As promised, I took more frequent looks at bullpens that certainly seem to be spending more time in flux. Inconsistency is certainly one factor, but I think an even bigger consideration is a tendency to use the reliever with the expected best matchup against a specific spot in the batting order even if it happens before the ninth inning. In other words, if the middle of the opponent's batting order comes around in the eighth inning, that's when the team's best reliever gets the call. We'll worry about closing out the game when the ninth inning gets here. Unfortunately, there is practically nothing a fantasy team owner can do to predict that happening, but we try.

Bullpens are constantly evolving

Okay, on with the subject at hand. We're in early-September, so only about three weeks to go in the 2025 regular season. And, pitching is getting thin. Winning and losing could hinge on which teams can cobble together an effective bullpen and make it to the finish line more or less intact.

For fantasy teams, there could be points to pursue in the saves category. Closer roles used to be generally set for the best MLB teams, but there are more and more teams that either don't have a reliable closer, or might have traded their closer away as we approached the trade deadline (August 1), leaving a void in their bullpens. Ideally, teams still prefer (I think) to have fairly specific roles with regard to their daily bullpen assignments. In a perfect world, the starting pitcher would provide six or better yet, seven strong innings, whereupon the set-up guys would pitch the seventh and/or eighth inning before turning the game over to the closer to finish things. It just doesn't happen like that these days. That's why a typical bullpen has six or seven available pitchers, and, from a fantasy perspective, the roles of the bullpen pitchers can be almost endlessly adapting and evolving. Today's closer can be tomorrow's fourth-inning mop up guy, while last week's unheralded arm could be working in a key set-up role next week. With relief pitching, it's almost always a, "what have you done for me lately" game.

That's our goal. Let's see if we can sort out some possibly unsettled bullpens.

Here are some bullpen scenarios to keep an eye on:

• Dodgers – It seems very strange to be heading into September with at least a couple major playoff contenders still shuffling bullpen pieces. That's the Dodgers. For most of the season, Tanner Scott has been their primary ninth-inning guy, but he has been doing an irregular job. Veterans Blake Treinen and Kirby Yates have taken the reins at times, and they have lefty Alex Vesia and fire-baller Michael Kopech, although he has served primarily as a key set-up man, but he does have a closer skill set if needed. They have the luxury of depth so they may opt to just continue to ride the hot hand – if they could find one, but I think Yates has the best closer tools. I'm guessing he will close again fairly soon. I look for the team to ease him back into the primary closer role before the playoffs roll around. I think defined rolls are important here.
• Diamondbacks – For a moment in time A.J. Puk was looking like a genuine closer, an arm the D-backs could routinely turn to in the ninth inning. He did an excellent job closing, but another injury reared its ugly head, opening the door for Justin Martinez. Now he's hurt, so we're down to their normal cast of thousands. The problem is, from a fantasy perspective, inconsistent deployment in the ninth inning can be frustrating. Jake Woodford and Andrew Saalfrank are probably first in line, and if I was desperate for saves, Woodford is the best bet in my book. Ryan Thompson might also be a sleeper if things get too convoluted, but he's probably behind the other two on the food chain. The bad news is Puk and Martinez have had elbow surgery and won't be back this season.
• White Sox – This one was a "who cares" discussion since the White Sox don't generally win enough games to worry about who finishes them, but they have collected a handful of Ws. I'm not even sure who is most likely right now. If I had to guess, I suppose it would be Jordan Leasure (he is the flavor of the week with saves in his last three appearances). Actually, my guy for the gig is also in the basic mix. Mike Vasil, has marginal closer stuff … but he can also handle multiple innings. If he gets a solid chance, I think he could handle it. 
• Pirates – I'm not sure there is much I can say about the Pirates deployment of their bullpen that I haven't already said. They have peddled most of their actual closer candidates. David Bednar is gone, and so is Aroldis Chapman. That leaves Dennis Santana as the likely ninth-inning guy. I think I would probably name him as my "primary" closer and count on him for most ninth-inning work. He pitched well in a set-up roll earlier this season, then never missed a beat when he moved up to the primary closer's role. He already has nine saves, and their best alternatives, Isaac Mattson and Colin Holderman, aren't too good.
• Yankees – This just in, set-up guy and pseudo-closer Devin Williams has been identified as a genuine noncloser by the Yanks (and a long list of other MLB teams) and should be seen in earlier innings. So, the Yankees may participate in a late-inning game of musical chairs for the rest of this year. Their current best "closers" are David Bednar and Luke Weaver, but the guy with the best closer stuff might be lurking in the shadows. Once a very hot commodity, Camilo Doval was also acquired at the trade deadline, and I'm giving him the closer-in-waiting tag. He can be very erratic but his stuff is electric, so keep an eye on him. He would fit very nicely if he could just learn to throw strikes.
• Twins – Also a late addition to this list, the Twins had a standout bullpen anchored by one of the best in the game – Jhoan Duran – but he's in Philadelphia now. The most likely closer was Justin Topa but he's injured, though hopefully short term, with a sore knee. Genesis Cabrera stepped in and finished a save when Topa was injured in a game against Kansas City. The worry is knee injuries are nothing new to him. He missed most of 2024 with a patella injury. Cabrera has some closing experience, so he and maybe Cole Sands could share ninth-inning duties until Topa makes it back. I'm just not sure any of them are the long-term answer. Maybe Thomas Hatch is a possibility? For a long time he was an interesting rotation consideration, but it never really happened. Now he's in the bullpen, and he's getting a true chance. He will have to be more effective as he settles in after a couple brief stumbles, and I feel pretty confident he is a real sleeper to late-inning relief work.
• Athletics – This is probably the hardest pen to evaluate. Not one arm among them looks anything like a closer. The A's spent most of the season with flamethrower Mason Miller handling the closing gig. He did a fairly respectable job, but the team dealt him away at the trade deadline. Southpaw Hogan Harris has pitched well of late, maybe he gets a crack? Elvis Alvarado, another lefty Sean Newcomb and Michael Kelly are all near the top of the food chain but they don't profile as closers. I guess Kelly would probably be my lukewarm (that's generous) choice, but this team isn't going anywhere this year, so whoever handles the job now is just a placeholder.

