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Frank's fantasy baseball relief pitcher targets for 2026 fantasy baseball leagues. His top relief pitcher and closer sleepers, breakouts, and targets for 2026.
Chasing saves is a key part of fantasy baseball. Correctly choosing a reliever who takes over at closer is a great way to put your team over the top. But you also have to find the key bounce-back candidates and closers who can approach 40+ saves.
On this page, we're going to go through 10 closers to target. It will be a mix of high-end targets, potential resurgences, and sleepers who can take over as closers.
So, without further ado, learn about my favorite relievers to target for the 2026 fantasy baseball season.
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Mason Miller, San Diego Padres
Mason Miller is the top-ranked closer for good reason. This is the best reliever in baseball, set for his first full season as a closer for a potential playoff team. There's a great chance that Miller is going to absolutely smash his previous career-high of 28 saves. With the Padres as a fringe playoff team, expect to see more save opportunities.
The former Athletics' flamethrower was absolutely dominant last season, putting up a 2.12 SIERA and 44.4% strikeout rate. Those are video game numbers.
Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians
Emmanuel Clase's final game was July 26th.
From that point forward, Cade Smith became the closer.
Smith ended up with 13 saves the rest of the way in just over two months (he had 3 coming into that stretch).
Smith may lead MLB in saves this year.
— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) February 6, 2026
Cade Smith is set to establish himself as one of the best closers in baseball this season. He put up an impressive 2.32 SIERA and 34.7% strikeout rate last season. We've seen how the Guardians have provided plenty of save opportunities over the years. Just look at Emmanuel Clase, who put up 42, 44, and 47 saves during a three-year stretch.
It wouldn't surprise me to see Smith lead the league in saves this year. Add in the fact that he's going to provide excellent ratios as well, and you have a major target at closer.
Jhoan Duran, Philadelphia Phillies
Jhoan Duran debuted with the Phillies on August 1st.
From that point forward, he tied for the league lead with 16 saves.
After years of being used in different situations, the Phillies used him as a traditional closer.
There's no reason to expect that to change in 2026.
— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) November 9, 2025
Remember the days when Jhoan Duran would be used in high-leverage situations instead of as a traditional closer while with the Twins? Those days are gone, as Duran led MLB in saves from August 1 onward.
We've always been enamored with Duran's stuff, as highlighted by a 2.45 SIERA last season. Now, we could see 40+ saves (previous career-high: 32), especially since he's playing for a World Series contender in the Phillies.
Devin Williams, New York Mets
Devin Williams was a huge disappointment for the Yankees last season, posting a 4.79 ERA and 1.13 WHIP and losing his closer role. But that still came with a 34.7% strikeout rate and a 2.67 SIERA. The problem was the outlier 1.8 HR/9, as he had 0.73 HR/9 or better in his previous six seasons.
This is one of the easiest bounce-back bets in baseball this year. Playing for a Mets team that should be one of the best in baseball, Williams could get back to 35+ saves with elite ratios.
Ryan Helsley, