Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: State of saves at the All-Star break
Josh Hader - Houston Astros
Hader gave up another home run in his last outing before the break, blowing a save against the Rangers. Six of the eight home runs he's allowed have come over the last month. With four runs allowed over his previous two outings, it pushed his ERA from 1.80 to 2.53. Still, those numbers show he had some room for regression, and he remains the top closer for fantasy purposes.
Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners
Edwin Díaz - New York Mets
Aroldis Chapman - Boston Red Sox
Jhoan Duran - Minnesota Twins
Emmanuel Clase - Cleveland Guardians
Robert Suarez - San Diego Padres
Muñoz gave up two runs to blow a save against the Yankees last Thursday, then bounced back with a clean inning in a non-save situation against the Tigers on Sunday before the break. Muñoz recorded just one save in June before locking down four saves in six days to start July. The 26-year-old right-hander enters the second half with 21 saves and a 1.50 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and a 46/14 K/BB ratio across 36 innings.
Díaz, in his last outing before the break, converted a two-inning save against the Royals on Saturday, striking out one batter for his 19th save of the season to go with a 1.66 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and a 55/13 K/BB ratio across 38 innings. The 31-year-old right-hander is back dominating on the mound after missing the 2023 season and a disappointing 2024 in his first year back from injury.
Chapman has actually been the best closer in baseball over the last month, leading all relievers by a wide margin with a 49% K-BB ratio since the start of June. He added two saves against the Rays before the All-Star break, striking out five batters over two scoreless innings, extending his scoreless outing streak to 18 games.
Duran worked two outings against the Pirates before the break. He picked up a save on Friday, striking out two in a scoreless inning. He then took the loss on Sunday, giving up a run on three hits. The 27-year-old right-hander will take a 1.66 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and a 49/16 K/BB ratio with 15 saves over 43 1/3 innings into the second half. Both Duran and setup man Griffin Jax are expected to draw major interest at the trade deadline. Jax would make a capable closer should he land in a favorable situation or if the Twins decide to move Duran. Both relievers still carry three seasons of team control, so the team would likely need to come away with a significant trade package to make a move.
Clase worked a scoreless inning to convert a save against the White Sox on Friday, then pitched two innings to come away with a win against Chicago on Sunday. The 27-year-old right-hander has converted 20 saves with a 2.91 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a 42/10 K/BB ratio across 43 1/3 innings. And in San Diego, Suarez worked a clean inning with one strikeout for a save against the Phillies last Thursday, then worked another perfect frame with a strikeout for his 28th save before the All-Star break.
Mason Miller - Athletics
Devin Williams - New York Yankees
Trevor Megill - Milwaukee Brewers
Félix Bautista - Baltimore Orioles
Tanner Scott - Los Angeles Dodgers
Will Vest - Detroit Tigers
Emilio Pagán - Cincinnati Reds
David Bednar - Pittsburgh Pirates
Daniel Palencia - Chicago Cubs
Camilo Doval - San Francisco Giants
Ryan Helsley - St. Louis Cardinals
Carlos Estévez - Kansas City Royals
Jeff Hoffman - Toronto Blue Jays
Pete Fairbanks - Tampa Bay Rays
Kyle Finnegan - Washington Nationals
Kenley Jansen - Los Angeles Angels
Miller made three scoreless appearances in the days leading up to the break, including back-to-back saves against the Blue Jays. He appears to be getting back on track with eight consecutive scoreless outings. The 26-year-old right-hander now has 19 saves with a 4.04 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and a 57/17 K/BB ratio across 35 2/3 innings.
After giving up two runs against the Blue Jays on July 2, Williams went into the All-Star break with four straight perfect outings. He fell in line for a win last Thursday against the Mariners, then struck out two in a clean frame against the Cubs. Meanwhile, Megill did not make an appearance since the last column and remains at 21 saves with a 2.41 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and a 43/15 K/BB ratio across 33 2/3 innings.
Bautista pitched a clean inning against the Mets last Thursday for his 18th save. The 30-year-old right-hander has made an impressive return from Tommy John surgery, posting a 2.41 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 48/20 K/BB ratio across 33 2/3 innings.
In Los Angeles, Scott struck out two in a clean inning on Saturday for his 19th save, then blew an opportunity Sunday, giving up two runs against the Giants. The 30-year-old left-hander allowed five runs over his last four outings. Blake Treinen appears ready to be activated from the injured list out of the All-Star break and could figure into some save chances based on matchups.
Vest blew a save in his only appearance this last week, uncharacteristically walking three batters against the Mariners on Sunday. Still, he's had a stellar first half, emerging as Detroit's primary closer with 15 saves, a 2.30 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and a 48/15 K/BB ratio across 43 innings.
Pagán made back-to-back scoreless outings against the Rockies last week, picking up a win on Saturday before locking down his 20th win on Sunday. The 34-year-old right-hander has had an excellent season in Cincinnati, posting a 2.93 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and a 50/13 K/BB ratio across 40 innings. Bednar also pitched both days over the weekend, converting his 13th save Sunday against the Twins. Meanwhile, Palencia grabbed two more saves Saturday and Sunday with two scoreless outings against the Yankees. The 25-year-old right-hander has been a breakout in the first half, recording a 1.57 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and a 39/11 K/BB ratio over 34 1/3 innings.
In San Francisco, Doval worked around a hit and a walk to convert a save against the Dodgers on Friday, then tossed a scoreless inning in a non-save situation on Sunday. Doval's walk issues and lower strikeout rate this season continue to make him a volatile closer. Still, he's generally gotten the job done since taking back the ninth-inning role.
Helsley took a loss on Saturday, giving up a run on two hits against the Braves. He bounced back on Sunday with a scoreless inning for his 19th save of the season to go with a 3.27 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and a 36/14 K/BB ratio over 33 innings.
Estévez struck out two in a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the Mets on Friday, then fell in line for a win despite giving up two runs on Sunday. Meanwhile, Hoffman broke a nine-game scoreless streak with three runs allowed against the Athletics on Friday to give him a 5.03 ERA over 39 1/3 innings at the break.
In his only appearance this week, Fairbanks blew a save and took the loss with two runs allowed against the Red Sox on Friday. The 31-year-old right-hander has a 2.75 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 31/15 K/BB ratio across 36 innings. Finnegan also blew a save and took a loss, giving up three runs against the Brewers on Saturday. And in Anaheim, Jansen picked up a win with a scoreless inning of work against the Diamondbacks on Friday.
Matt Strahm/Orion Kerkering - Philadelphia Phillies
Kevin Ginkel - Arizona Diamondbacks
Robert Garcia - Texas Rangers
Strahm picked up a save for the Phillies on Sunday against the Padres, his sixth of the season. No saves out of Arizona over the weekend. Ginkel, Kendall Graveman, and Kyle Backhus could all figure into the saves mix. And the Rangers went without a save to close out the first half. Garcia did take a loss with a run allowed against the Astros on Saturday.
Calvin Faucher/Ronny Henriquez - Miami Marlins
Grant Taylor - Chicago White Sox
Seth Halvorsen/Victor Vodnik - Colorado Rockies
Last week's column touched on the trade speculation surrounding Minnesota relievers Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran. While it would be a surprise to see both relievers traded by the deadline, it may not hurt to take a look at who could step up in their place. Louis Varland has been the next reliever down in the high-leverage order. The 27-year-old right-hander has made the transition from starter to reliever this year and has been incredibly effective, posting a 1.81 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 43/11 K/BB ratio across 44 2/3 innings. And when healthy, Brock Stewart has flashed some strikeout upside over the last three seasons. The 33-year-old veteran right-hander's 29 1/3 innings so far are the most he's pitched since 2017. He's posted a solid 2.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and a 38/10 K/BB ratio.
The Angels remain in the Wild Card mix at four games behind at the All-Star break. But if they fall further behind over the next couple of weeks, we could see veteran closer Kenley Jansen on the move. His departure could open the door for Reid Detmers to step into the closer role. Despite the speculation that he could move back into a starting role, he'll reportedly continue to work out of the bullpen, where he's been most effective. The 26-year-old left-hander had a rough stretch in early May but has posted a 1.24 ERA with 38 strikeouts over 29 innings since May 9.
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