After a long offseason, we are now just a couple of days away from the start of another MLB season. It can sometimes be difficult to judge certain closer situations at the very start of the year, but part of what we’ll do with this article every week is try to find potential relievers who could take over before it actually happens.
There are a number of committee situations heading into the season, and in most of those bullpens, we should see someone emerge as the clear front-runner within the first month of the season or so.
Closer Report (2023 Fantasy Baseball)
Here is a look at the first closer chart of the season:
| Rank | Team | Closer | Notes |
| 1 | Guardians | Emmanuel Clase | |
| 2 | Blue Jays | Jordan Romano | |
| 3 | Brewers | Devin Williams | |
| 4 | Padres | Josh Hader | |
| 5 | Astros | Ryan Pressly | |
| 6 | Orioles | Felix Bautista | |
| 7 | Yankees | Clay Holmes | |
| 8 | Cardinals | Ryan Helsley | |
| 9 | Giants | Camilo Doval | |
| 10 | Red Sox | Kenley Jansen | |
| 11 | Braves | A.J. Minter | Raisel Iglesias to open season on IL |
| 12 | Mets | David Robertson | Edwin Diaz out for the season |
| 13 | Mariners | Paul Sewald | The Mariners will likely continue to use as many as three-four relievers in save opportunities |
| 14 | Twins | Jhoan Duran | Jorge Lopez will also see save chances |
| 15 | Rays | Pete Fairbanks | Jason Adam could also be in the mix |
| 16 | Pirates | David Bednar | |
| 17 | Rockies | Daniel Bard | |
| 18 | Reds | Alexis Diaz | |
| 19 | White Sox | Kendall Graveman | |
| 20 | Royals | Scott Barlow | |
| 21 | Phillies | Craig Kimbrel | Kimbrel expected to lead a committee |
| 22 | Dodgers | Committee | |
| 23 | Rangers | Jose Leclerc | |
| 24 | Cubs | Committee | |
| 25 | Marlins | Dylan Floro | |
| 26 | Nationals | Kyle Finnegan | |
| 27 | Angels | Carlos Estevez | |
| 28 | Tigers | Alex Lange | |
| 29 | Athletics | Committee | |
| 30 | Diamondbacks | Committee |
It is worth noting that even in some of the bullpens where I didn’t mention a committee, there likely will be some situations where other relievers get save chances. It is like the running back position in the NFL, where we see more committees. It is similar to bullpens in the MLB, where teams try to preserve their relievers by not overworking them.
This is especially the case in Seattle, where Paul Sewald is the closer on paper, but Andres Munoz, Diego Castillo and potentially even Matt Brash will likely see some save chances. Mariners manager Scott Servais has shown he isn’t scared to utilize any of Sewald, Munoz or Castillo in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, depending on the matchups and hitters due up.
The Tampa Bay and Minnesota bullpens are a couple of other situations where I listed Pete Fairbanks and Jhoan Duran as the closer, but Jason Adam and Jorge Lopez should be expected to see save chances as well. In bullpens like these, where there are two pretty clear options at the top, it isn’t a bad idea to try and roster both of them as insurance.
Philadelphia is another interesting bullpen. They signed Craig Kimbrel this offseason, but Phillies manager Rob Thomson has said before that he doesn’t expect to have a primary closer. I expect Kimbrel to be at the top by a small margin, but Gregory Soto, Seranthony Domínguez and José Alvarado could all see save chances as well.
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