In this week’s Closer Report, Aroldis Chapman becomes the ninth reliever in history to reach the 400-save milestone as he continues his stellar 17th season. And Kodai Senga has been excellent since moving into a high-leverage relief role. All that and more as we break down the last week in saves.
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2026 Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
Who is stealing bases, who isn’t, why, and how?
▶ Tier 1
Mason Miller – San Diego Padres
Jhoan Duran – Philadelphia Phillies
Cade Smith – Cleveland Guardians
Josh Hader – Houston Astros
Bryan Baker – Tampa Bay Rays
Louis Varland – Toronto Blue Jays
Miller struck out four over two innings on Friday to pick up a win against the Yankees. He then converted back-to-back saves on Sunday and Monday. The 28-year-old right-hander is up to 34 saves with a 1.17 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 113 strikeouts over 61 1/3 innings.With Miller unavailable on Tuesday, Adrian Morejon stepped in for a save against the Nationals.
Duran made two appearances against the Braves over the weekend. He pitched a clean inning on Saturday for a save, then took the loss after giving up a run on Sunday.
Smith earned two wins this week with a pair of scoreless outings. He struck out five of the six batters he faced over two innings against the Tigers on Sunday for his fifth win. The 27-year-old right-hander has a 2.22 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 95 strikeouts over 65 innings while converting 35 saves.
Hader has perhaps been the best closer in baseball since making his season debut on June 3, with only Louis Varland converting more saves. He is up to 24 saves after recording three more this week while posting a 0.89 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, and 53 strikeouts over 40 1/3 innings.
Baker left Friday’s game with a trainer after walking two batters and displaying diminished velocity. He was apparently dealing with an illness. Baker returned to get some work in on Tuesday, pitching a scoreless ninth in a 7-1 win over the Braves.
Varland picked up two more saves this week with a pair of scoreless appearances before giving up a run in a tie game against the Athletics on Monday to take a loss. The 28-year-old right-hander has converted 33 saves with a 1.26 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 87 strikeouts over 71 1/3 innings.
▶ Tier 2
Trevor Megill – Milwaukee Brewers
David Bednar – New York Yankees
Aroldis Chapman – Boston Red Sox
Jacob Latz – Texas Rangers
Raisel Iglesias- Atlanta Braves
Mason Montgomery – Pittsburgh Pirates
Tanner Scott – Los Angeles Dodgers
Megill locked down a pair of saves for the Brewers. A solo homer on Monday snapped a 15-game scoreless streak. He then surrendered two more runs on Tuesday against the Cubs. The 32-year-old right-hander has converted 27 saves with a 2.59 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 63 strikeouts over 55 2/3 innings.
Bednar struck out one batter in a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the Padres on Friday. He then recorded one out on Tuesday, striking out the only batter he faced to pick up his 32nd save.
It was a big week for Chapman. The 38-year-old veteran closer converted three saves this week, including his 400th career save on Sunday against the Orioles. He’s up to 33 this season with a 2.03 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 65 strikeouts over 48 2/3 innings.
Latz gave up two runs to take a loss against the Rays on Saturday, then bounced back with a scoreless inning on Sunday before Jakob Junis took the ninth for a save. Meanwhile, Iglesias eclipsed 30 saves, converting two this week to give him 31 with a 2.72 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 55 strikeouts over 53 innings.
Four more saves for Montgomery this week as he’s fully settled in as Pittsburgh’s closer. He’s riding a 19-game scoreless inning streak. After a 4.14 ERA in the first half, he’s given up just two runs over 23 2/3 innings since the All-Star break and has lowered his ERA to 2.82. And in Los Angeles, four different relievers picked up a save for the Dodgers. Scott gave up a run against the Nationals on Saturday before holding on for the save, then converted his 22nd save with a scoreless outing against the Reds on Tuesday.
▶ Tier 3
Andrés Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
Riley O’Brien – St. Louis Cardinals
Emilio Pagán – Cincinnati Reds
Kodai Senga – New York Mets
Jordan Romano – Colorado Rockies
Kenley Jansen – Detroit Tigers
Yoendrys Gómez – Minnesota Twins
Muñoz has retired 11 of his last 12 batters over four outings. He picked up a save against the Athletics on Sunday, then tossed a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts for his 26th save against the Rangers on Wednesday.
O’Brien blew a save and took the loss after giving up two runs against the Dodgers last Thursday. He bounced back with a scoreless inning against the Rockies on Friday for his 36th save before blowing another save on Monday in San Francisco. Meanwhile, Pagán added two more saves with a pair of scoreless appearances against the Brewers.
Senga converted a pair of saves for the Mets this week. He’s up to seven saves and has posted a 2.03 ERA with 15 strikeouts over 13 1/3 innings since moving to the bullpen full-time at the start of August.
In Colorado, Romano gave up his first two runs in nearly a month, blowing a save against the Cardinals on Friday. He bounced back on Saturday with his 15th save. And Jansen added his 18th save with a scoreless inning against the Twins on Monday. And in Minnesota, Gómez made a pair of clean outings, picking up two more saves to give him 22 on the year.
▶ Tier 4
Ben Joyce – Los Angeles Angels
Jacob Webb – Chicago Cubs
Clayton Beeter/Erik Tolman – Washington Nationals
Grant Taylor/Sean Newcomb/Bryan Hudson – Chicago White Sox
Elvis Alvarado/Hogan Harris – Athletics
Things get incredibly bleak from here, with this tier only having marginally more upside than the next. Joyce pitched a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the Red Sox on Monday, then gave up a run before holding on for his fourth save on Wednesday in Boston.
It was a good run for Webb in Chicago. The 33-year-old right-hander is in the midst of a rough stretch, giving up nine runs over his last six outings. The rest of the Cubs’ bullpen has provided little clarity on who could step up in his place in the ninth.
Beeter is also in a skid, giving up seven runs over his last three outings. Both he and Tolman were charged with a blown save this week. Meanwhile, Taylor gave up a run in back-to-back outings in non-save situations for the White Sox. And it was Harris who picked up two saves and a win for the A’s.
▶ Tier 5
Rico Garcia/Andrew Kittredge/Yennier Cano – Baltimore Orioles
Calvin Faucher – Miami Marlins
Nate Pearson/Steven Cruz – Kansas City Royals
Dylan Smith/Joel Kuhnel – San Francisco Giants
Brandyn Garcia/Justin Martinez/Kavin Ginkel – Arizona Diamondbacks
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