One prospect with closer potential from each organization

The saying goes that relievers are failed starters. If you believe that, revisit how much the Padres gave up for Mason Miller at last year’s Trade Deadline, and then look at Miller’s dominance to begin his first full season in San Diego. After that, look at the three-year, $69 million deal Edwin Díaz got from the Dodgers this past offseason or the three-year, $51 million contract Devin Williams signed with the Mets. Also, recall that Josh Hader is on year three of his five-year, $95 million pact with the Astros, the highest contract signed by a reliever in MLB history.

Do all that, and realize -- when it comes to elite closers in today’s game -- the word “failed” shouldn’t come anywhere near them.

The industry values high-quality relief arms immensely, and teams are willing to pay, either in dollars or in prospect capital, to add big-time pitchers to their bullpens for high-leverage situations.

With that in mind, here is one pitching prospect from each farm system who could be a future closer in the big leagues:

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AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: Javen Coleman, LHP (No. 23)
Coleman went undrafted out of LSU in 2024 but has been a notable mover for the Blue Jays since signing as a free agent that summer. He added velocity once becoming a full-time reliever in 2025, sitting 94-96 mph with a four-seamer that could be tough to read out of a low release and drop-and-drive delivery. His slider and changeup are more fair offerings, but the heater alone could get him high-leverage looks, especially with his early control gains in 2026. He struck out 13 and walked only one over his first six appearances (8 1/3 innings) for Double-A New Hampshire before hitting the injured list.

Orioles: Anthony Nunez, RHP (No. 23)
We’re getting this one in just under the wire as Nunez is set to graduate from prospect status this weekend. It’s been a wild climb for the former Padres Minor League infielder who was released, then found an NCAA loophole to be a two-way player for Division II Tampa afterwards. He emerged as a pitching prospect in 2024, when the Mets signed him, and he was traded to the O’s last year at the Trade Deadline in the Cedric Mullins deal. He’s only been pitching full-time since he signed with the Mets, and he’s already in a big league bullpen after pitching across four levels of the Minors in 2025. He misses bats with a plus sweeper and changeup as well as an above-average cutter, and he already has one big league save on his resume.

Rays: Ty Johnson, RHP (No. 17)
There’s no doubt Johnson, who moved from the Cubs to the Rays in July 2024 in the Isaac Paredes trade, has been successful as a professional starter. He entered 2026 with a career 2.69 ERA and 0.97 WHIP while striking out 269 over 194 1/3 innings across two seasons. But look at his arsenal and tell us it doesn’t scream reliever: a mid-90s fastball that may play above even that due to big extension, a short arm action and deception; a mid-80s slider that generates a ton of whiffs and a changeup that earns below-average grades. Relying on the heater and breaker solely would give Johnson high-leverage upside, and he’s about to show them off at Triple-A Durham, having been activated Tuesday after opening the season on the IL with a lower back strain.

Red Sox: Juan Valera, RHP (No. 4)
Signed for $45,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2023, Valera has the closer's starter set with a fastball that operates at 96-98 mph and touches 100 with natural cutting action and a upper-80s slider that reaches 93 mph with two-plane depth at its best. He also has had difficulty staying healthy as a starter, missing three months last year with elbow soreness and making just three High-A appearances in 2026 before more elbow woes prompted Tommy John surgery in May.

Yankees: Allen Facundo, LHP (No. 26)
Facundo has pitched just 167 pro innings since being signed for $20,000 out of Venezuela in May 2021, missing all of 2022 with shoulder issues and parts of 2024 and 2025 following Tommy John surgery. But he has a 94-96 mph two-seamer that can climb to 100 and a mid-80s slider that offer plenty of intrigue. He's off to a spectacular start this year with a 1.89 ERA, .111 opponent average and 42 percent strikeout rate between two Class A stops.

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Guardians: Daniel Espino, RHP (No. 17)
A 2019 first-rounder from a Georgia high school, Espino ranked among baseball's elite pitching prospects and was on the verge of the big leagues in April 2022. Then knee tendinitis cascaded into shoulder problems that led to a pair of surgeries and sidelined him for nearly four seasons. He's back now, averaging 97 mph and touching 101 with his fastball and pairing it with a low-90s slider. He sports a 2.79 ERA with a .206 opponent average and 11 strikeouts in 9 2/3 Triple-A innings.

