Another week is in the books for the 2026 MLB season, and most bullpens around the league have been a mixed bag so far, with many still in flux as to who will handle save opportunities. We also had a few blown saves this past week from some of the guys we thought were “safe options”. Then again, we know there isn’t such a thing as a “safe option” when we’re Hunting Saves. Let’s dig right in and see which guys rank as my top 10 closers right now and which bullpens might have a player worth nabbing off waivers to pick up a few precious saves.
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The Top 10:
1) Mason Miller (Padres). Nothing to worry about with this guy. He took a loss in a non-save situation after allowing an unearned run. The error that led to the run was his, so he is human after all. He’s still the best in the game, and it isn’t very close.
2) Cade Smith (Guardians). The Guardians are red hot, and Smith is piling up saves.
3) Jhoan Duran (Phillies). His save total is lower because of missed time and his team’s slow start, but the Phillies are streaking, and Duran is back healthy and in elite form.
4) Aroldis Chapman (Red Sox). He’s an ageless classic, and he’s been practically untouchable as of late, racking up 14 straight scoreless outings.
5) Bryan Baker (Rays). He hit a rough patch, but Kevin Cash has stuck with him, and he’s near the top of the leaderboard for saves.
6) Tanner Scott (Dodgers). He may not get all of the saves in LA, but based on the sheer volume of wins, he’s one of the best options out there at the moment.
7) Raisel Iglesias (Braves). What more could you want? He hasn’t allowed a run this year and he’s the closer for one of the best teams in the league.
8) David Bednar (Yankees). He hasn’t looked great lately, allowing at least an earned run in five of his last seven appearances, including three straight. He did bounce back with a save in his last outing, and it seems like Boone will stick with him, and so should we.
9) Devin Williams (Mets). This isn’t “I told you so”, but I did suggest grabbing him a few weeks ago when he looked lost. He has now piled up 10 straight scoreless outings, and the team is actually winning some games. The “buy low window” is long closed.
10) Danny Palencia (Cubs). He has just 3 saves, but he’s finally healthy, and he’s simply filthy when he’s healthy. The saves are going to start to come in bunches here. He’s a great trade target if you can catch his owner sleeping.
The Rest:
Abner Uribe (Brewers). Megill is still in the mix here. Uribe is nasty, but he’s prone to losing the strike zone. Both guys are worth owning right now.
Riley O’Brien (Cardinals). Up to 4 blown saves, and seems prone to the occasional meltdown. He’s still safe, but he can’t afford another stinker this week. George Soriano would likely be the next man up if O’Brien needs a break.
Andres Munoz (Mariners). That “buy low” window is back open here. He blew another save, and then Jose Ferrer came on to close the next night for his 3rd save. Ferrer might be worth a buck in deeper/AL-only leagues, but I think Munoz is still safe to own.
Lucas Erceg (Royals). It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, but he keeps bouncing back. Carlos Estevez may not be back until after the ASB, and there isn’t another imminent threat to Erceg’s job on this roster.
Seranthony Dominguez (White Sox). He’s still the closer, but we got a glimpse of what Grant Taylor would look like with the role this week. It looked really good. Dominguez has been touched up in 2 straight outings, and this team is playing to win. Taylor is worth grabbing if somebody dropped him in your league, based on potential alone.
Louie Varland (Blue Jays). He’s still the closer, but Jeff Hoffman did weasel his way into a save this week on a night when Varland wasn’t available. No reason to panic, Varland hasn’t done anything to warrant a change.
Kenley Jansen (Tigers). He’s back on track after a rough spell. Unfortunately, the team has started to tank, and if they fall out of it, Jansen will likely be traded. That could either mean Jansen is a setup man for a playoff contender come August, or closing for the Dodgers, Reds, or Yankees.
Gregory Soto (Pirates). He’s still the Pirates closer, mostly by default. Neither he nor Dennis Santana has been very good lately. Yohan Ramirez may be a name worth monitoring. His numbers took a hit when he was bombed by Arizona on 5/5, but he’s been great since, and he can miss bats.
Pete Fairbanks (Marlins). He’s still the closer. They don’t win games anymore, so he doesn’t get saves. His era sits at 9 right now, and I can’t imagine he’d cost much to acquire in a trade. I’d take a shot on grabbing him if I can get him cheap, as the Marlins are going to keep him in the role until they trade him.
Paul Sewald (Diamondbacks). He’s strung together a few clean outings recently, and his job is safe. If you have bench spots and want to speculate for the second half, I would grab AJ Puk, who is getting close to a rehab assignment.
Jacob Latz (Rangers). Sometimes, a team goes so long without a save that you forget who the closer is. Latz is still the guy, despite blowing his last save chance over a week ago.
Rico Garcia (Orioles). Ryan Helsley still hasn’t started a rehab assignment and is likely at least two weeks away from joining the Orioles. Garcia is now up to 3 saves, and he seems like the preferred option of manager Craig Abernaz, with Anthony Nunez also in the mix. If Garcia is still out there, go ahead and roster him for a couple of weeks if you need some saves.
Hogan Harris (Athletics). He’s Mark Kotsay’s choice this week. Since he’s the only lefty in the Athletics pen, I don’t exactly love him in this role, but as long as he’s getting chances, he’s worth adding. Jack Perkins has faded back to the pack with the rest of this mediocre group of bullpen arms.
Committees:
The Giants. Caleb Kilian looked like he would be a great option to handle the 9th, but he’s struggled as of late. Lefties Eric Miller and Matt Gage each have a save or two, but they have likewise been shaky as of late. It might be time to give Keaton Winn a chance. He’s got a bunch of red stripes on his Baseball Savant page.
The Rockies. Victor Vodnik has landed on the IL, so we are going to have to search the waiver wire for somebody else who can manage 1 save every 2-3 weeks while allowing about a run every inning. Antonio Senzatella has been the Rockies best arm in the pen all year and he seems to make the most sense after logging his 3rd save of the season this week. Juan Mejia also has 3 saves, and although he blew one this week, he does miss bats much better than Senzatella. Neither pitcher keeps the ball on the ground particularly well and we are talking about a bullpen committee on one of the worst teams in the league, so I wouldn’t waste much FAAB on any of them.
The Reds. Tony Santillan locked down a save this week, thus moving him to the top of this committee for the moment. Pierce Johnson has gone back to being used in the earlier innings, while Graham Ashcraft picked a rough time to completely lose the ability to throw strikes. The saves are going to move around this pen, and nobody stands out as an amazing option at this point. The team leader in saves when all is said and done may not even be on their roster at this time. It’s possible they will acquire some bullpen help at the trade deadline, or they could move one of their starters to the pen once they are all healthy. Save your FAAB at this point; I don’t see any of these guys taking the job and running with it.
The Astros. Now it feels like a full-blown committee as we all wait patiently for Josh Hader to make his season debut. Hader is at least a handful of rehab outings away from rejoining the team, so the trio of Bryan King, Enyel De Los Santos, and now Bryan Abreu will be counted on to record the last outs of any Astro victories. If Abreu was dropped, he’s worth picking back up, even if it’s just for a couple of weeks.
The Angels. Nothing has changed here. This team is still a disaster, and it’s still not clear who the closer is. Ryan Zefejahn seems like the guy that Kurt Suzuki trusts the most right now, so if you’re desperate, he’s the guy to pick up. Kirby Yates will likely close a few games as well, assuming there will be enough wins to close to make it matter in fantasy before the team trades him away.
The Nationals: Clayton Beeter has returned, and he jumped right into a high-leverage spot in his first game back. It looks like a committee with Beeter, PJ Poulin, Richard Lovelady, and Gus Varland all in the mix for saves, and the whole mess can be avoided for now until one emerges as the preferred choice. If I’m going to speculate here, I’d go with Beeter.
The Twins: I love you all too much to even bother with discussing this team’s bullpen with you this week. I’ll play my dart throw game and say it will be Andrew Morris who gets the next chance after securing his first save this week. Morris is the 9th different pitcher to record a save for this team in 2026, and he’s just 1 save away from joining a 3-way tie for the team lead.
FAAB Targets:
Hogan Harris (Athletics) 5% of your remaining FAAB
Grant Taylor (White Sox) 3-4% of your remaining FAAB.
Antonio Senzatella (Rockies) 1%
Bryan Abreu (Astros) 1%
Keaton Winn (Giants) 1%
Yohan Ramirez (Pirates) 1%
AJ Puk (Diamondbacks) 1%
Jose Ferrer (Mariners) zero-stash
George Soriano (Cardinals) zero-stash
Andrew Morris (Twins) zero-stash
Good luck! Just remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Use your FAAB budget wisely.
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