Fantasy Baseball Closer Depth Charts - MLB Bullpens and Saves

April 11, 2026

Fantasy baseball closers depth charts for MLB bullpens, saves, holds are updated daily. Our 2026 fantasy baseball closer rankings for all AL and NL bullpens.

Saves are an important component for many fantasy baseball leagues. Closers are one of the most volatile positions in fantasy baseball and one of the highest turnover positions in MLB. Each year, closers drop like flies, and many MLB teams make in-season changes due to injuries or poor performance.

Relief pitchers are becoming increasingly important for fantasy baseball pitching staffs, even beyond closers and saves. Bullpen arms with elite ratios will be relied upon heavily, especially for those in Holds (HLD) leagues or Saves+Holds leagues (SV+HLD) formats. But not to worry, the RotoBaller team is here every day to help you stay on top of all closer depth charts for the AL and NL, and dominate in saves, holds and bullpen arms this year.

We will be updating the MLB Closers & Saves Depth Charts all season and all off-season long. Be sure to also check out these running quick-hit updates from Nick Mariano (@NMariano53), looking at the most recent closers and bullpen news from around MLB.

Closer News and Bullpen Updates

4/10: Mason Miller once again struck out the side and is in a clear tier of his own, blazing a warpath to NL Cy Young votes. Congratulations to those who prioritized the top closer.

4/10: The Cardinals are making their blueprint rather clear, as the last three innings went Ryne Stanek, JoJo Romero, and Riley O’Brien. The 31-year-old has scattered four hits across 8 ⅓ IP, issuing zero walks with eight strikeouts. He appears firmly entrenched as the STL closer.

4/10: Edwin Diaz couldn’t get it done on Friday, allowing three runs, including a two-run homer, in his first blown save of 2026. Luckily for him, Max Muncy’s third homer of the game was of the walkoff variety and supplied Diaz with a win. Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia both logged holds ahead of Diaz.

4/10: Poor Trevor Megill was undone by a string of bunts that started with hitting CJ Abrams with a pitch. It was a 3-3 game, and Washington would then uncork three bunts and a grounder up the middle with zero outs recorded. Megill’s second loss is a crooked one, though it still feels early for any swap to Abner Uribe (who threw a scoreless eighth).

4/10: Bryan Baker took the ninth, though he had to work around back-to-back singles to start the action. It’s his second save, and now he has a 7:0 K:BB in five innings of work. Griffin Jax got his first hold of the year in the sixth, registering two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 frame.

4/10: Kenley Jansen hadn’t pitched in about a week, but looked no worse for wear in a clean ninth for his second save. They seem comfortable giving him downtime in between save chances, and perhaps warmer weather will get him out there more frequently.

4/10: Pittsburgh turned to Gregory Soto in the eighth inning, perhaps due to Pete Crow-Armstrong being due up third. He had to work around two walks, but got the job done. Dennis Santana then got a pair of strikeouts in a perfect ninth for his first save of the year.

4/10: Paul Sewald gave up some loud contact, but is already up to four saves on the young season. Jonathan Loaisiga struck out all three batters faced for his third hold, while Juan Morillo secured his fifth hold after that.

Read even more closer updates.

AL EAST: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves

AL CENTRAL: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves

AL WEST: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves

NL EAST: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves

NL CENTRAL: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves

NL WEST: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves

Previous Closers and Saves News Updates

4/9: Mason Miller continues to be a buzzsaw on the bump, as he struck out all three Rockies faced on 10 pitches in a tie game. The Pads had Bradgley Rodriguez and Adrian Morejon combine for seven outs ahead of Miller Time, with Jeremiah Estrada allowing two unearned runs on two hits and two walks in extras. Jason Adam should be activated tomorrow. Victor Vodnik went two innings for COL (0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K) before an eventual Brennan Bernadino blown save and Valente Bellozo loss. Jaden Hill and Juan Mejia pitched well to set Vodnik up.

4/9: Aside from a questionable ABS challenge, Seranthony Dominguez took care of business on Thursday (1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K) for his second save. Jordan Leasure notched his third hold with two strikeouts in the eighth, while Grant Taylor got his first hold of ‘26 via four outs after Anthony Kay exited.

4/9: Capping off a one-hitter win over the Yankees, the A’s had Justin Sterner face the 8-9-1-2 pocket in the eighth (including Aaron Judge) before Hogan Harris retired three straight lefties for his first save of the year. This remains a messy situation to speculate on, with limited upside and dire downside (looking at you, Mark Leiter Jr.).

4/9: The Twins bullpen had several arms who were down after back-to-back games, or who had thrown in two of the last three. So, Garrett Acton took the seventh and eighth innings in a 1-0 game, but Detroit tied it. Luckily for him, Will Vest’s poor season continued with two runs on three hits and a walk in the eighth, which led to Eric Orze’s 1-2-3 ninth and first save. The avoidable carousel continues!

