Best MLB Closers 2026: 10 Best Closers in MLB Right Now

Who is the best closer in baseball right now? Ahead of the first game of the 2026 Major League Baseball season, we’re ranking every position in the diamond. While the closer’s role is no longer as traditional as it once was, with managers now using their top relievers in the most impactful situations, the best closers in MLB have shown their dominance wherever called upon.

Now let’s dive into the MLB’s best closers list and rank the best closers in baseball heading into the 2026 season. Because we’re focusing on closers, relievers like Garrett Whitlock are left out.

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1. Mason Miller, San Diego Padres

There’s a reason the San Diego Padres paid a premium to acquire Mason Miller before the MLB trade deadline. He leads all relievers in strikeout rate over the past two seasons, with a strikeout rate of 43.1%, 4.7% higher than the next-highest K rate (Edwin Diaz). Miller’s ability to generate power — percentile power rate (45.2%) — also shows up in the fact that he’s allowing opponents to have the lowest batting average in two years (.148). Those numbers tend to tell a better story for him than his 2.56 ERA since 2024 (20th among relievers). He’s certainly the top closer in MLB in our opinion, especially in the post-deadline stretch when he allowed just seven hits in 23.1 innings with the Padres, posting a 0.77 ERA and 0.73 WHIP.

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2. Edwin Diaz, Los Angeles Dodgers

There’s a reason the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers spent big on Edwin Diaz this winter. A few months out of the bullpen was the club’s only weakness, and Diaz stepping in became the natural solution. Entering his age-32 season, Diaz is a three-time All-Star and just won Relay Player of the Year for the third time last year. Since 2022, the hard-throwing right-hander has a 2.08 ERA (fifth), a 0.91 WHIP (second) and the highest K-BB rate in the majors during that span (34%). He finished the season ranking in the 99th percentile in expected batting average (.170), inefficiency (41.5%) and strikeout rate (38%). Even if he has a down year, like he did in 2024 and 2021, we’re still talking about an All-Star closer who can record 30-plus saves with a sub-3.5 ERA and strike out 39% of the batters he faces.

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3. Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians’ relief pitching factory continues to produce quality pitchers: Cody Allen, Emmanuel Klaas and now Cade Smith. He signed with Cleveland after going undrafted in the 2020 MLB Draft and made his MLB debut in 2024. He has been one of the best relievers in MLB since joining the Guardians bullpen. Among relievers who pitched more than 100 innings over the past two seasons, Smith ranks eighth in ERA (2.42) and WHIP (0.95), seventh in strikeout rate (35.1%) and third in K-BB rate (29%). He settled into a tight end role for Cleveland last season and recorded 16 saves, including a poor month (5.40 ERA in July) that was the only real blemish on an otherwise excellent season (2.93 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 104 strikeouts in 73.2 innings). Entering his age-27 season, there’s every reason to believe Smith will be an All-Star in 2026 and rank in the top five in the American League in saves.

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4. Aroldis Chapman, Boston Red Sox

Aroldis Chapman, 37, is coming off the best season of his career. That’s a lot for a guy who has a career 2.52 ERA in 821.1 innings pitched, 367 saves and eight All-Star appearances. He finished 2025 with the lowest ERA (1.17) and lowest batting average allowed (.131) among relievers, along with the lowest WHIP (0.70). He was sensational. Why isn’t he higher on this list? Chapman has a 3.60 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over the past four seasons, and walks have been an issue for him. Now 38 years old and heading into Opening Day, we just thought Chapman was showing regression.

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5. Joan Duran, Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the best closers in Major League Baseball (MLB). This must feel like a relief to those fans who have felt like they were undergoing an EKG when a substitute came into the game during an emergency. Prior to coming to Philadelphia, Duran had a 2.47 ERA in 233.2 innings in four seasons with the Minnesota Twins. By his standards, that number would be even lower if not for a tumultuous 2024 season (3.64 ERA). After serving as the Phillies’ closer, the 6-foot-5 right-hander posted a 2.18 ERA, 1.88 expected ERA, 33.3% strikeout rate, a career-high 32.1% K-BB percentage, and a .225 batting average. The Durantulas also have the best closer entrance in baseball. If Duran replicates the Phillies’ second-half performance, he could be viewed as a top-three closer heading into 2027.

