Tiering signals where the biggest drop-offs are at a position so that you can determine the most optimal time to draft said position. Players whose impact is essentially the same are bundled together, revealing at a glance how many alike choices remain. With every position's tiers in hand, you can know during the heat of the draft which position to target next by identifying the one whose active tier is closest to depletion.
Below are the relief pitcher tiers for 2025, with a particular emphasis on closers and their possible alternatives (where applicable). So as not to compare apples and oranges, I've left the relief pitcher-eligible starting pitchers for the starting pitcher tiers.
You'll notice a tier that's unique to this position, The Next-in-Line. It's comprised of prospective closers, including some that are still in contention for the role this spring.
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The Elite: Emmanuel Clase, Devin Williams, Josh Hader, Edwin Diaz
The Near-Elite: Ryan Helsley, Raisel Iglesias, Mason Miller, Ryan Walker, Felix Bautista
The Next-Best Things: Andres Munoz, Jhoan Duran, Jeff Hoffman, Robert Suarez, Trevor Megill
The Fallback Options: Tanner Scott, Jordan Romano, David Bednar, Pete Fairbanks, Ryan Pressly, Kenley Jansen, Alexis Diaz
The Last Resorts: Kyle Finnegan, Lucas Erceg, Jason Foley, Carlos Estevez, Justin Martinez, Calvin Faucher, Chris Martin, Aroldis Chapman, Tyler Kinley
The Next-in-Line: A.J. Puk, Kirby Yates, Porter Hodge, Edwin Uceta, Griffin Jax, Liam Hendriks, Ben Joyce, Jon Gray, Jesus Tinoco, Blake Treinen, Craig Kimbrel, Seth Halvorsen, Robert Garcia, Victor Vodnik
