There are slight tweaks in the rankings based on the recent news cycle. These will continue to evolve as teams make decisions about reliever roles, but this will be a process since we have just over two weeks until Opening Day. As for the closer rankings, it’s difficult because many teams may share save opportunities, which could change by the hour, or at least it feels that way.
For the SOLDS rankings, I use the team’s last three-year trends and save opportunities to create my saves-plus-holds projections. They are then combined with ATC in SGP (standard gain points). I also make my own holds rankings, which, when combined with ATC projections in SGP, yield our initial ranks. Things will change once roles become clearer in some confusing leverage ladders.
Notes of Interest
- Josh Hader (HOU): As of this writing on March 9, he is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Tuesday.
- Carlos Estévez (KC): It does not matter which site one checks; his four-seam velocity has been down this spring. How low? In his last appearance, Statcast potentially identified his fastball as change-ups based on the velocity. Will this change? It’s possible, but his outcomes must be monitored closely moving forward. As for Brooks Baseball:
- Robert Stephenson (LAA): Faced live hitters on Friday. No note yet about his spring debut.
Here are our updated rankings.
Top 40 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 | Josh Hader |
| 16 | Kenley Jansen |
| 17 | Carlos Estévez |
| 18 | Trevor Megill |
| 19 | Dennis Santana |
| 20 | Ryan Walker |
| 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 | Tanner Scott |
| 32 | Kirby Yates |
| 33 | Riley O’Brien |
| 34 | JoJo Romero |
| 35 | Clayton Beeter |
| 36 | Bryan Baker |
| 37 | Paul Sewald |
| 38 | Hogan Harris |
| 39 | Chris Martin |
| 40 | Kyle Finnegan |
Teams without a reliever ranked for saves:
- Colorado Rockies
- Minnesota Twins
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 | Andrés Muñoz |
| 10 | David Bednar |
| 11 | Bryan Abreu |
| 12 | Ryan Helsley |
| 13 | Jeff Hoffman |
| 14 | Griffin Jax |
| 15 | Robert Suarez |
| 16 | Raisel Iglesias |
| 17 | Garrett Whitlock |
| 18 | Jose A. Ferrer |
| 19 | Alex Vesia |
| 20 | Matt Brash |
| 21 | Will Vest |
| 22 | José Alvarado |
| 23 | Luke Weaver |
| 24 | Phil Maton |
| 25 | Trevor Megill |
| 26 | Josh Hader |
| 27 | Garrett Cleavinger |
| 28 | Brad Keller |
| 29 | Tanner Scott |
| 30 | Daniel Palencia |
| 31 | Shawn Armstrong |
| 32 | Ryan Walker |
| 33 | Bryan King |
| 34 | Emilio Pagán |
| 35 | Kenley Jansen |
| 36 | Grant Taylor |
| 37 | Jason Adam |
| 38 | Lucas Erceg |
| 39 | Pete Fairbanks |
| 40 | Matt Strahm |
| 41 | Keegan Akin |
| 42 | Camilo Doval |
| 43 | Adrian Morejon |
| 44 | Tony Santillan |
| 45 | Kyle Finnegan |
| 46 | Orion Kerkering |
| 47 | Robert Garcia |
| 48 | JoJo Romero |
| 49 | Edwin Uceta |
| 50 | Tyler Rogers |
| 51 | Louis Varland |
| 52 | Dennis Santana |
| 53 | Jared Koenig |
| 54 | Fernando Cruz |
| 55 | Dylan Lee |
| 56 | Bryan Baker |
| 57 | Riley O’Brien |
| 58 | Carlos Estévez |
| 59 | Tyler Holton |
| 60 | Hunter Harvey |
Top 40 Relievers for Holds
| Rank | Reliever |
| 1 | Jeremiah Estrada |
| 2 | Phil Maton |
| 3 | Alex Vesia |
| 4 | Jose A. Ferrer |
| 5 | Luke Weaver |
| 6 | Abner Uribe |
| 7 | Matt Brash |
| 8 | Bryan Abreu |
| 9 | Shawn Armstrong |
| 10 | Bryan King |
| 11 | José Alvarado |
| 12 | Jason Adam |
| 13 | Garrett Whitlock |
| 14 | Brad Keller |
| 15 | Orion Kerkering |
| 16 | Will Vest |
| 17 | Adrian Morejon |
| 18 | Griffin Jax |
| 19 | Camilo Doval |
| 20 | Keegan Akin |
| 21 | Tanner Scott |
| 22 | Jared Koenig |
| 23 | Lucas Erceg |
| 24 | Tyler Rogers |
| 25 | Dylan Lee |
| 26 | Garrett Cleavinger |
| 27 | Matt Strahm |
| 28 | Tony Santillan |
| 29 | Fernando Cruz |
| 30 | Louis Varland |
| 31 | Robert Suarez |
| 32 | Tyler Holton |
| 33 | Caleb Thielbar |
| 34 | Grant Taylor |
| 35 | Hunter Gaddis |
| 36 | Edwin Uceta |
| 37 | Gabe Speier |
| 38 | Eduard Bazardo |
| 39 | Brooks Raley |
| 40 | Kyle Finnegan |
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Statistical Credits: