Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report: Bryan Abreu offers big upside as Astros closer; Yankees turn to David Bednar

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The Emmanuel Clase suspension introduced Cade Smith to the closer mix. The Camilo Doval trade did the same for Randy Rodriguez. Both were like gold off the waiver wire in leagues that reward saves, as clutch of a pickup as you could ever hope to find.

And now with Josh Hader hitting the IL with a strained shoulder, here comes a third newly anointed closer who could be transformative for Fantasy. This latest look at the 10 closer situations most in flux begins with the Astros.

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).

Wait, isn’t Bryan Abreu the headliner of this article? Doesn’t it exist mainly to hype him up? Why, then, is he second in the pecking order to the man he’s replacing?

Clearly, you didn’t read the fine print, so I’ll repeat it here in normal print: Pecking order refers to rosterability in Fantasy and not necessarily who’s first in line for saves. For all we know at this point, Hader’s shoulder strain is of such minimal severity that he’s only going to miss 15 days, in which case he remains the most rosterable of the Astros relievers. He was my top-ranked reliever prior to the injury, after all.

But if it ends up being an injury of greater severity, which is highly possible and perhaps even most likely, you’ll be glad you grabbed Abreu, who may be the most consistently dominant reliever of the past four years. That’s a bold claim, seeing as he’s been a non-closer, but go look at the numbers. He’s had an ERA lower than 2.00 in three of those four years, with his lowest K/9 rate being 11.8. This year, he boasts a 1.67 ERA and 13.2 K/9.

My one hesitation is that the Astros’ three highest leverage relievers apart from Abreu are all left-handed, so I could see why manager Joe Espada might shy away from confining him to the ninth. That said, Espada has used Abreu almost exclusively in the eighth this year, so platoon considerations would seem to rank pretty low for him.

When the Yankees acquired two closers at the trade deadline, it seemed pretty obvious that Devin Williams‘ days in the role were numbered. Once an elite closer himself, his first year with the Yankees has gone disastrously, and while manager Aaron Boone initially said Williams would remain in the role, all it took was one more blown save for him to recant. He seems to have taken a particular liking to David Bednar, who indeed has the Yankees’ only save since the trade deadline. It came in unusual circumstances, with him throwing 42 pitches in 1 2/3 innings, but his two appearances since then have also been to finish out a win. Since returning from a brief minor league stint in April, the 30-year-old has a 1.84 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 12.7 K/9.

So while Bednar’s ascension to the closer role remains unconfirmed, it seems pretty certain. What’s less certain is who’s next in line. Boone has demonstrated remarkable patience for Williams and may still insist on giving him another chance at some point. Luke Weaver has been near untouchable in August and has some closing experience himself. Camilo Doval’s usage since coming over from the Giants would suggest he’s a little further down the pecking order.

I never would have guessed that A.J. Hinch, of all managers, would cede to the “proven” closer, data be darned, but that’s … kind of what’s happened? Kyle Finnegan got the Tigers‘ first three saves after coming over from the Nationals at the deadline, with Will Vest entering prior to the ninth inning in three of his four appearances during that stretch. Vest had been serving as the Tigers closer prior to the trade and had done a nice job of it, but he doesn’t have as much history in the role as Finnegan does. Of course, Finnegan only has that history because the Nationals had no one better. By any measure other than saves, Vest has him beat, which is why I presumed Hinch would stick with Vest.

And maybe he still will. I mentioned that Finnegan got the Tigers’ first three saves after the trade deadline, but Vest got the latest one Monday, with Finnegan working the eighth. Hinch would never officially declare anyone the closer, so we have to try thinking along with him here. Vest’s save came against the heart of the White Sox lineup, so maybe Hinch still trusts his incumbent more when push comes to shove. For now, though, I’ll side with the guy with three saves over the guy with one. Notably, Finnegan has emphasized his splitter more with the Tigers than he did with the Nationals, which is something his new coaching staff has decided could make him more effective. It would help to explain his usage if it’s indeed the case.

For all of Bruce Bochy’s legacy and grandeur, he’s sure made some baffling ninth-inning choices this season. He may finally have the right idea with Phil Maton, though, who recorded the team’s last save back on Aug. 5. The veteran right-hander, who came over from the Cardinals at the trade deadline, has put up closer-caliber numbers this season, including a 2.28 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 10.8 K/9. Though he has just the one save, his last three appearances have all been to close out a game, including twice in the ninth and once in the 10th. Meanwhile, Robert Garcia, who was the incumbent closer at the time of the trade, blew his first two save chances thereafter and hasn’t worked in the ninth inning since.

The biggest obstacle to Maton becoming a full-time closer is that he’s the one righty of the Rangers‘ three late-inning options, but even so, the scales are clearly tipped in his favor right now.

The Dodgers have largely struggled since Tanner Scott was lost to elbow inflammation in late July, which has prevented anyone else from gaining a foothold in the ninth inning (not that manager Dave Roberts was ever going to make it easy). Ben Casparius has two saves during that time to Alex Vesia’s one, but Vesia typically works the higher leverage spots and actually got another chance to close out a game Tuesday (though he blew it). Meanwhile, Blake Treinen, who has ample closing experience himself, recently returned from a lengthy IL stint, and all six of his appearances since then have come in the eighth or ninth inning, just not for a save. All of which is to say … the role still belongs to Scott when he returns, which could be as soon as a week from now.

Though Sean Newcomb was also speculated, Elvis Alvarado seemed like the people’s choice to take over as Athletics closer following the trade that sent Mason Miller to the Padres, and now there’s some evidence to support it. The hard-throwing right-hander, whose fastball averages 99 mph, was the last Athletics pitcher to take the mound in each of his last two appearances, with both games ultimately being decided by one run. Meanwhile, Newcomb has appeared in the seventh inning as often as the ninth since the trade (twice each). Neither pitcher has actually recorded a save yet.

While Newcomb has been excellent since the Athletics acquired him from the Red Sox and committed to him in a relief role, my leaning here is Alvarado, whose youth and right-handedness are both working in his favor. He gives the Athletics something to build on rather than just filling a spot, and his strikeout rate suggests he could have a real future in the role.

Cole Sands seemed like the last man standing after the Twins‘ big bullpen purge at the trade deadline, but Justin Topa is also there and has so far notched the team’s only save. Twice, he’s followed Sands at the end of a game, and all six of Sands’ appearances since the deadline have come prior to the ninth. I think Sands is better than Topa, but that’s more because of track record than 2025 performance. The gap isn’t wide enough for me to dismiss the possibility of Topa inheriting the closer role, though Rocco Baldelli is the sort of manager who likes to keep us guessing.

This one is noteworthy in how straightforward it’s been. The Orioles didn’t have a clear candidate to close after losing Felix Bautista to a season-ending shoulder injury and then trading away Bryan Baker, Gregory Soto, and Seranthony Dominguez, so you might have expected them to flail about for a while. But they’ve pretty much just stuck with Keegan Akin, with all five of the right-hander’s appearances since the trade deadline coming in the ninth inning, including twice for a save (and, yes, once for a blown save). He’s not conventionally dominant in the way you’d like a closer to be, but then again, neither is Yennier Cano, who now seems firmly entrenched as the Orioles’ eighth-inning guy.

JoJo Romero has gotten three of the Cardinals’ four saves since Ryan Helsley was dealt to the Mets, but as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently pointed out, the Cardinals won’t always be able to reserve him for the ninth inning, given that he’s the only left-hander in the bullpen. That’s how Riley O’Brien ended up getting a four-out save Aug. 6. Romero was needed earlier in the contest. O’Brien himself has a 1.74 ERA in 26 appearances and could see more chances, particularly if Romero has more outings like his latest Sunday, when he managed to secure a save despite allowing four baserunners. For now, though, Romero is the clear choice for saves out of the Cardinals bullpen, if not the exclusive one.

Left-hander Jose Ferrer seemed like the de facto choice to close for the Nationals following the departure of Kyle Finnegan, and that seems to be the way things are playing out. He worked the ninth inning of a tie game Aug. 6, going on to secure the win, and notched his first save Saturday, allowing two hits in a scoreless inning of work. The left-hander throws hard and has no real competitors in a patchwork bullpen that didn’t have much talent even before the trade deadline. Unfortunately, he also has a 4.79 ERA and just 7.7 K/9. He’s a better choice for Fantasy than anyone you’ll find in the White Sox, Diamondbacks, or Rockies bullpens, because at least we know he’s uncontested in the role, but that doesn’t make him a good choice, broadly speaking.

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