In this week’s Closer Report, Bryan Baker has earned his first All-Star nod with an outstanding first half. Tyler Wells steps up in Baltimore. And Jordan Romano gets comfortable in Colorado, stepping right in as the closer with two saves. All that and more as we break down the last week in saves around baseball.
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2026 Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
▶ Tier 1
Mason Miller – San Diego Padres
Jhoan Duran – Philadelphia Phillies
Cade Smith – Cleveland Guardians
Louis Varland – Toronto Blue Jays
Josh Hader – Houston Astros
Bryan Baker – Tampa Bay Rays
Miller gave up a run in a non-save situation against the Dodgers on Saturday, then bounced back with a clean inning on Sunday for a save. He then struck out two in a perfect frame on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks for his 23rd save. Setup man Jason Adam was placed on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder injury. This moves Bradgley Rodriguez, with a 2.15 ERA over 37 2/3 innings, up the leverage hierarchy as the next best right-hander behind Miller.
Duran made his lone appearance against the Reds this week, striking out the side on Tuesday for his 22nd save of the season to go with an outstanding 1.47 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 48 strikeouts over 30 2/3 innings.
Smith got back on track after a bit of a rough stretch for his standards. He made three scoreless appearances in non-save situations against the White Sox and Twins. The 27-year-old right-hander has posted a 2.83 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 59 strikeouts across 41 1/3 innings.
Varland struck out one batter in a scoreless inning against the Mariners on Friday for his 18th save. Behind Varland, veteran right-hander Tyler Rogers has been an incredibly valuable pickup, posting a 1.77 ERA over 40 2/3 innings while recording 18 holds.
Hader has been lights-out since his return in early June. He tossed a scoreless inning to pick up a win against the Rays on Saturday before striking out two on Sunday for his ninth save. Hader then picked up number 10 with a one-out save on Tuesday against the Nationals. He’s allowed just one run with a 25/8 K/BB ratio over 15 1/3 innings.
Baker picked up back-to-back saves against the Royals and Astros on Thursday and Friday, then struck out the side for a save against the Yankees on Wednesday. The 31-year-old right-hander is up to 25 saves with a 1.73 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts over 36 1/3 innings on his way to his first All-Star selection.
▶ Tier 2
Aroldis Chapman – Boston Red Sox
David Bednar – New York Yankees
Raisel Iglesias- Atlanta Braves
Andrés Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
Jacob Latz – Texas Rangers
Trevor Megill – Milwaukee Brewers
Tanner Scott – Los Angeles Dodgers
Chapman locked down two saves against the Angels over the weekend. He’s up to 18 with a 2.36 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 35 strikeouts over 26 2/3 innings. Both he and setup man Garrett Whitlock should be two of the better relievers available on the trade market over the next few weeks.
Two more scoreless appearances for Bednar this week. He hasn’t allowed a run since May 18. The 31-year-old right-hander converted his 17th save on Friday against the Twins to go with a 2.92 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 44 strikeouts over 37 innings.
Iglesias gave up a run against the Mets on Friday, but held on to convert the save. He then blew a save chance on Monday, surrendering three runs to New York. Up by three against the Pirates, he struck out two for his 18th save on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Muñoz pushed his scoreless streak to eight appearances, picking up his 16th save with a 4.45 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 48 strikeouts over 32 1/3 innings.
No appearances for Latz this week. He remains at 18 saves with a 1.71 ERA over 42 innings. Meanwhile, Peyton Gray continues to emerge as the next in line, picking up a win to go with a 2.78 ERA over 32 1/3 innings.
Megill picked up two more saves this week. He’s been outstanding over the last two months, taking back hold of the closer role. Megill is up to 14 saves with a 3.00 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 46 strikeouts over 36 innings. With Megill getting the day off on Tuesday following three appearances in four days, Abner Uribe stepped in for his sixth save against the Cardinals.
Scott struck out the side for a save against the Padres on Friday before stumbling against the Rockies on Monday, giving up three runs to blow a save. The 31-year-old left-hander bounced back on Wednesday, striking out two in a scoreless ninth for his 13th save. Edwin Díaz could be returning fairly soon, as he appears ready to begin a minor league rehab assignment in the coming weeks.
