to start the season before the White Sox start to think about a change.
Worry-o-meter: 2 out of 5.
Setup man to stash: Grant Taylor. Taylor's presence is the only reason Dominguez isn't a 1 out of 5 on the worry-o-meter, as veterans with closer experience who have been officially named the closer usually don't have much to worry about. Taylor is a very talented young pitcher who recorded a 24.8 K-BB% in his 36.2-inning debut last year, albeit with a 4.91 ERA and 1.42 WHIP due to an elevated BABIP (.420). Taylor was a starter in the minors, though, and the White Sox want to transition him back into that role next year, so they'd rather use him in a multi-inning role than move him into the ninth inning, which should keep Dominguez safe for now. Jordan Leasure (3.92 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 19.0 K-BB% in 2025) saved seven games last year and could also be a candidate for the ninth inning should Dominguez continue to struggle.
Bullpen Deep Dive
St. Louis Cardinals
| 2025 Stats | ERA | WHIP | SIERA | K% | BB% | K-BB% | Stuff+ | Location+ | gmLI* |
| Matt Svanson | 1.94 | 0.88 | 3.10 | 29.1% | 8.5% | 20.5% | 105 | 103 | 0.83 |
| JoJo Romero (LHP) | 2.07 | 1.25 | 4.10 | 21.6% | 11.4% | 10.2% | 105 | 101 | 1.69 |
| Riley O'Brien | 2.06 | 1.15 | 3.82 | 22.6% | 11.1% | 11.6% | 106 | 102 | 1.21 |
| Ryne Stanek | 5.30 | 1.57 | 4.45 | 22.7% | 12.5% | 10.2% | 108 | 95 | 1.04** |
*gmLI is the average Leverage Index when a pitcher enters the game. 1.0 is average; closers typically sit north of 1.50.
**Stanek pitched for the Mets last season. The other three all pitched for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals offered little clarity about their closer situation all offseason, but NFBC Main Event drafters preferred O'Brien (280 ADP) and Svanson (345) out of this group to Romero (385) and Stanek (449, drafted in just five out of 60 leagues). Nobody in the group has overpowering, closer-like stuff, and only Svanson put up closer-level strikeout numbers, though he wasn't trusted in high-leverage situations. With the Cardinals not projected to win many games this season, it seemed like a situation best avoided.
Through the opening series, it looks like drafters got this one wrong. On Opening Day, Svanson got one out in the sixth inning, Romero got the first two outs of the seventh, O'Brien finished that inning as well as the eighth, while Stanek picked up the save in the ninth inning, holding onto a two-run lead despite walking the bases loaded.
On Saturday, O'Brien got the seventh and Romero the eighth with a two-run lead, while Svanson was given the chance to close out the game in the ninth after the Cardinals extended the lead to four. Svanson allowed three of the five batters he faced to reach base. One of them scored on his watch, while the other two scored after he was replaced by Stanek in what was now a save chance. Stanek allowed a batter of his own to score as well, blowing the save, though he did wind up with the win in extra innings.
Judging by their usage so far, Stanek may be the Cardinals' true closer at the moment, not merely the leader of a committee. O'Brien and Romero are the next men up, with no clear hierarchy between the pair established just yet, while Svanson is at best the fourth option. Given Stanek's poor performance, though, it's hard to feel comfortable about him holding onto the role for now. This is a bullpen best avoided if you can afford to avoid it, though I'd probably rather take a chance on Romero or O'Brien eventually winning the role than hope Stanek can keep the job.
Here are the same stats as above but for each member of the quartet's first two appearances this season:
| 2026 Stats | ERA | WHIP | SIERA | K% | BB% | K-BB% | Stuff+ | Location+ | gmLI* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JoJo Romero (LHP) | 0.00 | 1.20 | 0.05 | 14.0% | 0.0% | 14.3% | 111 | 133 | 1.38 |
| Riley O'Brien | 0.00 | 1.29 | 0.55 | 22.2% | 0.0% | 22.2% | 113 | 110 | 1.96 |
| Ryne Stanek | 3.86 | 2.57 | 5.87 | 25.0% | 25.0% | 0.0% | 108 | 95 | 1.35 |
| Matt Svanson | 54.00 | 6.00 | 7.62 | 0.0% | 11.1% | -11.1% | 99 | 109 | 0.83 |
Injury Round-Up
Carlos Estevez, Royals: As mentioned above, Estevez was struck in the ankle by a line drive Saturday. X-rays were negative, but he was in a walking boot Sunday and is expected to remain unavailable Monday, with a trip to the injured list a possibility. The ankle injury can't be blamed for the decreased velocity he's shown all spring, but it could make for a convenient excuse for the Royals to sideline him for a bit while he tries to get his old stuff back. I would bench him this week even if he's yet to hit the IL when lineups lock.
Josh Hader, Astros: Hader threw a bullpen session Friday as he works his way back from biceps tendinitis. He's expected to face hitters by mid-April, which would put his likely return date in late April or perhaps early May. Bryan Abreu has been used as the replacement closer thus far, but as discussed above, that could be about to change.
Closer Grid
This article will be published every Monday and Friday this season, taking a look back at the previous series' top closer news. For more closer updates, check out the RotoWire Closer Grid, which changes daily. Here's a snapshot of how the grid looks as of Monday afternoon:
*part of a committee
Questions about any of the closers covered above or any relievers you're considering picking up off the waiver wire? Let me know in the comments below.
