Looking ahead as the season winds down can offer insight into what to watch for in the remaining games while starting preparations for 2027. This alone can cause anxiety, as looming labor relations could affect the total number of games played. Like the projected closers for some teams, this is out of fantasy managers’ hands, so we can only hope for the best.
These closer projections aren’t guaranteed, but they can help narrow down candidates for some teams, with pending free agents and relievers with clauses listed.
American League
East
- Projected Closer in 2027: Félix Bautista
- Pending Free Agents: Keegan Akin; Andrew Kittredge
- RPs with a Clause: Ryan Helsley (player – $14M)
Whether or not Ryan Helsley or Félix Bautista throws a pitch in September, they will be the prohibitive favorites for saves, barring a setback, in 2027. Although “The Mountain” can be a free agent after next season, his role as the closer when healthy before his surgeries puts him at the top of the hierarchy entering next year. Helsley has struggled since leaving St. Louis. He did eight of nine save chances before landing on the injured list this season, but his 1.43 WHIP is a blemish on his results. His 3.31 SIERA and 2.91 xERA suggest he was better than his 4.11 ERA through 15.1 innings, but it’s a limited sample. In his last 39 appearances since being traded to the Mets, he has recorded a 1.642 WHIP with 43 strikeouts and 20 walks (14.1 K-BB%) across 35.1 innings.
As for Bautista, his rehab results through the end of the year, and if he returns to the majors, may help provide insight for 2027. However, this tweet highlights the changes in his velocity after his medical procedures:
With a full offseason of preparations, he could be closer to his pre-surgery levels next year, and my preferred option for saves in this bullpen.
- Projected Closer for 2027: Aroldis Chapman
- Pending Free Agents: None
- RPs with a Clause: Garrett Whitlock (Team – $8.25M)
This could be one of the most stable leverage environments entering next year. Chapman will enter his age-39 season. There have been 13 instances of relievers at this age or older recording 30 or more saves in a season by seven different pitchers. Mariano Rivera did it on four separate occasions, while Dennis Eckersley and Trevor Hoffman accomplished this feat twice in their careers. Hope lies in precedent and Chapman remaining in shape for 2027. Here are his splits by half this year, through games played on September 1:
- Projected Closer for 2027: TBD
- Pending Free Agents: David Bednar; Paul Blackburn; Tim Hill; Ryan Yarbrough; John Schreiber
- RPs with a Clause: None
It would not be a surprise if Bednar signed as a free agent, but he will obviously test the market as one of the few reliable closer options in it. Through his first 77 games as a Yankee, he has a 10-3 record with 41 saves, a 1.00 WHIP with 100 strikeouts against 27 walks (21.6 K-BB%) over 84 innings. Brian Cashman better be prepared for a robust market with teams craving a closer this winter. Long term, Carlos Lagrange could be an option.
- Projected Closer for 2027: Bryan Baker
- Pending Free Agents: None
- RPs with a Clause: None
On the one hand, it’s tough going against Baker. He leads the majors in saves through the end of August, converting 39 of 41 opportunities while recording a 0.87 WHIP with a 20.5 K-BB%. However, the Rays’ revolving door in the bullpen could come into play. But the team was loyal to Pete Fairbanks before letting him walk as a free agent, providing Baker with runway for next year.
- Projected Closer for 2027: Louis Varland
- Pending Free Agents: Yimi García; Paul Sewald
- RPs with a Clause: None
Taking over for a struggling Jeff Hoffman, King Louis stabilized the Blue Jays bullpen. He has recorded 31 saves in his first 62 games this season while posting a 0.98 WHIP with a 24.7 K-BB%. Adding a reliever with swing-and-miss upside as a setup option with Tyler Rogers would be ideal for a run at the playoffs in 2027.
Central
- Projected Closer for 2027: Grant Taylor
- Pending Free Agents: Sean Newcomb
- RPs with a Clause: None
Referencing Taylor as the closer comes with the caveat that Will Venable will deploy him at the highest-leverage moment in a game, sometimes for multiple innings, which caps his total saves for a season. There have been talks about stretching him out as a starter, but he has worked in one inning or less in 10 of his 17 appearances in the second half. After only securing two saves in his first 25 games, he has recorded eight in his last 28. However, predicting them remains a mystery, along with how many innings he will pitch or how many pitches he will throw:
- Projected Closer for 2027: Cade Smith
- Pending Free Agents: None
- RPs with a Clause: None
I am taking some liberty with the clause portion while assuming Emmanuel Clase will not pitch in the majors again. Otherwise, this bullpen remains one of the most stable ones in baseball. Smith can be streaky, but he has racked up 48 saves in his last 84 appearances since August 5, 2025.