4/8: Cole Winn got his first save thanks to Texas landing a third straight day with a save chance, seeing as Jakob Junis was resting after nailing down the previous two. Those two could form an interesting duo, with Robert Garcia presumably still able to sneak in for some southpaw chances. Let’s see what happens the next time that Junis and Winn are each available.

4/8: Jeff Hoffman nearly gave up the lead to the Dodgers, but he buckled down to nab his second save of the year. He struck out Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman and now has 15 Ks in 6 ⅔ IP, making him a stud whose WHIP should soon stabilize.

4/8: It was another wacky saves day, with lots of established leverage ladders seeing multiple high-tier players resting. This led to saves for Joel Kuhnel (A’s), Rico Garcia (Orioles), Kody Funderburk (Twins), Matt Festa (Guardians), Zach Agnos (Rockies, via pitching the last 3+ IP), and Michael Petersen (Marlins). Garcia is neat, but Andrew Kittredge’s imminent return should push him back.

4/7: Josh Hader could face live batters next week. Edwin Uceta started his rehab assignment with a strikeout and no walks in a scoreless inning at Double-A, working back from right shoulder impingement.

4/7: Washington saw most of its bullpen give up runs on Tuesday, with PJ Poulin, Gus Varland, and Cole Henry all getting tagged. Only Clayton Beeter, the best option they’ve got, kept it blank (though he had to evade two walks). The Cards scored two in the top of the 10th and turned to Riley O’Brien for the save. A run did come home on a wild pitch where the batter nearly went around to end the game, but that happened on the next offering to ice things. O’Brien is the man in the Gateway City.

4/7: The Rangers went back to Jakob Junis for his second save chance in as many nights, and the veteran once again converted it. It got dicey after a .210 xBA leadoff single and a 76 mph liner dropped in for traffic, but he bore down and retired three in a row. Is Junis becoming the anchor that Skip Schumaker needs? So note that both Robert Garcia and Cole Winn would’ve been pitching in a third straight day, and it would’ve been four for Jalen Beeks. But still, getting the save in two straight is undeniable momentum.

4/7: We got the good Cade Smith (1 IP, 0 H/BB, 2 K) after many problematic appearances to start the year. He was rewarded with the win after John Schreiber couldn’t contain the bottom of Cleveland’s lineup. Erik Sabrowski and Shawn Armstrong also struck out two apiece.

4/7: Aroldis Chapman maxed out at 96.8 mph during a six-pitch ninth, where he managed a four-pitch walk, a fly out, and a double play. Statcast called his final pitch a 90-mph fastball, but that seems off, even in his current state on a chilly Boston night. His heater averaged 98.5 mph and the sinker at 100.5 in April 2025, and now these are down 2-3 mph.

4/7: David Bednar got a much-needed 1-2-3 save on 14 pitches after some traffic-filled efforts. On the other side, Mark Leiter Jr. got crushed for four runs in the eighth after saying that the Yankees threw him off by not using him in high enough leverage spots for them. The A’s remain an all-around avoid, though Justin Sterner did throw two scoreless innings for his second hold.

4/7: Speaking of largely-avoidable bullpens, the Twins pieced together a tightrope act. Taylor Rogers allowed an inherited runner to score in the seventh. Cole Sands walked two while only getting one out. Eric Orze ended Sands’ trouble, but gave up two doubles in the ninth. Justin Topa walked Riley Greene to bring up the winning run, but ultimately got the save. Messy!

4/7: With Pete Fairbanks on paternity leave, Miami went to Anthony Bender after two got on with one out against Sandy Alcantara to start the ninth. What followed was a double steal, a sac fly, a walk, and a wild pitch to score the tying run. Calvin Faucher allowed four runs (three earned) in the 10th to blow it wide open. Andrew Nardi is the best of the rest without Fairbanks. Emilio Pagan got the win for Cincinnati thanks to a scoreless bottom of the ninth, but he walked two of the first three batters faced and nearly served up a meatball to Jakob Marsee after falling behind 2-1 in the count. But Marsee flew out to left instead, and all is well. Graham Ashcraft gave up a run on a 45-mph groundout before inducing a double play.

4/6: Bryan Baker’s first baserunner allowed in 2026 was a solo home run to Matt Shaw, but he shook it off and got two strikeouts in an otherwise clean inning for his first save of the year. Hunter Bigge was immediately given five outs in the seventh and eighth to reach Baker, while Kevin Kelly took the fifth after Shane McClanahan’s spotty command got him pulled early.

4/6: Lucas Erceg converted a 1-2-3 save, which should put that icky non-save effort of his from Sunday far in the rearview. We’ll see if Carlos Estevez can recover his form while rehabbing, but Erceg looks solid. Matt Strahm gave up a solo homer and hasn’t gotten a save chance yet. Both have pitched back-to-back days, so John Schreiber could sneak in a Tuesday save.

4/6: The Reds are staying loyal to Emilio Pagan, who retired the Marlins in order to trim his ERA to 7.11 while snagging his fourth save. Tony Santillan got his fourth hold and remains scoreless in 2026.

4/6: Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe had each pitched on Saturday and Sunday, so they went with Aaron Ashby, Grant Anderson, and Angel Zerpa to wrap up an 8-6 win. Ashby already has three wins, Anderson has three holds, though Zerpa did surrender a two-out homer to Willson Contreras. He’ll be needed even more with Jared Koenig (elbow sprain) out for a while.

4/6: Spotted a 2-0 lead, Ryan Helsley walked the first two hitters before getting two 100-mph groundouts. He’d allow a run before the game-ending strikeout of Edgar Quero, but this makes two straight sketchy games for Helsley. Rico Garcia has come on nice and pitched a scoreless eighth, and Andrew Kittredge is (seemingly) nearing the end of his rehab assignment.

4/6: Texas continues to make for a tough bull to tame. Cole Winn and Robert Garcia got their second holds of the year before Jakob Junis got the ninth for his first save. They won’t press a nearly 40-year-old Chris Martin into frequent back-to-backs, which leaves the ‘pen extremely open. Junis has only allowed one baserunner over six innings.

4/5: Cade Smith gave up a run for the fourth time in his last five games, thanks to two walks and sitting ~1.5 mph below his 2026 norm. This needs to get sorted out quickly before it snowballs on his confidence and mechanics. Erik Sabrowski is a strong add just based on ratios and K help alone. Shawn Armstrong is doing alright, but he did serve up a loud solo HR to Ian Happ in the eighth.

4/5: The Cardinals once again gave Riley O'Brien the save chance on Sunday, and he delivered with a 1-2-3 ninth. Ryne Stanek struck out two while recording his second hold in the eighth, while JoJo Romero secured his third hold by getting five outs after George Soriano got into hot water.

4/5: Miami threw Pete Fairbanks as an opener so that he had more time to get to his wife, who is being induced tomorrow morning. Perhaps he was distracted, or the change in routine didn’t fly, but he gave up a three-run homer to Ben Rice. Couldn’t he have just left like everyone else? Anthony Bender got a dirty save, yielding two runs on a hit and three walks. Calvin Faucher worked around a walk in the eighth for his first hold, and Andrew Nardi tossed a clean second inning after Fairbanks exited. Faucher and Nardi are the short-term adds with Fairbanks out.

4/5: Tampa Bay turned to Griffin Jax for six outs in a 1-1 game, tasking him with the seventh and eighth innings. Though he kept Minnesota off the scoreboard, he did have to work out two weak groundball hits and a walk, recording zero strikeouts. We need the whiffs to buy back in. Bryan Baker rang up two Twins in a pristine ninth and wound up with the victory after Justin Topa allowed three runs (two earned) in the top of the 10th. This left Kevin Kelly to snag his second save. Kelly is a fine ancillary option, but Baker still looks like the top rung of the ladder. Minnesota remains frustrating. Cole Sands allowed one hit over two strong frames before Topa’s mess, and Taylor Rogers walked two of his four batters faced, including one with the bases loaded. Sands is the only dart I’d want to throw here.

4/5: Bryan Abreu is nowhere near out of the woods. With Josh Hader continuing to progress with bullpen sessions, Abreu took the loss against the A’s. He came in with two on and two out with a 9-9 tie in the ninth and gave up a 101.3 mph grounder up the middle, though Jose Altuve saved the day. Then he uncorked a wild pitch en route to a walk before allowing a walk-off shot. Bryan King got five outs and still looks like the pivot, if you want to dance with this ‘pen at all.

4/5: The Rangers needed to pony up for bullpen help this offseason, that’s for sure. Robert Garcia took his first loss of the year (0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K), and Chris Martin allowed three hits while getting his four outs. Jalen Beeks and Cole Winn could see the spotlight soon. For Cincinnati, Brock Burke was fired up to face his old team (that DFA’d him) in a save opportunity. With the top arms resting, the southpaw struck out the side after Connor Phillips got his first hold with a scoreless eighth.

4/5: With Paul Sewald unavailable, Arizona called on Jonathan Loaisiga to get the save against Atlanta. Unfortunately, he gave up three straight singles and the lead. To his credit, he did bear down and get the next three hitters out to get to extras, where they won it in the 10th.

4/5: Victor Vodnik’s first save of the year came with tension, as he allowed two singles to bring the tying run up with one out. But he struck out all three left-handed bats that he faced to lock things down. You’ll want to look elsewhere for bullpen help.

4/4: Grant Taylor struck out one as he retired the top of Toronto’s lineup in order as the opener. His upside remains elite, but these are not the innings we want to see him go. Seranthony Dominguez worked around a hit and walk to grab his first save.

4/4: Dennis Santana got his second win of the early season thanks to a Nick Yorke walkoff against Ryan Helsley. Baltimore was out of challenges, but Helsley should’ve rung up Yorke on pitch No. 7 (though it would’ve only been the second out). Both Santana and Gregory Soto remain plus plays.

4/4: Three days after David Bednar needed 40 pitches to get four outs against Seattle, he required 33 to handle the ninth versus Miami. Though he converted the save in both instances, he gave up a run with three hits allowed in each contest. We saw him require a minor-league reset in Pittsburgh after early struggles, so we’ll keep an eye on things here.

4/4: Paul Sewald rebounded from giving up two homers in a tie game by striking out a pair of Braves for his third save. Arizona got four perfect innings out of Taylor Clarke, Jonathan Loaisiga, Juan Morillo, and Sewald.

4/4: Jordan Romano and the Angels better buy Jo Adell a steak dinner, as his third HR robbery of the night brought back a clear game-tying blast for the first out of the ninth. This eventually led to Romano’s third save, which followed holds by Drew Pomeranz (3), Sam Bachman (2), and Chase Silseth (3).

4/4: Emilio Pagan slipped around a hit and two walks to record a scoreless save, but it continues a troubling overall trend for the stopper. Meanwhile, Tony Santillan and Graham Ashcraft looked good in the eighth and seventh, respectively. Pagan still has the team’s trust; however, an early 6:3 K:BB with five earned runs through 5 ⅓ IP is concerning.

4/3: Pittsburgh went with Dennis Santana for the eighth (1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K) before turning to the red-hot Gregory Soto for the save opportunity. The southpaw did hang a sweeper to Gunnar Henderson for a solo HR, but struck out the other three batters he faced. Santana, a righty, faced three LHB before Soto took on three righties and Gunnar. But the 29-year-old has slight reverse splits (career .608 OPS vs. LHB, .675 OPS vs. RHB), so perhaps that was a factor. Regardless, Soto now has an 11:2 K:BB in 5 ⅓ IP, which soars to 24:3 in 11 IP if you include spring and the World Baseball Classic. That’s elite territory.

4/3: Emilio Pagan leaned on his fastball during a 1-2-3 save, though he did lay up back-to-back fastballs down Broadway to Danny Jansen (who fouled one off and then popped it up). Tony Santillan threw a perfect eighth for the win after Graham Ashcraft ate a blown save in the seventh. Chris Martin took the loss for Texas after allowing a two-run homer.

4/3: Cade Smith struck out three for his second save of the season, which snaps a cold streak of three straight games with a run allowed. He should continue to be a top-tier source of fantasy value for us all year long.

4/3: After Grant Taylor retired the side in order as the opener, the White Sox saw Jordan Leasure give up a game-tying, two-run homer in the eighth for his first blown save of ‘26. Taylor will reprise the opener role on Saturday. Seranthony Dominguez did well to get four outs and put his foot back down as the late play after a poor first game. In the 10th, Jeff Hoffman went exclusively splitter/slider and nearly got through the inning. However, down to their last out with the placed runner on third base, Derek Hill dropped a perfect bunt, and Tyler Heineman’s throw got past first. A liner on an edge splitter brought him in to end the game (he’s A-OK).

4/3: Boston gained a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth and, with Garrett Whitlock on the paternity list, rolled out Greg Weissert, Justin Slaten, and Aroldis Chapman for a trio of hitless/scoreless innings. Chapman was down 1-2 mph compared to last year, but induced five whiffs on seven swings, so we’re happy.

4/3: Josh Hader revealed that he got into the 90s during his latest bullpen session, remarking that he hadn’t ever done that when healthy. He’ll have a few more bullpens this week, and then perhaps he’ll progress to live batting practice or a rehab assignment.

4/3: Tampa Bay placed Garrett Cleavinger on the 15-day injured list with right calf tightness after starting the year with a 2-3 mph dip in velocity, issuing more walks than strikeouts, and now getting his usual groundball results. Small samples for the latter two points, but velo dips become crucial immediately. We'll see if the time off helps him, or if it truly was all in the calf. Hunter Bigge was recalled to take his spot and could quickly become a factor, given the state of Tampa Bay's RP trust circle. Ian Seymour is now the only left-hander present.

4/2: The Giants used Ryan Walker for the final two outs of the sixth inning with a 6-2 lead. Skipper Tony Vitello said that it might've been the highest leverage spot of the game to come and that Walker was a much different look than Robbie Ray. You can debate the merits of the approach, but his willingness to do so is a data point. Blade Tidwell got the save by pitching the final three innings, but Vitello being flexible with Walker does give a slight bump to Keaton Winn and Erik Miller.

4/1: Bryan Abreu showed renewed life on the mound, averaging 96.1 mph and hitting 97.4 while recording the save against Boston. He did allow a solo homer to Roman Anthony on an 0-2 slider that didn’t go quite wide enough, but it was honestly just a great swing. The velo and strike-throwing is what we needed to see, so exhale (a little).

4/1: Griffin Jax’s early struggles continued, as he gave up three singles (one of which was over 110 mph), a walk, and endured an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt to eat five runs (three earned) without getting an out. This likely solidifies a bump for Bryan Baker over Jax. Edwin Uceta is throwing live batting practice sessions and should begin his rehab assignment soon.

