8 Middle Relievers Who Could Get You Saves in 2026

The strategy of when to draft relief pitchers for saves is widely debated in fantasy baseball. Do you load up on elite closers? Grab one strong one and take another one late? Stock up on late options on multiple teams? No matter what your preferred strategy, one thing is clear: you must draft saves.

But drafting saves is just one part of the equation. Being able to recognize when saves appear throughout the season is essential to pitcher management. Closers always get hurt, jobs are always lost, and middle relievers and setup men are always promoted to the role.

Let’s dive in and have a look at eight relief pitchers taken at the very end of drafts (or undrafted completely) who could help with saves this season. Closer volatility is one of the hallmarks of a fantasy baseball season, and the prepared manager who can pivot to these names quickly could be the difference between a championship or not.

2026 Fantasy Baseball: 8 Middle Relievers Who Could Get Saves

Bryan Abreu – Houston Astros

Bryan Abreu was one of the elite setup men last season, and he was called into ninth-inning duty after Josh Hader’s injury last summer. Hader is hurt again and will start the year on the IL. As the only one to have a secure ninth-inning role and phenomenal strikeout numbers to begin the season, Abreu is a top option to look at.

Bryan Abreu, K'ing the Side in the 11th.

5Ks in 2 IP. pic.twitter.com/vEvDDQ4PMQ

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 11, 2024

Abreu had 105 strikeouts in 71 innings, accumulating a 2.28 ERA along the way. He will start the season as Houston’s closer and then shift back to the eighth inning when Hader returns. Either way, Abreu gets the stats and the ratios, and is a top pick considering back-to-back years of Hader injuries.

Jeremiah Estrada – San Diego Padres

The only non-closer pitcher who can challenge Abreu’s strikeout dominance is Jeremiah Estrada. The setup man behind Mason Miller, Estrada struck out 108 batters in 71 innings in 2025. Miller is a set-it-and-forget-it closer, but anything can happen, especially to guys who throw 103 miles per hour every other day.

The only knock on Estrada is that he can be prone to giving up homers from time to time. He challenges the zone so often that batters sometimes connect and send him out of the yard. He gave up 12 home runs in 2025 compared to four for Abreu and eight for the next person on this list.

Hunter Gaddis – Cleveland Guardians

Cade Smith gets the ninth-inning role after the suspension of Emmanuel Clase, but that still leaves Hunter Gaddis in a great spot for potential saves down the road. Gaddis has back-to-back seasons with at least 33 holds and at least 66 strikeouts. He is the fallback option for Cade Smith as well, so no matter what happens, he has a direct path to holds or saves.

Cleveland #Guardians individual pitchers top velo vs the Cubs.

Hunter Gaddis (4-Seam Fastball) 95.6
Parker Messick (4-Seam Fastball) 95.1
Jack Leftwich (4-Seam Fastball) 94.5
Jake Miller (4-Seam Fastball) 94.5
Logan Allen (4-Seam Fastball) 94.1
Jay Driver (Sinker) 93.6

— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) February 28, 2026

Gaddis improved his strikeout rate to almost two strikeouts per nine innings more in 2025 than he had in 2024. There are questions among projections about how many games the Guardians will win this season, but Gaddis will be involved in most of them one way or another.

Garrett Cleavinger – Tampa Bay

Garrett Cleavinger is one of the most under-the-radar elite setup men in baseball. Because of that, he is essentially undrafted in most leagues. Last season, Cleavinger had 21 holds, a 2.35 ERA, and 82 strikeouts in under 62 innings. He has improved his strikeout rate in each of the last three seasons and now has a sneaky good path to some saves.

After time missed with injuries in 2023, Cleavinger has proven the last two seasons that he is fully healthy. Currently, he is listed as a co-closer with Griffin Jax in Tampa Bay, but Jax is being drafted like he will get all the saves. That oversight by many managers could result in a season with 10-15 saves and 20 holds, plus plenty of strikeouts.

Alex Vesia – Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers brought in Edwin Diaz to be the no-doubt-about-it closer for 2026 and beyond. What that does is push other strong relievers like Alex Vesia and Tanner Scott into setup roles, and Vesia has closer experience should he be needed. Something would have to go wrong for the Dodgers to miss out on the most wins in the league, so that opens the door for a lot of opportunities for Vesia, even if Diaz saves 35 games.

Alex Vesia is on the mound for the Dodgers 💙

(via @SportsNetLA)pic.twitter.com/TXOXocH2zp

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) February 23, 2026

Vesia had 25 holds and five saves last season to go along with 80 strikeouts in 59 innings. With closer experience, he would also be in line to step up for saves if anything happens to Diaz. With a 12.1 K/9 last season, Vesia has the stuff to succeed in the ninth or a high-leverage earlier inning.

Matt Brash – Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners also have a top-five closer in Andres Munoz, but Matt Brash might be just as dominant in the eighth inning. Brash dealt with a few nagging injuries last year, but he still piled up 21 holds and 58 strikeouts in 47 innings. He is also one season removed from 24 holds and 107 strikeouts in 70.2 innings.

Brash has at least 11 strikeouts per nine innings in each of his three Major League Seasons. He has also cut his walks down in each season as well. After a career-best 2.47 ERA in 2025, Brash is poised to be one of the best setup men in the league in 2026. The Mariners do not like using Munoz more than one inning and don’t like to pitch him on multiple days in a row. That’s opportunity knocking for Brash.

Gregory Soto – Pittsburgh Pirates

Presently, the Pittsburgh Pirates have a closer – Dennis Santana – who offers good numbers in terms of ERA in 2025 (2.18), but low strikeout numbers (22% strikeout rate). He should be able to hold onto the job after excelling in 2025, but if he falters, Gregory Soto’s 25% strikeout rate is waiting in the eighth inning.

Soto finished last season with a 4.18 ERA, but his expected ERA (3.83) was much better and is likely due to a BABIP (.341) that is 30 points higher than his career average. Soto has four seasons with a strikeout rate of more than 10 per nine innings, and could be the power arm Pittsburgh wants in the ninth if something happens to Santana.

Matt Svanson – St Louis Cardinals

The 2025 season was Matt Svanson’s rookie year at age 26. What did he do with the Cardinals in his debut? All he did was post a 1.94 ERA with 10 strikeouts per nine innings and 0.45 home runs per nine. His best attribute was that he pitched 60 innings in 39 games, so he is well-accustomed to going more than one inning at a time.

Currently, Riley O’Brien and Jojo Romero are at the top of the pecking order of a closer committee, but the Cardinals are in an experimental year. If Svanson is the best reliever, I think they might give him a shot to see if he can handle the ninth inning and be prepared to take over as the closer of the future. Romero is a trade candidate this year if he performs well.

For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.