Nobody enjoys talking about the economy, but when looking at the closer landscape for saves in 2026, it\u2019s inevitable. Scarcity of traditional closers has created tough decisions for the \u201cnever pay for saves\u201d enthusiasts.<\/p>\n
Reliable relievers have seen their price points increase incrementally. Instead of finding late targets with upside, opportunity cost has pushed closers into the first three rounds in many formats. Of the 30 MLB teams, five are prepared to begin the season with a matchups-based approach in the late innings:<\/p>\n
Colorado Rockies
\nSt. Louis Cardinals
\nTampa Bay Rays
\nThe Athletics
\nWashington Nationals<\/p>\n
There are also four camps with competitions for the closer role, which could mean multiple relievers getting save chances in early-season contests:<\/p>\n
Arizona Diamondbacks
\nLos Angeles Angels
\nMinnesota Twins
\nTexas Rangers<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also confusion in Detroit. Not only did the team re-sign Kyle Finnegan, but it also added Kenley Jansen to the leverage ladder. The Tigers would be the first franchise with three relievers who recorded at least 20 saves in the previous season on the Opening Day roster<\/a>. Fantasy managers assume Jansen has the advantage, and he may be the preferred closer, but his role is less defined than in past seasons, capping his upside.<\/p>\n Last, but certainly not least, the back-to-back National League Manager of the Year winner, Pat Murphy, has not said who he\u2019ll call on for saves between Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe, causing consternation among fantasy managers trying to discern which pitcher will be a bargain at his current price point.<\/p>\n This will be a fatiguing year covering bullpens. However, context remains paramount when trying to put relievers into tiered rankings. There is no number that will ensure a fantasy team\u2019s success in the volatile category, but looking at the 80th- and 90th-percentile finishes from the NFBC\u2019s 12-team overall contest (Online Championship) can provide a baseline:<\/p>\n NFBC Online Championship saves for 80th- and 90th-percentile finishes<\/p>\n Year80th90th<\/p>\n 2025<\/p>\n 74<\/p>\n 79<\/p>\n 2024<\/p>\n 78<\/p>\n 85<\/p>\n 2023<\/p>\n 76<\/p>\n 83<\/p>\n 2022<\/p>\n 82<\/p>\n 79<\/p>\n 2021<\/p>\n 78<\/p>\n 85<\/p>\n The number of saves needed for fantasy success decreased last year and may decline again this season, depending on how many teams deploy a shared save concept.<\/p>\n Rankings<\/p>\n Here are my rankings and tiers for 2026. These can change quickly, so I\u2019ll update them next week, before the last weekend of preseason drafts.<\/p>\n Tier 1 Miller and Smith are closers with the capability of producing at least 100 strikeouts, which enhances their appeal. D\u00edaz may not have as gaudy a strikeout number as he did in past seasons, but a lighter workload while anchoring a deep bullpen on the two-time defending World Champions should result in a bevy of save opportunities. Duran has been tweaking his arsenal this spring and has ended Rob Thomson\u2019s \u201cfloating closer\u201d concept. I, for one, benefit from this.<\/p>\n Tier 2 Part of the problem with rankings is that a case can be made for and against each reliever in the second tier; it\u2019s less than optimal. Two of these relievers were removed from the closer role at some point last season, twice for Williams. Chapman\u2019s on the precipice of his age-38 season. Will his improved command hold? Can Mu\u00f1oz stay healthy and maintain velocity throughout 2026?<\/p>\n Tier 3 Despite allowing 15 home runs last year, Hoffman still recorded 33 saves. He\u2019s better than the numbers he posted in 2025, and with a year under his belt at closer, a bounce-back season lies in the offing. Helsley has added a splitter, the hip thing to do in Baltimore\u2019s bullpen apparently, and seeks redemption after his struggles with the Mets.