2024 fantasy baseball: Updated relief pitcher depth charts for every MLB team

Spring training is underway, and for fantasy baseball managers, that means it’s time to keep on top of who’s rising and who’s falling as draft season approaches. While there aren’t a ton of meaningful depth chart decisions being made over the next few weeks, where we can gain some clarity is in the closer’s role — with spring performance (and availability) going a long way toward determining who winds up pitching the ninth. That’s why we’ve put together an up-to-the-minute bullpen pecking order for all 30 teams, to help you keep track of where things stand and who you should be targeting. We’ll be updating it as news unfolds all spring long, so be sure to check back often.

Chicago Cubs

Adbert Alzolay was a nice success story for Chicago last season, running away with the closer’s job and converting 22 saves with a 2.67 ERA. But the Cubs brought in an experienced high-leverage arm in Hector Neris over the winter, and new manager Craig Counsell raised some eyebrows at the start of camp when he had this to say about the closer’s role: “It certainly could be Adbert,” Counsell said. “I just don’t think at this point we make decisions on that. Adbert obviously did a really nice job with it last year. He had success doing it and that matters, absolutely.”

All that said, this still feels pretty solidly like Alzolay’s job to lose. Neris did good work for the Astros last year, but he’ll be turning 35 this year, and several indicators are pointing in the wrong direction. Counsell has a long history of pretty consistent closer usage, and the above quote feels more like standard spring motivation than anything else.

San Diego Padres

Things in San Diego, however, are far more open. Josh Hader is out, and a pair of Asian imports — Japan’s Yuki Matsui and Korea’s Yoo-Suk Go — are in, competing with hard-throwing righty Robert Suarez for ninth-inning duties. Matsui showed out in his spring debut, but he’s just 5’8, and he’s already dealing with some back inflammation early in camp. (Plus, he’s a lefty, which always introduces questions about usage.) Go had a somewhat spotty track record in the KBO, and Suarez has big-time stuff despite struggling last season; I’d still consider him the best bet for saves on a Padres team that has more remaining talent than you think.

Philadelphia Phillies

Most analysts have Jose Alvarado penciled in here with Craig Kimbrel moving on, and for good reason: The lefty has some of the most explosive stuff in the game, and he appeared on the verge of running away with the job until an elbow injury last summer opened the door for Kimbrel. Still, he’s a lefty with command issues and a recent elbow injury, and that’s never the most trustworthy profile — young righty Orion Kerkering took the league by storm last fall, and Jeff Hoffman has been quietly dominant and looks ready for a promotion. Alvarado is still a worthy draft pick, but be aware of the risk.

Oakland Athletics

The A’s came out and poured cold water all over the Mason Miller hype parade, with manager Mark Kotsay telling reporters that the hard-throwing young righty — who had his impressive MLB debut cut short due to injury last year — won’t start the year as the team’s closer and will instead be used in more of a multi-inning role. This makes sense given Miller’s starter potential and profile, but it’s certainly not what owners who took him in early drafts want to hear. Dany Jimenez and Lucas Erceg are the two most likely candidates for saves in Oakland, although it’s always possible that Miller could have this job by the summer.

Texas Rangers

If you only watched Leclerc tear up the league on the Rangers’ march to a World Series title last year, you might be surprised that manager Bruce Bochy has raised the question of whether the righty will remain in the role in 2024. But there’s a reason that Leclerc came out of nowhere: Prior to his October heroics, his spotty command had dropped him down the bullpen pecking order. Now there’s veteran closer David Robertson in play as well, further muddying things, although he’s 38 and faltered pretty badly down the stretch with the Marlins. Leclerc is being drafted as though the job is his, but it’s hard to tell who among he, Robertson and Josh Sborz — who also caught fire in October after a spotty regular season — will emerge as the closer.

Los Angeles Angels

Ron Washington, Perry Minasian and Co. continue to insist that Carlos Estevez is the closer here, despite his awful second half last season and his diminished velocity so far this spring. Robert Stephenson is actually going slightly ahead of Estevez in drafts right now, a sign that most believe the job will be his sooner rather than later — even though Stephenson is currently working back from some shoulder soreness that isn’t expected to linger but could mean he won’t quite be ready for Opening Day. The Angels aren’t as bad a team as you think, and given Washington’s history of ninth-inning usage this is still a role worth chasing. Shoulder injuries are always a red flag, but it sounds like Stephenson should be back pitching in games sooner rather than later.

Washington Nationals

Speaking of incumbents who sure don’t seem better than their setup men, Kyle Finnegan appears set to enter this season as the Nationals’ closer. Hunter Harvey is the better pitcher of the two, but he’s had trouble staying healthy in his career going back to his time as a top starter prospect. At this point, Harvey is the one I’d draft, although his injury history makes it hard to get too aggressive.

Kansas City Royals

The Royals likely didn’t acquire Smith to not be the team’s closer, but it’s worth noting that the veteran’s production has diminished in each of the past couple of years and that he’s currently the only lefty in Kansas City’s bullpen. Carlos Hernandez proved unfit for the ninth in a brief audition last season, but righty James McArthur flashed big-time stuff and big-time potential down the stretch last season. I’d probably rather take a late flier on McArthur than pay market price for Smith, although the Royals do love hanging on to veterans for as long as humanly possible.

Chicago White Sox

Someone still has to close games for this team on the rare occasions in which they actually take a lead into the ninth. It was thought that said someone would be John Brebbia, fresh off a couple solid seasons with the Giants, but he went down with a calf strain last week that could keep him on the Injured List into the regular season. At this point, the closer is anyone’s guess, with hard-throwing righty Jordan Leasure a dark horse to watch.