4/1: David Bednar needed 40 pitches to ice a 5-3 win over Seattle, but not before allowing his first run of the year. Camilo Doval didn’t have it in the eighth and had to be rescued, while Fernando Cruz once again looked sharp to wrap up the seventh. NYY has an off day ahead, so Bednar should be available to open the Miami series on Friday.

4/1: Shoutout to Jonathan Loaisiga, who picked up Wednesday’s save with Paul Sewald unavailable. He did well to induce a double play after Kevin McGonigle hit a grounder up the middle.

4/1: Locked in a 1-1 tie through six, St. Louis used Ryne Stanek for two outs before flipping to JoJo Romero for the next four and letting Riley O’Brien handle the ninth. They remain the trio of interest, and we still like this as the ultimate fantasy-priority pecking order.

4/1: The Rockies deployed Victor Vodnik against the heart of Toronto’s order in the eighth of a 1-1 game. He worked around a two-out single to handle things before an eventual Jimmy Herget save in the 10th. Vodnik still got the “highest leverage” label and remains in favor.

4/1: Washington’s relievers couldn’t contain the Phillies, resulting in a 6-5 loss and a Jhoan Duran win. First, Cionel Perez allowed a homer to Bryce Harper, and then Clayton Beeter needed to get the final two outs of the eighth after an error and a single. He gave up a one-out single to Trea Turner in the ninth before the Nats turned to PJ Poulin with lefties Kyle Schwarber and Harper due up. He went walk, out, wild pitch, and another walk. Cole Henry then came in to allow a game-tying, two-RBI single to Edmundo Sosa. Beeter is still the best arm here.

4/1: Gregory Soto was lined up to pitch the ninth in a 4-3 game, but then Pittsburgh hung four runs on Emilio Pagan in the top of the inning. Soto wasn’t thrown by the non-save-situation curse, striking out two in a clean frame. Justin Lawrence threw a 1-2-3 eighth after Isaac Mattson handled four outs following another day of inconsistent command from Mason Montgomery (0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K). Soto is on the rise, and I know many want Montgomery to ascend, but this version can’t be trusted. Graham Ashcraft and Tony Santillan pitched well before Pagan, in his words, couldn’t execute his secondaries well, which let hitters set their sights on the fastball.

4/1: Carlos Estevez has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left foot contusion. This will give him and the team a chance to evaluate what's going on with his mechanics and try to recover his velocity. Lucas Erceg remains the big waiver winner, with Matt Strahm possibly capturing lefty-heavy save opportunities.

3/31: The Cardinals went with Ryne Stanek against the Mets’ 6-7-8 lineup pocket in the seventh inning with a 2-0 lead. This set lefty JoJo Romero up to face Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto in the eighth before Riley O'Brien tossed a perfect ninth for his first save. This is the hierarchy we want to see, with O’Brien/Romero in the last two frames pending L/R matchups.

3/31: Sporting a 5-2 lead after five innings, the A’s went with Hogan Harris in the sixth against a lefty-heavy section for Atlanta before going with a Justin Sterner-Scott Barlow-Mark Leiter Jr. combo to finish the win. This will be a messy committee until someone earns the trust.

3/31: Facing Detroit’s 5-6-7 pocket, Paul Sewald struck out the side to further tighten his grip on the closer’s role. His fastball velocity was down around 91, which may be what happens when he pitches on back-to-back days. The effectiveness is what matters!

3/31: The Angels let Drew Pomeranz stay on to strike out Pete Crow-Armstrong to start the ninth inning after he’d pitched the eighth before ceding the final two outs to Jordan Romano. This is the tandem they’re going with. Chase Silseth pitched the seventh for his second hold.

3/30: Ryan Walker notched his first save of the season, although he gave up a full-count, two-run homer to Jackson Merrill. Keaton Winn struck out the side in the eighth and now has a 6:1 K:BB over 3 IP.

3/30: Paul Sewald ended a 9-6 win with a 1-2-3 inning for save No. 1 on the year. He did give up two fly balls that traveled to the lip of the warning track before striking out Spencer Torkelson on three straight pitches, so it wasn’t “dominant.” But the job got done, and his momentum builds.

3/30: We saw lots of ancillary relievers get saves on Monday night, thanks to others on the leverage ladder having pitched on back-to-backs. It’s easy to get swept up in early save notifications, but sometimes it is as simple as rest for the A Team. This led to John Schreiber (Kansas City), Tyler Alexander (Texas), and Connor Phillips (Cincinnati) scoring saves. Jordan Hicks (Chicago, AL) also snagged one for getting the final out with the bases loaded and a five-run lead in the eighth inning. Kevin Kelly (Tampa Bay) has a bit more intrigue, as Griffin Jax pitched the seventh after Tampa tied it in the top of the seventh, and Garrett Cleavinger handled the eighth with Brice Turang and Christian Yelich coming up. Kelly got the final out after Ian Seymour handled more lefties.

