With the 2016 fantasy baseball season approaching, bullpen depth charts can be tricky to decipher when entering your fantasy drafts. Projections of who will be vital to their respective team and to your fantasy team will be analyzed over the course of the next two months.

Below I've identified the projected AL West closers, setup men, and some of the noteworthy relievers that bridge a lead from starter to closer. The first and second names appearing after the closers below will mostly likely act as primary setup men, and be in line for holds. Bear in mind, most left-handed relievers identified will be used in specialist roles that make them more ideal in leagues with holds and will be a distant candidate for saves.

Don't forget that our closer depth charts are also updated all season long, so be sure to bookmark that page. And in case you missed it, our rankings dashboard has been loaded up with lots more preseason content to help you dominate your drafts.

AL West Depth Chart - Saves and Holds

Texas Rangers: Shawn Tolleson (closer), Keone Kela, Sam Dyson, Sam Freeman, Jake Diekman, Tom Wilhelmsen

Houston Astros: Ken Giles (closer), Luke Gregerson, Tony Sipp, Will Harris, Josh Fields, Pat Neshek

Los Angeles Angels: Huston Street (closer), Joe Smith, Al Alburquerque, Fernando Salas

Seattle Mariners: Steve Cishek (closer), Joaquin Benoit, Charlie Furbush, Tony Zych, Vidal Nuno

Oakland Athletics: Sean Doolittle (closer), Ryan Madson, Marc Rzepczynski, John Axford

Quick Hit Bullpen Analysis

Of the projected closers, Huston Street has the most secure job as closer for the Angels. With that said, Joe Smith as the primary setup man for the Angels is also a certainty barring injury.

Shawn Tolleson will likely enter the 2016 season as the Rangers closer because the rest of the bullpen features more specialist-type relievers that could be valuable as an addition to your fantasy team briefly over the course of the season. Expect Keone Kela to see eighth inning relief after an impressive rookie season.

Mariners reliever Steve Cishek will likely enter the 2016 season as the closer but this will not be without a potential replacement close by. Joaquin Benoit will be the first in line for a closing opportunity if Cishek cannot shut games down.

Acquired closer Ken Giles will finish off the spring as the new Astros closer with Luke Gregerson slotting back into the eighth inning role. Formerly closing out games; Gregerson will return to the eighth inning and will be effective at notching Holds for the contending Astros. Gregerson has seen his share of success in the eighth inning, finishing with 22 holds in 2014 and as many as 40 in 2010.

Sean Doolittle will look to rebound from an injury-plagued 2015 and strengthen the A's bullpen that has Rzepczynski, Axford and Madson as strong additions that will see their share of Holds over the course of the year. If another setback occurs, Axford and Madson should be the first in line for save opportunities with the other handling setup duties.

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