2025 Fantasy Baseball: Stud or sleeper at relief pitcher, a strategy guide for how to draft each position

We ended last season in a really nice place for closers. Lucas Erceg and Porter Hodge had emerged as lockdown options for the Royals and Cubs, respectively. Blake Treinen appeared to have a leg up for the Dodgers and Ben Joyce for the Angels. The trade deadline had thrown the relief pitcher position into chaos, but once the dust had settled, it sure seemed like the most talented reliever for each club had found his way into saves.

But then came the offseason and a series of moves that kicked up that dust again. Closers were by and large late to sign, and then when they did, it was with teams that seemingly had a closer already, muddying what had been clear waters.

So are we still in a nice place? Look, it's been worse. The closer committee craze has died down a bit from its peak, with only a handful of managers showing a real fondness for it. But even so, I don't feel like roles are as settled as at this time a year ago.

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• Position Tiers (v. 2.0): C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP

It doesn't really change my approach to the relief pitcher position. I'll never be the guy who pays top dollar for a top closer. But it does mean the bankable options deplete earlier, which may force me to react sooner than I'd like. Sometimes that depletion can happen so quickly that I don't even have a chance to react, so I find I'm anticipating more, trying to sniff out those closer runs before they begin. My goal is to secure a closer that, while not elite, is a reasonable enough bet to stay in the role all season and then pair him with a cheaper one who may invite a little more skepticism. If I can land a third closer from that latter category, even better.

The approach is obviously geared more for a deeper Rotisserie league than, say, a standard Head-to-Head points league, where not every closer is likely to be drafted. In those shallower formats, I pretty much wait until the end of the draft to take mine. Even if they're not the greatest, there won't be much competition for whatever newcomer closers inevitably emerge on the waiver wire.

By now, some of you are probably screaming what about saves-plus-hold leagues!? (Saves-plus-holds-leaguers aren't quiet about it, in my experience.) And my advice to them is ... take however many saves-plus-holds sources you think you need. You can probably wait until the end of your draft to do it because it's not like your league is going to run out. There's a higher margin for error, too, because if a saves guy becomes a holds guy or a holds guy becomes a saves guy, well, it's all going into the same bucket. You may think it's more complicated than that, but it really isn't. In fact, the whole point of going the saves-plus-holds route is to eliminate the relief pitcher complication. So, like ... don't complicate it. As long as you're engaged enough to nurture your saves-plus-holds supply throughout the season and not just go on autopilot after the draft, you'll be fine.

End of rant. Time to name names.

Surefire closer

	2025 ADP	2024 ERA	2024 WHIP	2024 K/9
Emmanuel Clase CLE RP	43	0.60	0.66	8.0
Devin Williams NYY RP	60	1.25	0.97	15.8
Josh Hader HOU RP	61	3.80	0.96	13.3
Mason Miller ATH SP	69	2.49	0.88	14.4
Edwin Diaz NYM RP	70	3.52	1.04	14.1
Ryan Helsley STL RP	73	2.04	1.10	10.7
Raisel Iglesias ATL RP	80	1.95	0.74	8.8
Robert Suarez SD RP	116	2.77	1.05	8.2
Ryan Walker SF RP	139	1.91	0.85	11.1

Maybe I'll get one of these guys. Maybe, but only if the league is deep and the price is right. It won't be the first three, though I'll admit Emmanuel Clase, Devin Williams and Josh Hader have sat atop the relief pitcher rankings for long enough that you can assume they'll pay off for those willing to sell their soul for a single-category specialist. Edwin Diaz basically fits that description, too, even coming off a down year.

I also won't be drafting Mason Miller, who's going for about the same price as those other four even though he has yet to prove his durability or longevity. The stuff is great, yeah, and maybe he'll be a stud closer for years to come. The fact he's already priced like one, though, takes him off the board for me. I'm not even confident the Athletics will be competitive enough to give him 30 saves. They weren't last year.

If I'm drafting anyone from this group, it's likely to be either Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez or Ryan Walker. No, they're not as bankable, but they're a heck of a lot cheaper. And if Walker, with his funky sidearm delivery, turns out to be just as effective as year ago -- when he delivered a 1.91 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 11.1 K/9, numbers that actually improved after he moved into the closer role -- he'll be an elite option himself. My dream scenario has me drafting him as my top closer, ahead of even Suarez, but if I'm not convinced I'll be able to react soon enough after Iglesias goes, I might just play it safe and take Iglesias myself, particularly in a deeper league.

Probable closers

	2025 ADP	2024 ERA	2024 WHIP	2024 K/9
Felix Bautista BAL RP	97	1.48^	0.92^	16.2^
Andres Munoz SEA RP	114	2.12	0.96	11.7
Jhoan Duran MIN RP	115	3.64	1.16	10.9
Alexis Diaz CIN RP	165	3.99	1.30	8.8
Tanner Scott LAD RP	175	1.75	1.12	10.5
Trevor Megill MIL RP	188	2.72	1.01	9.7
Pete Fairbanks TB RP	196	3.57	1.17	8.7
David Bednar PIT RP	212	5.78	1.42	9.1
Jeff Hoffman TOR RP	213	2.17	0.96	12.1
Jordan Romano PHI RP	232	6.58	1.46	8.6
Kenley Jansen BOS RP	243	3.29	1.06	10.2

^2023 stats

The line between this group of closers and the previous group is a fine one. Felix Bautista is an obvious stud and the Orioles' only choice for the role if he's fully recovered from Tommy John surgery, but that's a big if. A flashy spring could push him into the previous group. Some might bristle at me including Andres Munoz and Jhoan Duran here since each has had a couple years now as his team's primary choice, but both the Mariners and Twins have been funny about their closer usage in general, which is why neither Munoz nor Duran got even 25 saves last year. Maybe it'll change for the Mariners under new manager Dan Wilson, who took over on an interim basis late last year, but it's too early to tell.

As you can deduce from that trio's (Bautista, Munoz and Duran) cost relative to Ryan Walker, I'm not likely to draft any of them, and the same goes for Alexis Diaz, who I think is just bad and possibly the first closer to lose his job, and Tanner Scott, who I'm not even sure is the best reliever on the Dodgers. Scott is the most expensive reliever on the Dodgers, though, and manager Dave Roberts did us a great service by saying he would get the brunt of the save opportunities to open the season. But there were a couple of qualifiers in there -- did you see? If a murderer's row of lefties is due up in the eighth, Roberts will probably turn to Scott then rather than save him for the ninth, and if Scott's all-too-frequent control problems make for a bumpy week, Roberts might shy away from him altogether. The Dodgers also signed Kirby Yates this offseason, it's worth noting.

So who do I like here? Listen, I'm looking to keep costs down at this position more than any other, so it's usually the price that drives my decision-making. I consider Trevor Megill to be fairly safe. He did a fine job filling in for Devin Williams in the first half of last season and was again anointed for the role when Williams was traded to the Yankees. The Brewers do have alternatives, however, if he falters. David Bednar, Jeff Hoffman and Jordan Romano have also demonstrated significant upside as closers but are considered damaged goods for one reason or another. They're healthy at the moment, though, and have an open lane for saves if they can remain that way. One of them is likely to be my second reliever, with the understanding that closers are inherently volatile anyway.

Possible closers

	2025 ADP	2024 ERA	2024 WHIP	2024 K/9
Justin Martinez ARI RP	246	2.48	1.31	11.3
Carlos Estevez KC RP	247	2.45	0.91	8.2
Jason Foley DET RP	280	3.15	1.18	6.9
Aroldis Chapman BOS RP	299	3.79	1.35	14.3
Ryan Pressly CHC RP	318	3.49	1.34	9.2
Calvin Faucher MIA RP	404	3.19	1.40	10.6
Jon Gray TEX SP	409	4.47	1.31	7.5
Jorge Lopez WAS RP	438	2.89	1.23	8.5
Tyler Kinley COL RP	652	6.19	1.47	10.1

If you want to slot Carlos Estevez and Ryan Pressly with the previous group, I get it. They were among the many late-inning relievers to change hands late in the offseason, and I think the relievers they're replacing -- Lucas Erceg and Porter Hodge, respectively -- are better. Part of me may be a little salty about Erceg and Hodge getting the rug pulled out from under them, but in fairness, the Royals and Cubs haven't been forthright about how they intend to distribute saves following these acquisitions. Estevez and Pressly are widely considered the favorites to close, though, and they may be able to hold off Erceg and Hodge long enough to justify the pick. I'm not totally opposed to taking them myself.

The rest here are perhaps only slightly better than a coin flip. Jason Foley is probably he safest bet or consistent saves, but he wouldn't be as exciting as Justin Martinez or Aroldis Chapman if either one of them can secure the lion's share of his team's save chances. The main alternative for Martinez, A.J. Puk, would be an even more exciting choice.

Calvin Faucher, Jon Gray, Jorge Lopez and Tyler Kinley are truly scraping the bottom of the closer barrel. I'm not even sure Gray should be considered the favorite over Chris Martin, but there have been rumblings about him stepping into the role. The Rangers closer does have a chance to be a reasonably good Fantasy option, whoever it ends up being. Lopez could also surprise in the role if the Nationals genuinely stick with him. You may notice I've entirely omitted the White Sox from the closer discussion. Yeah ... I have no idea who it's going to be, and it won't be pretty, whoever it is. Just ... stay away.

Prospective closers

	2025 ADP	2024 ERA	2024 WHIP	2024 K/9
Lucas Erceg KC RP	160	3.36	1.05	10.5
Kirby Yates LAD RP	171	1.17	0.83	12.4
Ben Joyce LAA RP	211	2.08	1.15	8.6
Porter Hodge CHC SP	227	1.88	0.88	10.9
Kyle Finnegan WAS RP	263	3.67	1.34	8.5
Liam Hendriks BOS RP	274	-----	-----	-----
Griffin Jax MIN RP	284	2.03	0.87	12.0
A.J. Puk ARI RP	288	3.15	1.11	11.1
Edwin Uceta TB RP	341	1.51	0.82	12.3
Chris Martin TEX RP	356	3.45	1.13	10.2
Blake Treinen LAD RP	381	1.93	0.94	10.8
Jesus Tinoco MIA RP	421	3.32	0.96	9.3
Craig Kimbrel BAL RP	435	5.33	1.36	12.6

^2023 stats

We've already covered that Erceg and Hodge are the best relievers for their respective teams, so if they aren't closing from the get-go, you wouldn't want to have them too far out of your sights. The same is also true for Puk, who may just win the job outright, and I'd say it's at least close to being true for Griffin Jax, Edwin Uceta and even Ben Joyce, who I don't like as much as the average Fantasy Baseballers seems to but, well, he only has to compete with Kenley Jansen. Kirby Yates and Blake Treinen also deserve a mention here, but they have to overcome each other as well as Tanner Scott.

If you're looking to stash a prospective closer who might provide ratios help, those are the top choices, with Puk being at the very top. It may not be realistic for Jax to overtake Jhoan Duran, barring an injury, but with the way manager Rocco Baldelli runs his bullpen, he could steal occasional save chances as happened last year. Likewise, Uceta's could cut into Pete Fairbanks' save total, perhaps to an even larger degree given that Fairbanks is no stranger to the IL.

You'll notice I've included Kyle Finnegan and Craig Kimbrel here even though they don't have a team yet. Their history of closing makes it possible some team with a ninth-inning need (like the Rangers or Nationals) brings them in late. It's a long shot with spring training already underway, but in leagues so deep that you're compelled to speculate on saves, you shouldn't dismiss the possibility.

The SPARPs

	2025 ADP	2024 ERA	2024 WHIP	2024 K/9
Bowden Francis TOR RP	209	3.30	0.93	8.0
Drew Rasmussen TB SP	242	2.83	1.08	11.0
Jackson Jobe DET P	255	2.36*	1.12*	9.4*
Clay Holmes NYM RP	283	3.14	1.30	9.7
Nick Martinez CIN RP	307	3.10	1.03	7.3
Grant Holmes ATL RP	339	3.56	1.19	9.2
Luis Ortiz CLE SP	383	3.32	1.11	7.1
Kris Bubic KC SP	462	2.67	1.02	11.6
Hayden Wesneski HOU RP	542	3.86	1.14	8.9
Mike Soroka WAS SP	569	4.75	1.38	9.5

*minor-league stats

For the uninitiated, SPARP stands for "starting pitcher as relief pitcher," meaning a starting pitcher you can slot into your relief spot. They mostly just matter in points leagues, where all statistical contributions go into the same bucket and a good SPARP can outperform a good closer just by virtue of innings accumulation. This is part of the reason why the closer crop is never fully depleted in a standard-sized Head-to-Head points leagues. Not only is the format shallower, but there's also a different caliber of performer available at the relief pitcher position.

Of course, I did state that a good SPARP can outperform a good closer, so a certain performance threshold needs to be met. The further you go down this list, the less likely the SPARP is to meet that threshold. I feel confident saying the top four will pass muster, though, with former Yankees closer Clay Holmes in particular being a preferred sleeper of mine. Fifth on the list, Nick Martinez, also has a chance if his control gains from a year ago stick and the Reds keep him in the rotation rather than returning him to a swingman role.

Grant Holmes and Kris Bubic offer exciting strikeout potential, but their roles are less secure. I'd take a late-round flier on either one in a Head-to-Head points league, though, just for the upside. If you've read my starting pitchers strategy guide, then you'll also be familiar with Mike Soroka's late-season strikeout surge. He's more of curiosity than a sleeper, I'd say, but is someone to keep an eye on this spring and into the regular season.