<\/p>\n Fairbanks comes with risk given his medical history, and his new team will use him as the highest-leverage reliever in some games rather than a traditional closer. Palencia burst onto the scene, racking up 22 saves. He also missed some time with a shoulder issue. His velocity has shown no cause for concern, but his contact rate rose as 2025 progressed. Pag\u00e1n had a career year. Paying for them and expecting repeats in fantasy baseball defines inherent risk. However, they should each get plenty of runway in the role.<\/p>\n Tier 4 It\u2019s not that Walker is a target or worthy of his ranking, but have you checked out his supporting cast in that bullpen? He will have to implode in high-leverage situations, as he did last year, to lose his role, so stay tuned. Iglesias endured a rough patch last year but finished with 29 saves. He cannot afford another one this year \u2014 there\u2019s an obvious alternative in place now.<\/p>\n Jansen needs three more saves to move into third place all-time in the category. But will he record more than 20? If he secures 24, he will become the third reliever ever with 500 saves. Est\u00e9vez has been pitching with reduced four-seam fastball velocity and is a fly-ball pitcher. Fun fact: His team moved the fences in at Kauffman Stadium.<\/p>\n Hader will open the season on the injured list and ended last year there, though the team maintains the injuries are unrelated. Are you feeling lucky? Is it Megill or Uribe? If Milwaukee wants to save arbitration money and move Megill later this season, he may begin the year in the role. However, he had a PRP injection over the winter for a forearm flexor strain suffered last season.<\/p>\n Tier 5 Two of these relievers could finish in or near the top 10 at the position if given the opportunity to be the closer or preferred save share: Abreu and Uribe. Santana has flourished in Pittsburgh, though his underlying data portends migration toward the mean. Dom\u00ednguez has the ninth inning, or at least that’s what has been stated publicly. Staying there remains a problem for him. Monitoring his results against left-handed hitters is pivotal, as it determines whether he\u2019s still the closer in June.<\/p>\n All the relievers from this point forward are in competition or in the mix for saves with their respective teams.<\/p>\n Tier 6 It\u2019s easy to forecast Jax for a tremendous rebound campaign. What we do not know is if he can break from the pack and get Fairbanks\u2019 vacated role, or if the Rays revert to 2022, when five relievers had at least five saves without any of them reaching double digits. Suarez will be one of the most popular closers-in-waiting picks this season. Whitlock helps ratios and will get ancillary saves. If anything happens to Chapman, wheels up. Cleavinger represents the left-handed complement to Jax and teammates for save chances based on matchups. Taylor could provide a return on investment if Dom\u00ednguez struggles, or he racks up 100 strikeouts as he builds toward becoming a starter next season. Estrada and Scott will accumulate strikeouts and a handful of saves.<\/p>\n Tier 7 Pick your poison if you wait for saves. Reunited with Mike Maddux in Los Angeles, Yates may rekindle his 2024 magic. Garcia should be the preferred save option for Texas, but he struggled in high-leverage innings last year. Sewald has added some velocity and has Torey Lovullo\u2019s trust as the bridge to A.J. Puk\u2019s return (see below). Romero led the team in saves after the trade deadline last year, but could be moved as the year progresses. Harris has also added velocity and has been very good to this point in spring appearances. Beeter\u2019s command scares me.<\/p>\n Tier 8 As for O\u2019Brien, see Beeter above. Rogers and Martin hope they provide some saves before Father Time comes for them. Baker\u2019s in the mix with Edwin Uceta opening the season on the injured list.<\/p>\n Sleepers<\/p>\n Relievers I like better than the consensus, or who have a potential pathway toward a preferred save share:<\/p>\n Zach Agnos (COL): Agnos was considered a closer of the future and started strong last year before hitters adjusted. He\u2019s been terrific this spring, posting a swinging-strike rate over 20%. He may not open the year at the top of the leverage ladder, but he’ll finish there for an improved Rockies bullpen.<\/p>\n Matt Svanson (STL): Most fantasy managers prefer O\u2019Brien. However, his command remains tenuous, and he\u2019s not as young as you think he is (at age 31). Svanson has converted 44-of-46 minor league save chances, and a perfect 33-for-33 with the St. Louis franchise. Some patience may be required, but he could be worth the wait. Among NL relievers in 2025, Svanson ranked first in opponent batting average (.163), seventh in ERA (1.98), and fifth in WHIP (0.90).<\/p>\n Cole Henry (WSH): Beeter has better velocity and a nasty slider, but lacks command. This may open the door for Henry, who pitches well but had three rough outings in late September that harpooned his ratios.<\/p>\n Tyler Wells (BAL): Wells can fill in capably for save chances when Helsley needs rest and has appeal for those in leagues with starting pitcher designations (SPARP). He works best in shorter bursts and may be an X-factor in the Orioles\u2019 leverage ladder. Drew Anderson of the Tigers is another intriguing SPARP option for 2026.<\/p>\n Elvis Alvarado (ATH): He has the velocity, and if the command improves, he could earn a larger leverage role as the season progresses in a wide-open bullpen.<\/p>\n Stashes<\/p>\n The following players are only for leagues with deep rosters or injured reserve slots.<\/p>\n A.J. Puk (ARI): Puk could be back in early June and will take over as the closer until Justin Martinez returns after the All-Star break. For now, Puk\u2019s a nice play with Sewald as his bridge.<\/p>\n Ben Joyce (LAA): Joyce was emerging in 2024, then missed most of last year because of injury. In a bullpen rife with aged veterans, Joyce represents one of the few beacons of hope for a beleaguered franchise.<\/p>\n Projections<\/p>\n For The Athletic’s subscribers, my save projections fused with Ariel Cohen\u2019s ATC projections (as of March 8, 2026) are available for download. Please do not share them.<\/p>\n \u25ba Download: <\/a>Jewett’s RP Save Projections<\/a><\/p>\n Statistical Credits: Fangraphs.com, Baseball-Reference.com, BaseballSavant.com, BrooksBaseball.net; ATC rankings, courtesy of Ariel Cohen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nobody enjoys talking about the economy, but when looking at the closer landscape for saves in 2026, it\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":620394,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3],"tags":[5,28,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-620393","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-fantasy-baseball","10":"tag-mlb"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116217164182177792","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=620393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/620394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=620393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=620393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=620393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nMason Miller (SD)
\nEdwin D\u00edaz (LAD)
\nCade Smith (CLE)
\nJhoan Duran (PHI)<\/p>\n
\nDevin Williams (NYM)
\nAndr\u00e9s Mu\u00f1oz (SEA)
\nDavid Bednar (NYY)
\nAroldis Chapman (BOS)<\/p>\n
\nJeff Hoffman (TOR)
\nRyan Helsley (BAL)
\nPete Fairbanks (MIA)
\nDaniel Palencia (CHC)
\nEmilio Pag\u00e1n (CIN)<\/p>\n
\nRyan Walker (SF)
\nRaisel Iglesias (ATL)
\nKenley Jansen (DET)
\nCarlos Est\u00e9vez (KC)
\nJosh Hader (HOU)
\nTrevor Megill (MIL)<\/p>\n
\nDennis Santana (PIT)
\nSeranthony Dom\u00ednguez (CHW)
\nAbner Uribe (MIL)
\nBryan Abreu (HOU)<\/p>\n
\nGriffin Jax (TB)
\nRobert Suarez (ATL)
\nGarrett Whitlock (BOS)
\nGarrett Cleavinger (TB)
\nGrant Taylor (CHW)
\nJeremiah Estrada (SD)
\nTanner Scott (LAD)<\/p>\n
\nKirby Yates (LAA)
\nRobert Garcia (TEX)
\nPaul Sewald (ARI)
\nJoJo Romero (STL)
\nHogan Harris (ATH)
\nClayton Beeter (WSH)<\/p>\n
\nRiley O\u2019Brien (STL)
\nTaylor Rogers (MIN)
\nChris Martin (TEX)
\nBryan Baker (TB)<\/p>\n