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 Week?
| American League East | Saves | "True" Blown Saves* | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | Rico Garcia (2) | none | |
| Boston | Aroldis Chapman (7) | none | |
| New York | David Bednar (10) | none | Bednar was asked to get a five-out save Tuesday and got the job done despite allowing a run. |
| Tampa Bay | Bryan Baker (9), Cole Sulser (2), Ian Seymour (1) | none | Baker was probably unavailable for Sulser's save Tuesday, having pitched on back-to-back days. Baker was available for Seymour's save Wednesday, however, and in fact pitched in |
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 Week?
| American League East | Saves | "True" Blown Saves* | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | Rico Garcia (2) | none | |
| Boston | Aroldis Chapman (7) | none | |
| New York | David Bednar (10) | none | Bednar was asked to get a five-out save Tuesday and got the job done despite allowing a run. |
| Tampa Bay | Bryan Baker (9), Cole Sulser (2), Ian Seymour (1) | none | Baker was probably unavailable for Sulser's save Tuesday, having pitched on back-to-back days. Baker was available for Seymour's save Wednesday, however, and in fact pitched in the eighth inning. Perhaps the Rays considered Jesus Sanchez-George Springer-Kazuma Okamoto (who Baker faced in the eighth) to be a tougher pocket of the lineup than Vladimir Guerrero Jr.-Daulton Varsho-Ernie Clement. |
| Toronto | none | none |
*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 | none | |
| Cleveland | Cade Smith 2 (10) | none | |
| Detroit | none | none | |
| Kansas City | Lucas Erceg (10) | none | With Carlos Estevez now diagnosed with a rotator cuff strain, Erceg's job looks safe for the foreseeable future. |
| Minnesota | none | none |
| American League West | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | none | none | Jack Perkins entered the seventh inning with a one-run lead Wednesday and stuck around for the eighth, where he allowed four runs (two earned) while recording just one out. He may still be the top option for saves in this bullpen but is probably more accurately described as the team's top high-leverage arm than a true closer. |
| Houston | Bryan King (3) | none | King's save Tuesday saw him record six outs against the Dodgers. He gave up one run on three hits but held on for the win. |
| Los Angeles | Ryan Zeferjahn (1) | none | Zeferjahn picked up the Angels' first save in nearly a month Tuesday. He loaded the bases on two walks and a hit by pitch but held on for the save. |
| Seattle | Andres Munoz (7), Jose Ferrer (2) | none | See "Closers I'm Worried About" below. |
| Texas | none | none |
| National League East | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | Raisel Iglesias (6) | none | Iglesias stepped right back into the closer role upon his return from the injured list Tuesday, with Robert Suarez pitching the eighth inning. |
| Miami | none | none | |
| New York | Devin Williams 2 (5) | none | After a rocky start to the season, Williams has now made five straight scoreless appearances, striking out seven while allowing just one hit and no walks. |
| Philadelphia | Brad Keller 2 (3) | none | Jhoan Duran was likely unavailable for Keller's two save chances. He was still on the injured list Monday, and he pitched Tuesday, so the Phillies may not have wanted him to pitch on back-to-back days right after returning when another save chance arrived Wednesday. |
| Washington | Gus Varland (4) | none |
| National League Central | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | Daniel Palencia (2) | Hoby Milner (2) | Daniel Palencia probably wasn't available for Milner's save chance Wednesday. He'd pitched the day before, and the Cubs probably didn't want him pitching on back-to-back days right after returning from the injured list. |
| Cincinnati | none | Emilio Pagan (3), Graham Ashcraft (2) | See "Bullpen Deep Dive" below. |
| Milwaukee | none | none | |
| Pittsburgh | Gregory Soto 2 (3) | none | See "Closers I'm Worried About" below. |
| St. Louis | Riley O'Brien 2 (11) | none |
| National League West | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | none | none | |
| Colorado | none | none | |
| Los Angeles | none | none | |
| San Diego | none | none | |
| San Francisco | Caleb Kilian (1) | none | See "Closers I'm Worried About" below. |
Closers I'm Worried About
Ryan Walker, Giants: I featured Walker in Monday's article despite the disclaimer that he hadn't been a true closer for a while, noting that he was probably at risk of losing his role as a committee leader as well. Just hours later, the Giants generated a save chance, and it went to Caleb Kilian, not Walker. Walker was presumably available to pitch that day, as he threw 14 pitches Sunday but none on Friday or Saturday, but he didn't make an appearance, with Keaton Winn pitching the eighth inning before Kilian pitched the ninth.
Walker does still lead the Giants with three saves, but at this point, I don't think I'd bet on him recording many more this season. He hasn't saved a game since April 22, and his only appearance during this week's series against the Padres saw him enter the eighth inning with a two-run deficit Wednesday and proceed to give up two runs.
Walker simply hasn't pitched like a closer this season. His 5.52 ERA and 1.70 WHIP should put him closer to being DFA'd than returning to high-leverage, and his 19.1 percent strikeout rate and 13.2 percent walk rate are just as poor. Walker didn't pitch like a closer last year, either, with a 4.11 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, and his 1.91 ERA and 0.85 WHIP back in 2024 simply aren't relevant any more. There's little reason to hold onto him in any format at this point.
Worry-o-meter: 5 out of 5
Setup man to stash: Caleb Kilian got the save Monday, so he remains the top name to add at this point. Kilian's 1.13 ERA is excellent, and his 28.1 percent strikeout rate is quite good, though he does have some control problems, as seen in his 12.5 percent walk rate. His 104 Stuff+ probably fits better on a setup man than a closer, but it looks good next to his 104 Location+.
Keaton Winn has a 2.93 ERA and 0.85 WHIP and a marginally better 105 Stuff+ and 105 Location+, so he could find himself in the ninth inning occasionally if this remains a committee, but he has zero strikeouts in his last five appearances and now has just a 22.8 percent strikeout rate, far from closer material. Erik Miller is expected to return in just over a week after hitting the injured list with a lower-back strain, and he should factor into the mix as well once healthy, as he's second on the team with two saves. And don't count out Joel Peguero and his 100-mph heat. He missed the first month-plus with a hamstring strain but has since returned to make a pair of scoreless appearances.
Dennis Santana, Pirates: Similar to Walker, it probably hasn't been correct to call Santana a true closer for some time now, and he seems to be losing hold of even the "committee leader" label. The Pirates recorded two saves this past series against the Diamondbacks, and Santana didn't get either of them despite likely being available for both.
Santana was likely available for Gregory Soto's save Wednesday, as he'd thrown 15 pitches the day before but hadn't pitched for five days prior to that. The decision to go to Soto may have been due to the handedness of the batters due up (one lefty and two switch hitters), though both of the switch hitters (Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte) have fared better against lefties than righties. Santana then pitched the seventh inning prior to Soto's save Thursday, which seems to indicate that Soto has simply moved ahead of Santana on the closer depth chart.
The simple truth here is that Santana hasn't pitched like a closer this season, and we probably shouldn't expect him to. His 3.78 ERA isn't great, but it could be a whole lot worse according to his 5.70 xFIP and 5.44 SIERA. Both his 14.3 percent strikeout rate and 12.9 percent walk rate are very poor. Even last season, when he had 16 saves and a 2.18 ERA, it came with a 4.17 xFIP and just a 232.2 percent strikeout rate. Santana will probably continue to see the occasional save chance if this remains a committee in Pittsburgh, but he shouldn't be considered the top option at this point and doesn't deserve to be.
Worry-o-meter: 5 out of 5
Setup man to stash: Gregory Soto, though it's wrong to consider him a "setup man" at this point. He's at worst the committee leader. After saving a pair of games this week, he now leads the Pirates in saves with three, and he leads the team in leverage index as well. His numbers this year are excellent, as he owns 1.42 ERA and 0.68 WHIP while striking out 35.7 percent of opposing batters. His 10.0 percent walk rate isn't great, but it's far from terrible. Control problems and inconsistency have plagued him throughout his career, and he could pitch his way back to a lower-leverage role at some point, but when he's pitching like this, it's hard to give the ball to anyone else in the ninth inning.
Andres Munoz, Mariners: Concern levels are much lower for Munoz than they were for the first two pitchers on this list, but it would be wrong to not be at least a little worried about how his season has played out. The save chance which went to Jose Ferrer on Wednesday isn't a concern, as Munoz had pitched on back-to-back days, and I don't think a change is imminent, but we're now six weeks into the season and Munoz has a 6.00 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.
Munoz can probably blame a .355 BABIP and a 59.5 percent left on base rate for some of his struggles, as his 2.34 xFIP and 2.34 SIERA are both very good. He also owns an outstanding 37.9 percent strikeout rate, which should be enough to offset his 10.6 percent walk rate. Things are trending in the wrong direction recently, though, as he's allowed runs in two of his last three outings and has only retired the side in order in two of his last eight outings.
A potential cause for concern is that Munoz's fastball has dropped from 98.5 mph to 97.4 over his last five outings, while his slider has fallen from 87.0 mph to 85.7 over that same stretch. He's seen a drop in Stuff+, as well, which sits at 109 over his last five outings after coming in at 114 over his first 11. Nothing here is badly broken, but he's trending in the wrong direction of late, which could eventually cause the Mariners to make a change.
Worry-o-meter: 2 out of 5
Setup man to stash: Jose Ferrer picked up the save when Munoz was unavailable Wednesday and is the obvious name to add, especially with Matt Brash sidelined with lat inflammation. Ferrer owns a 1.89 ERA on the season, though his 3.82 xFIP and 3.45 SIERA aren't nearly as impressive, and he's only struck out 19.0 percent of opposing batters. He owns an excellent 3.6 percent walk rate, however, and his sinker-heavy approach has proved difficult to square up throughout his career. Opposing hitters have managed just a 1.6 percent barrel rate against him this season and just a 3.3 percent barrel rate against him since he debuted in 2023.
