The draft cost of closers has risen to unthinkable heights so far this spring. Over the last week of ADP data from the NFBC, five closers are being taken in the top-60, 10 in the top-100 and 20 in the top-200.
Last year, 11 closers were taken in the top-100, 21 in the top-200, and the vast majority of them wound up as bad investments. Of those 11 taken in the top-100 last season, only four returned top-20 value among relievers according to FanGraphs’ player rater.
Moreover, only eight relievers in the whole league saved at least 30 games. Of those eight, there were a handful of ugly ERAs, WHIPs, and strikeout totals that could have hurt you in other categories while you were banking valuable saves.
Rather, relievers like Kirby Yates, Ryan Walker and Robert Suarez became some of the most valuable closers in the league while Camilo Doval, David Bednar, and Paul Sewald faded.
Here, I’m going to highlight 15 relievers who are currently being taken outside the top-300 who could wind up as this year’s Yates or Walker and let you make safer picks in the early part of your drafts.
These first few pitchers will have standalone value early in the season. The rest are reserved for your watchlists or if you play in leagues that also value holds.
Players are listed by ADP on the NFBC since February, 24th.
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15 SLEEPER RELIEVERS WHO COULD BECOME CLOSERS IN 2025
Chris Martin, Rangers
The Rangers added Martin late in the offseason to step in and be their de facto closer. While he’s only ever saved 14 games himself, Martin has a 2.81 ERA and 24.2 K-BB% going back six full seasons. Sneakily, he’s been one of the game’s most consistent relievers.
Also, there hasn’t been much of a downtick in his stuff despite entering his age 39 season. His fastball has held steady around 95 MPH for his whole career and and all four of the pitches in his arsenal are graded at either average or above by Stuff+.
This team is supposed to win a lot of games and that should open up plenty of save opportunities for Martin. As far as competition goes, they acquired left-hander Robert García for Nathaniel Lowe in December, but García has been behind in camp with some forearm irritation and has no late game experience. Otherwise, Josh Sborz is not expected back until mid-summer with a shoulder injury. There’s very little realistic competition for saves outside of these two.
Opportunity and job security make Martin a bargain around pick 320.
Calvin Faucher, Marlins
Faucher hasn’t gotten the respect he deserves as a legitimate ninth inning option mostly because the Marlins are so bad it’s hard to see him getting many save chances.
Yet, they were middle of the pack last season with 21 save opportunities between August and September after their massive sell-off, so it’s possible the market is overreacting to the team context.
He has an unconventional arsenal that’s highlighted by a primary cutter, fastball, curveball, and emerging sweeper that come together to form a nasty four-pitch mix. He also has full runway to their closer role and should not still be on the board after pick 300.
Watch out for some regression to his 3.19 ERA though as he allowed zero home runs last season. It’s all but a guarantee that won’t happen again.
Edwin Uceta, Hunter Bigge and Joe Boyle, Rays
Pete Fairbanks’ stuff fell off a bit last season and, as per usual, he spent some time on the IL. That opened the door for Uceta to get a handful of save opportunities and he’s being taken in the same range as Martin and Faucher so far this draft season.
His stuff is great, yet strange for a closer. His fastball sits at 94 MPH and has more run (side-to-side movement) than ride (vertical movement). He also relies heavily on his cutter and changeup. He’s comfortable with all three pitches against hitters from either side of the plate and all three can miss bats and induce soft contact. It’s weird, but it worked well last season so it makes total sense that he is the next man up here.
The Rays are the Rays though and we never know how they will handle their bullpen. The door could be cracked open for either Bigge or Boyle, who each have more traditional closer stuff, to grab this role.
Both have fastballs that sit in the upper-90s and miss plenty of bats high in the zone. Both have plus sliders that play off said fastballs and force whiffs. Boyle has long struggled with his command and the hope is Tampa Bay can help him through the fog. There’s a real chance either wind up as the Rays’ closer before seasons’ end.
Seth Halvorsen, Rockies
It’s never fun to roster Rockies’ pitchers. It’s much less fun when that pitcher is their presumed closer, Tyler Kinley, who had a 6.19 ERA last season and is projected to be poor again.
On the other hand, Halvorsen was excellent in a small sample to close last season – 1.46 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 23.9 K-BB% over 12 1/3 innings – and has lit up the radar gun with six pitches over 100 MPH so far this spring. He also has a nasty slider and splitter to flank his four-seam fastball and sinker, giving him multiple weapons against hitters from each side of the plate.
He could legitimately have some of the nastiest stuff for any reliever in baseball if he didn’t have to play half of his games in Coors Field. Still, he needs to be known and could wind up with a stranglehold of this job sooner rather than later.
Camilo Doval, Giants
Rewind to last March. Doval had an ADP around pick 60 – in the same range as Emmanuel Clase – and was routinely one of the first few closers off the board. Now, just a year later, and he’s a total afterthought.
