The closer landscape is a minefield. It's dangerous out there, folks. The number of lockdown closer options seems to dwindle year after year. More and more teams are going the committee route, mixing and matching depending on the situation. Even the so-called "elite" closers don't always live up to that billing. Just look at 2019, when Edwin Diaz and Blake Treinen were two of the first closers off the board in most drafts. How'd that work out? Diaz couldn't keep the ball in the park and finished the season with a 5.59 ERA. Treinen, meanwhile, dealt with elbow and shoulder issues, was displaced by Liam Hendriks in the ninth inning, and ended the season with a 4.91 ERA. Needless to say, even the "safe" closers aren't always safe.

Whether you leave your draft with multiple top-tier closers or not, there's a good chance you'll still have to find some saves on the waiver wire. The objective here today is to help you plan ahead. Whether you want to stash these guys now or simply put them on your watch list, here's a list players who could be picking up saves sooner or later in 2020.

Daniel Hudson, RHP, Washington Nationals
While Sean Doolittle posted 29 saves last season, his August struggles (12.86 ERA) and time on the IL with a knee injury led to Hudson taking over the closer duties and racking up 12 saves between the regular season and the playoffs. There's a decent chance we see a similar story play out in 2020. Doolittle has never been a picture of health. In fact, he's spent time on the injured list in six straight ...

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... seasons, dating back to 2014. Add in the fact that he's a flyball pitcher with declining velocity who allowed more hard contact than ever in 2019, and Doolittle has less margin for error than you might think. Hudson, who posted a 1.44 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in 25 innings for the Nationals after they acquired him from the Blue Jays, is a nice bet for saves even though he's going undrafted in many leagues.

Corey Knebel, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers
Josh Hader is the first closer off the board in most drafts, so why are wasting our time on Knebel? Let's not forget that, prior to 2019, the Brewers preferred to use Hader as multi-inning setup man. In fact, out of 81 1/3 innings in 2018, only 11 2/3 came in the ninth inning. The plan heading into 2019 was for Hader to remain in that high-leverage, setup role while Knebel served as the closer. Those plans were, of course, upended by Knebel's elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. However, with Knebel set to return as early as May, it's possible that the flame-throwing righty is eventually re-inserted as the closer, with Hader going back into a multi-inning setup role. Knebel's elite swing-and-miss stuff (14.3 K/9 in 2018) and ninth-inning experience makes him a high-upside stash who is completely under the radar right now.

Diego Castillo, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
The Nick Anderson closer hype may be growing, but the Rays haven't been a team that likes to ride only one guy in the ninth inning. Six pitchers saved multiple games for Tampa Bay in 2019, including Castillo, who racked up eight saves to go along with his 3.41 ERA and 10.6 K/9. The Rays could very well operate their bullpen in a similar fashion this season, mixing and matching and using Anderson in a variety of high-leverage situations. The 26-year-old Castillo has closer-type stuff, with a heater that can touch 100 and a wipeout slider, and he could easily flirt with double-digit saves again in 2020.

Aaron Bummer, LHP, Chicago White Sox
Alex Colome is viewed by many fantasy owners as a non-flashy, reliable closer. He's saved 30 or more games in three of the last four seasons, and only once in his seven-year career has he posted an ERA above 3.24. However, his K/9 and BB/9 both went in the wrong direction last season, and his .215 BABIP, 4.08 FIP, and 4.61 xFIP suggest Colome didn't fully earn his 2.80 ERA in 2019. The fact of the matter is that Bummer is the better pitcher right now. Thanks to a jump in velocity last season (93.1 mph to 95.6 mph), Bummer posted a 2.13 ERA and 0.99 WHIP across 67 2/3 innings. While he doesn't miss a ton of bats (8.0 K/9), his .281 wOBA allowed was in the top 2% of baseball, according to Baseball Savant, and his 71.2% groundball rate was the second-highest in the game, behind only Zack Britton. The White Sox were one of baseball's most aggressive teams over the offseason and look ready to compete in the AL Central, so they won't hesitate to make a ninth-inning change, if needed.

Scott Oberg, RHP, Colorado Rockies
Rockies manager Bud Black has already anointed Wade Davis as his closer, but it's not difficult to envision that going poorly. While there were a lot of bad closers last season, Davis might have been the worst. He converted 15-of-18 save opportunities, but that came with a bloated 8.65 ERA and 1.88 WHIP in 50 appearances. Among pitchers with at least 40 innings last season, Davis' 6.1 BB/9 ranked bottom-10 in baseball. And it wasn't just Coors Field, as he also held a 5.40 ERA on the road. Oberg took over the closer role in July and notched five saves before landing on the IL due to blood clots. He finished the season with a 2.25 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a career-best 9.3 K/9. Should Davis encounter some early struggles against this season, Oberg is the easy fallback option. Coors Field pitchers will always carry risk, but Oberg looks like the much safer bet for 2020.

Yoshihisa Hirano, RHP, Seattle Mariners
Matt Magill is seen as the incumbent closer in Seattle after notching five saves late last season, but we shouldn't pretend like that's set in stone. While Magill misses plenty of bats, he owns a career 4.9 BB/9 and has trouble keeping the ball in the park (1.6 HR/9). He's also been dealing with some right shoulder soreness this spring, which is always a red flag. Hirano is a complete afterthought with an NFBC ADP of 635, but he deserves to be part of the closer conversation in a weak Seattle bullpen. The 35-year-old posted a 10.4 K/9 last season and did a superb job limiting hard contact, as his 29.3% hard-hit ranked in the top 6% of baseball, according to Baseball Savant. With 160 saves to his name between Japan and the big leagues, Hirano is no stranger to the ninth inning and could easily work himself into the saves mix in Seattle.

-Mike Sheets