Several late-inning high-leverage relievers find themselves on new teams after the MLB trade deadline, and our fantasy baseball closer grid has been adjusted accordingly. There was no single blockbuster trade relating to fantasy baseball closers that caused us to dramatically change our MLB closers rankings, but there have been some updates to bullpen depth charts that deserve your attention. 

Erik Miller looked like he was going to remain in the mix for save opportunities with the Giants but was traded to the Red Sox, where he’ll now be a good resource for holds. Unfortunately, the Giants’ bullpen remains one that should be avoided for fantasy purposes.

The Marlins held on to closer Pete Fairbanks, who appeared to be in danger of losing his role as the team’s closer after a rocky start to the season, but hasn’t given up a run in his last five appearances. 

The Tigers’ bullpen depth chart also remained intact with Kenley Jansen not being moved at the trade deadline. He’ll remain the team’s closer for the rest of the season. 

Seranthony Domínguez, who tumbled down the MLB closers rankings after losing his role as the White Sox’s closer, was traded to the Mariners, and while he adds depth to their bullpen, you probably should avoid rostering him in fantasy baseball leagues right now. 

Tyler Wells, who was in the mix for save opportunities in a fluid Orioles bullpen, now finds himself as a depth piece and more of a resource for holds with his trade to the Rays.

We’ll continue to monitor bullpen usage changes after the MLB trade deadline and adjust our fantasy baseball closer grid. 

The grid is just one of Fantasy Alarm’s great resources that can help you win your fantasy baseball league. Check out James Grande’s weekly Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire column with new articles dropping every Sunday. For the latest in our video content, which is also updated daily, visit the Fantasy Alarm YouTube Channel.

In the meantime, we still have lots of closer and late-inning high-leverage reliever-related news to cover in this week’s bullpen report, so please enjoy!

Saves Leaders Over The Past Week

Yankees closer David Bednar continued to be one of MLB’s best closers last week with three saves. Brewers closer Trevor Megill and Rays closer Bryan Baker had three saves as well. Bednar has been on fire since late May and finds himself in the upper tier of the MLB closers rankings. In his last 26 appearances, Bednar has three wins, 15 saves, and a 0.91 ERA. He also has 34 strikeouts and nine walks in 29.4 IP during that time period.

Megill has been impressive since he reclaimed his role as the Brewers’ closer and has skyrocketed up the MLB closers rankings. In his last 21 appearances, Megill has a win, a hold, and 12 saves to go along with a microscopic 0.44 ERA. He has a 22:4 K:BB ratio during that time frame as well.

Baker has been one of MLB’s best closers all season and a big part of why the Rays are in first place in the AL East. He leads all closers with 32 saves. Guardians closer Cade Smith has the second most saves in baseball with 30, and Padres closer Mason Miller is right behind him with 28.

Five other closers had two saves each last week, including Emilio Pagan. The Reds closer has been great since being removed from the IL. In 12 games dating back to July 1st, Pagan has two wins, seven saves, and a 1.59 ERA. He also struck out 17 batters and walked just two during that time frame. 

 

 

 

Holds Leaders Over The Past Week

Braves setup man Dylan Lee led MLB relievers with four holds last week. Lee has a 2.06 ERA and 0.726 WHIP so far this season and also leads the major leagues with 25 holds. Blue Jays setup man Tyler Rogers has the second most holds in baseball with 23. Mariners reliever Eduard Bazardo, Guardians reliever Hunter Gaddis and Rays reliever Kevin Kelly each have 22 holds this season. 

Five other relievers had three holds last week, including Brewers setup man Abner Uribe. Uribe and closer Megill form a formidable one-two punch at the top of the Brewers’ bullpen depth chart. The Brewers fortified their bullpen by adding Antonio Senzatela and JoJo Romero to the mix before the MLB trade deadline. Senzatela had three holds last week between his time with the Rockies and Brewers. Romero, who has been a good resource for holds throughout his career, remains on the IL and is recovering from an emergency appendectomy.

As for the Rockies bullpen without Senzatela, Jordan Romano continues to be the favorite for future save opportunities for the Rockies. He has five saves and a hold in his last nine appearances spanning 8.2 IP, but he continues to have issues with his control. He has given up six walks and eight hits in those nine appearances. 

Relievers To Take Note Of

Luke Weaver could see himself moving up the MLB closers rankings with his trade from the Mets to the Pirates. He hasn’t seen any action with the Pirates yet, but with a 1.84 ERA, 15 holds and one save this season, Weaver will almost certainly continue to be used in late-inning high-leverage situations. He has closer experience, and while left-handed reliever Gregory Soto will still be in the mix for saves, as a right-handed reliever, Weaver should also have opportunities to close out games for the Bucs moving forward. The Pirates added additional depth pieces in Kirby Yates and Camilo Doval, who both have closer experience as well. Yates has made two scoreless eighth-inning appearances for the Pirates thus far. Doval, who struggled at times for the Yankees, has made three appearances for his new team and recorded one hold.

Brooks Raley is another former Mets reliever who was traded before the deadline. He had 14 holds and a 1.96 ERA for the Mets but was charged with a blown save after he gave up two earned runs (including a home run) in his first appearance for the Phillies. Despite his poor first appearance for the Phils, he should continue to be a good resource for holds moving forward.

The Angels’ bullpen received a minor makeover with the team trading Ryan Zeferjahn to the Cubs. Samy Natera Jr., who was featured in last week’s column, continues to impress and picked up a save on Thursday. Ben Joyce, who started the season on the IL while recovering from shoulder surgery, finally made his 2026 debut on Wednesday. He pitched a scoreless inning and his fastball topped out at 102.2 mph. Look for Joyce and Natera Jr. to potentially split closer duties for the Angels moving forward.

Last week we told you to keep an eye out for Steven Cruz, and it appears he may be one step closer to being the Royals’ go-to option in the ninth inning. He picked up his third save of the season this week, and with the Royals announcing that Daniel Lynch is being converted to a starter, more save opportunities could be coming Cruz’s way. Alex Lange and John Schreiber will likely be the next men up in the Royals’ bullpen moving forward. Carlos Estevez, currently on the IL, is targeting a September return.

Nationals reliever Trevor Williams, who was on the IL recovering from an internal brace procedure that was done last July, hasn’t given up a run in his first four appearances of the 2026 season (6 IP). The Nationals have been using him in late-inning situations, and he has nine strikeouts and two walks so far this season.