Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report: Breaking down every team's closer situation for the homestretch
From Daniel Palencia's injury to Shawn Armstrong's emergence, here's where all 30 teams stand
By
Scott White
•
7 min read
We're inside of three weeks to go this season. Not much time to assess bullpens still. Let's hit them all in one fell swoop.
You'll notice that many teams have effectively waved the white flag, at least when it comes to the ninth inning. Maybe they purged their bullpen at the trade deadline. Maybe they had only one viable closing option and recently lost him to injury. Whatever the case, they've tried to piece together save chances with ill-fitting parts, and it's not really working for Fantasy.
The latest club that's having to scramble is the Cubs, who just lost Daniel Palencia to what appears to be a significant shoulder injury. I've gone ahead and ruled him out for the season here, so he's not listed in the Cubs pecking order. They're almost certainly playoff-bound, though, so they'll have to figure something out. The leader in the clubhouse is right-hander Brad Keller, who has been working the eighth inning with regularity, though a committee of three or four could emerge instead.
Because we're at a point in 2025 where thoughts are turning to 2026, I've denoted the impending free agents within each team's closer hierarchy. My thinking is that those in Dynasty leagues may want to beat the punch in speculating on saves next year. For relievers who have an option for 2026, whether player or team, I've taken my best guess as to whether it'll be picked up.
Arizona Diamondbacks
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Andrew Saalfrank, Jake Woodford, Taylor Rashi
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? No one
Who's set to enter free agency? No one
Saalfrank seemed to be in the driver's seat when he got three of four saves for the Diamondbacks in mid-to-late August, but all three of his September appearances have come in the eighth inning.
Athletics
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Still unclear
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? No one
Who's set to enter free agency? Sean Newcomb
Atlanta Braves
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Raisel Iglesias
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Raisel Iglesias
Who's set to enter free agency? Raisel Iglesias
Baltimore Orioles
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Keegan Akin, Yennier Cano
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? No one
Who's set to enter free agency? No one
Boston Red Sox
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Aroldis Chapman
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Aroldis Chapman
Who's set to enter free agency? No one
Chicago Cubs
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Brad Keller, Andrew Kittredge
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Brad Keller
Who's set to enter free agency? Brad Keller, Caleb Thielbar
The Cubs have yet to reveal who will fill in for Daniel Palencia, who was lost to a shoulder injury Sunday, but the only reason it wouldn't be eighth-inning man Brad Keller is if it's a committee.
Chicago White Sox
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Jordan Leasure, Mike Vasil
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Jordan Leasure
Who's set to enter free agency? No one
Leasure has three saves to Vasil's two over the past eight days.
Cincinnati Reds
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Emilio Pagan
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Emilio Pagan
Who's set to enter free agency? Emilio Pagan, Scott Barlow
Cleveland Guardians
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Cade Smith
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Cade Smith
Who's set to enter free agency? No one
Emmanuel Clase is under contract for 2026, but his status with the team is unknown as he's being investigated for gambling.
Colorado Rockies
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Victor Vodnik
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Victor Vodnik
Who's set to enter free agency? No one
Seth Halvorsen has been sidelined since early August with a flexor strain, but the Rockies remain hopeful for his return.
Detroit Tigers
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Will Vest
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Will Vest
Who's set to enter free agency? Kyle Finnegan, Rafael Montero, Tommy Kahnle
Vest seemed to be regaining top standing even before Finnegan was lost to a groin injury last week and may be uncontested moving forward.
Houston Astros
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Bryan Abreu
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Bryan Abreu
Who's set to enter free agency? No one
Kansas City Royals
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Carlos Estevez
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Carlos Estevez
Who's set to enter free agency? No one
Los Angeles Angels
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Kenley Jansen
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Reid Detmers
Who's set to enter free agency? Kenley Jansen, Luis Garcia
Los Angeles Dodgers
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Tanner Scott, Blake Treinen, Jack Dreyer
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Tanner Scott
Who's set to enter free agency? Michael Kopech, Kirby Yates
Dreyer, a rookie left-hander, recorded the save Sunday after Scott and Treinen both contributed to a ninth-inning collapse Saturday. Things have gotten awfully messy here.
Miami Marlins
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Calvin Faucher, Ronny Henriquez, Tyler Phillips, Lake Bachar
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Calvin Faucher, Ronny Henriquez
Who's set to enter free agency? No one
The Marlins have been aggressively non-committal all season, but Faucher has recorded five of their 13 saves in the second half. Phillips is second with three. Neither is as good as Henriquez.
Milwaukee Brewers
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe
Who's set to enter free agency? No one
Megill is expected back from a flexor strain when first eligible Sept. 16. Uribe should fill in admirably in the meantime.
Minnesota Twins
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Justin Topa
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Justin Topa
Who's set to enter free agency? No one
Topa has stepped in as the Twins' closer following their trade deadline bullpen purge. His recent stumbles, along with a sore knee, may earn Cole Sands, the superior pitcher, a look.
New York Mets
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Edwin Diaz
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Edwin Diaz
Who's set to enter free agency? Edwin Diaz, Tyler Rogers, Ryan Helsley
New York Yankees
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? David Bednar
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? David Bednar
Who's set to enter free agency? Devin Williams, Luke Weaver
Philadelphia Phillies
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Jhoan Duran
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Jhoan Duran
Who's set to enter free agency? David Robertson
Pittsburgh Pirates
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Dennis Santana
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Dennis Santana
Who's set to enter free agency? No one
San Diego Padres
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Robert Suarez
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Robert Suarez, Mason Miller
Who's set to enter free agency? Robert Suarez
San Francisco Giants
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Ryan Walker
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Ryan Walker
Who's set to enter free agency? No one
Randy Rodriguez looked to be the Giants' closer for the next half decade after they shipped out Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers at the trade deadline, but now he needs Tommy John surgery and is likely to miss all of 2026.
Seattle Mariners
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Andres Munoz
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Andres Munoz
Who's set to enter free agency? No one
St. Louis Cardinals
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? JoJo Romero, Riley O'Brien
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? JoJo Romero, Riley O'Brien
Who's set to enter free agency? No one
Though the left-handed Romero appears to be in the driver's seat, recording seven of the Cardinals' 12 saves since they moved Ryan Helsley at the trade deadline, they do seem to be playing matchups somewhat, with O'Brien being the predominant right-hander. He has three saves during that same span to go with a 1.60 ERA overall.
Tampa Bay Rays
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Pete Fairbanks
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Pete Fairbanks
Who's set to enter free agency? No one
Texas Rangers
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Shawn Armstrong
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Shawn Armstrong
Who's set to enter free agency? Shawn Armstrong, Chris Martin, Phil Maton
Armstrong looks to be the clear front-runner, having secured each of the Rangers' past four saves. The 34-year-old has a history of mediocrity but boasts a 2.40 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 9.0 K/9 on the year.
Toronto Blue Jays
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Jeff Hoffman
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Jeff Hoffman
Who's set to enter free agency? Seranthony Dominguez
Washington Nationals
| Pecking order |
Who's in the mix for saves? Jose Ferrer, Cole Henry
Who's worth rostering in Fantasy? Jose Ferrer
Who's set to enter free agency? No one
Ferrer, a hard-throwing left-hander, has seven saves to Henry's two since Kyle Finnegan was moved at the trade deadline and really seems to have embraced the role with 13 straight scoreless appearances, spanning 15 1/3 innings.
