American League Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Trade Rumors are Flying

Baseball is back Friday, so let’s take advantage of this final day of calm before the storm of the end of the season. Here is how each American League team’s closer situation stands as we exit the All-Star break:

Baltimore Orioles: Stable — Craig Kimbrel

Despite dealing with a back issue and a brief demotion early in the season, Kimbrel is still fourth in MLB with 23 saves at the break. His 38% K rate is another bonus for fantasy managers, and his 0.96 WHIP and 2.80 ERA aren’t bad either. He’s undeniably one of the top fantasy options at the closer position.

Boston Red Sox: Stable — Kenley Jansen

While he is no longer in the conversation for best reliever in the league, the 36-year-old Jansen is still putting in work in the ninth inning for Boston. He has 19 saves on the season with just one blown save, good for a 95% conversion rate.

Jansen’s peripherals are closer to “good” than “elite” at this point in his career, but it’s hard to argue with the results. With a 2.16 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 29% K rate, Jansen is a solid option for fantasy rosters. 

Chicago White Sox: Unstable — Michael Kopech

Kopech has just nine saves for the season, ranking tied for 28th in MLB … but that’s still seven more than any other White Sox reliever. However, he has just a 64% conversion rate, as well as a 5.05 ERA.

On the bright side, his xERA is slightly more palatable at 3.95, and he does have an impressive 31% K rate. Just as importantly, the White Sox don’t exactly have anyone else to turn to. If he can improve on his conversion rate in the second half of the season, Kopech may turn into a passable asset for fantasy teams in need of saves and/or Ks.  

Cleveland Guardians: Stable — Emmanuel Clase

Clase is second in MLB with 29 saves, but that’s not even the most impressive part of his first-half performance. His ratios are quite simply the best in the country: a 0.81 ERA and a 0.68 WHIP.

If I were to pick nits, his 24% K rate is a little underwhelming for a closer this dominant … but who cares? Clase is, at minimum, a top-five closer for fantasy purposes.

Detroit Tigers: Unstable — Jason Foley

Foley has 15 of the Tigers’ 21 saves for the season but just three of the last six. He also limped into the All-Star break with a 7.11 ERA over his last seven appearances. His season-long ERA of 3.51 (4.12 xERA) is obviously better, but still not ideal.

Luckily for Foley, no one else has been particularly impressive in the Tigers’ bullpen. His job is probably safe for now, but he is still an uninspiring fantasy option.  

Houston Astros: Stable — Josh Hader

Hader heated up with the summer after a slow start to his first season as an Astro. As of the break, he has 18 saves in 19 opportunities and an absurd 40% K rate. His ERA of 3.86 isn’t too impressive, but a 1.00 WHIP and 2.74 xERA indicate that he could be in for some positive regression.

He was already solid in the first half of the season, but Hader should truly reassert himself as a top fantasy closer for the rest of the year. 

Kansas City Royals: Unstable — James McArthur, Hunter Harvey

McArthur follows the mold of Foley and Kopech as a closer who has held onto his job thanks mainly to a lack of competition. His 3.99 ERA isn’t anything impressive by league-wide closer standards, but it makes him the second-best reliever on the Royals so far this season (behind Angel Zerpa at 3.31, who has primarily appeared in low-leverage spots and blew his only save opportunity).

However, the Royals did recently make a trade for Harvey, a hard-throwing righty formerly of the Nationals. Harvey, who has yet to appear for the Royals, hasn’t exactly been dominant himself with a 4.20 ERA in 2024, but he does represent a new challenge to McArthur. It’s worth watching to see how this shakes out, although neither is likely to ever be more than a back-end closer option for fantasy teams.

Los Angeles Angels: Stable (For Now) — Carlos Estevez

So far this season, Estevez has been solid, with 17 saves, a 2.67 ERA and a stellar 0.77 WHIP. However, with his contract expiring at the end of this year and the Angels well out of contention, he may be on the move prior to the trade deadline.

If Estevez is traded, I would expect Luis Garcia (three saves, 4.08 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) to take his place. 

Minnesota Twins: Stable — Jhoan Duran

Duran started the 2024 season on the IL but has dominated the ninth inning for the Twins since his return in late April. He has 15 of the team’s 21 saves over that time period, to go with a 2.93 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. Unsurprisingly for arguably the hardest-throwing pitcher in the league, he also has a solid 30% K rate.

I also have to give a shoutout to Griffin Jax, who has put up eye-popping numbers (1.91 ERA, 35% K rate, 0.94 WHIP, seven saves and four holds) in a stopper role for the Twins. However, given that Jax has often struggled when actually called upon to close a game out (he has just a 64% save conversion rate), Duran’s job is certainly safe.

New York Yankees: Stable — Clay Holmes

Holmes ranks seventh in the league with 21 saves on the season. He has struggled recently, with a 4.91 ERA and a couple of blown saves since the start of June, but his season-long 2.77 ERA is still very respectable. With an uncanny ability to induce groundballs and a stranglehold on the closer role for the Yankees, Holmes is a valuable fantasy closer. 

Oakland Athletics: Stable — Mason Miller

He has cooled down slightly from his unsustainably excellent start to the season, but Miller is still one of the league’s best closers. He does have just 15 saves, but he more than makes up for it with his absurd peripheral stats: 47% K rate, 0.86 WHIP and a 2.27 ERA that is somehow substantially worse than his 1.50 xERA (easily the best among qualified pitchers).

The only reason he isn’t easily the best fantasy option at the closer position is the team he plays on: The lowly A’s simply don’t generate as many save opportunities as other teams.

Seattle Mariners: Stable — Andres Munoz

An All-Star this season, Munoz has been very productive, with a 1.41 ERA across 38.1 innings. It is worth noting that his save production hasn’t been the highest (15 in 17 opportunities), as the Mariners have tended to use him in high-leverage situations more than as a traditional closer. Still, with elite peripherals and a 30% K rate, Munoz is undoubtedly a top fantasy option. 

Tampa Bay Rays: Stable — Pete Fairbanks

Given that the Rays have seen the most save opportunities of any team in MLB (49!), it’s disappointing that Fairbanks leads the team with just 17 saves. To be fair, Fairbanks did spend some time on the IL and has racked up 12 saves since the start of June.

His other numbers aren’t hugely impressive (3.21 ERA, 1.25 WHIP), but the sheer amount of saves he can produce keeps him firmly on the fantasy radar.  

Texas Rangers: Stable — Kirby Yates

The league leader in saves without a blown opportunity at 16, Yates has been dominant for the Rangers this season. His 1.79 xERA is second only to Miller, and his actual 1.05 ERA is even better. A 35% K rate and WHIP below 1.00 are also music to fantasy managers’ ears.

Just like Miller, the only flaw with Yates’ profile is the team he plays on, but he is an elite fantasy option nonetheless. 

Toronto Blue Jays: Unstable — Yimi Garcia, Chad Green

Garcia hasn’t appeared for the Blue Jays since mid-June due to a combination of elbow and neck issues but is likely to rejoin the team following the All-Star break, at which point I think he will regain the closer role. For the season, Garcia is actually third on the Blue Jays in saves, behind Jordan Romano (who is on IL with no signs of progress) and Green, who took over the ninth inning in the absence of both Garica and Romano.

Green also has the best ERA of the team’s relievers at 2.08 (Garcia sits at 2.57), although Garcia has him easily beat in xERA with a stellar 2.32 vs. a mediocre 4.48. With that in mind, Garcia is the player I recommend targeting, but this situation is one of the murkiest in the league (especially with trade rumors flying as the Blue Jays flounder in the standings).