Below you’ll find the top-20 relief pitchers for 2025 fantasy baseball drafts, as compiled by the Rotoworld Baseball crew and FSWA Hall of Famer Matthew Pouliot.
In addition to write-ups for all players, you’ll find 2025 projected stats and dollar values (both for mixed leagues, league-only formats, and 2026/2027) for fantasy managers participating in salary cap draft formats.
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2025 Fantasy Baseball RP Rankings and Profiles
| 1. Emmanuel Clase | CLE - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 26 | Mixed 5x5: $21 | AL 5x5: $28 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 74 | Mixed 2026: $19 | 2027: $16 |
| Outlook: Prior to his stunning postseason collapse, Clase turned in one of the most incredible closing campaigns in history in 2024. His 0.61 ERA was the third lowest ever for someone who pitched 60 innings, placing behind only Zach Britton’s 0.54 mark in 2016 and Fernando Rodney’s 0.60 in 2012. He did allow five unearned runs on top of the five earned runs, but four of those were automatic runners in the 10th inning. He led the AL in saves for the third straight year, finishing with a career-high 47. His three blown saves saw him allow a total of one earned run, and after the last of them on May 19, he converted 34 chances in a row. What happened in October was mindblowing. Following a regular season that saw him surrender only two homers, he gave up three to the Tigers and Yankees. He pitched scoreless ball in just three of his eight appearances and wound up taking two losses and a blown save before the Guardians were eliminated. There probably won’t be any ill effects this year, but there is the lingering memory of how shaky Clase was for much of 2023. He checks in here as the No. 1 fantasy RP, but it does feel like the better investments are further down the list. |
| 2. Josh Hader | HOU - RP |
| Throws: L | Age: 30 | Mixed 5x5: $17 | AL 5x5: $24 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 71 | Mixed 2026: $15 | 2027: $13 |
| Outlook: Hader’s first season in Houston was a rather glorious mess in which he ranked first among relievers in strikeouts, tied for fifth in saves and tied for seventh in wins. He also managed a sub-1.00 WHIP. However, since he surrendered a whopping 12 homers, he didn’t help in ERA. He also took eight losses, though that only matters in points leagues. Hader’s worst month was April, which was kind of odd because he gave up only one homer then. He was fine in spite of the mostly solo shots the rest of the way, at least until he gave up six runs in late September and saw his ERA rise from 3.16 to 3.80. Hader’s velocity was down from his 2022 peak, but it was still better than his career average. That he’s a flyball lefty in a park with a short porch in left does him no favors. Still, he probably won’t surrender 12 homers again. With his slider working as well as ever, he’s the No. 2 RP on this board. |
| 3. Raisel Iglesias | ATL - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 35 | Mixed 5x5: $14 | NL 5x5: $21 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 66 | Mixed 2026: $12 | 2027: $9 |
| Outlook: In spite of a tumbling strikeout rate, Iglesias delivered his best season to date at age 34, limiting hitters to a .156 average on his way to a 1.95 ERA in 2024. His barrel rate was about half his career norm, and his 31% hard-hit rate was, apart from the short 2020 campaign, his best mark since 2017. It is of some concern that Iglesias’s strikeout rate has gone from 38% to 32% to 29% to 26% over the last four years, but last year’s drop was mostly a product of him getting quick outs. His 32% CSW was still excellent and slightly better than his career rate. Also, his fastball velocity was a tad better last year than the previous two seasons. There’s just nothing to suggest Iglesias couldn’t get more strikeouts if he needed to. He’s as sure of a bet for 30+ saves this year as any reliever in the league, which gives him a rankings edge over some of the younger arms with more pure fantasy upside. |
| 4. Mason Miller | OAK - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 26 | Mixed 5x5: $14 | AL 5x5: $21 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 55 | Mixed 2026: $16 | 2027: $16 |
| Outlook: Barred from the rotation by his history of arm woes, Miller became the closer everyone wanted to see last season. Through May 9, he had 0.89 ERA, 41 strikeouts and no homers in 20 1/3 innings. His FIP was actually negative at that point. After that, however, he was merely good, posting a 3.22 ERA and a 3.23 FIP in his final 39 appearances. He missed two weeks around the trade deadline because he broke a finger punching a table with his non-pitching hand. The A’s never were interested in dealing him anyway, even though he would have commanded a terrific return as a potential difference maker for a contender. He wound up going 28-for-31 in save chances and leading the league with a 42% strikeout rate. Miller’s average fastball came in at 100.9 mph. He ditched the cutter he utilized as a starter and was almost exclusively a two-pitch reliever, using his slider about one-third of the time. While the A’s indicated at the time that last year’s move to the pen could be temporary, there’s been no talk since about restoring him to the rotation. He’s still likely more of an injury risk than most, but he ranks as a top-five closer anyway. |
