Welcome to another edition of bullpen roulette this week. As the season kicks into gear, so does our coverage of the bullpen happenings around MLB. Interestingly, things are stable in the vast majority of the bullpens right now, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t intrigue.
For example, the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers do not seem to have a set closer in the AL Central. The Philadelphia Phillies have four guys who can close, and the Cincinnati Reds are still sorting out their pecking order this week. There is an interesting situation to watch for the Arizona Diamondbacks as well. Let’s get you updated with this week’s happenings.
Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report
AL East
Aroldis Chapman continues to hold down the top job in Boston with four saves thus far, including two this week. When he needs a day off, it appears that the Red Sox prefer to use Justin Slaten, who also has two saves. Garrett Whitlock is throwing well and has two holds, but he will be a multiple-inning weapon for the team now. Chapman has an insane 40% K% at this time. See his Statcast page below…he is still effective.
New York: Devin Williams has earned three saves this week, despite a bloated 5.14 ERA. He is going to be fine. Fernando Cruz earned a save on an off-night for Williams. It’s hard to say who the handcuff here would be for Williams, with Cruz, Luke Weaver, and Mark Leiter Jr. all having saves on the season. I would lean Weaver still.
Jeff Hoffman has been solid in Toronto, posting four saves on the season with a 37% K %. Looking for holds? Lefty Brandon Little has six already to go with a 40% K%.
AL Central
The Chicago White Sox ended the Mike Clevinger as closer experiment this week, designating the veteran for assignment. The next question is, who closes on a team that has only four wins? The best bet here would be second-year man Jordan Leasure, who did earn two saves in a limited look in 2024. The Sox would be much better if they had two decent relief pitchers. Egads.
Detroit: Tommy Kahnle looks to have the edge right now in the Motor City. He has converted the last two save chances. Beau Brieske has hit the 15-day IL with ankle inflammation, and veteran Will Vest has stepped into a high-leverage role in his absence. Tyler Holton could see his usage increase here as well.
Kansas City: There is not much to report here, as Carlos Estevez continues to close games with Lucas Erceg, the top high-leverage guy. But a guy to watch for holds here is Daniel Lynch IV, who has moved into a high-leverage role beside Erceg.
AL West
Mason Miller remains spotless for the Athletics with five saves and a video game-like 57% K%. Jose Leclerc has moved to a middle relief role, and the top setup guys are Justin Sterner and Tyler Ferguson.
Seattle: Andres Munoz seems to be taking the next step to being elite in Seattle, with seven saves in 10 innings pitched with a 35% K%. Munoz has never had more than 23 saves in a season, and this could be the year he hits the upper tier of closers in MLB. Check out Munoz’s 2025 Statcast page below, and you will like what you see thus far.
NL East
New York: Edwin Diaz has four saves with a bloated 5.87 ERA. This has the potential to be a very good bullpen, with Ryne Stanek, A.J. Minter, and Reed Garrett all in the mix to get holds. Diaz is one of the highest-paid closers in the game and is at no risk of losing his job.
We are watching the situation in Philadelphia with interest. Lefty Jose Alvarado earned two more saves this week, giving him four. Fellow lefty Matt Strahm also notched one this week. Jordan Romano has been relegated to a middle relief role, but he grabbed two holds this week as he attempts to move back into a high-leverage role. Orion Kerkering appears to be the top right-handed reliever in Philly, and he has four holds on the year. Alvarado is the top dog for now, but I expect this to be a roller coaster all season. We will keep you posted.
NL Central
Lots of folks are watching the situation in Chicago, where Ryan Pressly has looked shaky at times but still has four saves. Porter Hodge leads the team with five holds. Julian Merryweather is another name to know if you need holds. Pressly is getting paid $14 million to close games, and unless he struggles, this should be his job for the time being.
Cincinnati welcomed Alexis Diaz back this week, but manager Terry Francona suggested he would not reinstall him as he was closer. Yet. Veteran Emilio Pagan has done an admirable job with four saves and a 2.89 ERA, and Tony Santillan has earned a save as well. Diaz came back and threw 26 pitches on Tuesday and earned a hold. On Thursday night, Pagan blew the save in a game in which Graham Ashcraft took the loss. We are watching this one carefully; I expect that at some point that this will come down to Diaz and Ashcraft at the end of games.
Pittsburgh: Dennis Santana continues to hold down the job, but David Bednar made strides in AAA and was called back up on Saturday. In the meantime, veteran Justin Lawrence has gotten off to a good start, with a 0.93 ERA, two holds, and a 40% K%. One to watch here.
NL West
Continuing to watch the happenings in the Arizona desert each day for the competition for saves between Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk. Puk has four saves, and Martinez has two saves. Interestingly, the talk this week was of Martinez’s weird 90 MPH changeup, which has such a low spin rate that it comes out looking like a knuckleball or a forkball. Both have pitched well to start the year, with K rates well into the 34-38% range. Puk has two holds and Martinez three, while the newly minted setup man, Shelby Miller, continues to be a revelation. Puk hit the IL this weekend with inflammation in his left elbow. Look for Martinez to get the lion’s share of the save chances with Puk out for at least the next 15 days.
Colorado: Zero saves this week for the Rockies, and would-be closer Seth Halvorsen only pitched once all week.
Tanner Scott has seven saves in Los Angeles, while Kirby Yates and Alex Vesia continue to rack up holds. Blake Treinen has not pitched since last Sunday and just hit the IL with forearm tightness.