▶ Tier 3
Riley O’Brien – St. Louis Cardinals
Devin Williams – New York Mets
Emilio Pagán – Cincinnati Reds
Paul Sewald – Arizona Diamondbacks
Kenley Jansen – Detroit Tigers
O’Brien worked a scoreless inning against the Cubs on Saturday for his 22nd save. He’s made four scoreless appearances, getting back on track after posting a 5.85 ERA across May and June.
Williams had put together seven appearances without allowing an earned run before giving up a run against the Braves on Sunday. He held on for his 13th save, then surrendered two more runs on Monday to blow a save chance.
Pagán made his second appearance since returning from the injured list, giving up a run before holding on for a save against the Orioles on Sunday. It was his first save since April 17 and his seventh of the season.
Sewald tossed a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the Brewers on Friday, then gave up a solo homer while converting a save against Milwaukee on Saturday. He’s given up at least one run in four of his last six outings. The 36-year-old right-hander holds a 4.50 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and a 35/8 K/BB ratio across 32 innings. And in Detroit, Jansen needed only eight pitches to convert his 10th save on Sunday against the Rangers.
▶ Tier 4
Grant Taylor – Chicago White Sox
Kaleb Kilian – San Francisco Giants
Dennis Santana/Gregory Soto – Pittsburgh Pirates
Yoendrys Gómez – Minnesota Twins
Clayton Beeter – Washington Nationals
Tyler Wells – Baltimore Orioles
Pete Fairbanks – Miami Marlins
Alex Lange – Kansas City Royals
If the White Sox committed to using Taylor as the team’s primary closer, he’d be further up the rankings. He gave up two runs to take a loss against the Guardians on Thursday, then bounced back on Saturday to convert his third save. Sean Newcomb then stepped in for a save on Sunday.
Kilian made one appearance this week, giving up a run before holding on for his eighth save on Saturday in Colorado. Despite naming him the team’s closer, the Giants’ struggles have produced just four saves for Kilian over the last month.
There seems to be a shift in Pittsburgh, with Soto no longer operating as the primary closer. He pitched the seventh and eighth in his last appearance to fall in line for a win. Santana has pitched the ninth inning in two of his last five outings, as has Mason Montgomery. For now, it’s looking like a matchup-based committee. The Pirates could be a team looking to solidify the back end of the bullpen at the trade deadline. Meanwhile, Gómez picked up his tenth save for the Twins, recording one out against the Guardians on Tuesday, then earned a win with a scoreless ninth on Wednesday.
Beeter recorded one out in the seventh inning on Friday against the Pirates, then converted a four-out save against the Astros on Monday. He’s up to seven saves with a 3.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 30 strikeouts over 27 innings.
Wells has stepped in for the first two saves since the Orioles placed Ryan Helsley back on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow injury. He worked back-to-back outings against the Reds over the weekend, indicating he may be the preferred option for the ninth inning. Though Yennier Cano and Rico Garcia could remain in the mix.
Fairbanks gave up two runs on Sunday against the A’s in a non-save situation, then bounced back with two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth for his 13th save on Wednesday against the Mariners. The 32-year-old right-hander holds a 6.75 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts over 28 innings.
Lange has made back-to-back clean outings, picking up his eighth save against the Phillies on Sunday. Then, pitching in the eighth inning of a tie game against the Mets on Wednesday, he surrendered five runs to take the loss. It was his second five-run outing in the last two weeks, giving him a 5.92 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and 37 strikeouts over 38 innings.
▶ Tier 5
Jordan Romano – Colorado Rockies
Jacob Webb/Trent Thornton – Chicago Cubs
Sam Bachman/Kirby Yates – Los Angeles Angels
Elvis Alvarado/Hogan Harris – Athletics
Romano joined the Rockies on July 4 and has already converted a pair of saves as the team has slotted him into the ninth-inning role right away. And Thornton joins the closer committee in Chicago with a save this week.
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