National League Fantasy Baseball Closer Updates for the Cubs, Dodgers and More

We just went over the American League fantasy baseball closers, and are now going to look at National League closer situations for every team.

Here's the last NL update we did.

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Cubs

Ryan Pressly earned a save on June 12, but Daniel Palencia has two saves since then, so he appears to still be the closer in Chicago.

Palencia has an 0-2 record, but seven saves, just one blown save and six holds this season. Over 25 appearances and 27 innings, Palencia also has a 1.67 earned run average and 29 punchouts.

Pressly is 2-2 with five saves, no blown saves and four holds. His 3.54 ERA and 19 strikeouts hold him back as a fantasy asset.

Palencia is at 50% rostered, and I'd say that needs to go up until he loses the closer role. The closer role for one of the best teams in the league is a favorable fantasy spot. Pressly is at 49% - that's fair given how well he's pitched of late, but he shouldn't be that close to Palencia.

Brewers

Trevor Megill has 16 saves for the Brewers and is the clear go-to guy.

He's 1-2 with the 16 saves and two blown saves over 29 appearances this season. Megill has 30 punchouts and a 2.84 ERA over 25 1/3 innings.

Megill is on the rise after collecting six saves already in June. He's at 80% owned after being at 71% a month ago.

Cardinals

Ryan Helsley is still the closer in St. Louis despite some recent struggles.

After allowing a run in his first four appearances this month, Helsley tossed a scoreless frame and got a save his last time out. He is 3-0 with 14 saves and five blown saves on the season.

His 3.81 ERA isn't great, but his 31 strikeouts over 26 innings is still a solid mark and gives him more fantasy value. Helsley sits at 94% rostered.

Reds

Emilio Pagan continues to serve as the Reds' closer. He's been good in June, with three saves and a hold over five appearances, and he hasn't allowed a run in that span.

He's 0-2 with 17 saves and two blown saves and holds this season. Pagan has 38 punchouts and a 3.23 ERA over 30 2/3 innings.

Pirates

David Bednar is back as the Pirates go-to closer.

He has a 2-5 record, 10 saves, no blown saves and three holds this season. Bednar has allowed just one run over seven June appearances. Bednar has 36 strikeouts and a 3.16 ERA over 25 2/3 innings overall.

Bednar is steadily rising as a fantasy asset, and sits at 60% owned now.

Dodgers

Tanner Scott leads the team in saves, but Kirby Yates is now back and recently got a save, so this is a save situation to watch.

Scott is 1-2 with 14 saves, five blown saves and seven holds over 36 appearances this season. He has a 3.63 ERA and 40 punchouts over 34 2/3 innings.

Yates has three holds and a win and save over his five appearances since returning to the mound. He's 4-2 with two saves and blown saves and 11 holds overall. Yates has a 4.03 ERA and 34 punchouts over 22 1/3 innings.

I still like Scott (who is owned in 93% of leagues), but Yates (37%) is on the rise and might earn more saves as time passes. Now could be a time to sell high on Scott.

Giants

Camilo Doval is the team's closer after Ryan Walker struggled to start the season.

Doval is 3-1 with 11 saves, three blown saves and seven holds over 35 appearances. In 34 innings, Doval has a 1.59 ERA and 33 punchouts.

Walker is 1-3 with 10 saves, four blown saves and six holds over 31 appearances. In 28 1/3 innings, Walker has 28 strikeouts, but also a 4.45 ERA.

Doval is at 69% rostered, while Walker is at 65%. I expect Doval to expand that lead as the season moves along, with Walker due for a dropoff here soon.

Padres

Robert Suarez has 21 saves this season. He was ejected on Thursday for punking Shohei Ohtani.

Suarez is 1-3 with 21 saves and two blown saves over 33 appearances this season. He's covered 31 1/3 innings and has a 3.73 ERA and 33 punchouts.

Suarez has had a rough go of things lately, allowing seven runs over his past three appearances. He's trending down, and could be worth buying low on.

Diamondbacks

With A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez out, Shelby Miller is the go-to closer in Arizona.

Miller is 3-2 with seven saves, four blown saves and eight holds over 31 appearances this season. Over 30 innings, he's got a 2.10 ERA and 32 punchouts.

Miller is currently at 40% owned, and that will rise with each save he earns.

Rockies

Seth Halvorsen leads Colorado with five saves, while Zach Agnos has four.

Halvorsen blew a save on Thursday, but had two saves, a win and a hold over the four appearances before that. He's 1-2 with the five saves, three blown saves and four holds this season. Halvorsen has a 4.45 ERA and 28 punchouts over 30 1/3 innings.

Agnos is 0-3 with his four saves, along with three blown saves on the year. He's got a 5.48 ERA and 12 strikeouts over 21 1/3 innings.

Halvorsen is clearly the better fantasy asset right now. He's owned in 4% of leagues, while Agnos is at just 1%. Jake Bird is at 5% because of his 2.16 ERA and 54 punchouts over 41 2/3 innings, but he's not earned a save yet.

Mets

Edwin Diaz is the go-to guy in New York.

He's 3-0 with 15 saves and just one blown save on the season. Diaz has a 2.15 ERA and 43 strikeouts over 29 1/3 innings, so he's one of the better fantasy relievers in the game right now.

Phillies

With Jose Alvarado suspended and Jordan Romano struggling, Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm have earned saves for Philly of late.

Romano has pitched in the seventh and eighth innings over his past two appearances. He's owned in 41% of leagues, and that's dropping quickly.

Strahm has two saves and a hold over his past three appearances, which date back to June 14. He's allowed a run in two straight outings though, so he's still not the best fantasy asset. Strahm is at 17% rostered.

Kerkering has two saves, a hold and a win over his past four appearances. He's not allowed a run since June 1, and is the best fantasy asset in Philly for now. Kerkering is at 23% owned.

This is a closer situation to watch, but I like Kerkering the best for now. 

Braves

Raisel Iglesias is still the lead guy in Atlanta, but the team is struggling and not giving him save chances. When the save opportunities are there, Iglesias has struggled.

He's 4-5 with eight saves, four blown saves and a hold on the season. Iglesias has a 5.93 ERA and 29 punchouts over 27 1/3 innings. He's unscored upon in four straight appearances, so maybe Iglesias is trending up.

At 73% rostered, Iglesias is still owned in far too many leagues given his performance, and the team around him right now.

Nationals

Kyle Finnegan continues to power the back end of the Nats' pen. He hasn't had a save since June 6 after some struggles from the team overall.

Finnegan is 0-2 with 18 saves and five blown saves this season. He's got 22 strikeouts and a 2.96 ERA over 27 1/3 innings.

His own percentage of 78 is about where it should be until he starts getting more saves.

Marlins

Calvin Faucher is definitely the Marlins' closer of choice right now. He's at 16% rostered, and that won't improve until Miami starts winning more, or Faucher gets moved to a contender.

Faucher has three of his seven saves this month. He's 2-2 with three blown saves and two holds across 29 appearances this season. Faucher has a 3.81 ERA and 24 punchouts over 26 innings.

He's an asset in some deeper leagues, but that's it.