In this week’s Closer Report, the Pirates get a significant boost to the bullpen at the trade deadline. Bryan Baker takes the MLB lead in saves. And the Twins added a veteran with closing experience in Jeff Hoffman. All that and more as we review the last week in saves with an updated closer rankings.
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▶ Tier 1
Mason Miller – San Diego Padres
Jhoan Duran – Philadelphia Phillies
Cade Smith – Cleveland Guardians
Louis Varland – Toronto Blue Jays
Bryan Baker – Tampa Bay Rays
Josh Hader – Houston Astros
After plenty of speculation, Miller remains in San Diego following the trade deadline. The team opted to hold the game’s top closer along with setup man Adrian Morejon, instead adding to the rotation for a potential playoff push. Miller was charged with his first blown save of the season on Saturday, allowing an inherited runner to score while striking out three over 1 2/3 innings before falling in line for a win.
After giving up three runs in an outing last week, Duran bounced back with two clean frames this week, striking out two to pick up his 25th save against the Nationals on Monday. The Phillies added left-hander Brooks Raley and righty Caleb Kilian as middle relief depth at Monday’s deadline.
No saves for Smith this week. He recorded four outs in a non-save situation against the Diamondbacks on Sunday. Meanwhile, Varland picked up his 24th save on Friday against the Cardinals before giving up four runs, three unearned, to take a loss on Sunday. With Varland unavailable on Monday, Tyler Rogers stepped in for his third save. Varland bounced back on Wednesday, tossing a clean ninth inning before the Jays put him in line for a win in extra innings.
In Tampa Bay, Baker continues to roll, picking up three more saves to overtake Cade Smith for the lead in baseball. He’s up to 32 with a 1.42 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 48 strikeouts over 44 1/3 innings. Hader has also kept it going with a perfect frame against the Rangers on Saturday for his 15th save.
▶ Tier 2
David Bednar – New York Yankees
Aroldis Chapman – Boston Red Sox
Trevor Megill – Milwaukee Brewers
Raisel Iglesias- Atlanta Braves
Jacob Latz – Texas Rangers
Andrés Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
Bednar got back on track after snapping a 24-inning scoreless streak, converting three saves with three scoreless outings, including two four-out saves. He’s up to 25 with a 2.54 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts over 49 2/3 innings.
In Boston, Chapman locked down two more saves, extending his scoreless streak to 11 appearances. The 38-year-old left-hander has been a significant part of the Red Sox’s success, posting 27 saves with a 1.67 ERA. The team added more left-handed depth behind Chapman, acquiring Erik Miller in a trade with the Giants that sent Marcelo Mayer to San Francisco.
Megill worked four clean innings this week, picking up his 20th save on Wednesday against the Pirates. He’s been outstanding over the last few months, putting his early-season struggles behind him. Still, the Brewers added some depth, bringing in Antonio Senzatela from the Rockies.
Iglesias converted two more saves for 24 on the year with a 2.63 ERA. The team didn’t add any relief depth at the deadline, but still expects Robert Suarez back in time for a playoff run.
Latz blew his first save since May 13 on Tuesday against the Giants, giving up two runs before falling in line for a win. He remains at 21 saves with a 1.94 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, and 52 strikeouts over 51 innings. Meanwhile, Muñoz made back-to-back appearances against the Twins, picking up a pair of wins. Though Sunday’s win followed a blown save after he surrendered a one-run lead with a solo homer. He bounced back on Wednesday, striking out two batters for his 20th save against the Tigers.
▶ Tier 3
Riley O’Brien – St. Louis Cardinals
Edwin Diaz – Los Angeles Dodgers
Grant Taylor – Chicago White Sox
Emilio Pagán – Cincinnati Reds
Luke Weaver/Mason Montgomery – Pittsburgh Pirates
Kenley Jansen – Detroit Tigers
Devin Williams – New York Mets
O’Brien locked down his 27th save in a win against the Yankees on Wednesday. And Diaz made two appearances in non-save situations. He struck out two batters in a scoreless outing last Thursday, then gave up a solo homer while recording two outs against the Cubs on Tuesday.
Taylor didn’t see any save chances this week, instead recording five outs in a non-save situation on Sunday against the Rays. Former closer Seranthony Domínguez was sent to the Mariners in a package that landed starter Luis Castillo in Chicago.
In Cincinnati, Pagán added two wins with a pair of scoreless outings against the Pirates, then converted a save on Tuesday against the Marlins. The 35-year-old right-hander has been solid since returning from the injured list on July 1, giving up two runs with a 16/2 K/BB ratio across 10 1/3 innings.
The Pirates added some reinforcements where they needed it most, picking up Weaver from the Mets at the trade deadline. The 32-year-old right-hander comes in with a 1.84 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and 45 strikeouts over 44 innings. Pittsburgh had a significant need for a right-hander they can lean on in the late innings, as Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery have split save chances. Weaver should figure into the saves mix, perhaps taking over as the primary option in a matchup committee.
Jansen stayed in Detroit through the deadline, picking up a save on Saturday against the A’s. Meanwhile, Williams picked up a save against the Marlins on Thursday, then gave up a run in a non-save situation on Sunday. The Mets essentially have a whole new bullpen after a mass selling at the deadline. With Williams held out with arm fatigue, it was Daniel Duarte who got the 10th inning save on Wednesday against the Guardians. Interim manager Andy Green stated that Williams should be ready to go on Thursday.
▶ Tier 4
Jeff Hoffman/Yoendrys Gómez – Minnesota Twins
Pete Fairbanks – Miami Marlins
Clayton Beeter – Washington Nationals
Jordan Romano – Colorado Rockies
Jacob Webb/Ryan Zeferjahn/Caleb Thielbar – Chicago Cubs
We’ll have to see how the Twins’ situation plays out after the team acquired Hoffman in a trade with the Blue Jays. The 33-year-old right-hander should presumably step into at least a share of the ninth-inning role. Gómez has done an admirable job, picking up 14 saves with a 3.42 ERA, but has certainly overachieved.
Fairbanks has finally put together a solid stretch, picking up a pair of saves this week with two scoreless outings. The 32-year-old right-hander is up to 17 saves with a 6.37 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 47 strikeouts over 35 1/3 innings.
Beeter surrendered two runs in a non-save situation, then fell in line for a win after blowing a save on Wednesday against the Phillies. Meanwhile, Romano tossed a clean inning against the Royals on Saturday for his ninth save, then was charged with his first blown save with Colorado against the Rays on Tuesday. And Theilbar added a save for the Cubs this week. The Cubs’ situation got more crowded at the deadline with Ryan Zeferjahn coming over from the Angels. Zeferjahn, Webb, and Theilbar all recorded a save for the Cubs this week.
▶ Tier 5
Brandyn Garcia/Kevin Ginkel – Arizona Diamondbacks
Alex Lange – Kansas City Royals
Andrew Kittredge/Yennier Cano – Baltimore Orioles
Hogan Harris – Athletics
Dylan Smith/Keaton Winn – San Francisco Giants
Ben Joyce – Los Angeles Angels
Garcia picked up the only save this week for the Diamondbacks, his third of the season. He appears to be the favorite in a committee since Paul Sewald was relegated to lower-leverage work. And Lange surrendered a run over two innings of work against the Rockies on Saturday.
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