With Opening Day less than two weeks away, it’s time to lock in on the ever-changing reliever landscape. Since our post on Monday:
- Josh Hader (HOU) will open the season on the injured list.
- Robert Stephenson (LAA) suffered a setback and will not be ready for Opening Day.
These two items change how fantasy managers approach their drafts. It forces tough decisions and tests risk-averse players. On top of this, of the 30 MLB teams, five are prepared to begin the season with a matchups-based approach in the late innings:
- Colorado Rockies
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Tampa Bay Rays
- The Athletics
- Washington Nationals
There are also four camp competitions for the closer role, and it could also trend toward multiple relievers getting save chances in early contests:
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Los Angeles Angels
- Minnesota Twins
- Texas Rangers
Detroit has three relievers who recorded at least 20 saves in the leverage ladder. Milwaukee’s manager, Pat Murphy, has not announced defined roles for his bullpen, further narrowing the clarity fantasy managers crave at the closer position. It’s in a transitive state right now, pushing price points for reliable relievers into the second round in high-stakes leagues.
As a reminder, those interested in our premium option (ad-free content), please use this LINK; it is $30 and covers the season. This will be run via Substack for 2026. Please include your preferred email address, and we will manually add you to our ad-free list. You can also Venmo the $30 to @gjewett9.
Taking all of this into account, rankings have been updated ahead of a busy weekend of draft season.
Top 51 Relievers for Saves
| Rank | Reliever |
| 1 | Mason Miller |
| 2 | Edwin Díaz |
| 3 | Cade Smith |
| 4 | Jhoan Duran |
| 5 | Devin Williams |
| 6 | Andrés Muñoz |
| 7 | David Bednar |
| 8 | Aroldis Chapman |
| 9 | Ryan Helsley |
| 10 | Jeff Hoffman |
| 11 | Pete Fairbanks |
| 12 | Emilio Pagán |
| 13 | Daniel Palencia |
| 14 | Raisel Iglesias |
| 15 | Ryan Walker |
| 16 | Kenley Jansen |
| 17 | Josh Hader |
| 18 | Trevor Megill |
| 19 | Dennis Santana |
| 20 | Carlos Estévez |
| 21 | Seranthony Domínguez |
| 22 | Bryan Abreu |
| 23 | Griffin Jax |
| 24 | Abner Uribe |
| 25 | Robert Suarez |
| 26 | Robert Garcia |
| 27 | Garrett Cleavinger |
| 28 | Garrett Whitlock |
| 29 | Grant Taylor |
| 30 | Jeremiah Estrada |
| 31 | Kirby Yates |
| 32 | Clayton Beeter |
| 33 | JoJo Romero |
| 34 | Tanner Scott |
| 35 | Riley O’Brien |
| 36 | Paul Sewald |
| 37 | Hogan Harris |
| 38 | Chris Martin |
| 39 | Lucas Erceg |
| 40 | Bryan Baker |
| 41 | Kyle Finnegan |
| 42 | Matt Svanson |
| 43 | Luke Weaver |
| 44 | Will Vest |
| 45 | Matt Strahm |
| 46 | Justin Sterner |
| 47 | Mark Leiter Jr. |
| 48 | Tyler Wells |
| 49 | Zach Agnos |
| 50 | Cole Henry |
| 51 | Adrian Morejon |
Sleepers for Saves
- Elvis Alvarado (ATH)
- Liam Hendriks (MIN)
- Hunter Harvey (CHC)
- Keaton Winn (SF)
- Drew Smith (WSH)
- Justin Lawrence (PIT)
Injury Stashes for Saves (for leagues with IL spots)
- A.J. Puk (ARI)
- Ben Joyce (LAA)
- Edwin Uceta (TB)
Top 60 Relievers for SOLDS
| Rank | Reliever |
| 1 | Cade Smith |
| 2 | Mason Miller |
| 3 | Edwin Díaz |
| 4 | Jhoan Duran |
| 5 | Abner Uribe |
| 6 | Devin Williams |
| 7 | Aroldis Chapman |
| 8 | Jeremiah Estrada |
| 9 | David Bednar |
| 10 | Andrés Muñoz |
