Top 300 Relievers for Fantasy Baseball 2026 – UPDATED

Cade Smith – Smith followed up his 2024 breakout with another fantastic season in 2025 (2.32 SIERA, 28.3% K-BB), finishing the year in the closer role. It was actually a small step back from 2024 if we are nitpicking, but both seasons were incredibly consistent, all things considered. Smith’s fastball might look less than compared to the other top closers out there, but it plays up due to his 7.4″ of extension, and the threat of two plus secondaries in his splitter and sweeper certainly doesn’t hurt. I have some concerns about his workload over the past two seasons (162 appearances, 162.1 IP including postseason), but if he can remain healthy, he should be a top-10 closer option for 2026.

Hunter Gaddis – Gaddis leaned into his slider more last year, which led to more swing and miss (23.6% K, 16.4% SwStr rates). In fact, he’s upped his slider usage every season (32% to 45% to 54%), and why wouldn’t he, as it’s clearly his best offering. Despite his ratios taking a small step back, his estimators actually liked him more in 2025 than in 2024, which looks like an outlier season. We’ll take what he gave us in 2025, though (35 holds), and it looks like Gaddis has settled in as a solid, yet lower-upside set-up option.

Shawn Armstrong – Armstrong was the Rangers’ most consistent reliever this past season (3.36 SIERA, 19% K-BB), and wound up closing out games down the stretch, almost reaching double-digit saves. Armstrong incorporated his sweeper more often this past year (usage was up 17.7%), and despite not having a true dominant offering, he kept hitters off balance, mixing in all four pitches almost equally (between 23.5% and 29% usage for each). The Guardians signed the veteran to a $5.5 million contract in December, likely for him to pitch in some sort of setup/high-leverage role.

Erik Sabrowski – Sabrowski got a late start to the 2025 season, only finishing with 29.1 innings, but the big lefty flashed that tantalizing upside we saw in 2024 (34.7% K, 18.1% SwStr rates), and he should return as the Guardians’ top left-handed reliever. The fastball is just dominant here, and not because of the velocity. Sabrowski’s four seamer sits at a respectable 94 MPH, but he gets 19 inches of induced vertical break (iVB) and 21.5 inches of total break on the pitch with high spin rates (2,634 RPM). Now, if he could just locate it more consistently at the top of the zone, it should benefit his two breaking balls. The slider overtook the curve as Sabrowski’s top secondary last year (as it should have), although he still prefers the curveball against right-handed hitters. The slider finished 2025 with a 27.4% swinging strike rate (98th percentile) while the curve sat at 13.2% (61st percentile).

Matt Festa – Festa was a pleasant surprise down the stretch for the Guardians, especially considering the team had lost Emmanuel Clase, as Festa held a 2.95 xFIP and a 25.4% strikeout-minus-walk rate over the second half. Festa doesn’t throw hard (92 MPH average fastball velocity), but it has some funky shape (Phil Maton “cutter”-ish), and he locates it well. The sweeper is his swing and miss offering, although he’s able to locate it for strikes when needed as well. He should remain in a middle relief role to open 2026.

Tim Herrin – Following up 2024’s breakout campaign (1.92 ERA, 0.97 WHIP), Herrin took a step backward in 2025, finishing with a 4.85 ERA and 1.57 WHIP. The curveball can still be a weapon for him, but he needs to command it better, as his fastball can not be the only pitch he can locate in the zone consistently. The fastball is pretty bad and predictably gets hammered. The slider is probably the make-or-break offering here, as it is a pitch Herrin can throw for strikes AND get Whiffs with, but that being said, it was hit harder this past season, resulting in him using it 10% less. There’s still some bat missing ability here from the big lefty (30.5% CSW), but Sabrowski should still be seen as the team’s top left handed set up option until further notice.

Connor Brogdon – Brogdon’s velocity saw a boost last year after missing most of 2024 with plantar fasciitis. His 95.5 average fastball velocity was up almost three ticks from last year and was Brogdon’s highest mark since 2021. Plus horizontal break and extension make up for the lack of elite velocity and lower iVB on the pitch. Brogdon’s changeup is actually his primary offering and his highest swing-and-miss offering, as you might expect. I like the changeup (it gets a ton of break and has a 10 MPH velocity difference from the fastball), but so didn’t left-handed hitters somewhat surprisingly (.360 batting average against). The cutter is a third wrinkle and a solid offering, one perhaps he could throw more often (he rarely uses it against left-handed hitters despite having success with it against lefties).

Brogdon was able to secure an MLB deal despite his 5.55 ERA and 1.34 WHIP last season, as the under-the-hood metrics did seem more promising. He finished with a 48.7% Z-O%, and 14.4% swinging strike for the season, and finished the year strong with a 30.2% strikeout rate from July on (24.2 IP). He won’t open the year in a high-leverage role for the Guardians, but this could be one of the better bargain deals of the offseason (think Brad Keller 2025), so don’t be surprised if Brogdon winds up fantasy relevant over the second half of 2026.

 

Colorado Rockies

Seth Halvorsen – Halvorsen throws really hard and has swing-and-miss stuff (14.2% SwStr, 110 Stuff+), but he hasn’t been consistent enough to hold on to the closer role despite finishing with 11 saves last season. He may be better off throwing his two-seamer/sinker as his primary fastball, as his four-seamer almost has more iHB (10.6″) than iVB (11.9″), and he had a low location with the pitch almost 31% of the time. This did result in a 61% GB rate for his fastball, but also a hard hit rate of 54.3% and a .346 xwOBA. His heavier sinker approach in 2024 definitely seemed to work better for him. The splitter and slider are both solid or better, and can be big swing and miss offerings if Halvorsen can improve his fastball efficiency.

Victor Vodnik – Vodnik also throws hard and finished last season with 10 saves, but it came with just a 10.7% strikeout-minus-walk and 25.7% CSW rate. His fastball doesn’t move much, but at 99 MPH, it should be able to be effective, especially if he can locate at the top of the zone more consistently (44.6% hiLoc). The pitch held a 54% Hard-Hit rate last year and a .477 xSLG, so something needs to change. His changeup was his big swing and miss pitch last year (20.8% SwStr) with his slider being a big called strike offering (21.2% CS), but just like with Halvorsen, the fastball is going to need to be better for Vodnik to truly take off.

Juan Mejia – Mejia may actually have been the Rockies best reliever last season, as he finished with a respectable 26.1% strikeout rate and a 14.6% swinging-strike rate on the year. Mejia only throws two pitches, starting with a 96-97 MPH fastball that doesn’t move much despite a high spin rate. It was very effective last year, but the slider is clearly Mejia’s best pitch (-14.6″ iHB and 2827 rpm spin rate) and one that may even be more dominant with some better fastball command.

Jimmy Herget – Herget finished with the best ratios in this bullpen last year (2.48 ERA, 1.18 WHIP), and the team had even considered stretching him out to be a starter this year. He can definitely spin a breaking ball and has some deceptive funk with his low arm angle. His sinker survived last season, but he’s definitely a spin doctor with the two princes pitches that he trusts the most being his curveball and slider. The curve is the swing and miss offering with the slider being more of an early in the count strike getter, but both are effective, and I wonder if he could even up the usage rates on each one while throwing his fastballs less.

Pierson Ohl – Ohl could be a guy that rises in this bullpen if he can command his fastball better because his changeup is in double-plus territory. Ohl doesn’t throw hard (92 MPH), but that fastball gets nearly 18″ of iVB and 20.2″ of Total Break, but he did not locate it well (31.4% loLoc and just 37.2% hiLoc), which led to the pitch having a .362/.432/.588 expected slash line (xBA/xwOBA/xSLG). Funny enough, the changeup was responsible for all five home runs Ohl allowed last year, as hitters were clearly sitting on the pitch, hoping he’d hang one to them. He mixed in a curveball and cutter as well; neither was great, and while ideally he would develop a third pitch here, something that breaks preferably, I think he can make the fastball/changeup mix work with improved command of the two (especially the fastball). EDIT: Ohl was traded to Colorado, and while Coors is obviously a downgrade, there’s plenty of opportunity.

Jaden Hill – Another talented young reliever in this organization, Hill has a starter’s repertoire and has been mentioned as a potential future closer in the not-so-distant past. He throws hard, sitting in the upper 90’s with his fastball, but the secondaries are lagging behind at the moment. Hill’s one of the higher upside reliever arms in this organization, along with lefty Welinton Herrera.

RJ Petit – The first pick in the Rule 5 Draft, Petit is listed at 6’8″, 300 lbs (bigger than Félix Bautista) and can touch 98 MPH with his fastball, which generates more armside run than vertical break. His slider is his best secondary, and one he can throw in any count. As a fastball (sinker)/slider relief specialist, there’s some appeal in Petit, but dealing with the conditions in Colorado will be a tough mountain to climb.

 

Detroit Tigers

Kenley Jansen – Jansen still proved he could hang in this league as a closer (114 Stuff+), and he enters 2026 needing just 3 saves to surpass Lee Smith as third all-time and is just 24 saves away from 500. Just like it did for Mariano Rivera, Jansen’s cutter has carried him in the later stages of his career, and while the strikeout rates have declined over the past nine years (from 42.2% in 2017 to 24.4% in 2025), Jansen is still capable of giving you average or better ratio help and has had at least 25 saves every year since 2012 (excluding 2020). For someone who allows a ton of hard contact, especially in the air, the fit in Detroit is ideal for Jansen, and the only question that remains is what exactly his role will be?

Kyle Finnegan – Finnegan was much better in the second half last year after moving to Detroit (2.33 xFIP, 31.8% K), as the Tigers were able to unlock a side of Finnegan we had never seen just by upping his splitter usage 25%. The splitter is not exactly amazing either, but it beats throwing his four-seamer 70% of the time, which, despite relatively good shape on the pitch while sitting 96+ MPH, he doesn’t locate ideally (42% hiLoc%), which contributed to poor HardHit (42.9%) and average exit velocity marks (90.4%). Finnegan’s role in Detroit this season remains uncertain, but the consensus is that Jansen will be the primary closer, leaving Finnegan in an eighth-inning/next man up spot.

Will Vest – Vest was the Tigers’ most consistent reliever throughout the entirety of last season, finishing with a 3.03 xFIP and 18.7% strikeout-minus-walk rate, as well as a surprising 59% ground-ball rate as he featured his sinker more. Despite a four-seamer (still his primary despite the sinker usage increase) that could play up at the top of the zone, Vest only had a 43% high location on the pitch, which could be the reason behind the hard hit metrics being so high on the pitch. A.J. Hinch likes flexibility in his bullpen, so it’s possible Vest can still break double-digit saves, but I’d only be comfortable drafting in holds leagues for the time being.

Tyler Holton – Holton is a fine Swiss Army Knife left-handed reliever (3.57 xFIP), but from a fantasy standpoint, there really isn’t much to get excited about here. He has a six-pitch mix, led by his cutter and sinker (which, with a 5.62 PLV, ranks in the 99th percentile) that keeps hitters off balance, and the sinker command keeps his floor high. Despite the lack of strikeouts, he should be good for another 15 or so holds again this season with ratios that won’t hurt you.

Brant Hurter – Hurter functions as the secondary utility lefty, starting some games and can usually go more than one inning in an outing. He finished with respectable numbers last season (30.1% CSW%, 113 Stuff+, 3.43 pCRA), but the strikeout upside still feels capped, and he’s not a consistent holds option (just five last season).

Brenan Hanifee – Hanifee’s sinker/slider combo is good enough to get by, and his low walk rates (5.4%) and high groundball rates (57.8%) keep his floor rather high, but there’s next to no strikeout upside here (15.4% K, 6% SwStr).

 

Houston Astros

Josh Hader – The big question with Hader heading into 2026 is how healthy is that left shoulder of his? He was his normal dominant self before hitting the IL (37% K, 22.3% SwStr rates), and as long as he is healthy in March (and it should be a normal spring for him), I’d expect him to be a top-five closer in baseball. Hader’s fastball (it registers as a sinker, it’s not really) is still elite, sitting 95-96 mph as he gets nearly 17.7″ iVB while locating it at the top of the zone 60% of the time. The slider has come a long way since his rookie season, and he upped the usage on it last year by 14% (is this related to his shoulder issue?), now mixing his sinker/slider at about a 55/40 usage rate. It doesn’t break a ton, but it certainly gets the job done (28.5% SwStr rate) and complements his fastball nicely. He did make an effort to make his changeup a thing last year as well, throwing 37 of them, with his 4.4% usage rate the highest it’s been since 2017 (his rookie year). It’s not great, but not particularly terrible either, so if he mixes it in now and then against a tough right-handed hitter, that should be fine.

Bryan Abreu – The Abreu/Hader combo is one of the best, most consistent duos in baseball when healthy, and Abreu was once again elite in 2025, finishing with 35.5% strikeout and 19.1% swinging-strike rates. The four-seamer isn’t exactly dominant despite 97+ MPH velocity, but the slider is, both at creating swing and miss (21.7%) and also his ability to get called strikes with it (19.1%). It’s truly a unique pitch with a ton of break (12.2″, 2918 rpm spin rate too). He should return as Hader’s top setup man before hitting free agency in 2027, where he should get plenty of interest to close out games.

Bennett Sousa – Sousa was one of three left-handed Astro relievers to break out in 2025 (22.1% K-BB, 19.5% SwStr), but he, like Hader, failed to finish the season healthy as Sousa finished the year on the IL with an elbow injury. Sousa upped his slider usage to 58% last year, which makes sense; it’s his best pitch. His four-seamer sat at 95 MPH, but he missed middle/down way too often with it. He got lucky with the pitch last year, and he’ll need to locate better moving forward.

Steven Okert – Okert also broke out in a big way (23.6% K-BB, 16.8% SwStr), but he only finished with ten holds. He has essentially the same pitch mix and usage as Sousa (Slider: 58%, Fastball: 42%), but his slider is a little bit better than Sousa’s, while the fastball is…not so much. The slider has always been a big swing and miss pitch for Okert (22% SwStr rate), but the fastball location last year definitely helped him take a step forward as he finished with career high 52.5% Zone and 58% high location rates.

Bryan King – The third lefty in this breakout group, King finished with 27 holds, a 3.03 SIERA, and a 21.1% strikeout-minus-walk rate, and should remain in some sort of setup role next season. King breaks the mold from the other two here, as he actually throws his four-seamer 62% of the time, with the sweeper coming in at just 27%. King’s fastball doesn’t have the best shape and sits at just 92 MPH, but thanks to 59.2% Zone and 58% high location rates, it was highly effective. The sweeper breaks a ton left to right, but surprisingly didn’t get a ton of Whiffs (25.2%) and instead was actually more of a called strike getter (17.6%).

Enyel De Los Santos – De Los Santos didn’t do anything last year to put himself on the map in holds leagues, but his 15.5% swinging strike rate proved he could still miss bats at a high rate. His fastball sat at a career high 96.2 MPH last year, but was vulnerable to hard contact and allowed five home runs (all located at the middle-bottom part of the zone). The slider and changeup were the swing and miss offerings, with the changeup in particular looking like a pitch De Los Santos may want to break out more this year.

Nate Pearson / Roddery Muñoz – There’s some fun upside in both Pearson and Muñoz (the rare Rule 5 draft pick with 93.2 MLB innings already). Pearson can still sit 98 MPH with his fastball, and the slider has flashed at times, but his command for both pitches remains a work in progress (way too much middle-middle). Muñoz can probably be an effective sinker/slider middle reliever, and maybe better if he too can shore up his control/command issues.

 

Kansas City Royals

Carlos Estévez – Estévez led the league in saves with 42 and finished with a 2.45 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. He also ranked 142nd in xFIP, 135th in SIERA, 120th in strikeout rate, 136th in swinging-strike rate, and 142nd in CSW amongst 147 qualified relievers. I talk about the bad in Estévez’s profile all the time, so let’s focus on the positives here. Estévez still managed a 1.06 WHIP, which is impressive no matter how much luck we factor in. His HardHit rate at 38.1% is on the above average side, and while he never gets ground balls, his outfield defense should be fine as long as Kyle Isbel remains in centerfield. His 53.7% Z-O% in the second half also wasn’t the worst; it’s actually close to league average. Estévez actually has a pretty OK fastball too; he can sit 96 MPH, and it has solid shape, but he just has trouble locating it at the top of the zone. The slider is OK as well, an average secondary is better and more useful than a poor secondary, right? The changeup ain’t great, but it’s just a third offering anyway. It’s not impossible for Estévez to find the same luck again this season, but that being said, I can’t endorse this (especially with Kauffman’s new dimensions), so draft at your own risk.

Lucas Erceg – Erceg took a step back in 2025 with his strikeout-minus-walk rate dropping 10.1% all the way to 12%, and he did see diminished velocity as well. After missing some time in May/June with a lower back strain, Erceg returned and averaged 97.4 MPH on his fastball, down 1.2 MPH from 2024. From that point on, Erceg compiled a 4.08 SIERA, 1.39 WHIP, and just a 9.4% strikeout-minus-walk rate. The four-seamer has never had great shape, but the velocity and ability to locate it at the top of the zone have helped it play up in the past. The sinker’s actually been the better fastball option for Erceg, as it gets plenty of weak contact (23.6% ICR). The slider (the pitch basically doesn’t break horizontally) and changeup are OK, but I actually think I like his sinker and changeup the best of his four pitches, and those are the two he throws the least. He’ll likely return in a setup role if healthy (finished the year on the IL with a shoulder impingement), but there’s also a potential starter profile here if the Royals were ever interested in exploring that.

Matt Strahm – Strahm wasn’t as dominant this past season as he had been the previous two with the Phillies, but overall, he was still solid in a setup role there. Strahm’s xERA almost matched his ERA (2.75 xERA, 2.74 ERA), but his other ERA estimators were not as bullish (4.22 xFIP, 3.60 SIERA). After posting a 28.7% strikeout-minus-walk in 2024, that number came all the way down to 19.5% this past season, which is a respectable number, but I think it shows that we are starting to see Strahm’s stuff slip a little bit. The fastball lost a MPH this past year, and now is down almost 2 ticks from 2022, but it’s still a good offering, one that gets a lot of ride and pretty good rise as well. Strahm threw his slider a career high 31.4% last year, up 12.5% from 2024, and you’d think that would have led to better strikeout and whiff rates, but the slider has never been a huge swing-and-miss pitch for him. Even with the declining stuff, Strahm should be fairly safe in Kansas City now and get plenty of hold opportunities as the team’s top left-handed reliever.

Nick Mears – Despite a sub-one WHIP on the season, I’d qualify Mears’ 2025 as a disappointment as the strikeouts disappeared as he lost some velocity last year. The velocity did come back a little bit in the second half (96.1 MPH, up from 95 MPH in the first half), but was still lower than where he was sitting in 2024 (96.7 MPH). The swinging strike rate did make a comeback in the second half (15%) with that increase in velocity, so perhaps we see an increase in his strikeout rate in 2026. The fastball is a good pitch, even with the lower velocity, as it has great shape (17.5″ iVB) and Mears did a better job locating it at the top of the zone last year. The slider is the big bat missing pitch here, a pitch he threw almost 20% more last season as he scaled back his curveball to throw his slider more (which was smart). The slider held a 48.4% chase rate and 38.5% CSW on the year, both top 10 percent amongst sliders. I think a 50/50 pitch mix with the fastball/slider, while maybe throwing the slider off the plate a little bit more (Zone rate went from 38% to 48% in 2025), could be the ticket to sustained success for Mears here. Now in Kansas City, the path to potential saves gets a lot easier, as he may just need a poor start from Estévez to get a chance.

John Schreiber – Schreiber’s profile at this point is pretty basic, but his second season in Kansas City was better than his first. He located his four-seam better last year, locating it up in the zone more often, which led to a 10.8% swinging strike increase with the pitch. It almost switched roles with his sweeper, which became an early strike getter and held just a 17.2% Whiff rate. It’s an interesting change to his approach, and however he goes about attacking hitters, Schreiber’s 22+ holds in three of the past four seasons have him at least on the radar in holds leagues.

Alex Lange – Lange only appeared in one MLB game last year, but he still showed he has swing-and-miss stuff at the AAA level, and he should be in line for a bullpen spot in Kansas City. Can he get back to 2022 Lange territory again? If so, I’ll definitely be in on his comeback story.

Steven Cruz – Cruz has a big frame and features plus stuff (119 Stuff+), but I’d like to see some more swing and miss from him, especially if his walk rate is going to hover around 10%.

 

Los Angeles Angels

Robert Stephenson – Stephenson has only been able to throw 10 innings over the past two seasons since signing with the Angels. He had issues staying healthy once again last year, but when he was on the mound, he did (at times) show the upside he brings and why the Angels gave him $33 million after the 2023 season. In his first game back last year, Stephenson was sitting 98.2 MPH with his fastball, and struck out two in a clean inning, which had me all sorts of excited. Unfortunately, he immediately went right back on the IL, and we didn’t see him again until the end of August. In his first 6 games back, he sat 96 MPH with his fastball (6 H, 1 K, 2 BB), but over his final three outings, he was at 97 MPH (1 H, 6 K, 0 BB), and while he finished the season on the IL once again with elbow inflammation, there’s still some hope he can build off those final three outings.

Kirby Yates – Yates was not exactly useful to the Dodgers’ bullpen this past season, but he was still able to miss bats at a high rate (29.1% K, 18.2% SwStr), and he has plenty of closer experience (98 career saves) working in his favor. One noticeable change with Yates last year was his arm angle, which was the lowest it has been since 2022 (19″). In 2023 and 2024, he was at 22″. His fastball and splitter each lost an inch in total break as a result, and he got less chase than the previous year. I’m not sure if “fixing” the arm angle is all Yates needs to bounce back, and it could be tough for him to even do that at his age (the lower arm angle could be a result of fatigue for someone soon to be 39 years old). Either way, there’s still some intrigue, giving the fastball/splitter ability to miss bats as well as the closer experience, but I’m not sure he’s the best man for the closer job here if everyone is healthy.

Jordan Romano – Speaking of closer experience, the Angels also added Jordan Romano (113 career saves), who had a terrible (and unlucky) 2025, but he did show some spurts of dominance in May and ultimately proved he could still miss bats at an above-average level (25.1% K, 31.2% CSW) at least. Romano’s slider is still a good offering; it’s a unique pitch with a super low spin rate (1982 rpm), but it’s a fine enough secondary for a potential closer. The fastball is definitely an issue, as we’ve seen his velocity go from 97.6 MPH in 2021, steadily decline year after year, to 95.5 MPH in 2025. Romano gets elite extension (7.5) and solid iVB (16.5), but he’s not able to command it consistently (only a 46.5% Zone rate) with a lot of misses in the middle of the plate as well as outside the zone. If he can improve the fastball, one way or another, and stay healthy, Romano could see saves at some point in the year.

Drew Pomeranz – After not pitching for four years, Pomeranz shocked everyone with how effective he was last season at age 36, finishing with a very respectable 3.13 SIERA, and 20.7% strikeout-minus-walk rate over 49.2 innings with the Cubs. He doesn’t throw hard (sits 92.7 MPH on fastball), but the pitch generates great spin rates (2,633 rpm) with above-average iVB (16.7″), and Pomeranz can locate at the top of the zone over 55% of the time. He flashes the curve to keep hitters honest, but the fastball remains Pomeranz bread and butter. There’s a non-zero chance Pomeranz sees early save chances in what could be a deep bullpen for the Angels, just one that doesn’t necessarily have a true closer to open the season.

Ryan Zeferjahn – Zeferjahn had a roller coaster 2025 campaign, but the upside is apparent (28.4% K, 121 Stuff), and he may actually be the most dependable option in this bullpen for 2026. Similar to Romano, the four-seamer is not great, so either Zeferjahn needs to throw it less or improve the shape (or at 97.5 MPH, just spam it at the top of the zone 15-20% of the time?). The sweeper, cutter, and slider are all pretty fun, though, and I’d like to see him throw them more often moving forward (I actually think his four pitch mix could lead him back to starting again down the road, but that’s a story for another day). Let’s hope for more consistency from Zeferjahn this year (he was awesome in April and August in 2025, not so great in the other months), but there are certainly pieces here to be excited about, especially given his track record of health.

José Fermin – Fermin has big-time stuff (97 MPH fastball, 19.2% SwStr rate slider) and missed bats at a good clip (25.7% K, 32.1% CSW), but his command/control needs a lot of work still. The 15.1% walk rate feels a bit misleading since Fermin’s fastball actually holds a 56.6% zone rate, but while he can throw the pitch in the zone, he could still do a better job living at the top of it. The slider only has a 40.3% Zone rate, which is low, but for a slider (or any secondary), it’s not exactly terrible (34th percentile), but again, he could definitely do a better job living at the bottom of the zone with the pitch. The command needs work, but the stuff is here for Fermin to be the potential long-term closer for the Angels, and he’s been able to throw 120 innings the past two seasons, which may end up being the most important metric in this bullpen currently.

Ben Joyce – Joyce was limited to 4.1 IP last year as his season ended early with a shoulder injury. He was able to throw 53.2 innings in 2024, but the injury-prone label isn’t going away for the hard-throwing righty. Sure, he has closer stuff, but can the organization rely on him to be available for the bulk of a season? (Joyce is projected to begin the year on the IL)

 

Los Angeles Dodgers

Edwin Díaz – The save totals were down last year, but Díaz was still a no-doubt top-tier closer (2.18 SIERA. 38% K). Díaz’s four-seam acts more like a two-seamer with more horizontal break than vertical break, but all in all, the velocity (97.2 MPH), extension (7.2′), approach angle (-3.6 VAA, 1.9 HAVAA), and location (58.3% hiLoc%) led the pitch to have an elite 39.1% Whiff rate and just a .133 batting average against. PLV is technically down on the pitch, given it’s 48.5% Zone rate, but it’s nothing to be worried about, as Díaz has actually never held a zone rate on his fastball above 50% in his career (and he’s had a pretty good career). Similar things can be said for his slider, which we can all agree on is, in fact, a plus pitch. There’s a chance Scott steals some saves, and Dodgeritis is always in play here, but there’s not much to really be concerned about. I’m not sure anyone can match the upside Mason Miller provides, but Díaz might be the best mix of safety and upside as far as closers go this draft season.

Tanner Scott – It was a tumultuous first season in LA for Scott, although he was able to finish with a career best 23 saves, so there’s that. The 4.74 ERA doesn’t tell the whole story, and it’s apparent Scott’s stuff is still present as he finished with a 16.5% swinging-strike rate, as well as a 117 Stuff+ and 5.34 PLV. The four-seamer can be awesome, as he sits 96.5 MPH with it with 1.9 HAVAA (2,550 spin rate), but he does have trouble locating it up in the zone, which can partially explain the 9 home runs he allowed on the pitch last year. After allowing just 6 home runs total over 150 innings in 2023 and 2024, Scott gave up a career high 11 last season, a number we can confidently predict won’t be matched or bested in 2026. The slider is still really good (42.5% O-Swing) and works well off the fastball, especially when he’s commanding his fastball well. He may have lost out on the closer role, but I still see Scott as one of the top holds league options for 2026 now in his second season in LA, with less pressure on him to finish games.

Blake Treinen – Treinen struggled mightily in the second half, especially from September through the end of the postseason, where over his final 13 innings, he allowed 14 earned runs (9.69 ERA) on 19 hits and 12 walks (2.39 WHIP) while striking out only 11. Overall, he showed that his nasty stuff is still in the tank (27.9% K, 113 Stuff+), but there’s also a chance the way he ended the year could mark the beginning of the end for the 37-year-old. Dave Roberts does love himself some Treinen in high-leverage spots though, so we can probably expect him to open the year in a setup role, especially as he’ll be surrounded by a bunch of left-handed options in that high-leverage pecking order.

Alex Vesia – I’m of the belief that Vesia has the stuff to be a closer in this league (2.84 SIERA, 33.8% K, 119 Stuff+, 5.25 PLV), but he will need to wait til he’s a free agent after the season to get that chance. His fastball is one of the best amongst left-handed relievers, and it’s not because of some elite velocity, as he only averages 92.7 MPH. The pitch has a ridiculous 20.3″ iVB (100th percentile), with a -4.1 vertical approach angle and 2,467 rpm spin rate. On top of that, Vesia does a great job locating at the top of the zone (66.7% hiLoc%), which leads to above-average swing and miss numbers on the pitch. The slider continues to improve as well, and he was able to up his Zone rate on the pitch to 47% last year, a big reason why we saw a drop in Vesia’s walk rate. He doesn’t have a ton of faith in his changeup yet, but just like with the slider, he was able to improve his control with it and throw it for strikes more often than not. The offspeed command could still be better, but that’s mostly nitpicking, as Vesia should remain one of the best hold league options again in 2026.

Jack Dreyer – Dreyer is at best the third lefty in the pecking order here, but he is coming off a solid rookie campaign in which he was arguably the team’s most consistent left-hand bullpen option. Dreyer’s fastball is essentially a slightly worse version of Vesia’s (92.7 MPH, 18.8″ iVB), but Dreyer does not command his like Vesia can (49.5% hiLoc, 10.6% middle/middle location). The slider and curveball are fine, and should play up even more if Dreyer can command his fastball up in the zone more. Dreyer still has options, so he could start the season in AAA, but after last year’s performance, Dreyer deserves to be on the opening day roster.

Brusdar Graterol / Brock Stewart – Graterol has totaled just 18 innings since the start of 2024, but there’s a chance the hard-throwing sinkerballer (bowling-baller is more apt) will be ready for spring training. Stewart is another Dodger pitcher (albeit new) who struggles with health issues, but when he is on the mound, he is a steady setup option (19.5% K-BB, 16.1% SwStr, 113 Stuff+). He is coming off shoulder surgery in September, but there’s hope he can be available around midseason.

 

Miami Marlins

Pete Fairbanks – Fairbanks looked fairly mediocre in the first half of 2025 but finished the year strong with a 2.56 SIERA and 27% strikeout-minus-walk rate over the second half. Most importantly, he made it through the year healthy, finally. The reason for that second-half resurgence comes from the introduction of a new cutter that he started throwing about 13% of the time. The metrics aren’t exactly off the charts on the pitch, and it may be because hitters just weren’t aware he had the pitch in his bag, but the pitch dominated down the stretch (66.7% O-Swing, 26.2% SwStr, 11.1% ICR, 0 hits allowed). It’s obviously a really small sample (just 42 pitches thrown), but it’s at least a promising development for a reliever that was trending the wrong way earlier in the season. The changeup has been another pleasant addition, and the slider is still great. IF he can get some velocity back and/or keep that four-seam at the top of the zone more than 50% of the time (he did improve this by 15% last year), we may be back in elite closer territory. For now, at least, he moves south to Miami, where he should be locked into the team’s closer role for 2026.

Calvin Faucher – Faucher’s stuff (108 Stuff+) is better than what the results show (13.7% K-BB, 8.6% SwStr rates), perhaps in part due to an unnecessarily deep pitch mix. His primary offering, the cutter, is his best pitch and should remain the top offering. I would even say he should throw it more often. The sweeper is another plus pitch, and the curveball can be a fine wrinkle against lefties. The problem is the four-seam and sinker, which he throws nearly 30% of the time, are problems, and I wonder if he just should lean into that cutter as his “fastball”.

Anthony Bender – Bender did flash some bat missing ability last year with a 32.3% CSW, but that came with just an 8.6% swinging-strike rate due to a whopping 23.7% called-strike rate. He finished the year on the IL, but there’s still an intriguing arsenal (115 Stuff+) here if he can stay healthy. The sweeper remains a plus-plus offering, and the sinker moves a ton (19.7% iHB) at 96.5 MPH, which helps keep hitters off balance and induce groundballs.

Lake Bachar – Bachar proved he belongs at the MLB level last season, as he showed solid bat missing ability (25.3% K, 31.7% CSW) and finished with eight wins, six holds, and three saves as he was somewhat of a utility man in this bullpen. Bachar’s fastball/sweeper combo could very well be good enough to close out games, with the four-seamer sitting at 95 MPH but featuring elite spin rates (2716) and break (17.9″ iVB, 20.6″ Total Break).

Tyler Phillips – Phillips was part of this closer committee last year, chipping in four saves and performing pretty well, albeit with just a 16.6% strikeout rate. The stuff grades out much better than the strikeout rate suggests, though. His sinker at 95.5 MPH generates a ton of groundballs (77.7%), and his pair of breakers (sweeper and curveball) both grade out well, and complement one another nicely despite having the same velocity. The curve is mostly for right-handed hitters, and the sweeper for lefties. And Phillips will also mix in a splitter against lefties instead of his sinker. It’s a deep, interesting mix, one that makes you wonder how it would play out in the rotation long term, but for now, Phillips is likely to remain in a middle relief role.

Andrew Nardi – The Nard Dog (I’m assuming that’s his nickname) missed all of 2025 with a back injury, but the hope is that he should be ready to go this spring. In 2024, Nardi held 33.3% strikeout and 16.3% swinging strike rates along with a 5.40 PLV, good for second amongst all relievers. Nardi’s four-seamer has pretty good shape to it (6.8 extension, 16.3″ iVB), and he does a great job locating at the top of the zone (67.5% hiLoc%). His slider is the elite offering here, though, as it gets a ton of break as well as swing and miss. I’d like to see more of a 50/50 pitch mix with the two next year, but either way, Nardi needs to be on your radar in holds leagues once again, assuming he is healthy in March.

Ronny Henriquez – Henriquez had the best stuff (110 Stuff+) and metrics (2.84 SIERA, 23.4% K-BB, 17.7% SwStr) in this bullpen last season, but the team never gave him a shot to take the closer role and run with it. Unfortunately, now he will miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing UCL surgery, but it sounds like he should be ready for spring training in 2027, so don’t forget about him in your deeper dynasty leagues.

 

Milwaukee Brewers

Trevor Megill – Megill was able to crack 30 saves without breaking 50 innings on the season, and was dominant in doing so (31.3% K, 33.7% CSW, 128 Stuff+, 5.48 PLV), but we’ve yet to see him stay healthy for a full season. Even with the unconventional postseason usage, I think Megill should be given the first chance at closing out games this year, but Uribe will be there to push him or take over if he misses time (or is traded). His fastball/curveball combo is one of the best in baseball (the best if you ask PLV), but I’d like to see Megill locate his fastball a bit better (42% hiLoc) to fully take advantage of his electric stuff.

Abner Uribe – Uribe posted very similar numbers to Megill (30.2% K, 33.5% CSW, 117 Stuff+) and can also touch triple digits, but the big reason for his 2025 breakout was the command. Getting under 10% with his walk rate was a huge deal, and he finished with almost 30 more innings than Megill, which led to a better season, counting stat-wise. The slider in particular took a step forward, as Uribe has been able to improve the pitches zone rate by 11% each season since debuting in 2023. Uribe topped 80 innings last year, which is way more than his previous high of 53.2 innings in 2023. He only managed 23 innings in 2024, and before 2023, he totaled just 65 innings between 2018 and 2022, so let’s hope there are no ill effects of this year’s big workload this season for Uribe.

Aaron Ashby – Ashby was mostly good in a full-time relief role last year (the postseason was weird, alright) and showed why he’s been hyped up in the past (123 Stuff+, 2.92 xFIP). If the velocity doesn’t dip too much (97.5 MPH!), I’d still want to see Ashby get a chance to start games, but if he winds up back in the bullpen again, which seems most likely, he could have value in a lot of leagues given his multi-inning relief potential.

Jared Koenig – With Ashby working multiple innings and earlier in games, Koenig was the team’s trusted lefty late in games as he finished with 27 holds and had his best MLB season to date overall (3.36 SIERA, 17.9% K-BB, 30.8% CSW). He should be a near lock for the same role this season, even with all the left-handed competition. His sinker-heavy approach may limit his strikeout rates, but he’s been consistent the past two seasons at limiting hard contact.

Angel Zerpa – Zerpa is an interesting case, as the Brewers clearly see something in him that the Royals did not. Zerpa held an elite 63% groundball rate last year, and both Stuff+ (117) and PLV (5.19) love his arsenal. But his arsenal only led to a 7.1% swinging strike rate, which is extremely low even for a sinkerballer. His sinker/slider combo works well for him as a reliever, but I see why the Brewers have some interest in Zerpa as a starter, as his four-seam and changeup aren’t terrible either. Zerpa does give up a lot of hard contact, and combined with his ground ball rate, it tends to lead to a lot of traffic on the bases. But it’s hard to find lefties who can sit 97 MPH with their sinker, so I can see why the Brewers were aggressive in acquiring Zerpa this offseason.

Grant Anderson – Anderson is probably a pretty safe bet to make the opening day roster as he looks like the teams third best right handed relief option (unless Craig Yoho impresses this spring). He’s basically average-ish across the board, has four solid pitches in his arsenal, and has some funk with a low sidearm delivery (his “four-seamer” even had a 19.8% SwStr rate).

DL Hall / Rob Zastryzny – Hall did a good job limiting hard contact last year (28.8% HardHit), but outside of that, it was a season to forget (4.89 SIERA, 6.5% K-BB, 25% CSW), and I’d imagine he is firmly on the roster bubble this spring. Despite going into his age 34 season, Zastryzny only has 89 MLB innings to his name, but he looked really good in his 22 IP last season. Hall has one option remaining (as does Zerpa), so if one of the five lefties starts the year in AAA, it’s likely Hall (maybe Zerpa, especially if they want to stretch him out into a SP).

 

Minnesota Twins

Taylor Rogers – Rogers spent last year between the Reds and Cubs, and while he’s still a called strike merchant, the strikeout numbers have tumbled, and last years 13.6% strikeout-minus-walk rate was his worst since 2017. The sinker has lost velocity every year going back to 2021 (when it was 95.7 MPH) and is now down to 92.7 MPH, and is very vulnerable when not located well. The sweeper, however, remains a plus pitch for Rogers, and a pitch Rogers may need to rely on more than 50% of the time moving forward. He signed with the Twins for only $2 million this winter, but he not only brings closer experience to this inexperienced bullpen, but also closer experience with the Twins as he saved 48 games for them between 2019 and 2021. That probably makes him the favorite for saves for now, but if you’d prefer to chase pure stuff, there are better options here.

Cole Sands – Sands wasn’t impressive over the first half of last season, but he turned things around in the second half (3.40 SIERA, 17.8% K-BB) before eventually fizzling out down the stretch. Sands is still operating with a starter’s pitch mix with five different pitches, with his cutter and splitter grading out the highest, but the four-seamer could do better with improved command. His get-me-over curveball is fine as the fourth offering, and the sinker may actually be the better of the two fastballs Sands throws, but he still prefers the four-seam for now. Of the options in this bullpen currently, I’d take Sands’ stuff as the best option to close out games, but Rogers experience probably gives him the early edge.

Justin Topa – Topa was fine in 2025, but he shouldn’t be in the mix to close for a good team. That said, given the current options on the roster, he does figure to be in the mix with Sands and Rogers at least. His sinker at 94 MPH does get a ton of arm side run and produced a 61.3% groundball rate last year, but the pitch does get hit around (.316 xBA). The sweeper is his bat misser, but that was mostly from called strikes last year (24% CS rate) as opposed to swinging strikes (13.2%). The cutter (with almost no iHB) and changeup also factor in, and maybe just having this four pitch mix, and feeling comfortable throwing any one of the pitches 15% of the time or more, is just enough to keep hitters off balance. The low walk rate will keep his floor steady, but what is the ultimate ceiling here for Topa?

Kody Funderburk – Funderburk has teased upside from the left side in the past, but hasn’t been consistent since debuting in 2023. He finished last year well, though (3.69 xFIP, 30.7% CSW in second half), and there’s plenty of opportunity in this pen. The deep arsenal (five pitches) grades out mostly average/slightly above average, but he can throw them all for strikes outside of the sweeper, which is his swing and miss offering (38.6% Whiff rate). Funderburk is a fine middle relief lefty, but not someone who should really be in the mix to close out games (unless there are three lefties due up in the ninth maybe).

Eric Orze – Orze has an interesting profile and, in a shallow bullpen, could definitely work his way into some save opportunities early in the season. His primary offering is a split-change he throws nearly 50% of the time. It’s a good bat misser, and unlike most splitters, one he is able to keep in the zone almost 50% of the time (not sure if this is really a good thing, you DO NOT want to leave a splitter up in the zone). He threw his slider (more like a cutter at 89 MPH with 5.1 iVB) more often than his fastball last year (up 16% from 2024), and that did not work out so well (.603 xSLG, .412 xwOBA) as he allowed four home runs on the pitch while striking out just three. He treats it like a cutter, throwing it up in the zone often, but there clearly needs to be a tweak to the shape or location here to see better results. The four-seam doesn’t have great shape, but he located it well last year (67% hiLoc), which at 94 MPH and as a secondary offering helped generate great results on the pitch (28% ICR, .214 xBA).

Anthony Banda – Banda boasts a plus fastball, but it is very different from (now) former teammate Alex Vesia in that his sits 96 MPH, but the iVB and Spin are below average. However, they both have similar approach angles (-4.2 VAA, 1.1 HAVAA) and also, like Vesia, Banda lives at the top of the zone (66.5% hiLoc). Despite this, Banda threw his four seamer 12% less in 2025, upping his slider usage by 21%. The slider didn’t have the same success with the higher usage, and personally, I’d rather see Banda go back to his 2024 pitch mix this upcoming season.

Travis Adams / Connor Prielipp – Adams will probably wind up in more of a long relief role given his deep arsenal, with no pitch or pitches sticking out in particular. Right now, Prielipp is penciled in as the team’s second lefty in the bullpen, although he has only started in the minors up until this point. He does have a great slider, and the fastball and changeup aren’t too shabby as well, so he probably deserves a chance to start, but this organization does have a lot of starting pitching depth at the moment. EDIT: With the additions of Rogers, Banda, and Andrew Chafin, Prielipp will likely remain a starter, at least in the first half of 2026.

 

New York Mets

Devin Williams – Williams had a few bad stretches in what was mostly a good season. In fact, he finished with a 3.58 ERA (2.09 SIERA), 0.93 WHIP, 38.3% K, 20.7% SwStr, and 117 Stuff+ over his final 50.1 innings from May 5th onward. The ERA is still high there, but it’s a result of some really bad luck, and nothing to do with Williams stuff declining or anything to worry about for this season. Everything under the hood matches what Williams was doing the previous five seasons, so as long as he doesn’t remain incredibly unlucky, he should be back to his normal self in 2026. I also love the fact that he signed in New York after all the discussion about him not being able to handle the pressure there. It seems like he’s motivated to prove the haters wrong and go back to being one of the top five closers in baseball again.

Luke Weaver – Weaver is also making the move from the Bronx to Queens this year, and while he too failed to match his 2024 success, I think he should settle in nicely as Williams’ top setup man this go around. Weaver took a small step back in 2025, but he still managed a near 20% strikeout-minus-walk rate, and maybe going back to his 2024 pitch mix could help him out. He upped his four-seam usage last year (11%) while dropping his cutter usage (13%), and while I like the four-seamer, the cutter was awesome for him in 2024. It did get hit around more last year, but he also changed where he was throwing it (hiLoc was down 30%, loLoc up 34.3%). Even with his four-seamer, the high location dropped almost 10% last year to 44.7%. If he can locate those pitches up in the zone again, hopefully making the cutter the weapon it was in 2024 in the process, then Weaver could jump back into elite setup man territory again.

A.J. Minter – Minter only managed 11 innings before missing the remainder of last season, but he looked great in those innings, and if he can return to full strength following a torn lat, he should be in a good position to at least grab a setup role. The cutter saw an increased usage last year, going from 34.5% to 47.6%, and acting as his primary offering. It’s probably his best pitch, at least it’s his best bat-missing pitch. The four-seam velocity has dwindle the past couple of seasons (96.6 in 2022, 95.8 in 2023, 94.5 in 2024-25), but there appeared to be a shape change last year, maybe as the iVB jumped 1.1″ to 17.6″ total. The changeup is still effective against righties, but it’s not quite the same weapon it used to be for Minter. EDIT: It sounds like Minter will be out until May as he is still returning from his torn lat.

Brooks Raley – Raley still has good stuff from the left side, but he’s never been someone I’d consider for a full-time closer role, just a really solid left-handed setup option. Raley has an elite sweeper, not one that garners a ton of swing and miss, but it did finish 2025 with a 30.3% PutAway rate, and it’s never held an xBA above .181 or xwOBA above .239. His sinker may only sit in the 90-91 MPH range, but it breaks a ton, and he keeps it down in the zone, leading to a 77% GB rate last year. He uses the cutter to sneak called strikes at the top of the zone, while the changeup is another pitch in his back pocket to combat righties.

Luis García Jr. – Even at this old age, García is still showing he has something left in the tank, as evidenced by a 108 Stuff+ (5.04 PLV) last year as he is still pumping out 97 MPH sinkers. Now, the pitch is getting hit a lot these days, and his secondaries are not much better than average offerings, but the sinker could have better success with a better infield defense. The hope here is that García is merely a depth middle relief piece and not someone the Mets will need to count on for important outs.

Tobias Myers – Myers fared well in a move to the bullpen last year, posting a 1.91 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 15.5% strikeout-minus-walk rate over 28.1 relief innings. The four-seam played up a bit in a relief role (94.2 MPH), but I wonder if there’s even more there if Myers were to just become a full-time member of the Mets bullpen. If he could get to 95-96 with his extension (6.8′) and iVB (18.6″), this pitch could be awesome (especially if he can locate it up in the zone more). He throws both a cutter (which is more slider-y) and a slider (more sweeper-y), but I wonder if he should just focus on making one of these work as a reliever. The splitter is a good pitch to combat lefties as well (he should probably throw this more), so there is potential for three average or better offerings here out of the bullpen.

Huascar Brazobán / Dylan Ross – Things started well for Brazobán, but ultimately, he became hard to trust, and in a perfect world for the Mets, he would start the season in AAA. Ross is a prospect yet to make his MLB debut, but he has a big fastball and had a 35.7% strikeout rate (14.7% BB rate) in the minors last year.

 

New York Yankees

David Bednar – Bednar shook off his early-season demotion in 2025 to finish as a top-10 reliever not just in fantasy but across the board (2.47 SIERA, 26.7% K-BB%, 34.3% CSW). So what changed? For starters, he threw his fastball less (down 12%), but the big difference for me was the curveball command as he dropped the high location by 19.5% with the low location increasing 18.5%. On top of that, his overall control was improved, with his 49.1% Zone rate his highest mark since 2021. Hitters will surely adapt against the changes Bednar made last year, so he’ll, in turn, need to adapt (again), and while I strongly considered him in Tier 1, I don’t see a path where he finishes as the top closer in baseball like the other eight can. The added pressure of New York didn’t seem to faze Bednar, at least, and he should be a lock to open 2026 as the Yankee closer before hitting free agency at the end of the year.

Camilo Doval – Doval had up-and-down results in 2025 (*see below), but should remain in the mix for a high-leverage spot as the Yankees have not added anyone to this bullpen this offseason. The walk rate is still an issue (12.4%), and the declining strikeout rate (31% in 2023, 28.8% in ’24, 25.9% in ’25) doesn’t help instill confidence. The slider will likely always be good enough to keep him interesting, but there’s still so much volatility with Doval to fully trust him.

*First 31 IP: 1.45 ERA, 1.00 WHIP…3.70 xFIP, 3.79 SIERA, 13.2% K-BB, 28.5% CSW, 106 Stuff+, 98.3 MPH

Last 34.1 IP: 5.50 ERA, 1.60 WHIP…3.78 xFIP, 3.81 SIERA, 13.4% K-BB, 28.2% CSW, 103 Stuff+, 97.6 MPH

Fernando Cruz – Speaking of volatility, Cruz is still elite at missing bats (36% K, 19.8% SwStr, 37.1% CSW), but his ratios are always going to be inconsistent with his high walk rates. There’s really nothing he can do about that either, as his best pitch is a splitter that he throws 60% of the time. Similar to Doval, Cruz should remain in the mix for a high-leverage spot as the Yankees have not added anyone to this bullpen this offseason.

Tim Hill – Hill is a soft-throwing lefty with almost no strikeout upside to speak of, but he was highly effective last season as he leaned into his sinker (42% usage in 2023, 69% in ’24, 81% in ’25), as well as dropping his arm angle even more. The high sinker usage leads to a ton of groundballs and a low walk rate, but that’s about the only thing to get excited about here, as I wouldn’t count on those 2025 ratios again (although 15 holds may be doable given the state of this bullpen).

Jake Bird – Bird got off to a hot start in 2025 (0.95 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 33.3% K and 13.3% SwStr rates over his first 19 IP), but that allure quickly faded come May (7.93 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, 23.5% K and 10.8% SwStr rates over his last 36.1 IP). While getting out of Coors can help a lot of pitchers, it didn’t for Bird, at least in the short term, as he only managed 2 IP with his new team before the Yankees demoted him. He didn’t fare any better at AAA either, as he posted a 6.32 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over 15.2 innings. That all being said, there is a plus slider/sweeper here; he just doesn’t have anything to pair with it at the moment.

Brent Headrick – Headrick only managed 23 MLB innings last year, but there are some intriguing metrics in that small sample (2.77 SIERA, 32.6% K, 19.7% SwStr), and he should be in the mix for a full-time bullpen spot. Headrick’s four seamer sits at 94 MPH, but gets 17.7″ of iVB, and the 6’6″ lefty (extension was 6.9 feet) was able to locate the pitch up in the zone over 50% of the time last season. The slider doesn’t have otherworldly shape or anything, but the results last year were elite, with 35.5% swinging strike and 59% Whiff rates, so those numbers should grab your attention. The splitter was a new addition, and while we can call it average at best, it did its job against right-handed hitters, but I’d still like to see that slider incorporated more this upcoming season.

 

Philadelphia Phillies

Jhoan Duran – Duran was a great addition to the Phillies’ bullpen at the deadline, finally solidifying their rotating closer role. He was his typical dominant self in 2025 (2.59 xFIP, 21.3% K-BB, 16.4% SwStr, 125 Stuff+), and why expect anything different in 2026? Four years ago, I saw Duran as a high ceiling/low floor reliever, but I think that gap has shrunk to where Duran is actually more of a safe, floor reliever, who may not have the type of swing and miss upside we once believed. The strikeout rate has declined every year, as have the swing and miss metrics, but the hard hit rate is solid, and he’s in the 100th percentile of groundball percentage, allowing just seven home runs over the past two seasons (Jeff Hoffman allowed FIFTEEN in 2025 alone). I still like Duran a lot, especially given his situation, but I’m not sure he belongs in the same category as a Mason Miller or Edwin Diaz (or even Josh Hader when healthy).

Orion Kerkering – Kerkering disappointed slightly last year, but he did pitch better in the second half (2.92 SIERA, 22.3% K-BB, 118 Stuff+), so at least that’s something to build off heading into this season. The sweeper is one of the best in baseball, and that hasn’t changed over the past three years, but the fastballs are where he can get in trouble. The high location of his four-seamer dropped almost 9% last year, which isn’t ideal, but it was actually his sinker that allowed the most damage, which was largely related to bad luck. I’d expect Kerkering to get back on track this season, especially if he makes any improvements to his fastballs.

José Alvarado – I was a little surprised that the Phillies picked up Alvarado’s $9m option following his PED suspension. However, when on the field, he still proved he has plenty left in the tank (2.96 xFIP, 21.9% K-BB, 113 Stuff+) and his return made Matt Strahm more expendable. As long as he is still throwing 99+ MPH sinkers with a 56%+ zone rate, Alvarado will be a problem for opposing hitters.

Brad Keller – Keller was a great find for the Cubs last year, as he found much more success in a full-time relief role, especially over the second half, where he was electric (2.64 xFIP, 35.4% K). The four-seam shape and locations aren’t exactly ideal, but he sits 97.2 MPH now and has two, maybe three, plus secondary offerings. He’ll stick in the bullpen with the Phillies, where I’d imagine his role will be very similar to how Jeff Hoffman was used there in 2024.

Tanner Banks – Banks is a solid enough secondary left-handed option in this bullpen, whom the Phillies trust enough as they were willing to part with Strahm this offseason. Banks is a command specialist with poor fastball metrics but plus breaking pitches in his slider and sweeper, and that’s all you really need as a lefty specialist out of the pen.

Jonathan Bowlan – Bowlan features two plus pitches, but has a deep enough arsenal that the Phillies may want to consider him for their fifth starter role. His first MLB season, strictly as a reliever, was mostly a success, and Bowlan finished with a 3.76 xFIP and 16.2% swinging-strike rate. The plus slider and sinker combo could be enough to turn him into a high-leverage reliever, but I’d personally want to see him get a chance to start still.

 

Pittsburgh Pirates

Dennis Santana – Santana didn’t exactly take a step forward last season, but he was very steady throughout the year and should get the first chance to close out games for the Pirates next year, barring a last-minute upgrade. The four-seam is not great for me (it’s steadily gotten worse over the past three seasons), so I have some worries there, but the slider IS still great and can carry him. Maybe he will lean more into his sinker and cutter this season as well?

Gregory Soto – Soto has 56 career saves and still has an arsenal that can miss bats (31.8% CSW, 115 Stuff+), but the overall upside here has disappeared with a lack of consistent command. The sinker/slider combo from the left side is more than enough to be moderately effective, though, and Soto has been reliable enough that we can probably pencil him in for a 4.00 something ERA, 1.30-ish WHIP, and 25% strikeout rate.

Mason Montgomery – 2025 was a season to forget for Montgomery, but that being said, the stuff is still very apparent (18.3% SwStr, 125 Stuff+), and it feels like he’s just a tweak or two away from breaking out in a big way. He will also be able to put George Steinbrenner Field behind him this year, and even gets to escape the AL East as the Pirates were able to acquire him from the Rays this offseason. Montgomery’s fastball has a chance to be one of the best in baseball, at 98.7 MPH with 17.7″ of iVB and a 1.5 HAVAA from the left side, the pitch has a ton of potential. He just hasn’t been able to command it yet, as there are a lot of misses middle-middle, and he could really improve attacking the top of the zone more. The slider is a good enough secondary to keep hitters off balance from the fastball, and generates plenty of swings and misses as hitters sit on that heater. There’s a path to saves for Montgomery sooner than later now that he’s a Pirate, as no one in this bullpen comes close to this upside. The two veterans in front of him, Santana and Soto, are also free agents after the season.

Justin Lawrence – Lawrence only finished with 17.2 innings last year, but they were great innings (32.4% K rate) as he was finally able to escape Colorado. The sweeper is the key with Lawrence, as the pitch has a ton of movement, and given the alternatives behind Santana, Lawrence could open the season as the top right-handed setup option here.

Isaac Mattson – Mattson was the Pirates’ most trusted reliever outside of Santana in the second half, but there’s nothing worth getting excited about here (4.93 xFIP, 27.8% CSW), and the Pirates have plenty of higher upside potential relief options. Mattson’s fastball does have a nice profile (17.8″ iVB, 57.2% hiLoc%) despite the lower velocity (93.9 MPH), but the changeup and slider are just average/below-average options.

Carmen Mlodzinski – Mlodzinski could open the season in the rotation, but he probably needs to stick in the bullpen full time, as that is where he was at his best last year, especially in the second half, where he held a 2.44 xFIP and 23.7% strikeout-minus-walk rate. He’s someone to keep an eye on if he can ever lock down a permanent bullpen role. 

 

San Diego Padres

Mason Miller – Miller led all relievers in xFIP (1.50), SIERA (1.66), strikeout rate (51.1%), strikeout-minus-walk rate (39.1%), swinging-strike rate (22.5%), and CSW (38.5%) over the second half as the Padres had him throw his slider more often, leading to more of a 50/50 pitch mix. PLV grades out Miller’s fastball, which sits 101.2 MPH (not a typo), as just average (5.02), mostly for two reasons. The shapes not great, and neither is the zone rate (45.2%, but was 51.7% in 2024), but we don’t need to worry about the shape when he is averaging 101.2 MPH. The slider is dinged for command issues as well, although it did improve in San Diego when he started throwing it more. No other reliever can match his upside, so as long as he remains healthy, Miller is THE elite closer option for 2026. Just give us like 60 healthy innings, please?

Jeremiah Estrada – Estrada is coming off another dominant campaign (2.55 SIERA, 35.5% K, 18.1% SwStr, 5.24 PLV) and should be locked into an early-season setup role with Jason Adam on the IL. Estrada’s four-seam/slider combo is one of the best amongst all relievers, with the fastball sitting 98 MPH with 18.8″ of iVB and a 70.2% high location rate last season. Plus, the splitter remains a bat missing weapon despite not being able to ideally command it (93 percentile high location, 11th percentile low location ain’t great).

Adrian Morejon – Morejon, a 2025 All-Star, finished with 13 wins last year, leading to him actually finishing as a top-50 overall player in standard Yahoo formats. We can’t expect double-digit wins again, but we can be excited for him to continue his dominance in holds leagues, given his pitch mix (3.26 xFIP, 32% CSW, 120 Stuff+ in 2025). Morejon threw six different pitches last year, including his unique knuckleball (knuckle-change, I guess), but he relies mostly on his sinker (which saw a usage increase in place of his four-seam) and slider.

David Morgan – Morgan flashed at times last year before fading down the stretch, and while he ultimately looks like an average reliever across the board, I wonder if the stuff is good enough for him to make another jump? This is a good litmus test of PLV vs. Stuff+, with PLV not loving his arsenal (4.77) while Stuff+ is a big fan (115). He averages 98 MPH with his four-seamer, but the shape isn’t exactly great, and while he does live at the top of the zone with it for the most part (63.7%), he also can have trouble just finding the zone (46.3% Zone rate). The sinker may be the better fastball offering, but he almost exclusively threw it to righties last year. As a sinker/slider reliever vs righties and four-seam/curveball reliever vs lefties, this could work again, I suppose, but I don’t see a ton of strikeout upside worth chasing right now.

Wandy Peralta – Peralta has never been a big strikeout guy, but he generally gets the job done from the left side with his high groundball rate (59.6%) and low hard hit rate (36.2%). His secondaries actually generated high swing and miss rates last year, the PutAway rate on his slider was just really low at only 13% despite it’s 41.7% Whiff rate. Peralta is also coming off a season with just four holds, but he was able to manage 6 wins, and he should be considered the Padres’ second most trustworthy lefty in this bullpen (even as someone who still believes Yuki Matsui can be good).

Bradgley Rodriguez – Rodriguez throws 99 MPH while also featuring a plus, maybe plus-plus changeup and solid cutter. As with most young relievers, he needs to shore up his command, but the skills are here for the 22-year-old to become a dominant bullpen piece in time.

Jason Adam – Adam will miss the beginning of the season after rupturing his quad in September, but could return before the All-Star break if everything goes well in his rehab. He still showed plenty of swing and miss last year (16.3% SwStr) and should return to a similar role if/when healthy.

 

San Francisco Giants

Ryan Walker – It was not the follow-up season Walker had hoped for after his 2024 breakout, but despite the down year, Walker is still the favorite to open the year as the team’s closer…as things stand now. Despite the down year, he still did a solid job missing bats (30.6% CSW) and producing weak groundballs (87 MPH average exit velocity with a 50% ground ball rate), which is kind of his thing. I’d rather see him in a setup role, but his ADP should be fairly low, so he could be an intriguing mid to late-round pick this year if the team doesn’t add any bullpen help before opening day.

Joel Peguero – Peguero had good ratios this past year, oh, and he throws 100 MPH, so there could be something here, I suppose (his 124 Stuff+ was 6th highest amongst relievers with 20+ innings pitched). That said, he really struggled to miss bats somehow (19.8% K%, 26.7% CSW%), and he has at basically every level of the minors, even though he was usually older than the competition. What he does do well is induce weak groundballs, and the velocity, as long as he can keep throwing strikes, should buoy his floor at the very least. The slider, hypothetically, should help Peguero add more strikeouts; it’s a plus offering and one that can generate swing and miss (19.2% SwStr rate). He should probably be a 50/50 sinker/slider reliever, and just ditch the fourseamer (or throw it sparingly). There’s certainly a lot of intrigue in this skill set, and the fact that the Giants didn’t add any bullpen help this offseason makes me think they are very high on Peguero.

Erik Miller – Miller had one of the more interesting seasons amongst relievers as he somehow finished with a fantastic 1.50 ERA yet a 1.47 WHIP and an abysmal 1.6 strikeout-minus-walk rate (not a typo). The lefty has always had good stuff, and despite the low strikeout rate, he did miss bats at an above average clip (30.7% Whiff and 14.5% SwStr rates), while also doing a great job limiting hard contact (32.5% HardHit rate). I guess if you walk 15.6% of batters and only strikeout 17.2%, you’d need to limit hard contact at an elite rate to pull off a 1.50 ERA. Miller’s four-seamer, which he threw 34.2% of the time, was the biggest problem, as it held just a 34.5% Zone rate. Just like with Peguero, I think I’d rather see Miller ditch the four-seam altogether and stick with his sinker (5.35 PLV, 51.2% Zone rate), slider (62.5% Whiff and 28% SwStr rates), and changeup (5.14 PLV).

Sam Hentges – Hentges hasn’t pitched since 2024 (where he only threw 23.2 innings) after undergoing shoulder and knee surgeries, but if he is healthy and can be close to his 2024 or 2022 self, he could easily ascend to the top of this bullpen pecking order. Hentges has always had two good breakers in his curveball and slider, but I worry about the fastball if he loses significant velo coming off the extended layoff.

José Buttó – Buttó is a fine long relief option, I guess, with a deep but uninspiring arsenal, but there’s not much to get excited about in the profile (4.33 SIERA, 9.2% K-BB, 27.3% CSW).

Tristan Beck – Similar to Buttó, Beck can carve out a steady role in this bullpen, but I was kind of expecting Buster Posey to make some significant additions here this offseason. Perhaps they do something to improve this unit before the season starts.

 

Seattle Mariners

Andrés Muñoz – Muñoz had a dominant 2025 (32.1% K, 34.3% CSW), although things began to slide in the second half as his velocity declined. Is the decline something to legitimately worry about, though?

• First Half: 99.1 FS (35%), 98.3 SI (13%), 87.2 SL (49.4%)…22.5% K-BB, 16.5% SwStr, 2.84 SIERA

• Second Half: 97.8 FS (36%), 97.1 SI (10%), 84.7 SL (51.8%)…20.5% K-BB, 15.6% SwStr, 3.16 SIERA

• Postseason: 97.4 FS (21.4%), 96.4 SI (6%), 83.9 SL (72.6%)…11.1% K-BB, 14.2% SwStr, 4.37 SIERA

The good news is that the slider remains highly effective, and he can still find success sitting at 97 MPH. The slider isn’t the most dominant pitch from a metric standpoint (average break, velocity, and only a 37.4% Zone rate), so if the velocity doesn’t return and hitters start adjusting to the high slider usage (a pitch not thrown for strikes), this could become an issue. I’m not completely out on Muñoz, but given his early ADP, I’d probably let someone else draft him and take my chances with one of the other top seven or eight closers.

Matt Brash – Brash tossed 47.1 innings this year after returning from TJS, and while it took him a while to get going, he looked more or less like his normal self over the second half (2.90 xFIP, 33.5% CSW). Brash leaned heavily on his slider last year, throwing it almost 61% of the time, going more sinker than four-seam compared to what we’ve seen from Brash in the past. Coming off the injury, it’s not shocking to see Brash’s fastball down 2 MPH, and Brash was able to adjust by throwing his slider and changeup more. If the velocity comes back this season, we could see Brash back to a 30%+ strikeout guy again, but as long as the velocity doesn’t drop any lower, he should still be a top holds candidate.

Gabe Speier – One of the more underrated relievers in baseball last season, Speier finished the year with the fourth-best SIERA (2.23) and strikeout-minus-walk rate (29.2%) amongst ALL relievers. Speier’s fastball (both four-seam and sinker) gained back the 2 MPH he had lost in 2024, and it made a world of difference, especially for the sinker that held a .480 average against in 2024 and just a .286 average last year. His slider command is also top-notch, as he just does not leave that pitch up or over the middle of the plate. As the team’s top lefty, he’s unlikely to see many, if any, save chances, but he should remain a target in hold leagues.

Jose A. Ferrer – Ferrer has a fun pitch mix that hypothetically should result in better strikeout rates, but he’s at least continued to improve over the past two seasons regardless, and finished last year on a high note as he was excellent in the second half (2.53 xFIP, 21.1% K-BB, 109 Stuff+). Now in Seattle, I’d imagine we see a tweak to his pitch usage as he threw his sinker 71% of the time last year. It’s a great pitch (97.7 MPH, 19″ iHB, 68.1% GB, and 61.7% Zone rate), but it held a .309 batting average against (.345 BABIP). A better infield defense should definitely help, but I’d also like to see his slider and changeup more. He did throw the changeup 22% of the time, and it held a 23.6% swinging strike rate, but the command could definitely use some improvement. He upped the slider usage from 5% in 2024 to 7% in 2025, and it also held a 24.4% swinging strike rate despite having problems commanding it. No matter how Ferrer goes about attacking hitters in 2026, I’d expect better results on his new team, as the groundball-heavy (64.4% GB rate) lefty will have a much better infield defense behind him.

Eduard Bazardo – Bazardo was a workhorse in the Mariners bullpen last year, totaling 78.2 innings over 73 appearances, but he was especially dominant over the second half, where he held a 2.33 SIERA and 27.8% strikeout-minus-walk rate. He ditched his four-seam in the second half, essentially just going sinker/slider. The sinker is the better of the two fastballs for Bazardo, with the slider playing better off of it as well. After totaling 90.1 innings over the course of the regular season and postseason, his 2026 workload could be an issue, but if he remains healthy, he’s definitely a name to keep an eye on in hold leagues.

Carlos Vargas – Everything Vargas throws is hard, and while so far we haven’t seen dominant results from him, there are some things to still be excited about. The walk rate came down big time last year (6.9%), and while the swing and miss isn’t exciting yet, his stuff (115 Stuff+) is good enough to produce plenty of weak ground balls (57.1% GB%, 35.2% HardHit). While he shored up his control (52.3% Zone rate), his command is still a work in progress, and the biggest reason why we saw such a low strikeout output. The slider still has a chance to be a swing and miss pitch for him, and I’d love to see the cutter get more love this year as well (check out Vargas’s player page and his cutter GIF from 2025).

 

St. Louis Cardinals

Riley O’Brien – O’Brien does possess some fun stuff (113 Stuff+) as he pairs a 98 MPH sinker with a 90 MPH slider, but it hasn’t resulted in huge strikeout numbers (yet). O’Brien often worked backwards (a theme in this Cardinals bullpen), throwing his slider early in counts, which worked because, after all, that slider is O’Brien’s best pitch. The sinker is solid as well, and throwing both pitches as hard as he does with the extension he gets makes it awfully hard to square him up. The curveball is his swing and miss/chase pitch, and a pitch I’d like to see him throw more against lefties (and his slider more against righties). I’m very intrigued by this skill set (despite the low swing and miss metrics), and he’s certainly a great bullpen piece, but should he be a full-time closer?

JoJo Romero – Romero finished the year as the 1A closer option for the Cardinals, although the lefty didn’t exactly have closer-esque numbers with just a 10.2% strikeout-minus-walk rate and 10.6% swinging-strike rate. His sinker/slider combo is still very good, as the sinker moves a ton and he’s able to throw it for strikes at a high rate, with the slider also breaking a ton (14.6″ Total Break, 2785 rpm spin) and generating a high 24% called strike rate. The changeup does its job against righties, and is part of the reason why the team trusts him in the ninth inning as he’s not a strict left-handed only reliever (although he is much better vs. lefties). He’s a nice lefty to have in your bullpen, but still not an ideal closer for me, and I expect him to be traded to a team looking to deploy him as more of a left-handed setup man.

Ryne Stanek – Stanek continues to flash intriguing stuff, but has now finished with an ERA over 4 for three consecutive seasons, with last year being maybe the worst season of his career with a 5.30 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and just a 22.7% srikeout rate. However, 2025 did mark career highs for Stanek in terms of how his physical stuff graded (116 Stuff+, 5.13 PLV), so it’s easy to see why a team like the Cardinals would be interested in a “one year, let’s see what happens” type deal. Stanek still has one of the best fastballs out there, averaging 98.5 MPH with 18.1″ of iVB and 20.4″ of Total Break. He could do a better job commanding it, however, as he only had a 50% high location last year wheras in 2021 and 2022 he was at 56%. The slider (43.8% Whiff) is an above-average secondary, one I wonder if he should throw more often, as the splitter took a step back last year. The sweeper he introduced last year is kind of interesting, though, but as is the case with all of his pitches, the command is less than ideal. There’s a potential closer skill set here, and one that can be a huge fantasy asset if he can shore up his command while throwing his breakers more, but those are also some big IF’s for a 34-year-old entering his 10th MLB season.

Matt Svanson – The returning option here who I think should get a chance to close at some point, Svanson finished the second half with impressive, closer-esque metrics (2.83 xFIP, 32.8% K), and I think his stuff could even lead to more swing and miss potentially. His primary fastball is a two-seamer that sits near 97 MPH, and Svanson isn’t afraid to throw at the top of the zone. It limits his overall groundball totals (48%), but he’s able to miss more bats this way (32.5%). The sweeper is his best pitch, though, one he throws hard at 87.2 MPH, and while it didn’t get a high amount of swing and miss, it did limit hard contact (28.2% ICR), and he actually used it more early in counts than his sinker. The cutter is not great, but it’s a fine wrinkle to combat lefties. Svanson likely won’t get the first chance to close out games, but he will be a name to keep an eye on in this bullpen. 

Ryan Fernandez – Fernandez was one of the most unlucky pitchers in baseball last year, finishing with a 7.71 ERA and 1.71 WHIP over 30.1 innings, but there’s still some intriguing swing and miss here (16% SwStr and 32.1% Whiff rates). His primary offering is his slider, which grades out as his best pitch, but it got hit hard last year with a .308 average against and a whopping .600 slugging percentage against. There was definitely bad luck involved in those outcomes (.189 xBA, .253 xwOBA, .344 xSLG), so I wouldn’t be too discouraged about the pitch; it should be a plus offering more often than not. The fastball and changeup are fine, average pitches for Fernandez. I’d expect a bounce back and numbers closer to 2024 for the upcoming season.

George Soriano – After being DFA’d and scooped up on waivers three times this offseason, Soriano was traded to St. Louis for Andre Granillo (who has 2 options left, is under team control for X years, possesses intriguing stuff…), making the Cardinals Soriano’s fourth team in the past 6 weeks (and fifth team since November). Still only 26 years old, I guess I see why teams continue taking chances, but he is out of options and a year into his service time. The slider can be good, but the fastballs (four-seamer and sinker) are a problem. He actually added 2 MPH on the four-seamer last year, and it could probably be fine with better command. The changeup could also be better with improved command, but a team will have to be more patient with him now that he is out of options and has to stick around in their MLB bullpen.

 

Tampa Bay Rays

Griffin Jax – Jax is coming off a crazy unlucky 2025 campaign, which saw him post the worst ratios of his reliever career, but there were still plenty of numbers that give us hope for a 2026 bounce back (2.21 xFIP, 27.6% K-BB, 36% CSW, 5.42 PLV to name a few). The sweeper is still amazing, coming in at 88 MPH with over 3000 rpm spin rates. His 92 MPH changeup is elite as well, generating a 27% swinging strike rate. He threw the four-seamer less last year as it was getting torched often (.426 xwOBA, .620 xSLG), and while it can be a plus pitch (97 MPH, 1.5 HAVAA), Jax struggled to command it up in the zone (45% hiLoc), leading to a lot of hard contact against. That will be something to watch for this season, but either way, Jax will certainly factor into a high-leverage role, perhaps as the 1A closer option, and should be a (the?) popular bounce-back candidate.