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6. Andres Munoz, Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners, similar to the Guardians, certainly know how to develop exciting closers. A few years after trading away Edwin Diaz, the club acquired Andres Munoz in 2020, and two seasons later he became the team’s best reliever. Among relievers with more than 200 innings pitched from 2021-25, he had the seventh-lowest batting average (.179), the fifth-lowest strikeout rate (34.1%) and the third-lowest ERA (2.28). He’s now also making his second straight All-Star appearance thanks to a 1.92 ERA heading into the 2025 season, which now has the lowest ERA (1.92) among active relievers over the past two years.

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7. Josh Hader, Houston Astros

Josh Hader’s peak performance was on par with the best closers in MLB. He proved that this past season, as evidenced by a 2.05 ERA (10th), 0.85 WHIP (4th), 36.9% strikeout rate (4th), and .154 batting average (3rd). Unfortunately, he went down with a strained throwing shoulder capsule in August, and it’s unclear when he will return to the mound. Durability is now an issue, coupled with his 3.80 ERA in 2024 and 4.22 ERA in 2022. He turns 32 in April, and inconsistent performance combined with a shoulder injury is enough to drop him to this spot in our rankings. Fortunately for the Houston Astros, they have Bryan Abreu (2.28 ERA, 35.5% strikeout rate, .195 BAA) ready to step in to get closer.

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8. Abner Uribe, Milwaukee Brewers

Abner Uribe’s path to becoming one of MLB’s best closers heading into the 2026 season has not been easy. After an impressive rookie season in the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen (30.2 innings pitched, 1.76 ERA), things got out of hand in 2024. The young right-hander allowed 14 runs and 10 runs (6.92 ERA) in his first 13 innings before getting into a fight with José Siri that resulted in a four-game suspension. He was demoted to the minors shortly after and required season-ending knee surgery a few weeks later. To his credit, Uribe put all that behind him in 2025. Among relievers who have pitched more than 70 innings, he has the lowest ERA (1.67), the eighth-lowest batting average (.192), and the eighth-lowest strikeout rate (30.2%). He doesn’t produce the catch rate of some of his peers (28.3%, 47th percentile), but outside of a disastrous stretch in 2024, he has a 1.70 ERA in 106 innings with Milwaukee.

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9. David Bednar, New York Yankees

David Bednar’s ERA (3.96) over the past three seasons has been largely inflated by a rough patch in April 2024, when he allowed 12 earned runs (13.50 ERA) in eight innings pitched. From May 2024 to September 2025, the All-Star closer had a more respectable 3.26 ERA. Impressively, he entered the 2025 season with just three errors in 30 opportunities, and he performed well (2.19 ERA, 0.93 KPS) after being traded to the New York Yankees. Bednar’s batting error rate isn’t necessarily the same as his senior peers, but he’s one of the most reliable relievers in baseball and has proven capable of handling the pressure that comes with being the Yankees’ closer. Not everyone can excel in this role.

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10. Devin Williams, New York Mets

Devin Williams could be ranked higher by the middle of the 2026 MLB season. After all, he was a two-time NL Pitcher of the Year award from 2020-24, ranked second in strikeout rate (40.8%) and ERA (1.70), and had the lowest batting average (.144) among relievers with more than 100 innings pitched. Everything changed for the Yankees. Williams’ strikeout rate plummeted (from 43.2% to 34.7%) and his ERA soared to 4.79, all in his first full season back from a stress fracture in his back. The New York Mets are betting big on Williams’ rebound, and if their investment pays off, they’ll have a top-five reliever.

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