2020 MLB Closer Depth Chart: Who Are the Top MLB Closers?
| Team | Closer | Next Up | Next Up | Committee | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Arizona Diamondbacks | Archie Bradley (R) | Junior Guerra (R) | Andrew Chafin (L) | Archie Bradley had 18 saves last season, and struggled with a 1.44 WHIP. He enters as the Arizona closer this season, although their isn’t much behind him to challenge. | |
 Atlanta Braves | Mark Melancon (R) | Will Smith (L) | Shane Greene (R) | The Braves brought in some bullpen help, but Mark Melancon will enter the season on thin ice. Will Smith is going to pick up saves in the right spot and could also take over if Melancon struggles. | |
 Baltimore Orioles | Mychal Givens (R) | Richard Bleier (L) | Hunter Harvey (R) | This is going to be a committee approach, and Mychal Givens has strikeout upside and a chance to improve his numbers from last season. Harvey and Bleier will get some chances, but we should see Givens more often than not. | |
 Boston Red Sox | Brandon Workman (R) | Matt Barnes (R) | Josh Taylor (L) | Brandon Workman has the stuff and is coming off a strong 1.88 ERA and 1.03 season. He has a chance to double his saves if the Red Sox stick with him in this role. Matt Barnes would be next in line. | |
 Chicago Cubs | Craig Kimbrel (R) | Rowan Wick (R) | Kyle Ryan (L) | Craig Kimbrel joined the Cubs, and we will still have to wait and see if he is at the level he was prior to the time off. Chicago also still doesn’t have a ton of depth behind Kimbrel. | |
 Chicago White Sox | Alex Colome (R) | Aaron Bummer (L) | Steve Cishek (R) | Alex Colome had 30 saves last season, and while he had some questionable moments, he has a stronghold on the closer role. The White Sox also have Aaron Bummer and Steve Cishek ready to roll behind him. | |
 Cincinnati Reds | Raisel Iglesias (R) | Michael Lorenzen (R) | Amir Garrett (L) | Cincinnati had one of the top bullpens in 2019. Raisel Iglesias had 34 saves, but over a 4.00 ERA. He will still hold down the closer role in 2020, but they have options behind him as well. | |
 Cleveland Indians | Brad Hand (L) | Nick Wittgren(R) | Emmanuel Clase (R) | Brad Hand is a strong closer who had over 30 saves, and projects for over 30 again. He is over a strikeout per inning name. Hand is one of the more secure arms among closers and will be a top fantasy closer as well. | |
 Colorado Rockies | Wade Davis (R) | Scott Oberg (R) | Jairo Diaz (R) | The Rockies are sticking with Wade Davis, which isn’t going to end well. Scott Oberg is their best arm in the bullpen. Sure we can expect a tick up in ERA, but this Rockies bullpen is not pretty. Davis has a heavy contract tied to his name, which ties to the decision. | |
 Detroit Tigers | Joe Jimenez (R) | Buck Farmer (R) | Jose Cisnero (R) | Not a chance for a ton of saves with this group given they are projected to lose over 90 games again. Joe Jimenez will be the projected closer, and projects for over 20 saves. | |
 Houston Astros | Roberto Osuna (R) | Ryan Pressly (R) | Josh James (R) | Roberto Osuna is the top notch closer, who had 38 saves last season and a 0.88 WHIP. Ryan Pressly had over 30 holds, and this is a pretty straightforward bullpen for fantasy purposes. | |
 Kansas City Royals | Ian Kennedy (R) | Scott Barlow (R) | Kevin McCarthy (R) | Ian Kennedy transitioned into a full-time closer for the Royals last season. He had 30 saves, 73 strikeouts and a 1.28 WHIP. Kennedy projects for over 70 strikeouts and 25+ saves again. There are not many options below him that could overtake if he struggles. | |
 Los Angeles Angels | Hansel Robles (R) | Ty Buttrey (R) | Kenyan Middleton (R) | The Angels have a very good bullpen set up with Hansel Robles and Ty Buttrey. They will also get Keynan Middleton back. Robles sets up as the closer, but the security isn’t quite there just yet. | |
 Los Angeles Dodgers | Kenley Jansen (R) | Pedro Baez (R) | Joe Kelly (R) | It was an up and down 2019 for Kenley Jansen, and the Dodgers went out and added Blake Treinen as well from Oakland. Jansen still had 33 saves, but eight blown saves and a 3.71 ERA. Joe Kelly struggled, and should be pushed out of a setup role. | |
 Miami Marlins | Brandon Kintzler (R) | Jose Urena (R) | Ryne Stanek (R) | Miami’s bullpen isn’t entirely that strong, and there isn’t a name that projects for major saves. Brandon Kintzler should get the first crack, but we will also see Jose Urena go to a bullpen roll. | |
 Milwaukee Brewers | Josh Hader (L) | Brent Suter (L) | David Phelps | Josh Hader is one of the top arms in baseball and had 37 saves and 138 strikeouts. He projects for well over 100 again and over 30 saves. This is another secure situation for fantasy purposes. Brent Suter is also back and Fredy Peralta will also be a key setup name. | |