- Projected Closer for 2027: TBD
- Pending Free Agents: Tyler Kinley
- RPs with a Clause: Kenley Jansen (Team – $12M)
Assuming the team does not pick up its option for Kenley Jansen, combined with the late-season swoon by Kyle Finnegan, if forced to pick a closer on the team’s roster entering next year, Will Vest would be the choice as the projected closer. However, the team preferred him in the “fireman” role he filled during the 2025 postseason, which means changes may occur in the leverage ladder during the offseason.
- Projected Closer for 2027: TBD
- Pending Free Agents: None
- RPs with a Clause: Carlos Estévez (Team – $13M)
It has been a season of constant flux in the Royals’ bullpen. There is some clarity on Carlos Estévez, who will undergo shoulder surgery, and as Anne Rogers indicates, the team will not pick up his option for 2027:
Lucas Erceg held the closer role after Estévez was placed on the injured list, but lost it to Alex Lange until his underlying statistics forced another change. In the second half, Steven Cruz leads the team with six saves, and Nate Pearson has picked up two. Their roles are best suited as setup relievers based on contact rates combined with their swinging strike percentages, which means the team’s closer for next season is probably not on the current roster.
- Projected Closer for 2027: Jeff Hoffman
- Pending Free Agents: A.J. Minter; Taylor Rogers
- RPs with a Clause: None
This was one of the most volatile bullpens in baseball until the team claimed Yoendrys Gómez from waivers when he was designated for assignment by Tampa Bay. After a strong start, his underlying data has begun to catch up with him:
Acquiring Jeff Hoffman helps the depth, but does he have the stomach for closing games? It would behoove the Twins to find out during September. This would help determine what the team needs for 2027 will be as this young talent pool coagulates. If Hoffman’s not the answer, a reliever like Abreu could be.
West
- Projected Closer for 2027: Josh Hader
- Pending Free Agents: Bryan Abreu; Enyel De Los Santos; Steven Okert
- RPs with a Clause: None
Hader has exceeded all expectations returning from his shoulder injury that cut his season short in 2025. His contract ensures his role on this team. How they build the leverage ladder to him will be interesting, but a second-half breakout by A.J. Blubaugh puts him on the radar for those in SOLDS or formats that count holds for next year.
- Projected Closer for 2027: Ben Joyce
- Pending Free Agents: None
- RPs with a Clause: Robert Stephenson (Team – $2.5M)
Under new ownership, the team must determine if Joyce is the closer of the present and the future. His velocity upside screams yes, but his injury history and workload concerns cannot be ignored. Part of being a closer is working on back-to-back days or three times in four days during hot streaks. Through 57 career relief appearances in the majors, he has worked on zero days’ rest five times. If the team sees him as a setup option in an attempt to keep him healthy, targeting a closer this offseason could be considered.
- Projected Closer for 2027: Andrés Muñoz
- Pending Free Agents: Hoby Milner
- RPs with a Clause: Muñoz (Team – $8M)
No reliever has suffered more blown saves than Muñoz through games played on September 1. However, his 4.29 ERA through 53 games this season is accompanied by a 2.23 SIERA and a 3.28 SIERA. He’s recorded a robust 28.9 K-BB% and an 18.3 percent swinging strike rate, both the second-best performances of his career. Will he put in the work so his kick-change or a viable third pitch makes him less predictable? Time will tell, but he should rebound in 2027.
- Projected Closer for 2027: Jacob Latz
- Pending Free Agents: Tyler Alexander; Jalen Beeks
- RPs with a Clause: Jakob Junis (Mutual – $5M)
Shifting from a starting pitcher to the closer role has been seamless for Latz. He qualified for his first All-Star appearance and has converted 28 of his 31 save chances through his first 49 games this season while posting a 0.74 WHIP with a 22.3 K-BB%.
- Projected Closer for 2027: Elvis Alvarado
- Pending Free Agents: Mark Leiter Jr.
- RPs with a Clause: None
Choosing Alvarado as the closer for next year comes with apprehension based on how Mark Kotsay has operated the bullpen since the team traded Mason Miller. Since last August, 12 pitchers have recorded at least a save, with Hogan Harris leading the way with 17 of the team’s 44 saves. However, Alvarado has the velocity advantage and better results in the second half to this point:
Those in shallower formats should let someone else sort out the best option in this bullpen.
Thanks for being a part of the Closer Monkey community. Stay safe and be well.
Statistical Credits: