2025 End Of Season Closer Report
Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
A few days ago, I asked for help to double-check this season’s initial closers (full 2024 edition).
Here are the results, starting with the initial closers and their performance.
| Team | Eventual First Closer | Going into season | NFBC ME ADP | Lasted Until | Reason if Replaced | Saves | Team Saves | % of Team Saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angels | Kenley Jansen | One Guy | 132 | EOS | None | 29 | 38 | 76.3% |
| Astros | Josh Hader | One Guy | 42 | 8/12 | Injury | 28 | 45 | 62.2% |
| Athletics | Mason Miller | One Guy | 38 | 7/31 | Traded Away | 20 | 35 | 57.1% |
| Blue Jays | Jeff Hoffman | One Guy | 74 | EOS | None | 33 | 42 | 78.6% |
| Braves | Raisel Iglesias | One Guy | 51 | 6/7 | Poor Performance | 29 | 35 | 82.9% |
| Brewers | Trevor Megill | One Guy | 124 | 8/27 | Injury | 30 | 45 | 66.7% |
| Cardinals | Ryan Helsley | One Guy | 52 | 7/30 | Traded Away | 21 | 42 | 50.0% |
| Cubs | Ryan Pressly | One Guy | 158 | 5/13 | Poor Performance | 5 | 44 | 11.4% |
| Diamondbacks | Justin Martinez | Committee | 159 | 5/1 | Injury | 5 | 42 | 11.9% |
| Dodgers | Tanner Scott | Committee | 75 | 7/22 | Injury | 23 | 46 | 50.0% |
| Giants | Ryan Walker | One Guy | 66 | 5/26 | Poor Performance | 17 | 41 | 41.5% |
| Guardians | Emmanuel Clase | One Guy | 38 | 7/28 | Suspended | 24 | 47 | 51.1% |
| Mariners | Andrés Muñoz | One Guy | 57 | EOS | None | 38 | 43 | 88.4% |
| Marlins | Calvin Faucher | Committee | 309 | EOS | None | 15 | 40 | 37.5% |
| Mets | Edwin Diaz | One Guy | 47 | EOS | None | 28 | 40 | 70.0% |
| Nationals | Kyle Finnegan | One Guy | 170 | 7/31 | Traded Away | 20 | 37 | 54.1% |
| Orioles | Felix Bautista | One Guy | 70 | 7/24 | Injury | 19 | 38 | 50.0% |
| Padres | Robert Suarez | One Guy | 127 | EOS | None | 40 | 49 | 81.6% |
| Phillies | Jordan Romano | Committee | 143 | 6/15 | Poor Performance | 8 | 47 | 17.0% |
| Pirates | David Bednar | One Guy | 169 | 4/1 | Poor Performance | 17 | 36 | 47.2% |
| Rangers | Luke Jackson | Committee | 396 | 5/21 | Poor Performance | 9 | 37 | 24.3% |
| Rays | Pete Fairbanks | One Guy | 152 | EOS | None | 27 | 35 | 77.1% |
| Red Sox | Aroldis Chapman | One Guy | 192 | EOS | None | 32 | 45 | 71.1% |
| Reds | Emilio Pagán | Committee | Not Drafted | EOS | None | 32 | 41 | 78.0% |
| Rockies | Seth Halvorsen | Committee | 414 | 4/30 | Poor Performance | 11 | 29 | 37.9% |
| Royals | Carlos Estevez | One Guy | 169 | EOS | None | 42 | 47 | 89.4% |
| Tigers | Tommy Kahnle | Committee | 438 | 7/1 | Poor Performance | 9 | 40 | 22.5% |
| Twins | Jhoan Duran | One Guy | 70 | 7/30 | Traded Away | 16 | 28 | 57.1% |
| White Sox | Jordan Leasure | Committee | 450 | EOS | None | 7 | 25 | 28.0% |
| Yankees | Devin Williams | One Guy | 41 | 8/8 | Poor Performance | 18 | 43 | 41.9% |
The one takeaway is the low totals from Jordan Leasure and Calvin Faucher. Since I started this report, I’ve never seen a team, let alone two, use a committee for an entire season. It might be from no one stepping forward in either bullpen. Or is it a new trend or a one-year anomaly? I have no idea.
The whiff on Emilio Pagán was an industry-wide failure. Scott Barlow, Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan, and Carson Spiers were all drafted in the Main Event, but not Pagán. Pagán only appeared in four Spring Training games, so maybe people forgot about him.
And here is how these incumbents compare to previous incumbents.
| Year | Saves by Initial Closer | Team Saves | % Saves by Initial Closer | Total EOS | EOS % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 927 | 1266 | 73% | 15 | 50% |
| 2014 | 746 | 1264 | 59% | 11 | 37% |
| 2015 | 737 | 1292 | 57% | 11 | 37% |
| 2016 | 797 | 1276 | 63% | 11 | 37% |
| 2017 | 668 | 1179 | 57% | 10 | 33% |
| 2018 | 759 | 1244 | 61% | 5 | 17% |
| 2019 | 573 | 1180 | 49% | 7 | 23% |
| 2020 | 202 | 422 | 48% | 11 | 37% |
| 2021 | 592 | 1200 | 49% | 9 | 30% |
| 2022 | 599 | 1232 | 49% | 9 | 30% |
| 2023 | 716 | 1241 | 58% | 12 | 40% |
| 2024 | 634 | 1225 | 52% | 9 | 30% |
| 2025 | 652 | 1201 | 54% | 11 | 37% |
I’ve got nothing actionable from these numbers since this year’s results are within the range of recent outcomes.
The final table looks at overall league-wide trends.
| Year | Players Getting Saves | Players Getting > 4 Saves | Players Getting > 9 Saves | Non Incumbent > 9 Saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 130 | 42 | 37 | 10 |
| 2014 | 134 | 49 | 39 | 15 |
| 2015 | 145 | 47 | 37 | 15 |
| 2016 | 148 | 53 | 42 | 15 |
| 2017 | 162 | 52 | 40 | 15 |
| 2018 | 165 | 59 | 43 | 14 |
| 2019 | 199 | 64 | 38 | 16 |
| 2020 | 131 | – | – | – |
| 2021 | 198 | 70 | 41 | 18 |
| 2022 | 222 | 64 | 35 | 12 |
| 2023 | 214 | 64 | 38 | 11 |
| 2024 | 223 | 53 | 39 | 16 |
| 2025 | 215 | 54 | 32 | 8 |
Two numbers stick out. The total number of pitchers and non-incumbents with 10 or more Saves are both new lows. Only a few relievers popped on the season, so fantasy teams struggled for closer options. While not a trend, there will be seasons when fewer guys emerge, so it’s best to pay up early for the best options.
A little more change than normal, but nothing drastically different.
Jeff, one of the authors of the fantasy baseball guide,The Process, writes for RotoGraphs, The Hardball Times, Rotowire, Baseball America, and BaseballHQ. He has been nominated for two SABR Analytics Research Award for Contemporary Analysis and won it in 2013 in tandem with Bill Petti. He has won four FSWA Awards including on for his Mining the News series. He's won Tout Wars three times, LABR twice, and got his first NFBC Main Event win in 2021. Follow him on Twitter @jeffwzimmerman.
Hey Jeff, thank you for all your work this season! Helped me win my fantasy league this year. Don’t know if this really matters because they are few and far between anyway, but do these lists count 3-inning saves?
Thanks and yes, three three-inning Saves are counted.