3/30: Carlos Estevez remains in a boot on Monday and is probably not available again. They're off on Tuesday, which will help them determine whether Estevez will go to the 15-day injured list or not. Having an excuse to give him time off and a rehab assignment in the minors to get his mechanics/velocity back sounds prudent.

3/29: Bryan Abreu once again could not locate on Sunday, which led to Houston pulling him after two more walks (10 balls, four strikes). He also averaged just 93.2 mph on his fastball, down from 95.9 last year. Nolan Schanuel, a lefty who homered off of Abreu on Saturday, was coming up as the tying run, which brought Bryan King (a southpaw) in. King struck a pair out to snag the save. This continues a troubling trend for Abreu and throws his status as the closer into question. King is an immediate committee threat, and someone like AJ Blubaugh (who threw two perfect innings today) or Kai-Wei Teng could sneak in. Stay tuned.

3/29: Following earlier reports of Carlos Estevez being unavailable (ankle) and possibly resetting in low-leverage spots, Lucas Erceg promptly came in to log a scoreless save. The winds may have already shifted, though Estevez may get one more chance to prove himself in the days to come.

3/29: Jeff Hoffman racked up two strikeouts in a clean ninth for his first save of the season, so everyone can tamp down the agita around his status in Toronto.

3/29: Following a Seranthony Dominguez blown save on a pinch-hit homer by Christian Yelich, Trevor Megill came on to throw 11 strikes on 15 pitches for a two-strikeout save. Abner Uribe did not pitch after throwing a perfect inning in Saturday’s 6-1 win.

3/29: Clayton Beeter logged a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the year, which followed Cionel Perez facing the lefty-heavy Cubs pocket in the eighth (he gave up a solo homer). Those two may be the L/R duo throughout ‘26, or at least until the trade deadline.

3/29: Victor Vodnik took the loss on a two-run Owen Caissie home run, which just hammers home that this is not a bullpen you want to tangle with. If anyone is going to supply a stabilizing presence, our money is still on Zach Agnos.

3/29: MLB reporter Anne Rogers said that Carlos Estevez was in a boot today after taking a Michael Harris II line drive to his ankle (deemed a contusion), and that manager Matt Quatraro would be "surprised" if Estevez was available on Sunday. The bigger news is that Quatraro also said that if Estevez were okay, that “we would not be averse to putting him in a lower-leverage situation," before further saying how it would "be probably smarter for us to try to build him a little bit in lower leverage first." Get your Lucas Erceg and Matt Strahm adds in!

3/28: The spring fears around Carlos Estevez came to an immediate head in his first regular-season appearance. Sporting diminished velocity and poor control, he gave up six runs while recording just one out, throwing 12 of his 27 pitches for strikes. Lucas Erceg handled the eighth after Matt Strahm pitched the seventh, with both blanking Atlanta. Each of them is worth an add, with Erceg the priority bid for now.

3/28: If Estevez’s spring troubles didn’t take center stage, then perhaps Bryan Abreu’s woes would’ve gotten more buzz. He’s been a wrecking ball throughout the last four seasons, but struggled to a 5:7 K:BB over 7 IP during camp. In today’s game, he entered with an 11-6 lead and struck out the first two batters before the top of the lineup went walk-walk-home run. The command evaporated for a spell, and he only got one whiff on six swings against his slider. Houston doesn’t have much behind him, but he’ll have to be better.

3/28: Emilio Pagan couldn’t keep a lid on Boston’s offense after being tasked with the final four outs. A hung splitter to Wilyer Abreu was punished, though Cincinnati would eventually win in extras. Tony Santillan was brought in to end the seventh inning after Graham Ashcraft got into trouble, but two walks in the eighth necessitated a move to Pagan. There are no shake-ups here, but Pagan is not in the fantasy inner circle of trust.

3/28: Robert Garcia was handed a 3-0 lead and promptly got two outs before allowing a single and a walk, which led to Chris Martin coming in for the righty Adolis Garcia. Jake Burger dropped a foul pop-up that would’ve ended things, but two hits later, and the game was tied. Martin wound up with the win/blown save combo after Jhoan Duran’s wild pitch brought a run home, with an Andrew McCutchen single tacking on an insurance run. This came in handy, as Tyler Alexander couldn’t keep the Manfred runner at bay in the bottom of the 10th, but held on for his first save and the 5-4 win. It’s messy, but Garcia/Martin is still the duo.

3/28: Minnesota gained the lead in the fifth inning, which led to Kody Funderburk and Eric Orze for the sixth and seventh innings. Justin Topa pitched a clean eighth before Cole Sands struck out two for save No. 1 on the year. He faced a R-R-L-R pocket of Baltimore’s order.

3/28: St. Louis used Riley O'Brien for a scoreless seventh before JoJo Romero tossed a perfect eighth, but then things got ugly again. Ryne Stanek had been warming for the save chance, but STL went with Matt Svanson when they gained a 4-0 lead. Svanson would give up a run and leave two on with two outs for Stanek, who gave up two hits for a tie game. He stayed in for the 10th and only let the “ghost runner” score, which led to a win after JJ Wetherholt laced a two-RBI single off of Griffin Jax. It’s another bad result for Jax, who walked Jordan Walker on four straight pitches to open the frame. We’ll see how they react.

3/28: The A’s bullpen had a horrid Saturday, as Mark Leiter Jr. gave up a run in the sixth, Elvis Alvarado surrendered two in the seventh, and then Michael Kelly and Scott Barlow each registered a blown save before Luis Medina took the loss in the 11th. Hogan Harris allowed two inherited runners to score and needed to be bailed out by Kelly to wrap up the eighth.

3/28: Paul Sewald came in to face one batter, Freddie Freeman, and while he did touch 92.6 mph and record an out, the out traveled 383 feet. We’ll lean on the good news here.

3/27: Jordan Romano warmed for another save on Friday, but Zach Neto's solo shot in the ninth bumped it to a non-save appearance. Romano showed a bit more life on the radar gun (maxed at 95.7 mph) and got many bites on sliders that fell below the strike zone. One wonders if he can dot that slider higher on the edges when needed, but he's got the trust and early results going. Ryan Zeferjahn pitched a perfect sixth and seventh inning to scoop up the win, with Sam Bachman working around two walks with three strikeouts in the eighth for his first hold.

3/27: Jeff Hoffman's managers got flashbacks to last year when he served up a game-tying home run to Shea Langeliers on a four-seamer that wasn't high enough in the zone, though a win would follow thanks to Andres Gimenez's walk-off heroics. Hoffman also had a rare four-strikeout inning thanks to a wild pitch. The A's had Hogan Harris get four outs to get through the seventh and eighth innings before Justin Sterner took the loss with three straight hits allowed after getting to two outs. This shouldn't change anything, but it's good to see Harris and Sterner get the later looks.

3/27: Pete Fairbanks needed 12 pitches to log his first save as a Miami Marlin, which followed a combined eighth from Andrew Nardi (2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 K) and Anthony Bender (1/3 IP, 1 H, 1 K). That matches our general expectation for the bullpen hierarchy, with Calvin Faucher right there with the trusted setup men.

3/26: With Kirby Yates starting the year on the 15-day injured list, the Halos turned to Drew Pomeranz for a perfect eighth on 12 pitches before Jordan Romano took center stage. On the surface, he operated around a walk to notch the save. All is well, no? Perhaps, but his control wasn’t great, with the majority of his six sliders being uncompetitive chucks near the dirt. And his fastball only averaged 94.4 mph (95.5 last year). Still, the job got done, and we’re off to the races.

3/26: The Rays and Cardinals went off in the sixth inning, with many fantasy-relevant relievers responsible for the ruckus. Ian Seymour (zero outs, five runs), Garrett Cleavinger (one out, two runs), Griffin Jax (two outs, one run), and Matt Svanson (one out, three runs) took it on their chins. With a new 9-7 lead, JoJo Romero and Riley O'Brien combined to blank Tampa in the seventh and eighth innings. Ryne Stanek earned the first STL save of 2026, but not before walking the bases full. Svanson being used in the sixth in a 1-1 game is a red flag. Cleavinger/Jax were trying to maintain the lead, at least.

3/26: Pittsburgh reinforced its assumed hierarchy with usage and performance. Gregory Soto and Dennis Santana pitched well in the final two frames of the day. But this came after Mason Montgomery only threw 23-of-42 pitches for strikes, walking three with two earned runs. Then Isaac Mattson allowed five baserunners and two runs while recording just two outs before Justin Lawrence allowed two solo homers. Soto and Santana are who you want.

3/26: Sporting an 8-4 lead ahead of the eighth inning, Washington turned to Clayton Beeter, who walked two in a scoreless frame. They padded the lead to 10-4 before the bottom of the ninth, which brought a 1-2-3 inning with a pair of Ks for Cionel Perez. He may be the left-handed closer-mate we want.

3/26: Josh Hader will throw another bullpen on Friday and is currently slated to face batters in the box in "mid-April," so we shouldn't expect a return until May.

3/24: The Angels placed Kirby Yates on the 15-day injured list due to left knee inflammation, which seemingly paves the way for a clear Jordan Romano/Drew Pomeranz R/L closer duo. Manager Kurt Suzuki said Yates suffered this about a week ago and that they're "playing it cautious." It sounds like he'll return before April is up, but one can never be sure, especially for an older pitcher. Romano has much to prove, but he did complete six innings of one-run ball with a 6:0 K:BB this spring, so it seems he'll get his chance. Also, Ben Joyce (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day IL, and Robert Stephenson (elbow) went to the 60-day IL.

3/23: Skip Schumaker has said that the closer role will "depend on the situation" each day. Chris Martin and Robert Garcia were named as comfortable options, but also how "there's a chance you see a couple different guys there." That's not what fantasy managers love to hear. Perhaps Cole Winn, Josh Sborz, or even Carter Baumler make a splash down the line!

3/23: Pirates' skipper Don Kelly talked up how Dennis Santana, while still getting plenty of ninth-inning looks, may be used for high leverage earlier than that. He specifically named Gregory Soto as another reliever with closing experience. Isaac Mattson and Justin Lawrence also jump out as pitchers with strong recent form for PIT (Lawrence also briefly closed in Colorado). Mason Montgomery's high ceiling will entice, but there are seemingly many hurdles, including his own control consistency, to get there. We'll downgrade the group to "volatile" for now and see how Kelly rolls when an actual win is on the line!

3/21: Bryan Abreu is still the clear closing option for Houston without Josh Hader, but this spring has not been encouraging. He only threw 13-of-27 pitches for strikes against the Marlins, walking three to give him a 5:7 K:BB with three runs allowed (all solo home runs) in seven innings. His game-action fastball velocity also typically hovers around 97 mph, though he's sitting in the 95s this spring, including a dip to nearly 94 mph last night. Make the click with all data available!

3/21: Hunter Gaddis is expected to open the season on the injured list after he couldn't rebound from a spring forearm issue that cropped up after one game. There is additional weight placed on the shoulders of Shawn Armstrong and Erik Sabrowski to step up behind Cade Smith.

3/20: Minnesota has granted Liam Hendriks his release from the club, which tightens up a still-crowded closer committee to Taylor Rogers and Cole Sands as the presumed favorites, with Justin Topa and Kody Funderburk also options.

3/18: The Chronicles of Carlos Estevez continued with more depressed velocity and a severe lack of command. He averaged 89 mph on 15 fastballs, maxing out at 90.7 mph, and only threw 9-of-28 pitches for strikes. Perhaps the control rust can be attributed to this being his first game since March 9 at the World Baseball Classic, but we're rapidly running out of time to round into form. Keep Lucas Erceg and Matt Strahm close!

3/18: St. Louis opted to let Matt Svanson pitch both the eighth and ninth innings after JoJo Romero struck out two in the seventh. We'll bump him up alongside Romero as the righty to watch, for now.

3/14: Robert Stephenson has experienced a setback, and they suspect renewed UCL damage in his elbow. It's terrible for a guy who flashed such a promising ceiling before getting hurt, but this does winnow the closer committee candidate pool. Kirby Yates and Jordan Romano get a slight bump.

3/13: Hogan Harris is ripping off 96-97 mph heat after sitting in the 93-94 range last season. This is a rejuvenated southpaw, as evidenced by the 11:3 K:BB over 7 IP this spring. The A's will deploy him wherever a leverage left-hander is needed, and sometimes that'll be the ninth.

3/13: Paul Sewald touched 93.5 mph with the fastball, which brings him back from the 90-mph plateau seen throughout his recent struggles. The Driveline-infused arm could become the preferred closer here until reinforcements arrive, especially given the trust Torey Lovullo had in him before as the closer.

3/10: MLB's Bill Ladson projected the St. Louis roster and said this of the bullpen: "[JoJo] Romero is the likely closer with O’Brien, Stanek, and Svanson in the setup role." It seems improbable that the Cards roll with a set closer, especially if Romero's southpaw advantage is needed earlier, but who am I to override a beat writer? Romero's 1A advantage amongst the bullpen options is solidifying by the day.

3/10: Josh Hader "felt good" after throwing about 15 fastballs off the mound on Tuesday. They won't rush him and will require a few bullpen sessions before going to live batting practice against hitters. Opening Day is still up in the air, but having a week-to-week status at this point is not promising. (Hader will open the year on the injured list, though it sounds like the time will largely be for building up his arm. Bryan Abreu's ADP will hinge on how your league perceives Hader's recovery odds.)

3/9: Josh Hader is slated to throw a bullpen on Tuesday. It still seems likely that even the most encouraging work from here on out will result in an early IL stint, but we shall see. Houston will want Hader for the long haul and shouldn't be too aggressive in March and April. Bryan Abreu's rising draft stock may start to fall if optimism follows Hader's impending sessions.

3/9: Not that most want to dance with Coors, but Colorado has seen Zach Agnos and Jimmy Herget have strong starts to their spring training, while Victor Vodnik and Seth Halvorsen have faltered. Deep-leaguers may want to nudge Agnos up, considering his extremely brief stint as closer for the Rox last year.

3/8: Arizona could see a familiar face in the ninth to kick off 2026, as Paul Sewald has showcased offseason work at Driveline Baseball by touching 92.6 mph instead of the flat 90 he'd been pushing through lately. Having closer experience is a feather in the cap, but having that experience for the team you're on makes it quite a bright feather. He, Kevin Ginkel, and Ryan Thompson are the ones to circle for now.

3/7: Liam Hendriks averaged 93.7 mph on his four-seamer and 84.7 mph on the slider in a World Baseball Classic appearance for Australia, which is down 1-2 ticks from where we want it to be. The encouraging news is that he did max out at 94.8. If he can get into that 95-96 range with the heater, then we've got another rebounding guy with closer experience who could leapfrog a murky committee.