Royals: Eric Cerantola, RHP (unranked on Royals’ Top 30)
Cerantola spent all of 2025 with Triple-A Omaha and found some success, posting a 4.04 ERA and 29.6 percent strikeout rate over 49 innings. He’s returned to the International League for this season and been even more dominant (1.42 ERA, 33.3 K%) and a big reason is that he took his slider -- which was already his primary pitch, and a dominant one -- and improved it by adding about five inches more drop and cutting some of the gloveside break. He’s thrown the slide piece 56.8 percent of the time, and opponents have a .069 average and 59.2 percent whiff rate against it. He also shows a mid-90s four-seamer

Tigers: Kelvis Salcedo, RHP (No. 13)
After repeating the Dominican Summer League in 2023 and 2024, Salcedo broke out stateside with a 1.83 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings in the Florida Complex and Florida State Leagues last year. He’s back with Single-A Lakeland to begin his age-20 campaign and is still showing two mid-90s fastballs, an 84-88 mph slider that’s getting a ton of whiffs and a promising low-80s split change. He’s added size and strength in the last year-plus, enough that evaluators have pause about how his control will hold up deeper into his 20s. If that falters, he could get more fastball velo over shorter spurts and carry a splits-resistant arsenal into the bullpen.

Twins: Marco Raya, RHP (No. 18)
Raya’s transition to the bullpen started late in 2025, and he entered 2026 as a full-time reliever. It’s been a bit of a bumpy road in making the switch, with his command (5.1 BB/9 in Triple-A combined in 2025 and ‘26) a particular issue. He has the stuff to succeed in short stints, with a fastball that’s sitting close to 96 mph and a mid-80s sweeper that’s missing bats at a 48 percent clip so far this year. He has other secondaries -- his curve and cutter in particular can be effective -- to go to as well.

White Sox: Gabe Davis, RHP (No. 25)
Though Davis pushed his fastball to 100 mph and his tight slider to 92 while in college at Oklahoma State, injuries and inconsistency dropped him to the fifth round of the 2025 Draft. He's also an imposing presence on the mound with a 6-foot-9 frame, and he has logged a 1.69 ERA with a .182 opponent average and 18 strikeouts in 16 High-A innings.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

Angels: Chase Shores, RHP (No. 8)
After missing 2024 at LSU recovering from Tommy John surgery, Shores came back to the Tigers in ‘25 but couldn’t get comfortable as a starter. He did save two games, including the College World Series winner, and then the Angels took him and his arm strength in the second round. He’s being given the chance to develop as a starter for now, but his fastball, which can touch triple-digits, and his mid-80s slider give him the kind of two-pitch power repertoire that could be even nastier in the back end of a pen.

Astros: Miguel Ullola, RHP (No. 11)
Since Ullola reached full-season ball in 2022, he has compiled the lowest opponent average (.189) and highest strikeout (30 percent) and walk (15 percent) rates among pitchers with at least 400 innings. Signed for $75,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2021, he has an unhittable fastball that parks at 92-94 mph and touches 97, exploding on hitters because of its flat approach angle and exceptional carry. His upper-80s cutter is his best secondary option.

A’s: Braden Nett, RHP (No. 6)
Nett began his career as a nondrafted free agent of the Padres in 2022, then came to the A’s in the Mason Miller deal at last year’s Trade Deadline. The right-hander has been a starter in his career, but a combination of high-octane stuff -- fastball up to 99, low-90s cutter, upper-80s kick change, a pair of breaking pitches -- injury history (elbow in 2023, rotator cuff that kept him out for the first month of this season) and command issues, not to mention a bulldog mentality on the mound, could mean short relief will suit him better.

Mariners: Christian Little, RHP (unranked on Mariners’ Top 30)
The Mariners nabbed Little in the 11th round of the 2024 Draft after an up-and-down college career, where he both started and relieved, at Vanderbilt and then LSU. He got the chance to start last year, with some positives (3.95 ERA, 9.3 K/9, .218 BAA), but things seem to be really clicking so far this season with a move to the bullpen. Over his first eight outings with High-A Everett, Little has picked up a pair of saves and allowed just one run on five hits over 10 2/3 IP, while striking out 19 with a simplified fastball-slider combination.

Rangers: Emiliano Teodo, RHP (No. 17)
Though a shoulder impingement and control woes have stymied him the last two seasons, Teodo has nasty stuff when on. His upper-80s slider with downward break is a true wipeout pitch, and he also can unleash upper-90s two- and four-seam fastballs that both climb as high as 102 mph. He's getting knocked around with a 7.43 ERA in Triple-A but has struck out 21 in 13 1/3 innings.

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NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Rolddy Muñoz, RHP (No. 18)
Signed for just $20,000 back in June of 2019, it’s already a success story that Muñoz has touched the big leagues in the last two seasons, albeit without much success. He’s almost been exclusively a reliever, picking up 13 saves in the Minors, including two this year with Triple-A Gwinnett. He’s a slider monster who throws his 90-mph breaker more than his fastball, getting a 56-percent miss rate with the pitch this season. It pairs nicely with a heater that’s flirted with triple digits in the past. If he can find the zone just enough, it’s the kind of dynamic pitch duo that can end ballgames.

Marlins: Josh Ekness, RHP (No. 30)
Ekness posted a 6.34 ERA in three college seasons at Lamar and Houston before the Marlins drafted him in the 12th round in 2023, and he has enjoyed more success in pro ball after becoming a full-time reliever. Nicknamed "The Ekness Monster," he operates mostly with an upper-90s fastball that hits 99 mph with good carry and a mid-80s sweeper. He made his big league debut Sunday with a perfect inning against the Phillies.

Mets: Ryan Lambert, RHP (No. 17)
If you’re looking for a classic reliever who says “Here’s my heater, see if you can touch it,” then Lambert is your guy. The 23-year-old right-hander’s four-seamer is at least a 70-grade pitch, sitting 95-98 mph with elite ride and even some cut that makes it tough to touch. He has a mid-80s slider too to keep batters on their toes. After last year’s breakout season at High-A and Double-A, Lambert has opened at Triple-A Syracuse where (like many true relievers) he’s struggling with his control, having walked 11 in nine innings. If he reels that in, he’ll be a big option in New York’s bullpen by the second half.

Nationals: Jarlin Susana, RHP (No. 4/MLB No. 68)
The debate about Susana’s future as a starter or a closer will likely continue all the way until he graduates from prospectdom. We’re in a holding pattern for that now while he rehabs from last year’s right lat surgery. Much will come down to whether he can get back to his 98-101 mph (touching 103) fastball and plus-plus slider once healthy and, even more so, whether he can develop anything close to average control. That aside, if there’s anyone on this list capable of becoming a Miller type in the Majors, it’s Susana.

Phillies: Alex McFarlane, RHP (No. 19)
McFarlane had pitched mostly as a reliever at Miami but had the raw stuff to get a chance to start, and that’s what the Phillies did after taking him in the fourth round of the 2022 Draft. Tommy John surgery shelved him for all of 2024, and he didn’t pitch well as a starter last year, so he finished the season back in the bullpen. His stuff ticked up, and now it looks like the results are following. With a fastball sitting 96-97 and topping out at 99 so far this year in Double-A, to go along with an 83-85 mph slider that’s missing bats at a 63-percent clip so far, McFarlane has a sub-1.00 ERA and 15 K’s in 10 1/3 IP to go along with three saves over 11 outings.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: Craig Yoho, RHP (No. 28)
The 2023 eighth-rounder has been a dominant force in the Minors with back-to-back seasons of a 0.94 ERA in 2024 and 2025 but struggled to find that same consistency in the Majors last year (7.27 ERA, seven strikeouts, nine walks in 8 2/3 innings). The stuff is still too good to ignore, headlined by an upper-70s screwball-like changeup, and it might come down to Yoho, who is now active at Triple-A after dealing with a right calf strain earlier in the spring, trusting that arsenal more against big league bats for him to reach his high-leverage ceiling.

Cardinals: Luis Gastelum, RHP (No. 21)
It could be a fun discussion some day about who has the best changeup in the NL Central: Yoho or Gastelum. For his part, the Cardinals righty has a cambio that is similarly nutty as a low-80s pitch with negative induced vertical break (-4.9 inches in this case) and 12.9 inches of armside movement on average, making it look like a left-handed breaking ball. Its whiff rate stands out at 25.9 percent through 14 appearances for Triple-A Memphis this season, but it was 52 percent last year at Double-A Springfield. Even though there’s been more contact against the changeup, it’s been relatively weak, helping Gastelum post a 2.16 ERA. He needs to improve his control (12 walks in 16 2/3 innings), but many within the St. Louis organization believe Gastelum has the potential to get important outs for the big club at some point in 2026.

Cubs: Jaxon Wiggins, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 48)
The Cubs selected Wiggins in 2023's supplemental second round even though he missed his junior season at Arkansas following Tommy John surgery, and he quickly developed into their top pitching prospect once he regained his health. Chicago hopes he'll have enough durability and control to make it as a starter, though his upper-90s fastball that tops out at 101 with carry and an upper-80s slider give him closer stuff if he can't. He went on the injured list with elbow inflammation after two Triple-A starts.

Pirates: Wilber Dotel, RHP (No. 12)
After a very solid year in Double-A Altoona’s rotation in 2025, Dotel looked like a potential workhorse-type starter with some nasty stuff. But anyone who saw him come up to help the big league bullpen this year, with an electric fastball up to 101 mph and an 88-91 mph cutter-like slider, not to mention a mid-80s splitter, had to pause and ponder if he might want the ball in the ninth in the future.

Reds: Chase Petty, RHP (No. 7)
Petty is still very much a starting pitcher prospect and is only 23 years old, hitting the big leagues each of the last two years, including going 5 2/3 innings in a start for the Reds on Monday. The stuff still works and he’s super-athletic, but he really struggled execution-wise in 2025. He’s been missing more bats so far in Triple-A this year, but his command has only been so-so, and we’d be interested to see if his 96-98 mph sinker ticks up in shorter stints to go along with his swing-and-miss sliders and solid changeup.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: Yilber Díaz, RHP (No. 22)
He’s back. Díaz saw time in the Majors in 2024 and briefly in 2025 but fell apart in the Minors last year, walking 73 in 57 innings. He ended the season in Double-A Amarillo where he showed some signs of a turnaround and built on that momentum as a closer in the Venezuelan Winter League. Díaz is back with Triple-A Reno to begin ‘26 and enters Wednesday with a 1.15 ERA, 22 strikeouts and only seven walks in 15 2/3 innings, while showing a 96-98 mph four-seamer alongside two potential plus breakers in a mid-80s slider and 78-81 mph knuckle curve. Control will be crucial, but this is a promising redemption story that could end with big innings for Arizona’s bullpen.

Dodgers: Kyle Hurt, RHP (No. 23)
Acquired from the Marlins along with Alex Vesia in a February 2021 trade for Dylan Floro, Hurt has recovered from Tommy John surgery in July 2024 to regain his mid-90s fastball that touches 99 mph with carry and fading upper-80s changeup. He owns a 1.13 ERA, .186 opponent average and a 17/2 K/BB ratio in 16 2/3 big league innings over parts of three seasons.

Giants: Gerelmi Maldonado, RHP (No. 29)
Maldonado already reached 92 mph with his fastball before signing for $145,600 out of Venezuela at age 17 in 2021, and he now tops out at 101 with huge carry. He complements his heater with a mid-80s slider that's even harder to hit. He missed all of 2024 after Tommy John surgery and has become a full-time reliever this year in High-A, where he has recorded a 2.57 ERA, .125 opponent average and 13 strikeouts in seven innings.

Padres: Tucker Musgrove, RHP (No. 10)
The 2023 seventh-rounder returned from Tommy John surgery last year and showed big-time stuff as a reliever with Single-A Lake Elsinore and in the Arizona Fall League. The stars of the show are his 97-99 mph four-seamer and sinker, which play up with seven feet of extension, and he throws in a cutter for the fastball trifecta. A mid-80s sweeper also looks like an above-average pitch. He’s struggled with control at High-A Fort Wayne out of the gate in ‘26 (seven walks in six innings), but Musgrove has the pure stuff that could make him a Padres trademark quick mover once he finds the zone with more regularity.

Rockies: Brody Brecht, RHP (No. 8)
It’s too soon to pull the plug on Brecht figuring out things as a starter, with the strong-armed right-hander needing reps to see if he can gain more consistency with his delivery and his command. His 70-grade slider alone would be a true out pitch coming out of a pen, though, a true bat-misser. And his fastball, which sat around 96 mph last year as a starter, would likely trend towards triple digits.