Spring training 2025 has begun and information is coming out of Florida and Arizona that will help fantasy baseball owners target the top Fantasy Baseball Players for 2025. These articles will focus attention on the ranks of the 2025 Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitchers, with an emphasis on closers but also taking a peek at those arms that offer hold production for leagues that employ that stat category. We will begin with a look at some closer situations that are not entirely settled as the spring opens, thus offering potential for speculation when your turn in your fantasy draft arrives, and aiding with your 2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep.

*Pitcher stats below are: Innings Pitched/Wins/Saves/Strikeouts/ERA/WHIP

 

 

 

Arizona Diamondbacks

Justin Martinez RHP

 2024 Stats 72.2/5/8/91/2.48/1.31

2025 Projections 67.0/4/17/84/3.11/1.30

AJ Puk LHP

2024 Stats 71.1/4/3/88/3.15/1.11

2025 Projections 64.0/4/17/78/3.25/1.14

Martinez came on strong to finish up the 2024 season, racking up 40 strikeouts over his final 26.1 inning tossed during August and September (13.5 K/9 rate). He features a devastating sinker, that arrives at 100 MPH. The concern is his inability to find the plate at times, as evidenced by his inflated 4.5 BB/9. If frustration results as a result of the extra traffic on the bases, though, the Diamondbacks have a fine option that showed his value during the second half of 2025, namely…

AJ Puk came to the Diamondbacks in a late July trade from Miami, and had transitioned from starter to reliever while with the Marlins, to dramatic success, which continued in the desert. In his 30 appearances out of the Arizona bullpen, he collected 43 strikeouts while only yielding five free passes, posting an eye-popping 1.32 ERA and 0.73 WHIP during those 27.1 IP. The concern with the southpaw is durability, as he has spent time on the IL in each of the past five seasons. When healthy, though, he will be a valuable end of the game option to be called upon to lock down the opposing offense.

 

 

 

Boston Red Sox

Aroldis Chapman LHP

2024 Stats 61.2/5/14/98/3.79/1.35

2025 Projections 63.0/5/14/91/3.26/1.34

Liam Hendriks RHP

2024 Stats N/A 

2025 Projections 93.2/9/19/95/2.64/0.88

Justin Slaten RHP

2024 Stats 55.1/6/2/58/2.93/1.01

2025 Projections 64.0/4/6/68/3.70/1.20

Chapman still delivers heat, with a 99.8 MPH sinker part of his 2024 repertoire. His control is an issue, as he handed out 39 walks over his 61.2 innings last season, resulting in an inflated WHIP. He turns 37 at the end of February and is working on a one-year deal with the BoSox. He will be competing for the closer role with a couple of other arms, profiled just below.

Hendriks is coming off Tommy John Surgery (TJS) that limited his action in 2024 to Double-A and Triple-A efforts. The right-hander is no youngster, at 36, and coming off serious injury, but to his credit he did notch a 96 MPH speed on the radar gun during his first Grapefruit League action. He has something to prove as he returns to the majors to seek to add to his career 116 saves.

The youngest of the three arms vying for the closer role in Beantown at 27, Slaten stuck with the Red Sox for the entirety of the 2024 season after being acquired from the Mets, although he was sidelined for a month and a half, due to elbow inflammation (red flag if you are considering him for your fantasy bullpen). He was effective at racking up whiffs on all four of his offerings to go along with superior control (6.44 K/BB ratio over his 44 times toeing the rubber in 2024). The Red Sox would like to tag him as the long-term closing option, so expect him to be given every opportunity to seize the ninth inning role out of the pen. 

 

 

 

Detroit Tigers

Beau Brieske RHP

2024 Stats 67.2/4/1/69/3.59/1.26

2025 Projections 66.0/8/7/61/3.56/1.27

Tyler Holton LHP

2024 Stats 94.1/7/8/77/2.19/0.78

2025 Projections 72.0/4/6/62/3.24/1.09

Jason Foley RHP

2024 Stats 60.0/3/28/46/3.15/1.18

2025 Projections 63.0/4/15/48/3.60/1.24

The Tigers look to repeat their remarkable performance to wind up the 2024 season, and will need to find a capable option or two to take the ball to close out contests. Brieske was employed in a hybrid role last year, making 12 starts primarily as an opener, as part of his 46 total appearances. He did collect six holds, and unless the team needs to move him strictly to the starting rotation, he figures to play a major role out of the bullpen this coming season, although the save count will likely be minimal unless the other hurlers profiled below fail to provide end game production.

