SAN DIEGO -- Padres history is filled with elite closers. Three are Hall of Famers. Another won a Cy Young. A dozen were All-Stars.
There were great closers on great teams -- and great closers on bad teams. The one constant in San Diego, through decades of ups and downs, has been an elite arm at the back end of the bullpen.
The same should hold true in 2026. Two-time All-Star closer Robert Suarez left for Atlanta in free agency. Taking over in his place? That will presumably be fireballer Mason Miller, one of the sport’s most dominant relief weapons.
With the tradition set to continue, here’s a look through the years at the great closers in Padres history:
Rollie Fingers (1977-80)
Fingers led the Majors in saves in each of his first two seasons with the club -- even on struggling Padres teams. He racked up 35 saves and a 2.99 ERA in his first season with the club, then 37 saves with a 2.52 mark in ‘78. Fingers is largely remembered for his success as a member of the Athletics, with whom he was a four-time All-Star and won three World Series. He also won a Cy Young and MVP Award in 1981 with Milwaukee. But his tenure in San Diego was remarkable as well -- a four-season stretch where he racked up 108 saves, which would stand as the franchise record until Trevor Hoffman came along.
Rich "Goose" Gossage (1984-87)
Gossage signed for a whopping five years and $9.955 million, at the time the largest contract ever given to a pitcher. In no uncertain terms, it helped put the 1984 Padres over the top. Gossage posted a 2.99 ERA in 197 games across four seasons. He closed out the franchise’s first pennant in '84. His ’85 season is one of the best relief seasons in franchise history -- a 1.82 ERA across 50 appearances. There’s a case to be made that, prior to Manny Machado’s arrival, Gossage was the most important free-agent signing in Padres history.
Mark Davis (1987-89; '93-94)
For all the elite closers in Padres history, only one has taken home a Cy Young Award. That would be Davis, who notched a 1.85 ERA in 92 2/3 innings, while leading the Majors with 44 saves in 1989. Davis wasn’t merely a one-season wonder either. He was solid upon his arrival in '87, then was an All-Star in ’88. He signed with Kansas City following his Cy Young campaign in ’89 and never reached those heights again, but he returned to San Diego for a couple of more seasons at the end of his career.
Trevor Hoffman (1993-2008)
The gold standard for Padres closers, Hoffman arrived in 1993 as an unheralded prospect who had converted from shortstop. A couple of years later he developed his airbending changeup, and the rest is history. Hoffman was the first to reach 500 saves, then the first to 600, and he held the Major League record until it was broken by the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera. Hoffman was a seven-time All-Star and racked up 40 saves in nine separate seasons. (Only he and Rivera have done that more than six times.) In 2018, Hoffman was voted into the Hall of Fame, joining Fingers and Gossage as Padres closers in Cooperstown.
Heath Bell (2007-11)
It once seemed impossible to follow Hoffman in the closer role in San Diego. Bell, who once served as Hoffman’s setup man, did so admirably. In five seasons, Bell racked up 134 saves -- second most in Padres history. He’s arguably the second-best reliever in franchise history, behind only Hoffman. Bell made 354 appearances (trailing only Hoffman and Luke Gregerson) and recorded a 2.53 ERA.
Huston Street (2012-14)
It’s truly remarkable how the Padres have transitioned from one great closer to the next, even after Hoffman left. Street was only in San Diego for parts of three seasons, but he was utterly dominant during that time -- notching a 2.03 ERA, which qualifies as the best mark among San Diego closers with at least 20 saves. Street was a two-time All-Star, totaling 80 saves across three seasons, even on some poor Padres teams.
A decade of change -- and dominance
Since Street, no Padre has held the closer role for more than two seasons. But the standards haven’t dipped. Fernando Rodney was an All-Star in 2016 with a minuscule 0.31 ERA before he was dealt near the Trade Deadline. Brad Hand followed as the Padres primary closer in '17-18 -- and was a two-time All-Star. Kirby Yates followed Hand and notched one of the best relief seasons in Padres history in '19 -- a 1.19 ERA with an MLB-best 41 saves, plus 101 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings.
Mark Melancon led the Majors with 39 saves in 2021, and the Padres would land Josh Hader at the Trade Deadline in ‘22. Hader closed out the franchise’s first trip to the NLCS since 1998, then was an All-Star in 2023. When he left, Suarez took over and reached a pair of All-Star Games. In total, the Padres have sent six different closers to the All-Star Game in the decade from 2016-25. Would anyone be surprised if Miller were next?