Some Notable Rotation Ramblings:

• Kona Takahashi is expected to be posted this winter. He first tried to come over in 2023, but his Japanese team, the Seibu Lions, declined to post him. His performance in Japan could probably be called something like "average," which is perhaps enough to win him a spot at the back of an MLB rotation.
• One of the pleasant surprises this year has been the Brewers' Quinn Priester. He had another strong outing last week and hasn't lost a start since mid-May (he's 11-0 over that span). Pitching in Milwaukee, he doesn't get a lot of press, but his dogged determination is an asset to the Brewers and his fantasy owners.
• I took a look at the Rangers' Jacob Latz who has been posting better numbers than anticipated. Against Milwaukee, he pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning, but he was leading something of a charmed life. The Brewers swung at quite a few balls out of the zone, so I think I'm going to stay away, at least for now.
• I watched a few innings of Yoshinobu Yamamoto's start against Baltimore last weekend in which he carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning. It was legit folks. Every pitch was on the paint, and for the most part, the hitters were off balance. Too bad he got behind the 27th out, and the next pitch ended up in the seats.
• Slade Cecconi (Guardians) and Tyler Glasnow (Dodgers) are the most recent arms to toss at least seven no-hit innings, but neither completed the gem, meaning there has still been no no-hitters in 2025. That's fairly rare. The last season without a no-hitter was 20 years ago in 2005.

Endgame Odyssey:

I nearly included the Marlins in the above breakdown of the closing assignments, but following a rash of injuries including Anthony Bender and Andrew Nardi, it appears Calvin Faucher is the last man standing. He should be closing at least until they get healthy. The Phillies also owned a spot until a couple weeks ago when they traded for Jhoan Duran. IMHO, he is one of the best and lines them up for a playoff run. Okay, so I didn't name Duran the best closer. I don't want to be known for avoiding the toughest questions, so here is the best (I'm ready to dodge the rotten vegetables thrown by the crowd). When healthy, Josh Hader of the Astros is my No. 1. He's currently dealing with a shoulder injury and isn't expected back during the regular season. He's rehabbing for the playoffs, but Houston can't afford any setbacks. I have long been a big fan of JoJo Romero while he filled a set-up role for St. Louis. Now, with Ryan Helsley gone, we'll see how he adapts to a closer's role. So far, so good. With Daniel Palencia hitting the IL with a shoulder strain, my guess would be Brad Keller will take over closer duties. He has been nearly untouchable recently.

Find out which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!