Obviously there's some time to go, but this closer class seems very dicey to me at this stage.
Tier One: Cream of the Crop
Aroldis Chapman -- the leader in the clubhouse
Craig Kimbrel -- he'll end up somewhere as closer of course
Kenley Jansen -- great as always, but his heart problems scare me enough to avoid
Edwin Diaz -- an elite option, but he's now a Met and his 57-save season seems hard to duplicate
Tier Two: Seem Locked In, Don't They?
Brad Hand -- should be an elite closing option, but could also be traded if the Indians fall out of it
Felipe Vazquez -- could also be moved if they Bucs don't compete
Raisel Iglesias -- with a new extension in hand, probably won't be trade bait
Roberto Osuna -- since he was once suspended 50-games, what's to stop another suspension?
Blake Treinen -- had a season for the ages, but can he duplicate? And Oakland loves getting rid of its closers.
Wade Davis -- had a terrible season, but has tenure
Sean Doolittle -- is unhittable when healthy, but goes long stretches when he isn't healthy
Tier Three: Pins & Needles
Ken Giles -- between his 'tude and bouts of ineffectiveness, I wouldn't be thrilled if he was my top closer
Archie Bradley -- seems to be the guy, but who really knows?
Jose Leclerc -- was dominant last year, but also walks a TON and seems like a guy who can get removed pretty easily
Tier Four: Have a Backup Plan
Kirby Yates -- journeyman who had a dominating year. These types tend to come and go.
Shawn Greene -- journeyman who didn't have a dominating year. Seems very susceptible to losing his job.
Brandon Morrow - -just can't stay healthy
Tier Five: Collect Them All
Andrew Miller/Tyler Hicks/Anthony Reyes
Arodys Vizcaino/AJ Minter
Corey Knebel/Josh Hader/Jeremy Jeffress
David Robertson/Seranthony Dominguez/Hector Neris
Will Smith/Mark Melancon/Sam Dyson
Alex Colome/Kelvin Herrera
Blake Parker/Trevor Hildenberger
Tier Six: "There's Really Little Else"
Mychal Givens -- who knows?
Drew Steckenrider -- who knows?
Jose Alvarado -- who knows?
Wily Peralta -- who knows?
Seattle's Mystery Man
LA Angels' Mystery Man (Ty Buttrey? Only the shadow knows)
Tier Seven: Remember Me?
Cody Allen
Greg Holland
Zach Britton
Sergio Romo
Tier One: Cream of the Crop
Aroldis Chapman -- the leader in the clubhouse
Craig Kimbrel -- he'll end up somewhere as closer of course
Kenley Jansen -- great as always, but his heart problems scare me enough to avoid
Edwin Diaz -- an elite option, but he's now a Met and his 57-save season seems hard to duplicate
Tier Two: Seem Locked In, Don't They?
Brad Hand -- should be an elite closing option, but could also be traded if the Indians fall out of it
Felipe Vazquez -- could also be moved if they Bucs don't compete
Raisel Iglesias -- with a new extension in hand, probably won't be trade bait
Roberto Osuna -- since he was once suspended 50-games, what's to stop another suspension?
Blake Treinen -- had a season for the ages, but can he duplicate? And Oakland loves getting rid of its closers.
Wade Davis -- had a terrible season, but has tenure
Sean Doolittle -- is unhittable when healthy, but goes long stretches when he isn't healthy
Tier Three: Pins & Needles
Ken Giles -- between his 'tude and bouts of ineffectiveness, I wouldn't be thrilled if he was my top closer
Archie Bradley -- seems to be the guy, but who really knows?
Jose Leclerc -- was dominant last year, but also walks a TON and seems like a guy who can get removed pretty easily
Tier Four: Have a Backup Plan
Kirby Yates -- journeyman who had a dominating year. These types tend to come and go.
Shawn Greene -- journeyman who didn't have a dominating year. Seems very susceptible to losing his job.
Brandon Morrow - -just can't stay healthy
Tier Five: Collect Them All
Andrew Miller/Tyler Hicks/Anthony Reyes
Arodys Vizcaino/AJ Minter
Corey Knebel/Josh Hader/Jeremy Jeffress
David Robertson/Seranthony Dominguez/Hector Neris
Will Smith/Mark Melancon/Sam Dyson
Alex Colome/Kelvin Herrera
Blake Parker/Trevor Hildenberger
Tier Six: "There's Really Little Else"
Mychal Givens -- who knows?
Drew Steckenrider -- who knows?
Jose Alvarado -- who knows?
Wily Peralta -- who knows?
Seattle's Mystery Man
LA Angels' Mystery Man (Ty Buttrey? Only the shadow knows)
Tier Seven: Remember Me?
Cody Allen
Greg Holland
Zach Britton
Sergio Romo
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