 Minnesota Twins | Taylor Rogers (L) | Sergio Romo (R) | Trevor May (R) | No | Minnesota has the southpaw Taylor Rogers as their key closer, and he had 10 holds and 30 saves last season. Rogers is somewhat underrated for fantasy purposes, even though Trevor May is someone who can steal a few saves being the right-handed stud in the bullpen. |
 New York Mets | Edwin Diaz (R) | Dellin Betances (R) | Seth Lugo (R) | Edwin Diaz struggled in 2019 with a 1.38 WHIP and a 5.59 ERA. Diaz projects for better numbers, but Seth Lugo and Dellin Betances are two names to keep an eye on if he struggles again. Diaz talked about the ball change effecting his pitches a bit, which we can’t predict for 2020. | |
 New York Yankees | Aroldis Chapman (L) | Zach Britton (R) | Adam Ottavino (R) | Barring any sort of injury, Aroldis Chapman is is a strong closer who will be in line for a ton of saves. This is one of the best bullpens in baseball with Adam Ottavino and Zack Britton in line. Ottavino would be next in line if Chapman has any injury. | |
 Oakland Athletics | Liam Hendriks (R) | Yusmeiro Petit (R) | Joakim Soria (R) | With Treinen out of town, Liam Hendricks is going to be a key closer in Oakland. He projects for over 30 saves and around an upper twos ERA. Petit and Soria will be the backup names again, and will enter as setup men early on. | |
 Philadelphia Phillies | Hector Neris (R) | Seranthony Dominguez (R) | Adam Morgan (L) | Hector Neris is a safe closer to target in fantasy, and is someone who can top 30 saves this season. He had a sub three ERA last season, and there isn’t really much of a threat behind him with Dominguez and Morgan. | |
 Pittsburgh Pirates | Keone Kela (R) | Kyle Crick (R) | Richard Rodriguez (R) | Keone Kela is going to start the season as the closer, and I like him to hold onto it. Kela had a 1.01 WHIP and 2.12 ERA in 30 innings last year. Kyle Crick struggled quite a bit last season, and enters as a setup man. | |
 San Diego Padres | Kirby Yates (R) | Emilio Pagan (R) | Drew Pomeranz (L) | The Padres traded for Emilio Pagan, which was a bit surprising given it wasn’t a clear need. Pagan will slide into a good bullpen, but Kirby Yates is one of the top closers in baseball. He had 40+ saves last season and a 0.89 WHIP. | |
 San Francisco Giants | Tony Watson (L) | Shaun Anderson (R) | Jandel Gustave (R) | Will Smith is out of San Francisco, and we will likely see a committee approach between the lefty Tony Watson and Shaun Anderson. This doesn’t project to be a strong bullpen, nor a very good team to pick up a ton of saves. | |
 Seattle Mariners | Yoshihisa Hirano (R) | Matt Magill (R) | Sam Tuivailala (R) | Yoshihisa Hirano enters the 2020 season as the Mariners closers, which is not a great spot to be in right now. The Mariners bullpen is in trouble, and the three relievers had over a four ERA last season, and projections look the same. | |
 St. Louis Cardinals | Carlos Martinez (R) | Giovanny Gallegos (R) | Andrew Miller (L) | We need to let the Cardinals bullpen shake out a little bit, as Carlos Martinez isn’t a lock to start the year as the closer. Andrew Miller and Giovanny Gallegos are the stronger relievers, and Jordan Hicks is a gas throwing right-hander. | |
 Tampa Bay Rays | Nick Anderson (R) | Diego Castillo (R) | Jose Alvarado (L) | Tampa Bay just traded Emilio Pagan, and that puts Diego Castillo, Nick Anderson, and Jose Alvarado as the committee. Tampa Bay has not been a fantasy friendly pitching situation with the way they handle their bullpen. Anderson and Castillo will likely split saves. | |
 Texas Rangers | Jose Leclerc (R) | Rafael Montero (R) | Jesse Chavez (R) | Jose Leclerc is talented, but was rocky in 2019 with a 1.33 WHIP in 69 innings. He will be the Texas closer to start, with Rafael Montero and Jesse Chavez following. Texas’ pen could be a big issue in 2020. | |
 Toronto Blue Jays | Ken Giles (R) | Anthony Bass (R) | Shun Yamaguchi (R) | Toronto should give more chances to Ken Giles for save opportunities. He had 23 saves and a 1.87 ERA last season. He should push closer to 30 saves this year and is a highly secure closer to target for fantasy. | |
 Washington Nationals | Daniel Hudson (R) | Sean Doolittle (L) | Will Harris (R) | This is definitely headed for a committee. Daniel was the most consistent option last year, and Will Harris coming over from Houston will add another strong arm. Sean Doolittle struggled, but led the team in 29 saves. |
Fantasy Baseball 2020 Draft Guide
- 2020 Fantasy Baseball Cheat Sheet
- Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Late Round Values
- MLB Closer Depth Chart
- 2020 Fantasy Baseball SP Rankings
- 2020 Fantasy Baseball Closing Pitching Rankings
- 2020 Fantasy Baseball Top 40 Catcher Rankings
- 2020 Fantasy Baseball 1st Base Rankings
- 2020 Fantasy Baseball 2nd Base Rankings
- 2020 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Rankings
- 2020 Fantasy Baseball SS Rankings
- 2020 Fantasy Baseball 3B Rankings