Bullpen Deep Dive
Cincinnati Reds
| 2026 Stats | Saves | ERA | WHIP | SIERA | K% | BB% | K-BB% | Stuff+ | Location+ | gmLI* |
| Tony Santillan | 1 | 2.87 | 1.28 | 4.18 | 25.0% | 14.1% | 10.9% | 93 | 93 | 1.87 |
| Connor Phillips | 1 | 5.40 | 1.80 | 5.88 | 21.6% | 21.6% | 0.0% | 116 | 83 | 1.31 |
| Graham Ashcraft | 1 | 1.93 | 1.34 | 4.06 | 26.3% | 15.8% | 10.5% | 112 | 100 | 1.28 |
| Sam Moll (L) | 0 | 1.76 | 1.24 | 4.15 | 20.9% | 13.4% | 7.5% | 99 | 87 | 0.94 |
| Brock Burke (L) | 1 | 3.24 | 1.62 | 3.91 | 27.3% | 14.3% | 13.0% | 108 | 89 | 0.91 |
| Tejay Antone** | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | -0.25 | 66.7% | 0.0% | 66.7% | 100 | 73 | 0.22 |
*gmLI is the average Leverage Index when a pitcher enters the game. 1.0 is average; closers typically sit north of 1.50.
**Antone's numbers cover just a single appearance
The ninth inning will be open in Cincinnati for at least the next 4-to-8 weeks after Emilio Pagan was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain Wednesday, an injury which forced him to exit Tuesday's game in considerable pain. Given the way Pagan was pitching before he got hurt — 6.43 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 17.7 percent strikeout rate — there's a good chance saves will be available in Cincinnati for the rest of the season.
By leverage index, the favorite to step in as the closer should be Tony Santillan. He didn't get the first save chance after Pagan hit the injured list, but he was probably unavailable, having pitched on two of the last three days. He also saved seven games when Pagan was unavailable last year and has looked like the obvious next man up throughout this season. He's pitched very poorly of late, though, allowing five runs over his last five outings, and he's in the process of giving up four more as I type this. His Stuff+ and Location+ are both quite poor, and he really doesn't look like a closer right now.
The issue here is that nobody else looks like a closer, either. Connor Phillips and Graham Ashcraft are the next most logical candidates by leverage index, but both have struggled significantly with walks this season. Phillips in particular looks like he belongs nowhere near the ninth inning right now, so perhaps the favorite is Ashcraft, who was the one to get the first save chance in Pagan's absence. A 10.5 K-BB% is hardly closer material, but it might be good enough given the alternatives, and he does at least have the best combination of Stuff+ and Location+ in this bullpen.
Sam Moll and Brock Burke are included here for the sake of completeness, but neither has pitched particularly well this season, assuming you place more stock in Moll's underlying numbers than his 1.76 ERA. The real dark horse might be Tejay Antone, who was once a widely-hyped arm and owns a career 2.43 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. He recently returned from his third Tommy John surgery, however, and while he's an excellent story who has at least an outside chance of working his way to the back of this bullpen, it would be considered a win if he can simply stay on the field and pitch some quality innings in middle relief.
Injury Round-Up
Ben Joyce, Angels: Joyce has made four rehab appearances as he works his way back from shoulder surgery, a procedure he underwent last May. He's given up two runs (one earned) while striking out five and walking three. If nobody else establishes themselves in the closer role before he returns, he could get the chance to claim the job for himself, though he might need some lower-leverage outings first given the length of his absence.
Josh Hader, Astros: Hader began a rehab assignment Tuesday as he works his way back from biceps tendinitis, throwing a scoreless inning with one strikeout and one walk. He's ineligible to return before May 24, as he's on the 60-day injured list, but he should step right into the closer job upon his return. Bryan King is the Astros' top high-leverage arm at the moment.
Edwin Diaz, Dodgers: Diaz will be back sometime in the second half following surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow, a procedure he underwent back on April 22. The Dodgers only have two saves since then, both of which went to Tanner Scott.
Ryan Helsley, Orioles: Helsley has been out with elbow inflammation since May 1, but an MRI revealed no structural damage, and he could be cleared to resume throwing soon. Rico Garcia has the Orioles' lone save in his absence.
Pete Fairbanks, Marlins: Fairbanks has been out since April 28 with nerve irritation in his hand, an issue which has bothered him in previous seasons. He threw a bullpen session Wednesday, however, so it doesn't look as though he's set for a long-term absence. Tyler Phillips and Calvin Faucher have the Marlins' last two saves.
Emilio Pagan, Reds: Covered above in the "Bullpen Deep Dive" section. Pagan will miss a month or two after suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain. Graham Ashcraft got the first save in his absence and may be the top name to take over in the ninth inning, though nobody in the Reds' bullpen looks particularly deserving of the closer job.
Carlos Estevez, Royals: Estevez has been out with a bruised foot since he was hit by a line drive in his season debut. He finally made his first rehab appearance Wednesday but exited with shoulder discomfort and was subsequently diagnosed with a rotator cuff strain. It's now safe to drop him everywhere, as he's been shut down from throwing for three weeks and will have to build back up after that. The shoulder issue likely explains his significantly diminished velocity throughout February and March.
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 how the whole thing looks as of Friday evening:
*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.