| 11 | Bryan Abreu |
| 12 | Garrett Whitlock |
| 13 | Ryan Helsley |
| 14 | Jeff Hoffman |
| 15 | Griffin Jax |
| 16 | Robert Suarez |
| 17 | Raisel Iglesias |
| 18 | Jose A. Ferrer |
| 19 | Alex Vesia |
| 20 | Matt Brash |
| 21 | Will Vest |
| 22 | José Alvarado |
| 23 | Luke Weaver |
| 24 | Phil Maton |
| 25 | Josh Hader |
| 26 | Trevor Megill |
| 27 | Garrett Cleavinger |
| 28 | Ryan Walker |
| 29 | Tanner Scott |
| 30 | Shawn Armstrong |
| 31 | Daniel Palencia |
| 32 | Brad Keller |
| 33 | Bryan King |
| 34 | Emilio Pagán |
| 35 | Kenley Jansen |
| 36 | Grant Taylor |
| 37 | Lucas Erceg |
| 38 | Pete Fairbanks |
| 39 | Matt Strahm |
| 40 | Keegan Akin |
| 41 | Camilo Doval |
| 42 | Adrian Morejon |
| 43 | Kyle Finnegan |
| 44 | Orion Kerkering |
| 45 | Robert Garcia |
| 46 | JoJo Romero |
| 47 | Tony Santillan |
| 48 | Edwin Uceta |
| 49 | Louis Varland |
| 50 | Tyler Rogers |
| 51 | Dennis Santana |
| 52 | Jared Koenig |
| 53 | Jason Adam |
| 54 | Dylan Lee |
| 55 | Fernando Cruz |
| 56 | Hunter Gaddis |
| 57 | Matt Svanson |
| 58 | Andrew Kittredge |
| 59 | Carlos Estévez |
| 60 | Tyler Holton |
Top 40 Relievers for Holds
| Rank | Reliever |
| 1 | Jeremiah Estrada |
| 2 | Garrett Whitlock |
| 3 | Abner Uribe |
| 4 | Phil Maton |
| 5 | Alex Vesia |
| 6 | Jose A. Ferrer |
| 7 | Luke Weaver |
| 8 | Matt Brash |
| 9 | Bryan Abreu |
| 10 | Shawn Armstrong |
| 11 | Bryan King |
| 12 | José Alvarado |
| 13 | Orion Kerkering |
| 14 | Will Vest |
| 15 | Brad Keller |
| 16 | Adrian Morejon |
| 17 | Griffin Jax |
| 18 | Camilo Doval |
| 19 | Keegan Akin |
| 20 | Tanner Scott |
| 21 | Jason Adam |
| 22 | Jared Koenig |
| 23 | Tyler Rogers |
| 24 | Dylan Lee |
| 25 | Garrett Cleavinger |
| 26 | Hunter Gaddis |
| 27 | Andrew Kittredge |
| 28 | Matt Strahm |
| 29 | Tony Santillan |
| 30 | Fernando Cruz |
| 31 | Louis Varland |
| 32 | Tyler Holton |
| 33 | Robert Suarez |
| 34 | Caleb Thielbar |
| 35 | Grant Taylor |
| 36 | Bennett Sousa |
| 37 | Gabe Speier |
| 38 | Graham Ashcraft |
| 39 | Lucas Erceg |
| 40 | Brooks Raley |
American League Only Top 25 for Saves
| Rank | Reliever |
| 1 | Cade Smith |
| 2 | Andrés Muñoz |
| 3 | David Bednar |
| 4 | Aroldis Chapman |
| 5 | Ryan Helsley |
| 6 | Jeff Hoffman |
| 7 | Kenley Jansen |
| 8 | Josh Hader |
| 9 | Carlos Estévez |
| 10 | Seranthony Domínguez |
| 11 | Bryan Abreu |
| 12 | Griffin Jax |
| 13 | Robert Garcia |
| 14 | Garrett Cleavinger |
| 15 | Garrett Whitlock |
| 16 | Grant Taylor |
| 17 | Kirby Yates |
| 18 | Hogan Harris |
| 19 | Chris Martin |
| 20 | Lucas Erceg |
| 21 | Bryan Baker |
| 22 | Kyle Finnegan |
| 23 | Will Vest |
| 24 | Matt Strahm |
| 25 | Justin Sterner |
National League Only Top 25 for Saves
| Rank | Reliever |
| 1 | Mason Miller |
| 2 | Edwin Díaz |
| 3 | Jhoan Duran |
| 4 | Devin Williams |
| 5 | Pete Fairbanks |
| 6 | Emilio Pagán |
| 7 | Daniel Palencia |
| 8 | Raisel Iglesias |
| 9 | Ryan Walker |
| 10 | Trevor Megill |
| 11 | Dennis Santana |
| 12 | Abner Uribe |
| 13 | Robert Suarez |
| 14 | Jeremiah Estrada |
| 15 | Clayton Beeter |
| 16 | JoJo Romero |
| 17 | Tanner Scott |
| 18 | Riley O’Brien |
| 19 | Paul Sewald |
| 20 | Matt Svanson |
| 21 | Luke Weaver |
| 22 | Zach Agnos |
| 23 | Cole Henry |
| 24 | Adrian Morejon |
| 25 | José Alvarado |
Thanks for being part of the Closer Monkey community. Stay safe, and be well.
Statistical Credits: