Relief Pitcher 2025 Fantasy Rankings

The reliever landscape has faced some of the biggest changes in recent years as many teams have gone away from anointing a single guy to be their closer, instead embracing committees where they trust a number of relievers to close the game out in the 9th. The committee strategy often includes putting their best guy in a fireman role meaning he could come in for any sticky situation from about the 6th inning on. This is undoubtedly a smart way to run a bullpen from a “real life” standpoint, but it can be rough on us fantasy folks where Saves remain a prominent category.

Changelog

• 3/24/2025
  • Justin Martinez gets a little bump after the Diamondbacks signed him to a five-year extension. While he is still competing with A.J. Puk and Kevin Ginkel for the closing job to start the year, the extension is a good sign of the team’s belief in his ability to close out games.
  • Aroldis Chapman has emerged as Boston’s leading candidate for saves after a strong spring training, whereas Liam Hendriks has struggled.
  • Alexis Díaz continues to fall in the ranks after he was placed on the injured list with hamstring inflammation. The team has mentioned Graham Ashcraft as a candidate for saves, but he will have to beat out Scott Barlow and Taylor Rogers for the closing job.
  • José Alvarado gets a bump as he rounds out an utterly dominant spring training, highlighted by a 59 K% and significantly increased fastball velocity. Between Jordan Romano, Orion Kerkering, and Alvarado, it’s anyone’s guess who emerges as the team’s top option for saves–though they’ll likely stick with a committee approach all year.
•  3/17/2025
  • Mike Clevinger has shown good velocity in a bullpen role this spring, and looks to have emerged as the leading candidate for saves for the White Sox.
  • Robert Suárez continues to struggle, with a 19.64 spring training ERA, and diminished velocity. I moved him down to the top of Tier Three, and gave Jeremiah Estrada a little bump. Estrada has superior projections and has looked strong this spring.
  • Alexis Díaz takes a tumble given his rough spring training, which has featured five walks and one strikeout over 18 batters. There is talk of him opening the season in the minor leagues. Taylor Rogers and Scott Barlow are likely next in line for saves if Díaz is demoted.
  • Pete Fairbanks, Calvin Faucher, Edwin Díaz, and Jhoan Duran have shown better fastball velocity in recent spring appearances.
•  3/7/2025
  • For this update, I wanted to check in on how pitcher velocity has looked so far this spring relative to last season. The table below shows changes in average fastball velocity for some notable relievers. First off, it’s important not to overreact to early velocity data. I also ran this exercise for 2024 spring training, and a lot of the same names showed up on the velocity decliners list: Ryan Helsley, Josh Hader, and Pete Fairbanks, for instance. Helsley and Hader ended up having fine seasons, while Fairbanks had an inconsistent year plagued by injury. Many relievers opt to hold back early on in spring as they get back into the swing of things. Still, velocity is an important, reliable indicator worth taking note of. It is particularly concerning to see velocity drops on pitchers that struggled with injury late last year, like for Pete Fairbanks and Calvin Faucher. Accordingly, I have dinged both a bit in the rankings, and bumped their potential replacements a bit as well–Jesus Tinoco and Edwin Uceta. Trevor Megill’s velocity dip is also somewhat concerning given his slow start this spring after an undiscosed injury, but the guys below him all have their warts so I didn’t feel comfortable dinging him yet here. On the other end of the spectrum, early velocity gains cannot be faked, and serve as a strong indicator of how a pitcher is feeling. It is good to see Andrés Muñoz throwing as hard as ever after he dealt with some arm issues late last season. Likewise, José Alvarado’s velocity bump is excellent to see after an inconsistent 2024. Alvarado still has strong projections and should not be slept on as a darkhorse saves candidate in Philadelphia — although I’d still take Orion Kerkering and Jordan Romano before him.
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•  2/27/2025
  • Kyle Finnegan joins the second tier after resigning with the Nationals where he can be expected to reprise his role as closer. It’s the perfect landing spot for him as there were few other destinations where he’d have been a good bet to get saves.
  • At this point in the offseason, the rankings are starting to solidify. Only a few names still loom on free agency as threats to close–maybe Craig Kimbrel, at least for a couple of teams, and especially David Robertson–while a few others names have been featured in trade rumors–like Robert Suárez and Pete Fairbanks. There will still be a good amount of movement, however, as managers clarify their closing situations over the course of spring training.
•  2/16/2025
  • Kenley Jansen joins Tier Two after signing on with the Angels, where he’ll serve as sole closer. Ben Joyce tumbles to Tier Four as he moves into a setup role.
  • Trevor Megill gets dinged slightly as he battles reportedly minor undisclosed health issues. The team says he’s fine, however, so I only docked him a few spots.
  • Robert Suárez gets docked a couple of spots as a possibility of a trade appears more likely. If traded, he might not go to a team where he’d close. Jeremiah Estrada and Jason Adam both get a small bump, as they’d compete for the closer job if Suárez is dealt.
  • Tanner Scott gets another bump as the team has said he is in line to receive most save opportunities to start the year. Kirby Yates moves down to Blake Treinen territory; it’s increasingly unclear who is a better bet for saves between the two.
  • Jesus Tinoco and Garrett Whitlock join Tier Four as they enter spring training as part of the battle for saves. Calvin Faucher is the front-runner in Miami, however, and Whitlock is behind Liam Hendriks and Aroldis Chapman in Boston.
  • Joel Payamps joins Tier Four with Megill battling minor injuries and Abner Uribe looking unlikely to be ready for opening day.
  • Chris Martin’s potential closing job looks a bit safer in Texas as Robert Garcia deals with a forearm injury and Jon Gray prepares as a starting pitcher. David Robertson continues to loom as the biggest threat to Martin on free agency.
•  2/2/2025
  • Ryan Pressly jumps to the top of Tier Three after approving his trade to the Cubs. The team hasn’t confirmed he’ll be the sole closer yet, but he’s the clear front-runner for saves heading into the season. Porter Hodge falls out of Tier Three as he likely moves into a pure setup role.
  • Carlos Estévez jumps to Tier Three after signing on with the Royals. Given his lengthier track record of closing games, he looks like the guy for saves in Kansas City. Lucas Erceg takes tumble, even though he’s likely a better reliever and could get a shot at some point this year if Estévez stumbles.
  • I added a little more distance between Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates, in favor of Scott. The Dodgers did not mention the possibility of Yates closing games during his introductory press conference, whereas they said Scott would get plenty of chances to close during his. It’s worth mentioning here though that nobody knows how this battle will play out during the season–both relievers carry substantial risk.
•  1/26/2025
  • The Dodgers bullpen situation gets turned upside down, with the team adding Tanner Scott and probably also Kirby Yates–although the Yates signing is not yet finalized–and announcing Michael Kopech may miss the first month of the season with elbow inflammation. It’s not the best landing spot from a fantasy perspective for either reliever as it is anyone’s guess whether Scott or Yates would lead the saves committee, but the team expects Scott to receive “plenty of ninth-inning opportunities,” and he’s their best reliever, so I ranked him earliest for now. Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, and especially Michael Kopech all take a tumble in the ranks now that they are lower in the saves pecking order.
  • Ryan Pressly is deciding whether to approve being traded to the Cubs. If he approves, I’ll give him a bigger bump next update as he’d very likely be closing games for them. Hodge takes a tumble, and he’d fall further if the deal is approved. Even if Pressly decides to stay in Houston, the Cubs look intent on signing another ninth-inning option.
  • I made other small tweaks to the ranks. Jeff Hoffman moves to Tier One as it looks sufficiently clear that he’ll close in Toronto. I gave David Bednar and Kenley Jansen a small bump as the Tier Three options increasingly look like a headache, and these two look like safer options for saves–even if they are far from the most talented relievers in this tier. A.J. Puk gets a small bump after the team suggested he might be an early front-runner for saves.
•  1/12/2025
  • Jeff Hoffman gets a big bump to Tier Two after signing with the Blue Jays. He is an elite bullpen talent and the team has indicated he’ll close. I may end up bumping even more but I would like to see more team comments confirming his closer role.
  • Chris Martin jumps to the 26 slot after landing in Texas. He’s their clear best righty reliever and should get a chance to close games barring further acquisitions. Lefty Robert Garcia could also get some matchup-based opportunities, but Martin looks like a better bet for the primary share of the closing job.
  • Jorge López jumps to 36 after signing on with the Nationals. Given his closing experience and decent projections, he is likely the front-runner for saves in D.C..
•  12/29/2024
  • The big RP news this week was Robert Garcia getting dealt to the Rangers in exchange for Nathaniel Lowe. The left-handed Garcia looks like a good bet to form a part of the saves committee in Texas barring another acquisition. Derek Law now looks like the front-runner for saves in Washington, perhaps headlining a committee that also features Jose A. Ferrer.
  • I added a few fliers to the fourth tier: Justin Anderson and Fraser Ellard should compete with Prelander Berroa for the lone 2025 White Sox save opportunity; Jacob Webb is also in the mix for saves in Texas.
• 12/21/2024
  • No major news this week. Kenley Jansen moves to Tier Three and Abner Uribe debuts on Tier Four.
• 12/15/2024
  • Jordan Romano gets a bump after signing in Philadelphia. The Phillies say they’ll use him in high leverage situations, but did not commit to him as closer. I also lowered Kerkering a bit reflecting increased role uncertainty, but he is the better reliever here, and the Romano signing could take the Phillies out of the running for someone who’d threaten Kerkering’s closer odds more, like Jeff Hoffman.
  • Yimi García gets a big bump after signing in Toronto. I ranked him earlier than Chad Green as the clear superior talent, but Green may have the upper hand on the closer role, at least to start the year. The Jays could also add a more established closing option.
  • Luke Weaver takes a tumble after the Yankees acquired Devin Williams. He now moves to a setup role. Expect a lot more movement like this this offseason, with reliever ranks and ADP fluctuating sharply in response to offseason moves.
  • Trevor Megill jumps to Tier Two after the Brewers dealt Devin Williams. Megill was excellent in the closer role last year when Williams was hurt, and can be expected to reclaim his job now that Williams is in New York.
  • Kirby Yates gets a little bump after being linked to various teams where he’d likely step in as closer.
  • I made various additional small tweaks to the ranks and changed the tier names to prioritize substance over alliteration.
• 12/2/2024 – First Release

Ranking Methodology

• ADP is based on 30-day rolling NFBC Draft Champions Leagues.
• $ Values are based on standard 5×5 12-team league using the FanGraphs Depth Charts and these Auction Calculator settings. They default to a player’s most valuable position, so if the first base list includes a catcher, it will show that player’s value at catcher.
• ADP and $ Values are updated as of the last update date on this post.
• 5-game eligibility was used for these lists to cast the widest net.