The Closer Committee

With the departure of Pete Fairbanks this offseason, the Rays have stated that they’ll turn to a closer by committee approach in 2026. I believe they’ll stick to this plan at least at the beginning of the season and a de facto closer could emerge as the year goes on. While performance and health will play a role in this, the Rays have historically had a tendency to use pitchers of a certain type in their save situations. The pitchers that best fit this mold in the current bullpen are Griffin Jax, Bryan Baker, Hunter Bigge, and Steven Wilson.

The Rays Closer Archetype

The Rays have had a type when it comes to closing games. They have historically preferred pitchers with platoon neutralizing shapes – starting with cut-ride fastballs. The point of this first section isn’t to say that it has to be done this way, but to show that there’s precedent and a lengthy track record of success. Below is a list of the top five save leaders for the Rays since 2010 along with their primary fastball shape:

Of the 358 saves on this list, over 75% of them were earned by pitchers with cut-ride fastballs. Fernando Rodney had a nasty change-up that allowed him to handle LHB, so he’s the exception here among Rays save leaders (although he did occasionally feature a cut-ride four seamer at times and especially later in his career, so he was likely throwing it at least some of the time when he was with the Rays – it’s just difficult to prove with the very limited public from that time period). Even some of the high leverage guys who weren’t around too long like Nick Anderson, Emilio Pagan, and Kyle Farnsworth found success with cut-ride fastballs.

Arm slot affects the shapes a pitcher throws and most of these pitchers throw from higher slots that are more physically suited for cut-ride fastballs. These fastball shapes naturally play well to both sides of the plate. Teams typically don’t turn to closers with extreme splits in the highest leverage moments, so it makes sense that these pitchers saw many save situations in their time with the Rays.

The data we’ve looked at does not guarantee that the Rays save leaders in 2026 and beyond will have cut-ride fastballs. There are other pitches that can be thrown to neutralize opposite handed hitters like offspeed pitches and cutters. However, there’s some risk in putting a pitcher in high leverage if he simply doesn’t have a good feel for his platoon neutralizing pitch on a given day. A cut-ride fastball can mitigate that risk because it’s going to consistently be platoon neutral regardless of feel.

For example, Jason Adam and Edwin Uceta have been fantastic higher leverage relief options for the Rays in recent years. Both have comfortably plus offspeed pitches they use to neutralize LHB, and each has had success in save situations with the Rays. But on the days they just aren’t locating their change-ups effectively or the shape isn’t as crisp as it normally is, we’ve seen them look vulnerable. Of course it’s not a frequent occurrence – otherwise they wouldn’t be pitching in high leverage – but the point is that having a closer who doesn’t have to rely on one single pitch being “on” to be effective against opposite handed hitters is generally a safer approach, and it’s an approach utilized by some of the most successful closers in recent team history.

Current Cut-Riders

Of the Rays current bullpen heading into 2026, three relievers have varying degrees of a cut-ride fastball shape: Griffin Jax, Bryan Baker, Hunter Bigge, and Steven Wilson.

Griffin Jax easily has maybe the best stuff in the bullpen and possibly the entire pitching staff. His arsenal is headlined by a two-plane breaking ball with plus velocity and control. These larger, sweepy breaking balls generally aren’t platoon neutral, but his feel for it and ability to pair it with a cut-ride fastball helps it work against LHB (although there is significant gap in how his breaking ball performs vs LHB compared to RHB). Jax also throws an offspeed pitch to take care of LHB in addition to his breaking ball and fastball. He’ll sprinkle in a 2-seam, runnier variant of his fastball vs RHB as those are generally more effective against same side hitters. We can see in the graphic below that his four-seam fastball is relatively mild in its cutting movement, but it runs less than one would expect from that arm slot, so it has a perceived cut to a batter.

The primary reason I’d imagine Jax not leading the team in saves this year is if he makes the transition to the rotation. His plus stuff and above average control and command across his arsenal make him an ideal candidate to try being a starter. Of course he could be a lights-out reliever, but being a starting pitcher could be a more valuable role for him given his skillset. This potential transition depends on how the rest of the rotation shapes up in the spring, but it will be something to monitor when camp opens.

Should Jax join the rotation in 2026, the next closer candidate that could surprise some fans is Bryan Baker. Baker pairs his high-velo cut-ride fastball with an upper 80s cutter-ish slider primarily against RHB (although it should be effective against LHB if he wanted to throw it more) and a mid 80s changeup that plays better to LHB. He has a solid two-pitch attack for both sides of the plate as each of his secondaries has above average movement and velocity separation from the fastball. This should allow him to maintain the plus whiff and chase rates he showed in 2025.

While Baker has shown above average strike and zone rates, he has a tendency to catch a little too much plate with his pitches (see below). His command delta grades suggest he’s able to cluster his pitches around a given location at an average rate, but those locations aren’t allowing him to suppress hard contact. The thing to watch for with Baker throughout the 2026 season will be his locations, primarily with the fastball; his secondary pitch shapes should be able to play better in-zone than what we’ve seen if he’s able to change batters’ eye levels with higher fastballs.

Hunter Bigge could also see his fair share of high leverage opportunities. I think he would’ve had some opportunities last year if it wasn’t for his freak injury, but he has since gotten back on the horse and earned three saves in Dominican Winter League games this offseason.

Bigge has an added layer of deception that Jax and Baker don’t possess; he combines plus extension with a relatively lower release height to add even more zip to his upper 90s fastball. It’s cut-ride shape combined with his upper 80s cutter-ish slider gives him a deadly two pitch mix he can throw to both sides of the plate. Bigge has shown worse control and command than Jax, Baker, and Wilson, but it’s still roughly average control and he has been trending in the right direction with his fastball locations as of late (below are his fastball locations in 2025).

Bigge’s current lack of high leverage experience relative to others in the bullpen may limit his opportunities early on, but his skillset should allow him to carve out a high leverage role. Steven Wilson may also see his opportunities limited simply due to the plethora of pitchers the Rays already have with high leverage experience, but he deserves a chance.

Wilson came over from the White Sox this offseason and brought his plus breaking ball with him. It’s a low 80s sweeping slider that he has above average feel for and he’s comfortable throwing it to both sides of the plate – although like Jax and his breaking ball, it’s not as effective against opposite handed batters. Wilson’s cut-ride fastball comes from his higher slot and sits 93-94mph. It gets on hitters quickly thanks to plus extension and a relatively low release height.

I think there’s some untapped potential with Wilson’s offspeed pitch. It looks as though he changed the grip on it heading into 2025 (left 2024, right 2025) to where it’s now sitting deeper and closer to his palm with a slightly looser and more split-finger grip.

As a result, it lost some spin, run, and vertical break. But this was a good thing; it creates more optimal movement and VAA separation from his cut-ride fastball – theoretically meaning it should generate more chases, and it did.

The velocity on his change-up also increased a bit with the newer grip, but the velocity difference from his fastball is still within an optimal range that allows it to consistently generate whiffs at a respectable rate.

The main thing that has held back Wilson’s game is his command. He throws strikes at a roughly average clip, but he has below average location consistency with his fastballs and well-below average location consistency with his change-up. He can handle RHB with ease, so the thing to watch for him will be his change-up command. Wilson could find himself pitching in high leverage situations if he’s able to take a step forward in this department.

Of course, Uceta and Cleavinger should get some opportunities to close games as well, but Uceta is more Jason Adam than he is Fernando Rodney and Cleavinger might be better deployed in higher leverage opportunities against LHB not necessarily to finish a game. Yoendrys Gomez also features a cut-ride fastball, but he looks destined for bulk relief duty.

It will be interesting to see who earns the most save opportunities as the season goes on. With so many weapons in the bullpen who have outlier traits and plus tools, this could be one of the deepest groups since their 2021 100-win season.