This is the last week of the season coming up, and the mad scramble to find last-minute saves as you chase a championship will be over next weekend.
But until then, we do not rest. Let’s take a look at who might be able to help you milk those last two or three saves to let you move up in the league standings.
I will be back next week with a season recap, and I want to thank you for reading my work and also reaching out with questions all season. Thanks for keeping me engaged over a long season. Let’s get to it.
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Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report
AL East
Keegan Akin has three saves in a row for the Orioles and appears to be the top option heading into the season’s final week. I think it is safe to remove the committee label here. Dietrich Enns did get a three-inning save against the White Sox on Monday. Akin is probably best served as a setup option, but now has eight saves to go with a 3.10 ERA and 16 holds. His 22.6% K% is a bit below average. It will be interesting to see what news we get this winter on closer Felix Bautista and his injured shoulder.
David Bednar is locked in for the Yankees as the closer, with Luke Weaver and Devin Williams setting him up. It looks like this will be the formation for the Yankees when the playoffs start, barring injury or ineffectiveness for Bednar. He’s up to 25 saves with a tidy 2.50 ERA and 34.1% K%.
Pete Fairbanks will wrap up another solid season in Tampa Bay. He has a club option for next year, and there will be rampant speculation, as there is every winter, that the team will look to move him. Meanwhile, he continues to his job, racking up 27 saves with a 2.98 ERA and a 24.7% K%.
AL Central
Jordan Leasure has shown tremendous growth in the season’s second half. Just as I am ready to tell you he’s the closer, rookie Grant Taylor gets the save on Friday night. Egads. Leasure has a 3.54 ERA with seven saves and a 29.4% K%, while Taylor has five saves, a 5.35 ERA, and a 33.8% K%. Leasure has a 2.33 ERA since the All-Star break. Based on usage, this bullpen will finish the season as a timeshare, leaving more questions (but better questions than last year) about who the closer will be in 2026.
Will Vest earned a save for Detroit this week, but Kyle Finnegan returned from the IL on Friday. Neither pitched in the game. Who gets the next save chance? I would give the lean to Finnegan as the Tigers try to hang on in the AL Central.
Carlos Estevez notched his 40th save on Wednesday night in a quiet week for the Kansas City bullpen. A truly great season for Estevez, with a 2.53 ERA. Despite a lack of strikeouts, he was excellent all season. Lucas Erceg hit the IL with a shoulder impingement this week, so look for John Schreiber and Angel Zerpa to be the top setup options for this coming week.
AL West
No sooner do I talk about Sean Newcomb, and then three guys have saves this week for the Athletics. Michael Kelly and Hogan Harris each earned two saves for the resurgent Athletics this week. I would avoid this bullpen, as I cannot tell you who will get the next opportunity.
Bryan Abreu has been shaky in Houston, but he did get two saves during the week. Bryan King got the other on a night Abreu was off. Look for Abreu to continue in the job. It was revealed last week that closer Josh Hader, on the IL with a sore shoulder, has not resumed throwing yet, and his return for the playoffs is unknown.
Kenley Jansen pitched once this week and did not travel with the team to Colorado this weekend due to his heart condition potentially being exacerbated by the thin air of Denver. I owe him an apology, as I suggested before the season, he would slip in 2025. Yet he has a 2.68 ERA and 27 saves for the also-ran Los Angeles Angels. Kudos to him; he will probably sign another one-year deal in the offseason as he shows he can still do the job, throwing a cutter 82% of the time.
NL East
Ronny Henriquez earned the save this week in Miami, but there has not been much bullpen usage here lately. Calvin Faucher got one on Thursday. Faucher has 14 saves, Henriquez seven. Henriquez has far better stuff, but we know that doesn’t always matter to major league managers. Look for the timeshare to continue next week.
Jhoan Duran got two saves, but David Robertson also earned his first of the season. Robertson got his in relief of Duran, who had blown the chance that night. Right now, it appears that the Phillies want Robertson and lefty Matt Strahm to be their top setup options as they head to the playoffs, with Orion Kerkering and Tanner Banks in middle relief.
Jose A. Ferrer remains the closer in Washington, but Clayton Beeter has climbed into a top setup role and also earned a save last Sunday. Ferrer only pitched once this week.
NL Central
Kudos to the Chicago Cubs for making the playoffs. The closer role currently appears to be a committee between Andrew Kittredge and Brad Keller. Keller notched two saves this week, while Kittredge got one. Closer Daniel Palencia threw off a mound this week, as he attempts to return from a shoulder issue earlier in the month.
Emilio Pagan earned a save Friday night as the Cincinnati Reds clawed to stay in the playoff race, his 28th of the season. Connor Phillips and Tony Santillan remain the top setup options.
Trevor Megill update: The Milwaukee closer felt renewed soreness in his elbow this week and will be reevaluated this weekend. In the meantime, Abner Uribe is holding down the fort for the Brew Crew, and Jared Koenig joined the party with a save this week. Uribe has five saves now, and a whopping 37 holds, to go with a 1.77 ERA and a 30.2%K% in what has been a tremendous year for him. No offense to him, but the Brewers need Megill back and healthy to make a deep playoff run.
Riley O’Brien has converted the last two saves in St. Louis, with lefty JoJo Romero getting the holds in front of him both nights. Call it a committee if you would like, but I would lean O’Brien here the rest of the way.
NL West
Victor Vodnik is a closer who just doesn’t get many chances. He did convert on Friday night to earn his ninth save. He doesn’t get a ton of whiffs, but the 54.5% groundball percentage gets the job done for him with his 98 miles per hour fastball. Will he close next year? That remains to be seen, but he is likely the best in-house candidate for Colorado.
Los Angeles: Tanner Scott cannot throw a strike, and Michael Kopech hit the IL again this week with more knee inflammation. Scott did get a 23-pitch save on Friday night, giving him 22 on the season. But that comes with a bloated 4.64 ERA and a 1.81 HR/9 rate. It is going to be very interesting to see what the Dodgers do with this bullpen for the playoffs. Certainly, several starters will end up in the bullpen for the postseason roster. Blake Treinen suffered two losses this week and just looks uncomfortable out there, and Alex Vesia continues to be the glue in the bullpen, earning a hold and a save this week. Put your seatbelts on, Dodgers fans.
Robert Suarez is closing in on his first 40-save season with two more saves this week in another stellar season in San Diego.
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