There are two weeks left in the season, maybe fewer in your fantasy league, and those last-minute saves and holds could mean the difference to you capturing a league championship this season. I know football rages this weekend, but we have flags to capture these coming weeks, and it’s time to roll up our sleeves, sip that first cup of coffee, and find those stats that we need to win it all.
Let’s dive into the messy world of major league bullpens, shall we?
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Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report
AL East
Watching Baltimore’s bullpen and trying to guess who is getting the save opportunity is like playing roulette; spin the wheel and see what you get. Rico Garcia has gotten the last two chances and converted them. Every time I think it is Andrew Kittredge, they stop using him in the role. I am sorry, folks. Now watch Yennier Cano get the next one with my luck!
In Tampa Bay, Bryan Baker finally locked down save number 40 on Saturday night. What a season for the veteran in his first full season as the closer. With those 40 saves, Baker has a sparkling 1.54 ERA, two holds, and a 27.1% K%. He is set up ably by Tyler Wells and Kevin Kelly.
AL Central
Hagen Smith appears to be in the high-leverage group for the Chicago White Sox; former top setup guy Sean Newcomb is being used more for longer outings lately, either as an opener or middle relief option covering multiple innings. Ironically, Newcomb wanted to be used as a starter, and maybe that is a hybrid role he can serve in this wacky bullpen. Bryan Hudson earned a save in a key victory on Saturday night, and he and Grant Taylor share the team lead with eight saves.
Kansas City: The timeshare continues between Nate Pearson and Steven Cruz, both trading saves over the last four days. Cruz has seven saves to four for Pearson. The top setup man for the Royals right now? None other than Craig Kimbrel. Fascinating how bullpens work in some towns. It’s largely been a lost season for Kansas City.
AL West
The Athletics and Mark Kotsay keep using Elvis Alvarado (six saves) and Hogan Harris (15 saves) as co-closers. It seemed they had settled on Harris two weeks ago, but then Alvarado got the next two chances, including Wednesday when he notched the save.
I have said this often, but I do not think Ben Joyce is the lock-in closer that people want him to be, and I am unsure if he will ever get there despite ridiculous stuff. He blew the chance on Saturday night, a game in which the Angels became walk-off losers. Samy Natera Jr. could also easily be part of the closer mix here.
Seattle: Andres Munoz looks great again in Seattle, pushing his ERA back down under 4.00 to 3.98, while earning 27 saves with a spectacular 37.6% K%. It’s good to see him looking like himself again, as he has the ability to be one of the best closers in the game.
Texas got one-time closer Robert Garcia back this week, and they immediately inserted him into a setup role; the lefty earned his first win of 2026 on Saturday night. I do not think he is a threat to Jacob Latz, who has been outstanding all year with a 1.81 ERA, 28 saves, and a 30% K%. The team also welcomed back veteran Nathan Eovaldi to a middle relief role for now, so they have added a couple of good weapons as they fight for a playoff berth over these next two weeks.
NL East
Pete Fairbanks is back and earned his first save since coming off the injured list on Saturday night. It’s been a tough season for Fairbanks, who, despite having a helpful 19 saves, has a most unhelpful 6.10 ERA despite a 31.3% K%. He could be on the waiver wire in your league and could be worth a bid if you’re chasing saves. Calvin Faucher moves back to a setup role with Michael Petersen.
Dedniel Nunez has elevated into a top setup role for closer Kodai Senga, while Daniel Duarte has been demoted to middle relief. Nunez quietly has three holds in his 13 games and appears to be the most trusted setup option at this time. Senga now has seven saves since moving to the bullpen, with a better 3.86 ERA since then, which has been 1.74 in August and 3.00 in September.
Jhoan Duran has run into some hard times in Philadelphia over the last week, taking two losses in his last three outings. Despite the recent struggles, Duran has 30 saves, a 1.82 ERA, and a 34.4% K%. Jonathan Bowlan and Brooks Raley also blew saves this week in Philly. They will look to get this squared away again before the playoffs.
Wrote about Erik Tolman this week, and he seems to be the top choice for saves in Washington, especially in light of former closer Clayton Beeter being optioned to the minors. This team has blown more saves than just about any team this season and needs to identify a solution for 2027.
NL Central
The Chicago Cubs are fascinating to watch with their bullpen usage. Ryan Zeferjahn locked down his sixth save on Saturday. An interesting development here could be the addition of Edward Cabrera to the bullpen. Jacob Webb should remain the closer for now; the team hopes that one-time closer Daniel Palencia can round into better form and help the back end of the bullpen. Veteran lefty Ryan Rolison could be part of the mix as well.
Mason Montgomery is the lights-out closer in Pittsburgh. I cannot understand how he is not rostered in every league. He has four wins and 11 saves since the All-Star break in Pittsburgh, with a 0.73 ERA and 40 strikeouts against six walks in 24 innings. What’s not to like?
Riley O’Brien has 36 saves but gave up a huge home run to the Chicago White Sox Randal Grichuk on Saturday night to take a loss and balloon his ERA to 4.20. Gordon Graceffo has replaced George Soriano as a top setup option with Ryne Stanek.
NL West
Arizona has used huge efforts from the back end of their bullpen to win games and stay relevant in the playoff picture. Juan Morillo (three saves) and Brandyn Garcia (five saves) are the top candidates to close on any given night, even as both have seen little usage this week. I can tell you that while would-be closer Justin Martinez is back from his Tommy John surgery, he has yet to pitch on consecutive days, which means he is not going to get chances at this point except in odd circumstances.
The situation in Los Angeles always intrigues me. Tanner Scott has been a savior this season there with 22 saves in a season where would-be closer Edwin Diaz has been besieged by injuries and bouts of ineffectiveness. Currently, Edgardo Henriquez and Evan Phillips retain the top setup roles and have been plain nasty. But this team is so deep that they have seven guys on the roster today that have at least one save. Manager Dave Roberts will use almost anyone at any time, and he is conducting open tryouts for bullpen spots for the playoff roster. Roberts has said that Diaz will return soon to a lower leverage role. Let’s see what happens.
In San Francisco, I like Trent Harris, and I have mentioned him in this space before. He seems to be the best bet for saves down the stretch here for the Giants.
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