Closer Confidential Week 11: MLB Closer Grades & Waiver Targets

Josh Hader is back and the wait is over. We hand him a grade, walk back one Secure number we no longer believe, and watch Rico Garcia turn into one of the best relievers in the sport. Let's get into it.

The wait is over. Josh Hader threw a baseball in a major league game that counted, recorded three outs, and walked off the mound with a save. If you held a roster spot for him through 10 weeks of rehab updates and first week of June promises, this column owes you a handshake. Everyone else owes you an apology for the things they said about your roster management.

Last week we told you the Hader return was the most important fantasy event of the next seven days and that this was your last window to add him. The window is now closed. Let's grade the new landscape, hand Hader his ranking, and sort out what happened to everyone else while we were all staring at Houston.

Reviewing the Categories

In the weekly Closer Confidential column, we group closers, and committees, into three cohorts:

Secure Closers

Mason Miller continues to exist in his own private zip code. He worked around two walks to convert a four-out save against the Nationals and is back on a 10-game scoreless streak after the only two runs he has allowed all season. His 22.5 percent swinging-strike rate leads the majors, and the next-closest arm is Andres Munoz at 19.8 percent. That is not a gap. That is a different exhibit at the museum. Grade unchanged.

Cade Smith stays put. He is still the saves leader in baseball and still as close to automatic as anyone not named Miller. No threat to the role, no negative news, no reason to touch the 95.

Jhoan Duran's diploma is aging beautifully. We graduated him last week after the ten clean appearances we demanded, and a full week later he is still the best version of himself this column has seen. No oblique noise, no setback. Holds at 90.

Raisel Iglesias did not get a save chance this week but threw two scoreless innings and still owns a spotless ERA with no runs allowed across nearly 15 innings. The Braves simply did not hand him many leads. Holds at 90. Devin Williams continues to look like the arm the Mets thought they were getting. No drama, no movement. Stays at 90.

Now the one Secure grade we have to walk back, and we will be honest about it. David Bednar's 92 was too generous and the underlying numbers say so plainly. He is carrying a 4.50 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP, he has had trouble keeping runners off the bases, and the Yankees are reportedly shopping the trade market for late-inning help with Aroldis Chapman's name surfacing as a target. A team does not go shopping for a setup-man-who-can-close if it is comfortable. Bednar drops to 88 and out of Secure. The job is still his today. The grade reflects the noise underneath it.

Aroldis Chapman is the other adjustment, a gentler one. He converted his 13th save Friday against the Yankees, walking two of the first three hitters before settling down, and has not allowed a run across his last 15-plus innings with a 0.46 ERA. The catch: he is pitching through a hamstring issue Boston has monitored for about a week. He has not missed time, but a 38-year-old fireballer managing a leg injury is exactly what this column flags before it becomes a problem. Holds at 91 with a hamstring watch.

Changes in Confidence Grade or Personnel in bold

Shaky Closers

Josh Hader graduates straight into this tier, and we want to explain the number because it is going to look low to people who remember peak Hader. He was activated Tuesday, took over the closer role immediately, and converted his first save Wednesday in the 11-9 win over Pittsburgh: one walk, one strikeout, no hits, 17 pitches. Clean. He enters at 87 with a clear runway to climb. Trust the name, but watch each outing closely.

Riley O'Brien is testing the gut call we made last week. He picked up his 13th save against the Athletics, then surrendered two runs to the Pirates for his fourth blown save of the season. We held him at 85 on the strength of his ratios and we are holding again, but the leash is getting shorter. One more bad week and he might switch classes.

Andres Munoz blew a lead this week after Luis Castillo handed him two inherited runners. We dropped him three points last week over the contact quality on his fastball and sinker, and nothing this week argues for reversing that. But the whiff rate is still second only to Miller in all of baseball. We hold at 83. He is the most talented arm in this column carrying this much doubt.

Tanner Scott and Louis Varland remain where we left them, in that uncomfortable space where the talent says Secure and the usage says committee. Neither situation clarified this week. Both hold at 84. Roster them with open eyes and a finger on the eject button. Gregory Soto holds at 84 after a quiet, clean week. Seranthony Dominguez holds at 81, and I will once again note that Grant Taylor is the best arm in that White Sox bullpen and the rest of the league is starting to notice. He's surrendered just 3 runs since May 1 with 27 Ks in 17.1 innings and a sparking 1.04 ERA in that time …

Changes in Confidence Grade or Personnel in bold

Seesaw Situations

Detroit is still the worst ninth-inning situation in baseball and it is not particularly close. Kenley Jansen is on the IL with a groin issue and no clear timetable. Will Vest, the arm a lot of people expected to inherit the job, is carrying a 7.41 ERA and has converted zero of three save chances. Kyle Finnegan is dealing with his own groin tightness. The blown saves are spread across the bullpen like a bad rash. Finnegan holds at 58, and 58 might be generous. Do not roster anyone here unless your league is deep enough to require a snorkel.

Now the good news, and it is real. Rico Garcia has stopped being a committee question and started being one of the best relievers in the sport: a 0.61 ERA, a 0.68 WHIP, 96th percentile in pitching run value, 99th percentile in whiff rate. The 32-year-old journeyman who had been a free agent more times than anyone can count is now the clear preference whenever he is available in Baltimore. The only thing capping his grade is the calendar. Ryan Helsley could begin a rehab assignment as soon as next week and retakes this job when healthy. Garcia jumps to 81 on performance, with the Helsley return baked in as the ceiling. Ride the production now. Just know the clock is running.

Lucas Erceg gets no reprieve. We reversed our endorsement last week and dropped him to 67, and nothing this week earned a single point back. Holds at 67. Milwaukee remains Trevor Megill's to lead with Abner Uribe's appeal still hanging over the committee, no change at 79. Cincinnati stays murky with Tony Santillan nominally on top of a role that has changed more times than I can count this season. Hold at 75 and check your waiver wire the day you set lineups, because this one moves.

• Denotes Closer Committee | Changes in Confidence Grade or Personnel in bold

One More Thing

The Bednar downgrade deserves a closing word because it is the kind of move this column exists to make before the standings force it. A 4.50 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP from a closer whose team is openly shopping for bullpen help is not a blip, it is a flashing light. The saves are still coming today. But if the Yankees add a late-inning arm at the deadline, Bednar's path to ninth-inning work narrows in a hurry, and the managers who treat his current ratios as noise are going to be the ones scrambling when the role changes. We are not telling you to drop him. We are telling you to have a plan. That is the difference between reading this column and just nodding along to it. Enjoy your week and get some sun.

Questions About Closer Confidential, Answered

Is Josh Hader back as the Astros closer in 2026?

Yes, Hader was activated Tuesday, reclaimed the ninth inning immediately, and converted his first save Wednesday in the 11-9 win over Pittsburgh, so the roster spot you held all month finally has a payoff.

Why is Josh Hader only graded 87 and not in the Secure tier?

Because his fastball sat at 92.9 mph in his last rehab outing, down nearly three ticks from last year, and Houston is capping him at three outs a night, so the name says Secure while the radar gun says wait a week.

Should I worry about David Bednar in fantasy baseball?

A 4.50 ERA, a 1.58 WHIP, and a Yankees front office openly shopping for late-inning help is not a blip, it is a flashing light, so do not drop him but absolutely have a plan.

Who are the most secure closers heading into Week 11?

Mason Miller, Cade Smith, Aroldis Chapman, Raisel Iglesias, Jhoan Duran, and Devin Williams all sit at 90 or above, with Miller occupying his own private zip code at 97.

Is Rico Garcia worth adding in fantasy baseball?

Yes, Garcia has a 0.61 ERA with elite whiff and run-prevention metrics and is the clear Baltimore closer right now, but Ryan Helsley could start a rehab assignment next week, so ride the production while the clock is still running.

Which closer situation should I avoid entirely in Week 11?

Detroit, where Jansen is hurt, Vest owns a 7.41 ERA with zero saves in three tries, and Finnegan's groin is barking, so do not roster anyone there unless your league is deep enough to require a snorkel.

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This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 7:35 AM.