| 5. Edwin Díaz | NYM - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 30 | Mixed 5x5: $13 | NL 5x5: $20 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 54 | Mixed 2026: $12 | 2027: $11 |
| Outlook: Back from the torn patellar tendon that cost him all of 2023, Díaz had a turbulent first half last season. He actually started off just fine in April, but May saw him blow four of five save chances. That doesn’t even include the worst outing of all, when he gave away a four-run lead in the ninth (not technically a blown save) against the Marlins. He was supposed to lose his closing gig at that point, but he instead spent a couple of weeks on the IL with a shoulder impingement. He resumed closing after returning and seemed to have things turned around, only to get a 10-game sticky-hand ban on June 23. Finally able to settle in during July, he was stellar the rest of the way, posting a 2.64 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings. He did have one postseason blowup in the NLDS, but he was great in the NLCS defeat, allowing two hits over 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Díaz’s stuff wasn’t quite as good last season as during his incredible 2022 campaign, but it wasn’t far enough off to worry about. He should be an elite fantasy closer. |
| 6. Devin Williams | NYY - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 30 | Mixed 5x5: $13 | AL 5x5: $19 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 22 | Mixed 2026: $13 | 2027: $12 |
| Outlook: Concerns about Williams’ arm have persisted ever since he debuted with his wicked changeup, but aside from one brief absence in 2021, that’s never been a problem. That he missed nearly two-thirds of last season was the result of a stress fracture in his back. Fortunately, things healed up nicely, and he was his usual self after returning, converting all but one of his 15 save chances. He did stumble in the postseason, giving up four runs in the decisive Wild Card game against the Mets to end the Brewers’ hopes. He was then traded to the Yankees in December, though that surely had much less to do with his finish than it did the Brewers not wanting to pay top dollar for a closer. Williams might allow an extra homer or two in the Bronx, but he just doesn’t give up many well-hit flyballs; his 4.6% barrel rate since he debuted is 10th lowest among the 388 pitchers to throw 200 innings since 2019. He’ll likely continue to excel. |
| 7. Ryan Helsley | STL - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 30 | Mixed 5x5: $11 | NL 5x5: $18 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 65 | Mixed 2026: $10 | 2027: $8 |
| Outlook: Helsley missed time with arm problems in 2019, ’21 and ’23, so keeping him healthy was a priority for the Cardinals last season. He never entered a game prior to the ninth, pitched more than one inning just twice and worked on back-to-back days only 13 times (and never three days in a row). He stayed off the IL for the second time in his six seasons and racked up an MLB-high 49 saves. Helsley has a 1.83 ERA the last three years, putting him right behind Devin Williams (1.66) and Emmanuel Clase (1.72) for the league’s best mark. As he enters his walk year, a trade is a possibility. The Cardinals, though, have not completely written off 2025 and would prefer to hang on to him, at least until the deadline. He remains an injury risk, but the trade candidacy isn’t too much of a concern; he’ll most likely remain a closer if moved. |
| 8. Jeff Hoffman | TOR - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 32 | Mixed 5x5: $11 | AL 5x5: $17 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 68 | Mixed 2026: $9 | 2027: $6 |
| Outlook: Hoffman essentially matched the numbers from his 2023 breakthrough over a full season as a 2024 All-Star. He actually would have bettered them, but he gave up four runs in his final regular-season appearance, taking his ERA from 1.65 to 2.17. He then got lit up in the postseason, too, giving up six runs over 1 1/3 innings in three appearances. It still didn’t seem like a cause for concern when free agency came around, but alarm bells rang in January, when, immediately after his three-year, $33 million deal with the Blue Jays was announced, it was revealed that he had larger deals scuttled by the Orioles and the Braves after shoulder concerns arose during his physical. That the Jays still felt confident enough to sign him for three years seems like a good sign. While Hoffman flirted with the idea of signing as a starter, he’ll almost certainly be the Jays’ closer for now, and he’ll be excellent in the role if he keeps throwing like he has the last two years. Any spring training red flags would drop his ranking in a hurry, though. |
| 9. Jhoan Duran | MIN - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 27 | Mixed 5x5: $10 | AL 5x5: $16 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 58 | Mixed 2026: $10 | 2027: $9 |
| Outlook: From an ERA standpoint, Durán took an obvious step backwards last season. After missing the first month with an oblique strain, he pitched scoreless innings in his first seven appearances, but he was surprisingly erratic anyway. It’s hard to see how anyone at all hits Duran with his 100-mph fastball, 97-mph splitter and mid-80s curveball, but they did more than ever last season, and by the end of June, he actually seemed lucky to have a 3.51 ERA, given that it was accompanied by a 4.69 FIP. From that point, his peripherals returned to being stellar, though three separate three-run appearances meant his ERA never got any better. Still, his FIP over the final three months was an incredible 1.21, as he struck out 43, walked seven and allowed no homers in 28 2/3 innings. Somewhat disturbing is that Duran actually took a backseat to Griffin Jax in the final weeks of the season, as he served as a setup man for the team’s last two save chances. That Rocco Baldelli is so content to go to Jax does temper the fantasy enthusiasm for Durán just a bit. He should be a top closer on performance, but he might not match save totals with his competition in that category. He’d rank a bit higher here if the Twins followed through on trying Jax as a starter, but that’s not happening. |
| 10. Félix Bautista | BAL - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 29 | Mixed 5x5: $10 | AL 5x5: $15 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 0 | Mixed 2026: $17 | 2027: $16 |
| Outlook: Bautista entered last spring hoping to pull off an end-of-year return from Tommy John surgery the previous Oct. 10, but that didn’t last long. In February, he required a followup surgery repositioning his ulnar nerve and removing debris. That procedure added some concern about his status for 2025. Bautista, though, resumed throwing off a mound in August and still figures to be ready to go this season. Bautista overwhelmed hitters with a 98-101 mph fastball and high-80s slider in his first two big-league seasons, emerging as the league’s most dominant reliever in 2023. If he seems to have that back in March, he should be viewed as a top-five fantasy RP. Right now, he’s ranked closer to 10th. |
| 11. Ryan Walker | SF - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 29 | Mixed 5x5: $9 | NL 5x5: $15 |
| 2024: Started: 1 Relieved: 75 | Mixed 2026: $5 | 2027: $1 |
| Outlook: A 31st-round pick in 2018, Walker had already destroyed expectations when he showed up in the majors and performed like a quality middle reliever in 2023. Last season was something different entirely, as he one of the league’s most valuable relievers on his way to recording 10 wins, 10 saves and 21 holds over 80 innings. Hitters struggle to tell Walker’s mid-90s fastball and slider apart out of the hand, and they can’t wait him out, since he’s always around the strike zone. Of the 402 pitches to throw 50 innings last year, Walker had the 12th-highest rate of called strikes and was the only pitcher in the top 15 there to also have a swinging-strike rate better than league average. When hitters did make contact, they had a 30.3% hard-hit rate, which was again 12th best out of the 402 pitchers. Walker took over as the Giants’ closer when Camilo Doval lost the job in August and converted all of his save chances down the stretch. It’s unclear whether the Giants intend to give Doval another crack at the job; there’s an argument for it based on his pre-2024 performance and the fact that the Giants are already paying him like a closer. Walker projects as the better pitcher at this point, and if he is named the closer this spring, he’d jump to around 10th in the RP rankings. |
| 12. Robert Suarez | SD - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 34 | Mixed 5x5: $9 | NL 5x5: $15 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 65 | Mixed 2026: $7 | 2027: $1 |
| Outlook: When the Padres signed Suarez to a surprising five-year, $46 million deal prior to 2023, it was with the idea that he’d step in for free-agent-to-be Josh Hader as the team’s closer last season. However, Suarez went on to miss half of 2023 with an elbow injury, and his strikeout rate was well down when he was able to pitch. After the Padres responded by signing elite Japanese closer Yuki Matsui to a five-year deal, it looked like Suarez might remain a setup man. However, Matsui missed time in spring training, and Suarez got off to an incredible start, racking up 17 saves with a 0.72 ERA through the end of May. He didn’t finish quite as well -- he had a 5.24 ERA over the final two months -- but his job was never in doubt. Through it all, Suarez had a 23% strikeout rate that was on level with 2023 and well down from his 32% mark in his first year in MLB in 2022. His fastball velocity was up, though, and since he was throwing 97-101 mph, he typically relied on his four-seamer and sinker, rather than on chasing strikeouts with his changeup. The Padres aren’t lacking for talented relievers, so there’s the chance they could trade Suarez to gain some payroll flexibility. If not, they’ll definitely want Suarez to keep closing for as long as he’s effective. He seems like a safe enough bet as a No. 2 fantasy closer. Still, those in deeper leagues might want to pair him with Jason Adam. |
