2023 Fantasy Baseball Closer Grid
Fantasy baseball closers – is there a more polarizing and frustrating position in the fantasy game? This is why Fantasy Alarm has been providing you with the Fantasy Baseball Closer Grid for well over a decade and why so many people bookmark this page once they arrive. What is the Closer Grid? It's very simple. It’s a one-stop shop for all your fantasy baseball relief pitcher/closer needs. Not only do we list the closer for every MLB team, but we also go another two-deep into the bullpen to let you know who should be next in line to accrue saves for your fantasy baseball lineups. There are always MLB relief pitchers out there who could be rising up the fantasy baseball rankings and in our 2023 fantasy baseball projections as well. It's also important to know the bullpen depth chart for each MLB team, especially when you're dealing with players on the MLB injury report, looking for fantasy baseball waiver wire targets, or keeping an eye on MLB top prospects. Sometimes the heir-apparent is an obvious one, but in many cases, it is not when it comes to saves and holds. We look for things like skill set, contact rates, pitch command, pitch mix, how many lefties are in the bullpen, who has worked as a closer before, who has experience in high-leverage situations, and most of all, job security. Be sure to also check out the MLB player news to find the latest updates on MLB bullpen situations.
GREEN will be those with strong talent, abundant opportunities, and a high level of job security. The tier below will be in YELLOW followed by ORANGE and lastly RED to indicate who may have the job right now but could lose it with one bad hiccup.
Updated: 9.26.23
| Team | Stability | Closer | Setup Man | Sleeper | Injured/Suspended |
| Cleveland Guardians | Elite | Emmanuel Clase | Trevor Stephan | Reynaldo Lopez | |
| Milwaukee Brewers | Elite | Devin Williams | Joel Payamps | Hoby Milner | |
| Houston Astros | Elite | Ryan Pressly | Bryan Abreu | Hector Neris | |
| San Diego Padres | Elite | Josh Hader | Robert Suarez | Scott Barlow | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Elite | David Bednar | Carmen Mlodzinski | Ryan Borucki | |
| San Francisco Giants | Elite | Camilo Doval | Tyler Rogers | Taylor Rogers | |
| Cincinnati Reds | Elite | Alexis Diaz | Derek Law | Ian Gibaut | |
| Toronto Blue Jays | Elite | Jordan Romano | Jordan Hicks | Erik Swanson | |
| Los Angeles Angels | Stable | Carlos Estevez | Jimmy Herget | Ben Joyce | |
| Minnesota Twins | Stable | Jhoan Duran | Griffin Jax | Emilio Pagan | |
| Atlanta Braves | Stable | Raisel Iglesias | A.J. Minter | Kirby Yates | |
| Washington Nationals | Stable | Kyle Finnegan | Hunter Harvey | Jordan Weems | |
| Tampa Bay Rays | Stable | Pete Fairbanks | Colin Poche | Robert Stephenson | Jason Adam |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Stable | Craig Kimbrel | Jose Alvarado | Gregory Soto | |
| Oakland A's | Stable | Trevor May | Dany Jimenez | Lucas Erceg | |
| New York Yankees | Stable | Clay Holmes | Ian Hamilton | Nick Ramirez | Wandy Peralta/Tommy Kahnle/Jonathan Loaisiga |
| Seattle Mariners | Stable | Andres Munoz | Matt Brash | Justin Topa | |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Stable | Evan Phillips | Brusdar Graterol | Caleb Ferguson | |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | Stable | Paul Sewald | Kevin Ginkel | Miguel Castro | |
| Baltimore Orioles | Stable | Yennier Cano | Danny Coulombe | Shintaro Fujinami | Felix Bautista |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Stable | Ryan Helsley | John King | Andre Pallante | Giovanny Gallegos/JoJo Romero |
| Miami Marlins | Stable | Tanner Scott | Andrew Nardi | AJ Puk | |
| Boston Red Sox | Stable | Kenley Jansen | Chris Martin | John Winckowski | |
| Chicago Cubs | Fluid | Julian Merryweather | Mark Leiter Jr. | Drew Smyly | Albert Alzolay/Michael Fulmer |
| Texas Rangers | Fluid | Jose Leclerc | Aroldis Chapman | Will Smith | |
| Detroit Tigers | Fluid | Alex Lange | Jason Foley | Tyler Holton | |
| Kansas City Royals | Fluid | James McArthur | Taylor Clarke | Carlos Hernandez | |
| New York Mets | Fluid | Adam Ottavino | Brooks Raley | Drew Smith | |
| Chicago White Sox | Fluid | Bryan Shaw | Aaron Bummer | Garrett Crochet | Liam Hendriks |
| Colorado Rockies | Fluid | Justin Lawrence | Tyler Kinley | Matt Koch |
Check out the latest episode of Fantasy Alarm’s Fantasy Baseball Podcast:
Related MLB Links:
- MLB Streaks & Trends
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire
- Fantasy Baseball Podcast
- Cash It Podcast
- MLB Injury Report
- MLB Lineups
- MLB Weather Center
- MLB Daily Projections
- MLB 2023 Statistics
- MLB Player News
Player News
Tanner Scott struck out three in a scoreless ninth to get a save Wednesday versus the Rockies.
Scott did allow a hit, so it’s up to others to determine whether he struck out the side. Whether he did or not, it’s as good as Scott has looked as a Dodger, and he threw 11-of-11 pitches for strikes; impressive regardless, but especially for a pitcher who sometimes has issues with control. Scott should continue to see plenty of save chances for this loaded Dodgers’ club.
Freddie Freeman doubled and homered in the Dodgers’ win over the Rockies on Monday.
Michael Toglia hit a grand slam, but the Rockies lost Monday to the Dodgers.
Shohei Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBI in an 8-7 win Saturday over the Rockies.
Bobby Miller allowed six earned runs over three innings in a no-decision vs. the Rockies on Wednesday.
Miller was making his first start of the 2025 season, and it’s hard to fathom it went how he wanted it to. Fortunately for him and the fantasy managers who streamed him against the lowly Rockies, he received seven runs of support while he was in, so he wasn’t charged with a loss. He did strike out seven, but he allowed eight hits as well; two of those hits leaving the ballpark. The biggest blow was a grand slam by Michael Toglia, buth e pitched shakily — to put it nicely — for most of the contest. There’s no start scheduled, but if Miller does get another outing, it’ll likely come against the Cubs on Wednesday.
Germán Márquez recorded just two outs while being charged for seven runs in a loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday.
Márquez was handed a 1-0 lead going into his first and final inning, and it lasted just four pitches before Shohei Ohtani smashed a solo homer. He gave up another homer two batters later to Freddie Freeman, and the 30-year-old allowed four more hits and the same amount of runs before exiting. It’s hard to imagine that anyone used Márquez that didn’t have to Wednesday, but for those who did: whoops. He’ll be on the mound next week against the Royals and look to lower and unsightly 8.27 ERA.