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Fantasy Baseball Closer Chart 5/30/23 update: The Blue Jays have a new arm in their bullpen; Matt Moore and Pete Fairbanks are on the IL; and Liam Hendriks has returned to the mound!
Be sure to check out all the new info below and adjust your lineups/rosters accordingly!
As witnessed year-in and year-out, Relief Pitcher exemplifies the term "volatility" more than any other position in baseball. Injuries, repeated blown saves/ineffective outings, and deadline trades are just a few reasons for player movement at the position.
The Closer role is an even more-fluid position due to the influx of "Closer Committees" present throughout the league. Numerous MLB teams have adopted this philosophy, allowing for more flexibility in deploying their best pitchers during the later innings.
Last season we altered the Job Security Legend in an effort to stay true to our site's namesake. This year, we are keeping a similar format, but we have updated the BAC Levels slightly. Here is the breakdown of updated levels of confidence from high to low:
- Sober: Who got the keys to the Jeep? This guy does, and he is the clear Designated Driver of his team's ninth-inning duties.
- Buzzed: This player has a clear case of the hiccups, but he's still the best choice for late-night excitement.
- Hammered: Sloppy and stumbling are continually used to describe this player's performance. His seat at the center field bar is ripe for the taking.
- Drunk Tank: Our new Closer Committee classification (noted with an *) for teams with two-plus relievers trying to seal the deal.
Pick-up a Sixer, and come drink-in all the frothy goodness of our 2023 Closer Chart. Stay tuned weekly for any, and all, relief pitching changes throughout the fantasy season.
Be sure to check out the rest of our Fantasy Baseball content for the latest news and notes to help you win your league. Stay frosty!
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Fantasy Baseball Closer Chart
| TEAMS | BAC LEVEL | LEAD CLOSER | SETUP MAN | NEXT MAN UP | IL | TEAM NEWS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL EAST | ||||||
| BAL | Sober | Felix Bautista | Bryan Baker | Yennier Cano | Dillion Tate | Yennier Cano has been tearing it up this week, racking up two holds and a save, So welcome to the closer chart Cano. Baker is moving up as the setup man, but if Cano keeps this rate up he’ll be the setup man for Bautista. |
| BOS | Sober | Kenley Jansen | Chris Martin | Josh Winckowski | John Schreiber | Schreiber is expected to be out for three months with a shoulder strain. Winckowski will setup in Schreiber's absence. |
| NYY* | Drunk Tank | Michael King | Wandy Peralta | Clay Holmes | Tommy Kahnle | Wandy Peralta picked up his second save of the season, so the Yankees will now be a closing committee. King is still leader even though his last outing as tough, but the Rays' offense is crushing everyone so we won't hold that against him. |
| TB* | Drunk Tank* | Jason Adams | Colin Poche | Kevin Kelly | Andrew Kittredge Pete Fairbanks | Fairbanks is heading back to the IL with hip inflammation. Kevin Kelly will join Poche and Adams as the newest member of the closing committee. |
| TOR | Sober | Jordan Romano | Erik Swanson | Nate Pearson | Nate Pearson has been great for the Jays since being moved to the bullpen, he has 13 strikeouts in his last 10 games. Welcome to the chart Nate Pearson. | |
| AL CENTRAL | ||||||
| CHW* | Drunk Tank | Kendall Graveman | Reynaldo Lopez | Joe Kelly | Liam Hendriks has return to the mound! He still has some rust to shake off before joining the closer chart, but it's great to see him out on the mound again. | |
| CLE | Sober | Emmanuel Clase | James Karnichak | Trevor Stephan | Well, Karnichak has fought his way back to being the setup man for Clase. Karnichak has recorded two holds in his last two outings. Plus, he is starting to regain his strikeout numbers. | |
| DET | Sober | Alex Lange | Jose Cisnero | Jason Foley | Lange is rounding into form with his seventh save of the season on 5/15. | |
| KC | Buzzed | Scott Barlow | Aroldis Chapman | Josh Staumont Taylor Clarke | After not being used for awhile, Staumont has been pitching clean innings in his last seven appearances, but Clarke is being used in situations, so Staumont will join Clarke as the next man up on the chart. | |
| MIN | Sober | Jhoan Duran | Jorge Lopez | Brock Stewart | Brock Stewart has recorded his fourth hold of the season and has a strikeout in every appearance since May 10, so Stewart is moving up the chart. | |
| AL WEST | ||||||
| HOU | Sober | Ryan Pressly | Bryan Abreu | Rafael Montero | Abreu picked up his second save of the season on 4/23. Abreu has been on fire so far so he is moving up the chart over Montero. | |
| LAA | Sober | Carlos Estevez | Chris Devenski | Jacob Webb | Jose Quijada Matt Moore | Matt Moore is on the IL with an oblique strain. Devenski and Webb will takeover Moore's role as setup man for Estevez. |
| OAK* | Drunk Tank | Richard Lovelady | Sam Moll | Trevor May | Dany Jimenez Zach Jackson | Trevor May is back from the IL, and we are taking the wait-and-see approach with May to see if he can regain his spot as top of the committee. |
| SEA* | Drunk Tank | Paul Sewald | Justin Topa | Trevor Gott | Andres Munoz | Matt Brash has been all over the place with his pitching, so Brash is off the chart until he shows some consistency. |
| TEX | Sober | Will Smith | Jose Leclerc | Jonathan Hernandez | Bochy has made it official that Will Smith is the closer going forward. | |
| NL EAST | ||||||
| ATL | Sober | Raisel Iglesias | A.J. Minter | Nick Anderson | Iglesias has returned from the IL and will be the closer for the Braves. | |
| MIA* | Drunk Tank | Dylan Floro | Tanner Scott | JT Chargois | A.J. Puk | Chargois picked up a save on 5/28 and has been a reliable option out of the bullpen, so he is moving up the chart. |
| NYM | Buzzed | David Robertson | Adam Ottavino | Drew Smith | Edwin Diaz Brooks Raley | Brooks Raley is on the IL with a elbow injury, which moves Drew Smith up the chart as Raley's replacement. |
| PHL* | Drunk Tank | Craig Kimbrel | Seranthony Dominguez | Gregory Soto | Jose Alvarado | Alvarado is heading to the 15-Day IL with elbow inflammation. That means the Philadelphia is back to being a closer by committee which will be led by Kimbrel. |
| WAS | Sober | Kyle Finnegan | Hunter Harvey | Carl Edwards Jr. | Tanner Rainey | Harvey picked up his first save of the season on 5/7 and is moving up the chart. He has been fantastic at getting strikeouts, especially in high leverage innings where he has 12.86 K/9 rate. |
| NL CENTRAL | ||||||
| CHC* | Drunk Tank | Mark Leiter Jr. | Adbert Alzolay | Michael Fulmer | Brandon Hughes Brad Boxberger | Boxberger is heading to the IL, which means Leiter Jr. moves up to the leader of the bullpen. Leiter has been pitching very well and Boxberger might not get his old spot back when he returns. |
| CIN | Buzzed | Alexis Diaz | Lucas Sims | Derek Law | Tejay Antone | Sims has been very effective since returning from the IL. He is striking out batters and keeping runs off the board, so he is returning to his old spot as the setup man. |
| MIL | Sober | Devin Williams | Peter Strzelecki | Bryse Wilson | Matt Bush | With Matt Bush on the 15-Day IL, there is plenlty of chances for people to move up the chart, but everyone outside of Williams is struggling on the mound for the Brew Crew. Hoby Milner might find his way on the chart if Wilson and Strzelecki keep struggling. |
| PIT | Sober | David Bednar | Colin Holderman | Robert Stephenson | Welcome back to the chart Robert Stephenson. He has racked up six holds in his last seven appearances. | |
| STL* | Drunk Tank | Ryan Helsley | Giovanny Gallegos | Drew VerHagen | The Cardinals bullpen is a mess. Helsley and Gallegos are the leaders of this committee, but the third spot to go to anyone, VerHagen will keep it for now since he has walked away with a hold and a win in his last two outings. | |
| NL WEST | ||||||
| ARI* | Drunk Tank | Andrew Chafin | Miguel Castro | Scott McGough | Mark Melancon Joe Mantiply | Even though Castro is heating up Chafin's seat as the leader, Chafin is pitching well enough to keep Castro as bay. |
| COL | Buzzed | Pierce Johnson | Justin Lawrence | Jake Bird | Justin Lawrence has been unsung hero this season and has been punching out batters left and right. He has 13 strikeouts in his last ten outings. Lawrence is putting some real pressure on Johnson for the closer job. | |
| LAD* | Drunk Tank | Evan Phillips | Brusdar Graterol | Caleb Ferguson | Blake Treinen Alex Reyes Daniel Hudson | Caleb Ferguson recorded his second save of the season and is joining Phillips and Graterol as another key arm in the Dodgers' committee. |
| SD | Sober | Josh Hader | Nick Martinez | Luis Garcia | Robert Suarez | Martinez is moving up the chart as Harder's setup man. He has two holds in his last two outings and might be the second best strikeout option behind Harder. |
| SF | Sober | Camilo Doval | Tyler Rogers | John Brebbia | Doval is on a hot streak with four consecutive saves. |