| 13. Tanner Scott | LA - RP |
| Throws: L | Age: 30 | Mixed 5x5: $8 | NL 5x5: $14 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 72 | Mixed 2026: $6 | 2027: $4 |
| Outlook: Proving his 2023 was no fluke, Scott firmly established himself as one of the game’s best relievers last season, though it came with a caveat. Scott, who walked 14% of the batters he faced over his first six seasons, was truly dominant in delivering an 8% walk rate and a 34% strikeout rate over 78 innings for the Marlins in 2023. Last year, he produced a lower ERA, but his walk rate went back up to 12%, while his strikeout rate fell to 29%. Fortunately, Scott has some of the game’s best exit velocity numbers, with both his 95-99 mph fastball and slider producing mostly weak contact. Scott signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the Dodgers in the offseason and could work in tandem with Kirby Yates at the end of games. He’s the best bet to lead the team in saves, and he’s likely to offer significant mixed-league value. Still, the Yates addition means he shouldn’t be viewed as a top-10 RP on draft day. |
| 14. Trevor Megill | MIL - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 31 | Mixed 5x5: $8 | NL 5x5: $13 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 48 | Mixed 2026: $2 | 2027: $0 |
| Outlook: With Devin Williams out for the first half, it was thought Megill might have a chance to open last season as Milwaukee’s closer. Instead, he was behind Abner Uribe initially, and just a few days into the season, he suffered a concussion when he fainted and fell. After returning, he set up twice and then supplanted the struggling Uribe. He was 20-for-22 saving games with a 2.41 ERA when he went on the IL at the end of July with a back strain. He set up for Williams once back, and he wound up allowing just one run and two hits over nine innings in September. With Williams gone to the Bronx and the Brewers probably not interested in spending much money on their bullpen, Megill should be a full-time closer this year. The former Cubs and Twins castoff throws 97-101 mph and has a hard curve that’s getting harder; it’s average velocity increased from 83.4 mph in 2022 to 87.4 mph last year. He’s a fine option as a No. 2 closer in mixed leagues. |
| 15. Andrés Muñoz | SEA - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 26 | Mixed 5x5: $8 | AL 5x5: $13 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 60 | Mixed 2026: $8 | 2027: $7 |
| Outlook: Low scoring contenders tend to fare best when it comes to piling up save opportunities for their closers, but that wasn’t the case for the Mariners last season. The team recorded saves in just 34 of 85 wins. Only the 62-win Marlins (33) and 41-win White Sox (21) had fewer saves. Muñoz was limited to 22 saves despite turning in a completely healthy season, though that he wasn’t used as a pure closer played a significant role there; he entered prior to the ninth in 20 of his 60 appearances and came into tie games 15 times. Incredibly enough, not one of Muñoz’s five blown saves came in the ninth. The only traditional blown save he took was when he blew a one-run lead in the 10th at Coors Field in April. Muñoz’s average fastball velocity has dipped two mph since he peaked at 100.2 mph in 2022, but he’s been more effective with it anyway, in part because he’s added in a sinker. His slider remains outstanding. It should help Muñoz’s fantasy value going forward that he was used as a more traditional closer after Dan Wilson replaced Scott Servais as the Mariners’ manager in late August. He remains a significant injury risk, but he’ll probably be a top-10 closer this year if he again stays off the IL. |
| 16. David Bednar | PIT - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 30 | Mixed 5x5: $7 | NL 5x5: $12 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 62 | Mixed 2026: $6 | 2027: $2 |
| Outlook: The MLB leader in save percentage in 2023, Bednar suffered through a miserable 2024. Within just the first two weeks, he matched his 2023 total of three blown saves in a mere 38 fewer chances. He turned things around for a spell in May and amassed a 2.11 ERA and 11 saves in 22 appearances through mid-June, when he suffered a strained oblique. He missed only three weeks, but he was never any good after returning, and the Pirates finally lifted him from the closer’s role after he took his seventh blown save on Aug. 28. He went on to post a 3.38 ERA as a setup man in September, but it came with a 9/10 K/BB ratio in 10 2/3 innings. Bednar’s velocity was better than ever last season, but even as he worked at 95-99 mph, his fastball was less effective than usual. The splitter that was key to his emergence as a top closer in 2022 also let him down for a second straight season, causing him to use it less than he used to. On the plus side, Stuff models continue to rate both pitches highly. The Pirates have every intention of returning him to the closer’s role this season, and he seems like a prime rebound candidate. |
| 17. Kenley Jansen | LAA - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 37 | Mixed 5x5: $6 | AL 5x5: $11 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 54 | Mixed 2026: $4 | 2027: $0 |
| Outlook: Just plugging along at 80 percent of what he what was, Jansen now stands tall as the top Hall of Fame candidate from the triumvirate that also includes Aroldis Chapman and Craig Kimbrel. The three active saves leaders all debuted in 2010 and will be pitching at age 37 this year. Jansen, with his 447 career saves, has been jockeying for position with Kimbrel, at 440, while Chapman, at 335, has spent much of the last two years as a setup man. Jansen, who is 31 saves behind Lee Smith for fourth place all-time, will continue his march to 500 with the Angels. He’s probably not going to throw 60 innings, but he’s still plenty effective. Even though the stunning velocity spike that arose in 2023 vanished last season, he was still throwing right at his career norms. He’s a better bet than most to get 25 saves, even if 35+ is probably out of reach. |
| 18. Ryan Pressly | CHI - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 36 | Mixed 5x5: $5 | NL 5x5: $10 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 59 | Mixed 2026: $0 | 2027: $0 |
| Outlook: After four years as a closer, Pressly, who showed signs of decline in 2023, found himself bumped back into a setup role last year as a result of the Astros’ Josh Hader signing, something he definitely wasn’t happy about. Pressly held it together for the most part, but his strikeout rate dipped to 24%, down from 28% in 2023 and 34% from 2018-22 and he had a higher OPS against than the league average for the first time since his 28-inning 2014 campaign. In spite of that, the Cubs came calling over the winter, taking on $8.5 million of Pressly’s $14 million salary and giving up pitching prospect in Juan Bello in order to acquire the 36-year-old as their closer. Pressly might prove adequate, but unless his stuff comes back a bit, he promises to make things interesting most nights. |
| 19. Liam Hendriks | BOS - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 36 | Mixed 5x5: $5 | AL 5x5: $10 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 0 | Mixed 2026: $2 | 2027: $0 |
| Outlook: Hendriks, who signed a two-year deal with Boston after being let go by the White Sox, aimed to make it back from Aug. 2023 Tommy John surgery for the final month of last season, but since he dealt with some elbow inflammation in his rehab, it didn’t materialize. In his four Triple-A appearances before being shut down, he averaged 93.8 mph with his fastball, which was down about four mph from his days as an elite closer with the White Sox in 2021 and ’22. It’d be rather surprising if he got back up to 98 mph at age 35 this year, but 96 mph would work; that’s where he was when he busted out with the A’s in 2019 and ’20. 94 mph might be a tougher sell, especially for a flyball pitcher working in Fenway Park half of the time. He’s definitely a wild card as a second or third closer in mixed leagues right now, but he’ll move up the rankings if he shows improved arm strength in March. |
| 20. Justin Martinez | ARI - RP |
| Throws: R | Age: 23 | Mixed 5x5: $5 | NL 5x5: $10 |
| 2024: Started: 0 Relieved: 64 | Mixed 2026: $4 | 2027: $4 |
| Outlook: Boasting one of the game’s strongest right arms, Martinez was long a well-known prospect, but one who never really seemed on the cusp of doing anything in the majors. In 2023, he walked 48 in 49 1/3 innings in Triple-A, and when he did get his first opportunities for the Diamondbacks, he gave up 14 runs in 10 innings. After returning to Triple-A to begin last season, he finally broke through. He was called up in mid-April and never spent another day in the minors. He gave up just one run in his first 25 innings of work, and he even took over as Arizona’s closer in August and went 8-for-9 saving games. Martinez’s sinker averages 100 mph, and he misses bats with both his slider and splitter. The combination produced a 59% groundball rate and a 30% strikeout rate last season. As long as that keeps up, he can afford some wildness, at least if it’s comparable to his 12% walk rate as a rookie and not his 21% walk rate from 2023 in Triple-A. He’s not a sure thing just yet, but the ability is there for him to be a top closer for a long time. |
