Andres Munoz Headlines American League in Latest Closer Report

It's time for a new closer report! We'll check out American League teams in this article, then cover National League teams in another story.

Here is the last American League closer report I did.

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Yankees

Devin Williams, the Yankees' preferred closer, leads the team with four saves so far, but he's also got a loss and a 9.00 earned run average, so things haven't been super smooth.

Williams has been roughed up for seven runs in two of his nine appearances, while being pretty reliable otherwise. If he struggles more, or gets injured, Fernando Cruz and Luke Weaver (two saves each) could be next in line for saves.

Red Sox

Aroldis Chapman has four of the Red Sox' seven saves. Chapman also has two wins, a loss and a 1.08 ERA over his first 10 appearances.

Chapman looks like the team's preferred closer right now, but also don't be surprised to see Justin Slaten (two saves) or Liam Hendriks (fresh off the injured list) get some opportunities from time to time.

With big strikeout numbers, Chapman is still a pretty strong fantasy relief option, even if he doesn't get every single save.

Blue Jays

Jeff Hoffman has secured five saves and also earned two wins for Toronto. He's got a 1.59 ERA across 10 games, along with 16 strikeouts over 11 1/3 innings.

He's been one of the better fantasy closers so far, and can be trusted until further notice.

Yimi Garcia and Nick Sandlin have a save each for Toronto. Garcia, who hasn't allowed an earned run, would probably be next in line for saves if Hoffman is ever unavailable or out for a period of time.

Orioles

Baltimore only has two saves on the season, and Felix Bautista has both of them. He's got a 3.00 ERA across his first six innings, and has struck out seven batters.

Bautista has a rough 1.67 WHIP, so that's hurting his fantasy value. Because he's not getting many saves, he's failed to be the top-end fantasy reliever most fantasy owners believed he would be.

He's lost fantasy value since the start of the season, and until he logs more clean innings, his value won't be close to what it started the season at.

Rays

Pete Fairbanks has all three of the Tampa Bay saves. He's 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA across 7 2/3 innings, along with having eight strikeouts.

The Rays aren't that good in the early going, and it's holding Fairbanks back a bit as a fantasy asset. He's been a bit shaky on the hill too, so his fantasy value is down at the moment.

Fairbanks is the clear No. 1 option for Tampa Bay, so now could be a time to buy low on him.

Rangers

Luke Jackson has six of the eight Texas saves so far. Jackson is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA across eight innings. He's struck out six batters along the way. All the runs Jackson allowed came in his first appearance this season.

He's locked into the closer role, and has been one of the better fantasy options so far. He only has one save since April 6 though, so he is trending down ever so slightly.

Chris Martin and Robert Garcia have a save each this season, and could be co-closers if Jackson ever struggles or gets thrown on the injured list.

Mariners

Andres Munoz has all seven of the Seattle saves this season. He's also 1-0 and hasn't allowed a run across 11 innings. Munoz has struck out 14 batters to add to his fantasy value.

Munoz is enjoying a breakout fantasy season, and should be rostered and utilized in all leagues. Only after a string of struggles would he lose value and become untrustworthy. 

Angels

Kenley Jansen has five of the Angels' seven saves so far. He's allowed no runs and struck out seven over seven innings.

He's the go-to closer for LA, and it'd take an injury or extended struggles to remove him from that role. Jansen is a bit of an overlooked fantasy asset being on a team that wasn't supposed to be that good. Jansen has earned enough saves and is pitching well enough to roster and utilize in all fantasy formats though.

Ryan Johnson and Ryan Zeferjahn have the other two saves for LA, but also both have ERAs over 4. Ben Joyce would be a better bet to close games if Jansen cannot, but Joyce is on the injured list for the foreseeable future.

Astros

Josh Hader has six of the seven Houston saves so far. Hader is 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA. He's struck out 13 batters over 11 innings.

After a bit of a down 2024 season, Hader is back and pitching lights out to start 2025. He's a top-end fantasy reliever again, and could end up leading all fantasy closers in scoring by the end of the season.

Steven Okert earned the team's other save in an extra-inning game. Bryan King or Bryan Abreu would be more likely closer options if Hader is ever unavailable, or lands on the IL.

Tigers

Tommy Kahnle leads Detroit with four saves. Brant Hurter has two saves, while Will Vest has one.

Kahnle has a 1.04 ERA across 8 2/3 innings, and has seven strikeouts to his name. Hurter has 10 Ks over 13 innings, along with a 2.77 ERA. Vest is 1-0 with a 1.04 ERA, while striking out nine over 8 2/3 innings.

Kahnle blew a save in his last appearance, but that came in the eighth inning. Hurter has pitched between the sixth-eighth innings his past three outings, while both of his saves were three-inning outings. Vest got the save in his last appearance, but that was only his second time working in the ninth inning across nine appearances so far.

This is a tough closer committee to figure out, which makes all these options better fantasy assets in deeper leagues. I'd avoid them all in standard leagues.

Kahnle is still the guy I like the most from Detroit, at least for the time being.

Guardians

Emmanuel Clase has four of the team's six saves so far. He's 3-0, but with a 7.84 ERA across 10 1/3 innings. Clase has nine punchouts.

Clase is the go-to closer for Cleveland, but he's definitely not the lights out option he was in 2024. In fact, he's already allowed four more runs. Clase should improve his numbers over time, but the fantasy owners who took him early in drafts have to at least be a touch worried about him in the long run.

Paul Sewald and Joey Cantillo have the other two saves. Cade Smith or Hunter Gaddis are probably the next in line for saves if Clase is ever unavailable, or injured.

Royals

The closer role in KC belongs to Carlos Estevez. He has five saves and a 1-0 record so far. Estevez has a 0.90 ERA and 10 punchouts over 10 innings.

Daniel Lynch IV also has a save for KC. He's got two wins, a 0.87 ERA and seven Ks over 10 1/3 frames so far. Lynch or Lucas Erceg could get save chances if Estevez is ever down or out.

Twins

The Twins have seven wins on the season, and Jhoan Duran has the only save. He's got a 0.96 ERA and nine strikeouts over 9 1/3 innings.

It's a shame Minnesota hasn't strung many wins together, because Duran has been great early on. He's losing fantasy value because of the team's overall struggles, not because he's not pitching well.

Griffin Jax was viewed as a guy who could maybe earn saves and push Duran for the closer role, but he's 0-2 with an 11.25 ERA across eight innings, so the closer role safely belongs to Duran.

White Sox

The five-win White Sox still do not have a save on the season. It's anybody's guess who would actually close games if a save opportunity presented itself.

Try to avoid all Chicago relievers in all fantasy formats.