Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Jordan Romano thriving in Colorado, Josh Hader stays flawless in save chances
· Yahoo Sports
In this week's Closer Report, Jordan Romano continues to pitch well for the Rockies as he builds his stock before free agency. And Josh Hader remains perfect in save chances this season. That and more as we break down the rest of the league's closer landscape with updated closer rankings.
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2026 Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
Fantasy Baseball Steals Report: Jazz Chisholm keeps running, Harry Ford strugglesWho is stealing bases, who isn’t, why, and how?▶ Tier 1
Mason Miller - San Diego Padres
Jhoan Duran - Philadelphia Phillies
Cade Smith - Cleveland Guardians
Josh Hader - Houston Astros
Bryan Baker - Tampa Bay Rays
Louis Varland - Toronto Blue Jays
Miller suffered his second blown save of the season on Sunday against the Rays. It came on a tough-luck homer that bounced off the outfielder's glove and over the wall, recorded as a 319-foot home run.
Duran was out with an illness on Friday before pitching two innings and earning a win on Saturday. He then struck out two in a scoreless frame to pick up his 29th save on Monday against the Diamondbacks.
Smith struck out two batters in a scoreless inning in a non-save situation on Sunday against the Royals for his only appearance this week. He remains at 35 saves with a 2.36 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 86 strikeouts over 61 innings.
Hader is a perfect 22-for-22 in save chances this season, picking up three more this week. He's allowed just three runs over 37 1/3 innings for a 0.72 ERA and 0.67 WHIP while collecting 49 strikeouts.
Baker made a pair of scoreless appearances this week, picking up his MLB-leading 39th save against the Padres on Saturday. Meanwhile, Varland pitched a clean frame against the Mariners on Saturday, striking out one batter for his 31st save with a 1.18 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 84 strikeouts over 68 2/3 innings.
▶ Tier 2
Trevor Megill - Milwaukee Brewers
David Bednar - New York Yankees
Aroldis Chapman - Boston Red Sox
Jacob Latz - Texas Rangers
Raisel Iglesias- Atlanta Braves
Tanner Scott - Los Angeles Dodgers
Megill converted a save with a scoreless inning against the Rangers on Saturday. He's up to 25 this season with a 2.24 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts over 52 1/3 innings. Abner Uribe was activated from the injured list on Monday and struck out two in a scoreless inning to record a hold on Tuesday.
Bednar pitched a clean inning on Friday to convert a save against the Red Sox, then struggled in a non-save situation against the Angels on Monday, surrendering three runs. The 31-year-old right-hander has converted 31 saves with a 2.73 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 65 strikeouts over 59 1/3 innings.
In Boston, Chapman struck out two in a clean inning against the Mariners on Monday to fall in line for a win. Setup man Garrett Whitlock returned from the injured list on Saturday and pitched a scoreless inning to record a hold.
Latz continues to establish himself as a dominant closer, converting his 28th save by striking out both batters he faced on Tuesday against the Athletics. Meanwhile, Iglesias made two scoreless appearances, converting his 29th save against the Rockies on Friday. And Scott picked up his 20th save on Friday, striking out two in a perfect inning against the Tigers.
▶ Tier 3
Mason Montgomery - Pittsburgh Pirates
Riley O'Brien - St. Louis Cardinals
Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners
Emilio Pagán - Cincinnati Reds
Jordan Romano - Colorado Rockies
Kenley Jansen - Detroit Tigers
Ben Joyce - Los Angeles Angels
Yoendrys Gómez - Minnesota Twins
Montgomery extended his scoreless outing streak to 15 games this week with three appearances. He picked up a save on Sunday against the Cardinals before falling in line for a win against the Giants on Tuesday. The 26-year-old left-hander has posted a 3.02 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 89 strikeouts over 56 2/3 innings while converting seven saves, five over the last month.
After giving up seven runs over his previous two outings, O'Brien bounced back with a scoreless inning against the Orioles last Thursday for his 34th save. Meanwhile, Muñoz blew his ninth save of the season on Monday against the Red Sox and holds a 4.29 ERA over 50 1/3 innings.
Pagán gave up solo homers in two of his last three appearances, but held on to convert the saves. He picked up three this week, bringing his total to 20 saves with a 4.08 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 36 strikeouts over 35 1/3 innings.
Romano has made nine straight scoreless appearances and picked up his tenth save for the Rockies on Tuesday against the Orioles. He's allowed just four runs over 18 innings since joining Colorado for a 2.00 ERA. At this rate, the 33-year-old right-hander is putting together a solid audition for a job in 2027.
Jansen recorded one out on four pitches to fall in line for a win against the Dodgers on Saturday. In Anaheim, Joyce had made eight scoreless appearances before giving up three runs against the Phillies on Friday to take a loss. And Gómez pitched a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the White Sox on Saturday.
▶ Tier 4
Jacob Webb - Chicago Cubs
Kodai Senga - New York Mets
Clayton Beeter/Erik Tolman - Washington Nationals
Grant Taylor/Sean Newcomb/Bryan Hudson - Chicago White Sox
Elvis Alvarado/Hogan Harris - Athletics
Webb made a scoreless appearance in the ninth inning on Sunday against the Reds in a non-save situation. Meanwhile, Daniel Palencia blew a lead in the sixth on Tuesday against the Brewers. That usage suggests Webb continues to hold the closer role. And in New York, Senga converted his fifth save of the season for the Mets with a scoreless inning against the Rays on Monday.
This is where things get really messy. Beeter recorded two holds, then gave up three runs against the Braves on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Tolman recorded his first save against the Marlins on Monday.
The White Sox still don't have a reliever with double-digit saves. Hudson converted two this week, with Taylor adding a win, while the A's saw no save chances.
▶ Tier 5
Rico Garcia/Andrew Kittredge/Yennier Cano - Baltimore Orioles
Calvin Faucher - Miami Marlins
Nate Pearson/Steven Cruz - Kansas City Royals
Dylan Smith - San Francisco Giants
Brandyn Garcia/Justin Martinez/Kavin Ginkel - Arizona Diamondbacks
Kittredge had a good week for the Orioles, picking up a win and two saves. Cruz converted a save for the Royals. Smith picked up a save against the Pirates on Wednesday. And for the Diamondbacks, Morillo pitched the ninth against the Phillies on Wednesday for his third save, while Justin Martinez is still searching for his first.