Fantasy Baseball Reliever Roundup

San Diego Padres
Kyle Hart (HLD)	1.0 IP	1 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	29% CSW
Jeremiah Estrada (HLD)	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	33% CSW
Mason Miller	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	70% CSW

Jeremiah Estrada is a different pitcher this year. The velocity is still down 3.5 MPH, the arm angle has gone from 64° in 2024, to 66° in 2025, and now is at 70°, while he’s also added 3″ of extension this year. There’s a little more break on his pitches as well, so even with the big decrease in velocity, he might be OK here. I’d still prefer 2025 Estrada, and I don’t think this new version can sustain a 35%+ K rate, though it may still work.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Justin Lawrence (L)	1.0 IP	3 ER	3 H	0 BB	2 K	6 Whiffs	32% CSW
José Urquidy	2.0 IP	1 ER	4 H	0 BB	3 K	8 Whiffs	33% CSW

Justin Lawrence allowed back-to-back doubles to Andujar and Castellanos before allowing a 3-run HR to Cronenworth. He’s going to struggle against lefties, but he can’t be given up loud doubles to righties like this.

Kansas City Royals
Luinder Avila	3.0 IP	1 ER	6 H	1 BB	2 K	7 Whiffs	29% CSW
Alex Lange	2.1 IP	1 ER	3 H	0 BB	2 K	8 Whiffs	32% CSW
Steven Cruz	1.1 IP	5 ER	4 H	2 BB	3 K	4 Whiffs	29% CSW
Tyler Tolbert	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	40% CSW

I know they needed to get some innings from these guys today, but I still think Alex Lange as a one-inning leverage reliever could be in the cards here. I’d trust him over Schreiber and maybe Mears at this point.

Cleveland Guardians
Connor Brogdon (HLD)	1.1 IP	0 H	0 BB	3 K	4 Whiffs	38% CSW
Erik Sabrowski (HLD)	0.2 IP	2 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	46% CSW
Matt Festa (SV)	1.1 IP	0 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW

It’s almost crazy to see Erik Sabrowski allow two hits while getting just two outs here, but it has more to do with Witt and Pasquantino being good hitters and finding holes than Sabrowski making mistakes.

Milwaukee Brewers
Grant Anderson	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	29% CSW
Aaron Ashby	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	55% CSW
Jake Woodford	3.0 IP	2 ER	4 H	2 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	29% CSW

Aaron Ashby is perplexing cause he’ll have outings like this (although the second K should have been challenged by Story), but the stuff is mediocre at best, and his role basically makes him a W or bust relief option.

Boston Red Sox
Greg Weissert (HLD)	0.2 IP	1 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	45% CSW
Tyler Samaniego	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	3 K	2 Whiffs	42% CSW
Ryan Watson	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	25% CSW

I want to see more, but Tyler Samaniego at the very least has two interesting offspeed offerings in his sweeper and changeup. The four-seamer is questionable at best, but the sinker could be ok here potentially. This bullpen needs to find a lefty it can trust, so there’s an opportunity for Samaniego.

Baltimore Orioles
Tyler Wells (HLD)	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	23% CSW
Grant Wolfram (HLD)	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	20% CSW
Anthony Nunez (HLD)	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	30% CSW
Rico Garcia (SV)	1.0 IP	0 H	2 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	36% CSW

Anthony Nunez getting the 8th, with Tyler Wells in the 6th is interesting. Nunez didn’t even have his best stuff here, but located much better and was able to win, basically throwing only fastballs.
Rico Garcia had no command in this one; perhaps some nerves about getting tasked with closing out the game. The stuff was still excellent, which allowed him to get through this unscathed.

Chicago White Sox
Lucas Sims (L)	0.1 IP	1 ER	2 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	25% CSW
Bryan Hudson (BS)	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	40% CSW
Sean Newcomb	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	1 Whiffs	36% CSW
Jordan Hicks	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	23% CSW
Tyler Schweitzer	1.1 IP	1 ER	2 H	1 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	27% CSW

This bullpen is looking for a consistent lefty, and Tyler Schweitzer didn’t look terrible here despite the stat line. He may be more of a reverse-splits guy though, as his four-seam/changeup grade out better than his slider and sweeper (small sample obviously).

Seattle Mariners
Jose A. Ferrer	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	0 K	4 Whiffs	31% CSW
Eduard Bazardo	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	12% CSW
Gabe Speier	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	56% CSW

notes

Texas Rangers
Chris Martin (HLD)	1.0 IP	0 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	50% CSW
Luis Curvelo (HLD)	2.0 IP	0 H	2 K	3 Whiffs	40% CSW
Cole Winn (SV)	1.0 IP	1 H	1 K	1 Whiffs	12% CSW

This Mariners lineup is not able to do much right now, but Chris Martin’s fastball looked a bit better yesterday, and Luis Curvelo could be intriguing (I believe the slider is better than it looked last night).
Cole Winn got the save with Jakob Junis getting the day off, but don’t be surprised if we see more of this moving forward. Winn right now has the best stuff in this bullpen and should be able to take this role with Junis just living and dying by balls in play.

