The fantasy baseball closer position has traditionally been tough to navigate but finding a closer that will hold onto the role for the entire 2025 MLB season seems like it will be an especially difficult task for fantasy baseball managers.

MLB Closers 2025: Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Rankings

Our 2025 Fantasy Baseball Closer Grid breaks down fantasy baseball’s bullpens into Elite, Stable, Fluid and In Flux categories. 

 

 

 

Elite Closer Rankings 2025

Barring injury the Elite MLB closers in 2025 are very likely to hold onto their jobs for the entire season and have consistently been among the best MLB closers in the game. 

Each closer in this category has a great chance of saving 30 or more games. 

Stable Closer Rankings 2025

Relievers in the Stable category will start the season as their team’s 2025 MLB closer but there is no guarantee that they’ll be an MLB closer for their current team for the entire 2025 fantasy baseball season. 

Some of the MLB closers in 2025 in this category may be limited by several factors including the number of games that they’re team has a chance of winning, their manager’s bullpen usage strategy, their susceptibility to injury, and the possibility that they’ll get traded to a team that will use them as a setup man instead of a closer because they’re on the last year of their contract.

Minnesota Twins reliever Jhoan Duran is a good example of a closer who’s ceiling has been capped due to his team’s bullpen usage strategy. He started the 2024 season on the IL and made his debut on April 30th. From that point on he converted 23 of his 25 save opportunities. 

During that same period Griffin Jax converted six of his 11 save opportunities. Duran experienced some velocity fluctuation this spring but when healthy, he has electric stuff. However, Jax occasionally eating into his workload keeps Duran from being considered an elite closer. 

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Pete Fairbanks is a prime example of a good closer who has been injury prone and who is playing on the last year of his contract. He has a good chance of being moved before the MLB’s trade deadline.

San Diego Padres closer Robert Suarez is also included in the Stable category of our closer grid but some question his long-term stability. Although he’s signed through the 2028 season there’s been speculation that he may end up getting traded at some point this season. 

Jason Adam has had a bit of a rough spring but if Suarez is moved, he’d probably get the first crack at the closer position. Adam is also expected to be a good resource for HOLDS this season.

 

 

 

Fluid Closer Rankings 2025

The Fluid category is littered with relievers that we think will be a primary 2025 closer for an MLB team, but we need to wait for the start of the season to see how things actually play out. 

Kansas City Royals reliever Carlos Estevez and Philadelphia Phillies reliever Jordan Romano are good examples of what we’re talking about. Both received offseason free agent contracts, but some suggest that Estevez might be sharing some of the Royals’ save opportunities with Lucas Erceg. 

Romano is coming off of an injury plagued season and his manager, Rob Thomson, has been known to sometimes use best matchups when deciding which reliever will get the save opportunity.

Aroldis Chapman will start the season as the Boston Red Sox’s closer. Liam Hendriks admitted that he didn’t deserve the role after pitching to a 9.95 ERA this spring. 

Chapman hasn’t been able to hold onto a closer’s job for a while and Hendriks is still making his way back from TJ surgery so keep an eye on Justin Slaten as a potential closer for the Sox if Chapman struggles. In the meantime, Slaten should be a good resource for HOLDS this season.

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo will not name a closer to start the season and will use a best matchup approach early on. Justin Martinez might see more opportunities as a right-hander compared to the lefty A.J. Puk and the fact that Martinez was recently signed to a long-term contract might tip the scales in his favor as well. 

With Orioles reliever Felix Bautista starting the season on the Opening Day roster he should be a cinch to reclaim his closer role. He struck out 11 batters in 5.1 IP this spring and while the Orioles might opt to ease him back into things following his TJ surgery almost all of the major projection models expect him to have a save total in the mid 20 range this season.

 

 

 

Bullpens In Flux

There are some bullpens that are more fluid than others. These MLB bullpens don’t have a designated 2025 MLB closer and several candidates for the job.

Texas Rangers

Of the six bullpens featured in the In Flux category this one seems to be the closest to being resolved. Manager Bruce Bochy has been talking up Luke Jackson this spring and it looks like he’ll get first crack to be the Rangers’ closer, even though he hasn’t officially been named the closer.

Detroit Tigers

Detroit’s bullpen has been in flux all spring but with the Tigers optioning Jason Foley, (who had 28 saves last season), to Triple-A right before Opening Day it looks like manager A.J. Hinch will use a full blown closer by committee approach for now. 

Beau Brieske, Tyler Holton, Tommy Kahnle, Will Vest, and John Brebbia all have career saves under their belt. Brieske is considered the favorite by some but based on Hinch's comments he’s going to use a hot hand approach to start the season.

Cincinnati Reds

The injury to Alexis Diaz has left a void at the closer spot for the Reds that manager Terry Francona is still trying to fill. Taylor Rogers hasn’t had a great spring, but he’s saved at least 28 games at least three times in his career. Scott Barlow has 58 career saves and could be an option as well. 

Tony Santillan may be added to some rosters this weekend after this post on X. Graham Ashcraft gained some helium during the preseason but with a 15/9 K/BB ratio he’s probably not the answer.

The Miami Marlins, Colorado Rockies, and Chicago White Sox all will start the season without an official closer and will all struggle to win games this season.

Calvin Faucher and Jesus Tinoco have pitched poorly for the Marlins this spring. Don’t be surprised if Anthony Bender gets the majority of save chances to start the season.

Rockies reliever Tyler Kinley has had an excellent spring (no runs, two walks and 10 Ks in 6.1 IP) and is the favorite to be the closer for the Rockies. 

You’re likely not looking at the White Sox roster for saves but Mike Clevinger has had a nice spring and is expected to be the favorite to close out games for the team from the south side of Chicago.

 

 

 

Best Holds Targets

As we mentioned at the outset of this article, navigating the closer landscape seems like it will be particularly difficult this season. Convince your fantasy baseball league’s commissioner to adopt the SOLDS category (saves plus holds) and maybe you won’t hate MLB closers in 2025 anymore.

With starting pitchers continuing to pitch fewer innings per game HOLDS are getting easier to find. Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, who are expected to win a lot of baseball games this season, should be especially good resources for holds this season.

For the Dodgers Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia, Kirby Yates and Evan Phillips are all expected to have double digit holds this season. Tanner Scott seems to be the teams closer (even if Dodgers manager Dave Roberts won’t admit it), but all four of those pitchers can also sprinkle in some saves this season as well. The Dodgers are going to have the lead in a ton of games this season.

When Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk aren’t closing out games for the Diamondbacks, they’ll be each other’s setup man, picking up holds. Both are perfect for leagues that track SOLDS. Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel and Joe Mantiply are all expected to have mid-teen range HOLD totals. Please note that Ginkel is expected to start the season on the IL.

The Phillies have a trio of good relievers including Orion Kerkering, Jose Alvarado, and Matt Strahm, who are expected to save a handful of games and put up HOLD totals in the mid teen range.