Of course, that dramatic fall is not without legitimate cause. His control problems persisted, he was briefly sent down to the minor leagues, and Ryan Walker emerged as a fantastic ninth inning weapon in San Francisco. Still, there’s an electric reliever in here.
Ryan Walker is great, but not a lot of closers pitch like him with a sinker-heavy approach and heavy east-west profile. Doval has some of those same tendencies, just with 100 MPH heat. A changing of the guard is not as unlikely as current ADP – 100 for Walker, 478 for Doval – makes it seem.
José Alvarado, Phillies
The Phillies brought in Jordan Romano this offseason and he’s expected to assume their closer role. He’s looked like his old self in the spring and could run with the job if he stays healthy. Or, his injury-riddled 2024 could carry over into this season and leave the door open for Alvarado to take it.
You’d never guess it, but Alvarado led the Phillies in saves last season with 13. None were in the second half though, as he ceded those opportunities to Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez. Both of them are now elsewhere while the same coaches who trusted Alvarado with those late game reps remain in the dugout.
Matt Strahm is probably pound for pound the best reliever in this bullpen, but the team has opted to use him more as their fireman and mid-inning weapon than anything like a traditional closer in the past.
Alvarado still throws 100 MPH, has late game experience, and should be someone to monitor should anything happen to Romano.
Yimi García, Blue Jays
Newly acquired closer Jeff Hoffman had some teams shy away from signing him because of alleged health concerns. It was reported those teams hoped to convert him into a starter, so it’s possible he could remain healthy if he remains in relief. Still, red flags are red flags and there seems to be a good chance he winds up injured at some point in the near future.
If so, García would be next in line for saves. His repertoire is truly elite, led by a great fastball that sits 96 MPH, a unique, hard sweeper with significant lift, plus sinker, good curveball, and fine changeup. That’s a lights out arsenal and he’d shine in the ninth inning if given the chance.
Garrett Whitlock, Red Sox
Liam Hendriks’ return is a great story and we’re all rooting for him to get back to his old form. He also seems to have the inside track to close games in Boston, but there’s no telling how good he’ll be after missing most of the last two seasons.
That being said, Whitlock is returning from the rotation to the bullpen where he’s been nasty in the past. Alex Cora has been outspokenly committed to using him in the same role as 2021 when he was a multi-inning, late game weapon. That will put him in position for some save opportunities early and those chances could grow if Hendriks falters.
Aroldis Chapman is someone to watch in this bullpen as well with his still 100 MPH heat and wealth of ninth inning experience. Regardless, Whitlock projects to be the most effective reliever in this bullpen.
Colin Holderman, Pirates
David Bednar is one of the most popular bounceback candidates after a brutal season where he spent time on the IL, saw his ERA climb over five, and realized he was tipping his pitches. His velocity and stuff remained consistent though, so it could be all systems go for him.
Nevertheless, Holderman would be a legitimate option to close should Bednar not regain his form. His sinker sits 97 MPH and is supported by a solid cutter and nasty sweeper. Walks have been an issue so far in his career, but his strikeout rate has risen each of the past three seasons and the Pirates entrusted him with 21 holds last season.
Michael Otañez and José Leclerc, Athletics
While Mason Miller might be the most electric closer in the game right now, he fought through a heap of arm injuries just to get to the major leagues. He spent some time on the IL last season and it wouldn’t be shocking for him to do so again soon.
Otañez is likely to be next in line for saves with the Athletics and is pretty electric himself. His fastball can touch triple digits from a lower arm slot and sits 98 MPH with solid rise and run. He also has a sinker that runs in on right-handed batters and a nasty slider. His command can elude him at times, but he has the makings of a dominant closer and a worthy handcuff to Miller.
Leclerc could be an option as well should something happen to Miller. He was never able to capture the closer’s role in Texas despite his great stuff and could get the nod over Otañez since he has more late game experience.
Jose Ferrer, Lucas Sims, and Evan Reifert, Nationals
The Nationals thought highly enough of Kyle Finnegan to non-tender him in November and then re-sign him after spring training began. That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement for someone who will open the season as their closer. There isn’t an obvious option behind him, but any of these three interesting arms could emerge.
Ferrer, a lefty, was reportedly leading the race before Finnegan came back. He has big stuff led by a sinker that sits 98 MPH, plus fastball, plus changeup, and wicked slider that he struggles to command. Yet, he’s more of a ground ball artisan than someone who will stack up loads of strikeouts.
Otherwise, stuff darlings in Lucas Sims and Evan Reifert could wind up in the mix for ninth inning duties. Sims was signed in late February, like Finnegan, after a workout he did with Driveline went viral.
Reifert also has freaky stuff. He uses his sweeper as his primary pitch and it had a 100% whiff rate in his first outing this spring against the Mets. Both have struggled with command and could be true boom or bust options. It’s worth monitoring who’s pitching the eighth inning ahead of Finnegan when the season begins to know the pecking order here.
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