The southpaw Holton was extraordinarily versatile for the Detroit club last season, appearing in 66 contests over the course of the campaign, including some occasional starts, again primarily as an opener. He offers below average strikeout production, but compensates with excellent control, allowing just 17 free passes to opposing hitters. He is also effective in keeping the ball in the yard, with a stingy 0.7 HR/9 rate last year, representative of his general reliability to avoid allowing opposing hitters to bang out dingers. His value is more of a real baseball thing than a fantasy baseball asset, unless you play in a league that prizes holds.

Foley served as the primary closing arm for the Tigers last season, but his usage as the closer was limited at season’s end and especially during the Tiger playoff run. Thus, there is some question as to whether Foley will regain the primary ninth-inning role or whether his manager will decide to go with a hot-hand/matchup approach, limiting the veteran’s value as a “safe” closing option for your fantasy roster(s).

 

 

 

Los Angeles Dodgers

Michael Kopech RHP

2024 Stats 67.2/6/15/88/3.46/1.15

2025 Projections 61.0/4/5/72/3.55/1.29

Tanner Scott LHP

2024 Stats 72.0/9/22/84/1.75/1.13

2025 Projections 69.0/6/28/82/2.92/1.18

Kirby Yates RHP

2024 Stats 61.2/7/33/85/1.17/0.83

2025 Projections 55.0/6/10/72/3.48/1.22

Blake Treinen RHP

2024 Stats 46.2/7/1/56/1.93/0.94

2025 Projections 50.0/5/6/60/3.31/1.16

It is unlikely that any other team will feel sorry that the Dodgers have an unwieldy group of potential end-game arms to sort out this spring, heading into the season. It also makes for difficult draft day decisions for fantasy baseball owners, hoping to make the correct selection among the candidates, as no one is likely to rely on having all four of the current potential save producers on their rosters.

Kopech may have been the odds-on favorite to open the season as the designated closer for the World Champs, but he is dealing with a forearm issue that may sideline him to open the 2025 campaign. There is also the crowded nature of the Los Angeles bullpen to consider, especially if there is a delay in the righthander’s ability to take the ball in the late innings. He has superior strikeout abilities, and his control showed dramatic improvement once he arrived in LA after departing the White Sox via a mid-season trade. Still, his current forearm concerns make his selection in drafts risky without further demonstration he is fully healthy.

Early word out of training camp is that Dodger manager Dave Roberts plans to provide Scott with every opportunity to serve as the primary ninth-inning option for the Dodgers. Not that we have not been misled by managers before, but with Kopech’s forearm limiting his spring action and the fact that Scott landed a four-year contract worth $72 million hints that Scott will be given early preference to lock down Dodger victories. He offers superb ratio values together with outstanding whiff production, making him well worth speculation as a reliable closer to snag at your fantasy baseball drafts during the coming month.

Yates was exceptional as the Rangers’ closer last season, racking up 33 saves over 34 opportunities, while also posting superior ratio stats, as noted above in his 2024 stats. Note that he is going to be 38 when the season opens, and thus durability is a concern. He should be in line for some save opportunities, but might be more of a holds producer given the other arms residing in the Dodger bullpen.

The 36-year-old righty Treinen will likely be another source of hold production rather than consistent save fabrication. Make no mistake, he will be a late-inning asset for the Dodgers to lean on, but there would have to be significant changes to the late-inning inventory in the bullpen, such as injuries or poor performance by other members of the pitching staff for his role to change and allow him to be of greater value in traditional 5x5 fantasy formats.

 

 

 

If you found this article to be useful or interesting, the good news is there will be weekly installments throughout the coming month. These are not the only bullpens in flux and other closer-by-committee situations will be discussed in coming weeks. Peripheral statistical analysis is on the horizon, as well, as we look to groundball rates, xFIP, swinging K%, and more, and how those help us discover gems among the non-closer relievers. When you have satisfied your interest in end-game pitchers, make a point to check out the rest of the draft preparation on the site, including the Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide for 2025.