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A week after the 2025 debut of Bullpen Report, can I say that things have gotten any clearer?
Actually, yes. Luke Jackson appears to have nailed down the role in Texas, leading the majors with five saves. I'm still skeptical he'll hold onto it, but the Rangers bullpen isn't one that demands a closer inspection at the moment.
Meanwhile, Lucas Erceg has only appeared in the seventh and eighth innings so far, so I think it's fair to presume that Carlos Estevez, who has three saves, is the guy for Kansas City. No drama there either.
Where is there drama? Here's my latest rundown of the 10 closer situations most in flux.
Note: "Pecking order" refers to rosterability in Fantasy and not necessarily who's first in line for saves (though it's usually one and the same).
Pecking order |
Jordan Romano's claim to the role immediately came into question on opening day, when he worked the eighth inning, followed by Jose Alvarado in the ninth of a game that went into extra innings. But at least then, there was still hope for a timeshare, perhaps with Romano claiming a larger and larger portion as he proved his effectiveness. All he's proven so far, though, is his ineffectiveness, to the point of maybe removing himself from closer consideration entirely.
So is the job Alvarado's? Well, four of his five appearances have come in the ninth, including once in a tie, once with a four-run lead, and twice (his two most recent appearances, in fact) for a save. That's plainly closer usage, and yet attributing the closer role to Alvarado is sort of like trusting Lucy to keep the football in place. It's been dangled so many times that we should know better than to fall for it this time. I suspect Alvarado will get the most save chances right now, but a right-handed counterpart will eventually emerge, whether it's Romano after a certain probationary period or Orion Kerkering.
Pecking order |
Yeah ... it's probably Tommy Kahnle. With A.J. Hinch being who he is, which is the very model of a modern major manager, there always has to be a sliver of doubt, and it came Sunday, when Kahnle worked the eighth inning with the Tigers trailing by two. John Brebbia then worked the ninth and was the pitcher of record when the Tigers came back and won. But then, the very next day, Kahnle worked the ninth with the Tigers leading by four. In four appearances this season, he has yet to allow a hit or walk, much less a run, and all but the Sunday appearance have come in the ninth inning.
I'm not even sure who the top alternative would be at this point. Maybe Brebbia, who has come through in some high-leverage scenarios already. Beau Brieske was the early favorite, but most of his appearances have come prior to the eighth inning, even. Plus, he's working to bring his ERA down after a disastrous 10th-inning appearance against the Dodgers.
Pecking order |
Calvin Faucher was the presumptive favorite coming in because he was the top choice to close after Tanner Scott was traded last July, but he was the top choice for then-manager Skip Schumaker. New manager Clayton McCullough has no demonstrated preference for him, and the only time he's used him like you'd expect a closer to be used was in the ninth inning of a tie game back on March 29. All three of Faucher's appearances since then have come in the eighth, and he ended up blowing the lead in one by serving up a three-run homer to Pete Alonso.
On two of the occasions when Faucher worked the eighth, Anthony Bender followed him in the ninth, and he's also responsible for the Marlins' only save about a week ago. Save chances so rarely come up for a team like the Marlins that they may not have the luxury of reserving any reliever for ninth-inning duties (he wouldn't get enough work if they did), but right now, Bender would appear to be the front-runner for saves.
Pecking order |
Rather than endure a second year of struggles from two-time All-Star David Bednar, the Pirates sent him to the minors last week, but they don't really have a backup plan in place. Dennis Santana seems like the de facto choice, particularly now that eighth-inning man Colin Holderman has gone on the IL with a knee sprain, and Santana indeed got the first save chance the day after Bednar was sent down. His most recent appearance Sunday came in the eighth inning, but it was against the top of the Yankees lineup -- Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge -- which means manager Derek Shelton likely viewed it as the highest-leverage situation. Left-hander Ryan Borucki followed in the ninth and blew the save in explosive fashion, which presumably takes him out of the running.
Santana would seem to have the role, then, but whether he's talented enough to hold onto it is another matter. I still think a return to form for Bednar represents the best chance for a reliable saves source from the Pirates this season. A dark horse pick would be Justin Lawrence, particularly since he got some closer experience in Colorado.
Pecking order |
A week ago, it sure seemed like Tanner Scott had gone from primary closer to just another arm in the committee, but since then, he's gotten both of the team's saves, giving him a total of three while Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia have just one each. Scott hasn't looked particularly sharp in the early going, which is all the more reason to wonder how firmly entrenched he is in a bullpen full of capable closing options, but at this point, he still looks like the clear No. 1 even if there are occasions when manager Dave Roberts might use him in the eighth inning instead.
Pecking order |
Tony Santillan got his first save Monday, but it was just the final out in relief of starter Hunter Greene, who couldn't quite complete a shutout after putting a couple runners on. It's further evidence that manager Terry Francona views Santillan as the team's highest-leverage reliever. He said just before the start of the season that Santillan "might be too valuable getting to the ninth" and has mostly held to that thinking. Each of Santillan's first five appearances came in the seventh or eighth inning, including three times for a hold.
The beneficiary of Francona's insistence on keeping Santillan versatile appears to be Emilio Pagan, whose last three appearances have all come in the ninth, including once for a save, once with a one-run deficit, and once with a four-run lead. Those are all scenarios where a closer would normally pitch. As long as Pagan remains untouched, he'll probably continue to handle the role, but his propensity for home runs makes me skeptical he'll be able to hold off Santillan all season long.
Pecking order |
Justin Martinez got his first save Friday after A.J. Puk recorded each of the Diamondbacks' first two, and I think manager Torey Lovullo's decision-making so far has been entirely matchups-based. Martinez was better implemented against Aaron Judge in the eighth inning on one of the days that Puk recorded a save. Meanwhile, Martinez's save Friday came after Puk was called in to put away left-handed hitters CJ Abrams and James Wood in the eighth.
For what it's worth, Martinez has delivered the better numbers of the two so far, striking out six over 3 2/3 innings, but Puk has done nothing to shake Lovullo's confidence and of course has plenty of upside himself. I suspect one of these two will eventually emerge as the go-to option for the ninth inning, whether because the other will fade or because it's just too hard to keep a true committee going all season long. For now, they're about on equal footing in Fantasy.
Pecking order |
Manager Rocco Baldelli has always been a tricky devil when it comes to bullpen deployment, and while Jhoan Duran was and remains the clear favorite for saves, his usage so far is curious indeed. Three of his four appearances have come in the eighth inning. The only one that came in the ninth was with a five-run lead.
When the Twins appeared to be lining up for a save chance Sunday, they went to Duran in the eighth, which he handled capably for a hold. Presumed setup man Griffin Jax came in for the ninth, and, well ... he blew it, which likely means a true changing of the guard isn't forthcoming. What made Sunday's usage particularly curious is that the bottom of the Astros order was due up in the eighth, so it's not like Duran was brought into the highest-leverage spot. I suspect it means nothing, but I wouldn't be totally at ease with Duran right now (and in fact, I never was).
Pecking order |
I raised my concerns for Ryan Pressly a week ago, and since then, it's been more of the same -- too many walks, not enough strikeouts. So far, it's only cost the Cubs one game, which perhaps buys him a little time to get right, and if you're looking for a reason to be encouraged, his velocity is back to 2023 levels after slipping last year. It also helps that his ready-made replacement, Porter Hodge, has been a little shaky thus far. Fun fact: Each of Pressly's six appearances has been preceded by Hodge in the eighth, making for as clear of a setup/closer dynamic as you could ask for in 2025.
Pecking order |
I think it's time to dismiss the idea of "Mike Clevinger: closer" as little more than a pipe dream. Not a single one of his four appearances has come in the ninth inning, and it's not like he's working his way into a more prominent role, having issued four walks in just 2 2/3 innings. Two relievers who have appeared in the ninth inning of a close game are left-hander Fraser Ellard and right-hander Jordan Leasure. I'd prefer both to Clevinger now even though they tried and failed to deliver on a save Sunday. Ellard began the ninth and put three runners on, which led to Leasure relieving him and ultimately taking the blown save. It's a messy situation, to be sure, so I'm not sure I'd bother to pursue it outside of an AL-only league.