Los Angeles Dodgers
Jack Dreyer (BS)	0.1 IP	2 ER	3 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	11% CSW
Blake Treinen	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	22% CSW
Ben Casparius (L)	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	25% CSW

Jack Dreyer and Ben Casparius had no command of their stuff yesterday, but the stuff was still present. It is interesting that Tanner Scott did not pitch in this series for some reason.

Toronto Blue Jays
Louis Varland	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	38% CSW
Mason Fluharty	0.1 IP	1 ER	0 H	2 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	21% CSW
Tyler Rogers (W)	1.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	25% CSW
Jeff Hoffman (SV)	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	29% CSW

Jeff Hoffman once again made things interesting in the ninth but was able to escape with the save despite having no slider command and shaky four-seam command. This is going to happen with him time to time, but I ultimately think he’ll be fine, or at least good enough to not lose his role here.

Houston Astros
AJ Blubaugh (L)	1.0 IP	5 ER	4 H	3 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	18% CSW
Enyel De Los Santos	2.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	1 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	19% CSW
Christian Roa	1.2 IP	1 ER	0 H	3 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	18% CSW
Kai-Wei Teng	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	28% CSW
Bryan Abreu	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	2 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	23% CSW

AJ Blubaugh has had two brutal outings in a row, with his stuff being way down in both, but this was a tough spot for him as he was replacing an injured starter, plus being in Coors. I think we need to give him at least one outing outside of Coors or Sutter Health before fully moving on.
Same thing kind of goes for Bryan Abreu, let’s see how he looks in his next outing outside of those two nightmare ballparks for pitchers. That being said, Abreu looked awful yesterday, having no fastball command.

Colorado Rockies
Zach Agnos (SV)	3.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	6 Whiffs	27% CSW

Zach Agnos mixed and matched six pitches here to finish the game, but not one of those pitches is super interesting.

Philadelphia Phillies
Jonathan Bowlan	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	28% CSW
José Alvarado	0.2 IP	1 ER	2 H	2 K	0 Whiffs	24% CSW
Zach Pop	0.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 K	0 Whiffs	40% CSW

José Alvarado looks fine, but it’s not where he was at pre-PED suspension. He’ll still probably be a fine reliever and is the team’s top lefty option, but he’ll need to show some more consistent command if his stuff is back to 2024 levels.

San Francisco Giants
Matt Gage (W)	0.2 IP	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	31% CSW
Caleb Kilian (HLD)	0.2 IP	0 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	31% CSW
Blade Tidwell (HLD)	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	15% CSW
Erik Miller	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	41% CSW

OK, Blade Tidwell getting a hold here in the eighth is intriguing. He doesn’t quite have the same stuff as Kilian or Winn, but he could have better command, and the fastball may have a chance to be better than it looks right now. Two other things in his favor: an awesome name, especially for a high-leverage reliever, but he also has a history with his manager, as Tidwell pitched for Tennessee from 2021-22.

St. Louis Cardinals
Matt Svanson (HLD)	1.2 IP	1 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	17% CSW
Justin Bruihl (HLD)	0.1 IP	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW
Riley O’Brien	1.0 IP	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	13% CSW

Matt Svanson is grinding right now, and this still doesn’t look like the guy we saw last year. I still think an IL or AAA stint may be needed to reset him and get him back on track.

Washington Nationals
Brad Lord	3.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	6 Whiffs	29% CSW
Cionel Pérez	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	2 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	25% CSW
Cole Henry	1.2 IP	2 ER	0 H	1 BB	3 K	6 Whiffs	23% CSW
PJ Poulin	0.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	27% CSW

So maybe this bullpen is as bad as I had originally thought, but I had talked myself into Cole Henry being decent leading up to the season, and that has not been the case so far. The swing and miss has improved, I suppose, and this bullpen is wide open. It still feels like so who knows, he could be closing out games by the end of April.

Atlanta Braves
Joel Payamps	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	29% CSW
José Suarez	2.0 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	3 K	5 Whiffs	29% CSW

You could do worse than José Suarez as your long reliever/6th SP on the roster. He still has a passable three-pitch mix and located them well in this one.

Los Angeles Angels
Ryan Zeferjahn	1.2 IP	2 ER	2 H	2 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	26% CSW
Sam Bachman	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	40% CSW
Brent Suter	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	38% CSW

Kirby Yates is starting a rehab assignment soon, so we may have to pump the brakes on Sam Bachman being a holds league option. His stuff is so electric, though, and while the command needs work, he should be able to overtake guys like Yates and Jordan Romano eventually.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Ryan Thompson (HLD)	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW
Andrew Hoffmann	2.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	1 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	21% CSW
Taylor Clarke	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	19% CSW

Nothing to get excited about here.

New York Mets
Sean Manaea	4.0 IP	2 ER	5 H	2 BB	2 K	6 Whiffs	19% CSW

The sweeper is working for Sean Manaea, but his other four pitches are all between 83-88 MPH with similar movement profiles.

Chicago Cubs
Hoby Milner	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 K	0 Whiffs	20% CSW
Ben Brown	2.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	3 K	6 Whiffs	32% CSW
Hunter Harvey	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 K	1 Whiffs	31% CSW

Hunter Harvey looked good in this one, and right now he’s separating himself from Phil Maton as the team’s top setup man.

Tampa Bay Rays
Jesse Scholtens	4.2 IP	0 ER	4 H	1 BB	4 K	6 Whiffs	30% CSW

Jesse Scholtens gave the Rays bullpen a night off, and could be a fine long man for them, but off the fantasy radar for now.

Cincinnati Reds
Sam Moll	2.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	39% CSW
Connor Phillips	2.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	2 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	23% CSW
Pierce Johnson	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	40% CSW

The command wasn’t even that terrible for Connor Phillips here, but hitters are going to be patient against him, knowing his walk tendencies. The HR to Norby wasn’t even a bad pitch, either, especially 1-0.

Miami Marlins
Ryan Gusto (HLD)	1.0 IP	0 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	50% CSW
Andrew Nardi (HLD)	1.0 IP	1 H	0 K	0 Whiffs	40% CSW
Lake Bachar (HLD)	1.0 IP	0 H	2 K	4 Whiffs	39% CSW
Michael Petersen (SV)	1.0 IP	2 H	2 K	1 Whiffs	27% CSW

The Marlins are just producing high vert relievers at a record rate, as today we got Ryan Gusto with his 94.7 MPH fastball with 20.7″ of iVB. Andrew Nardi’s stuff was off the charts per usual, with his 94 MPH four-seam and 18″ of iVB. Lake Bachar was at 95.6 MPH with 19.3″ iVB, and Michael Petersen was 97.1 MPH with 20.2″ iVB to close things out.

Athletics
Scott Barlow	1.2 IP	0 BB	4 K	9 Whiffs	65% CSW
Hogan Harris	0.2 IP	2 BB	2 K	1 Whiffs	25% CSW
Elvis Alvarado (W)	0.2 IP	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	36% CSW
Joel Kuhnel (SV)	1.0 IP	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	42% CSW

This Scott Barlow outing was a fluke more than something to get excited about. Hogan Harris, Elvis Alvarado, and maybe Justin Sterner remain the interesting relievers here; we just need improved fastball command from Harris and Alvarado.

New York Yankees
Tim Hill	1.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 K	2 Whiffs	18% CSW
Camilo Doval	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 K	1 Whiffs	42% CSW
Brent Headrick	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 K	0 Whiffs	29% CSW
David Bednar (L)	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	2 K	3 Whiffs	24% CSW

Velo was a little bit better for Camilo Doval here. I think he’ll be ok, but he’s still a volatile pitcher, so you’re going to have your ups and downs rostering him.
David Bednar still doesn’t seem quite right, but the go-ahead double he gave up to Langeliers here wasn’t even a bad pitch. He leaned on his curveball in his one, which is likely his third-best offering. I think things will be OK, and he doesn’t have someone behind him knocking down the door for saves, but a blown save or loss this weekend could change the conversation.

Detroit Tigers
Enmanuel De Jesus	1.0 IP	1 H	2 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	19% CSW
Kyle Finnegan	1.0 IP	0 H	2 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	12% CSW
Will Vest	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	40% CSW

Kyle Finnegan’s stuff and command were down here; I think we can chalk it up to cold weather, hopefully?

Minnesota Twins
Justin Topa	0.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW
Anthony Banda	0.2 IP	4 ER	4 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	24% CSW
Cole Sands (HLD)	0.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	33% CSW
Cody Laweryson (HLD)	1.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	1 Whiffs	23% CSW
Kody Funderburk (SV)	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	25% CSW

This bullpen is so chaotic, and at this point, I just want to avoid everyone (except maybe Orze).

If you’re looking for potential relievers to stream today, check out RP Streamers

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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 4/8

Rick Graham

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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 4/8

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