Many of us are in the throes of our fantasy baseball draft season or will be soon, which is the best time of the year for us. I do not think it ridiculous to say this is our Christmas season. As we prep for those drafts, one category we have to mull over how to handle is that of saves, which could be the least discussed category in fantasy baseball. This piece takes a weekly look at the ins and outs of major league bullpens.
If you are new to my work, I do bullpen updates here at Fantrax every week for those playing fantasy baseball. Each week, I will highlight bullpens that could be or already are in flux. I will update a chart that is color-coded for your perusal: red is a bullpen that is mired in chaos, yellow is a bullpen that is unstable, and green is a bullpen that we feel confident in who the closer is, at least for the time being. I will also include relievers to target for holds, and submit a “sleeper” candidate as well, who will be a reliever that is a step or two away from being used in those highest-leverage situations.
If you ever have a question about bullpens, feel free to reach out to me directly at the worst Twitter/X handle of all time, @mdrc0508, and I will get back to you.
For this first weekend in March, let’s take a look at some unsettled (and perhaps unsettling) bullpen situations in both leagues and see if we can make heads or tails of them.
Spring Training Bullpen Updates
American League
Boston Red Sox: Management added veteran lefty Aroldis Chapman to the mix, which includes the TJS-recovering Liam Hendriks and exciting newcomer Justin Slaten. I think this is up in the air, although many pundits feel this job will go to Chapman. He seems best served in a high-leverage setup role. In late news, it appears that Garrett Whitlock will be in the bullpen when he’s ready to go (he’s battling back from injury and might miss the first month or two of the season), and he could be in the closer mix at some point, or at least in the high-leverage situation in Boston.
Chicago White Sox: The bigger question for the White Sox is will anyone care who is closing for the worst team in baseball? Roster Resource lists Justin Anderson as the closer right now. I thought that the Sox could add a veteran on a one-year deal with closing experience, like Jose Leclerc or a Dylan Floro type who has experience getting key outs. However, they signed Mike Clevinger instead, and his name is being tossed into the closer mix. Jordan Leasure has some experience closing, and Fraser Ellard got a taste of high leverage last season. The name that intrigues me the most in Chicago is Prelander Berroa. File him for later as he is injured at this time, and rumors abound that he may be headed for surgery. A deep name to know here is Rule 5 pick Shane Smith. Keep an eye on him.
Detroit Tigers: The Tigers added old friend Andrew Chafin to their mix and also signed veteran Tommy Kahnle. Roster Resource feels this is a committee situation starring Beau Brieske, Jason Foley, and Tyler Holton. Forced to bet right now, the de facto closer would seem to be Foley, but all three of these guys seem better suited for high-leverage roles that are not closing. Brieske could be a multiple-inning fireman type, while Holton could reprise several roles (spot starter, situational lefty, closer) in 2025.
Los Angeles Angels: Robert Stephenson will be back at some point, but not to start the year. Ben Joyce looked to be the top choice, and then the Angels brought in Kenley Jansen on a one-year deal. Joyce averages 102.4 MPH on his fastball despite a pedestrian 23.2K% and is also an injury risk.
Texas Rangers: They had added veteran Chris Martin and acquired lefty Robert Garcia from Washington. Both are good additions, but if this team is serious about competing in the AL West, they may need a better closing option. Martin gets the edge here. Jacob Webb and Jacob Latz could have big roles in this bullpen. I felt this team needed Kirby Yates back, but he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. David Robertson is still a free agent, and maybe he will consider a reunion with Texas.
Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays have resolved their closer situation by signing Jeff Hoffman to a three-year, $33 million guaranteed contract on January 10. This should allow the Jays to move Yimi Garcia and Chad Green back to setup roles, which fit their profiles better. Erik Swanson and Nick Sandlin could be candidates for holds.
National League
Arizona Diamondbacks: This is going to be an interesting one to watch develop over the next couple of weeks. Most expect it will be Justin Martinez, and it very well could be him. Yet it is important to recall that he was not getting save chances down the stretch last year after he faltered and performed poorly. A.J. Puk, the dominant lefty, was nasty in 2024 and has the stuff and some experience closing on his resume. GM Mike Hazen recently added veteran Kendall Graveman to the bullpen mix. If they do not make a move, look for a 60/40 split between Martinez and Puk, unless someone runs away with the job in Spring Training. I feel Puk is the better pitcher, but we know that sometimes the best pitcher in the bullpen pitches in the highest-leverage role and isn’t necessarily the closer. Ryan Thompson and Kevin Ginkel will also play key roles.
Chicago Cubs: The Cubs found Porter Hodge last season after the ineffectiveness of Hector Neris led them down a dark path. Management acquired veteran closer Ryan Pressly from Houston, where he had been in a setup role for top closer Josh Hader. While many pundits have been split on who will close, I am casting my lot with Pressly. He waived his no-trade clause to come to Chicago, and my best guess is that part of the conversation before waiving it was that he would be the closer. At $14 million a year (he is in the last year of his contract), he should get first crack at the save chances.
Colorado Rockies: The guy I am highest on here is Seth Halvorsen, who I saw pitch in person last year and was impressed with- high velocity, good movement, and command. The competition in Colorado is Tyler Kinley and Victor Vodnik, both of whom seem better suited to other roles. Manager Bud Black stated last week that this was a competition. Lean Halvorsen.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Many had anointed Michael Kopech the closer here this winter, but not so fast, my friends. The team signed two big free-agent acquisitions in Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates to bolster the back end of their bullpen. Manager Dave Roberts has shown a propensity over the years to use any of his high-leverage arms at any time in a game, and the recently re-signed Blake Treinen could factor in the mix, as well as sometimes-closer Evan Phillips. Kopech is slated to miss some time to start this season.
Miami Marlins: At this time, it looks like Calvin Faucher‘s job to lose, with Jose Tinoco also in the mix. Tinoco seems to be the better pitcher when you look at the data. Who knows? Miami could sign a veteran off the scrap heap and use them as a closer to rebuild value and then trade that guy at the deadline. Anthony Bender and Andrew Nardi will have big roles here as well.
Pittsburgh Pirates: The hunch here is that David Bednar will regain the role after a largely lost season in 2024. What else are they going to do? Dennis Santana and Colin Holderman are better in setup roles. Caleb Ferguson should get some holds.
San Francisco Giants: I thought this was Ryan Walker‘s gig and that Camilo Doval would be in a middle-innings role until he proves he can be trusted again. Manager Bob Melvin announced at the outset of Spring Training that Walker was his closer. Walker was electric last year, with 10 wins, 10 saves, a 1.91 ERA, a 0.85 WHIP, and 99 strikeouts in 80 innings. His K-BB rate was 26.3%. There is little reason to think he cannot repeat that in 2025.
Washington: They surprisingly let Kyle Finnegan walk without having another great option behind him. The Nationals need to address this place on their roster. Lo and behold, the team did re-sign Finnegan this week, and he should be the closer. Derek Law and Jose Ferrer are both good pitchers but do not profile as closers. The team did sign veteran righthander Jorge Lopez on Saturday, and based on his experience, he could be in the mix should Finnegan falter.
Bullpen Depth Charts
AL East
AL Central
AL West
NL East
NL Central
NL West
For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.
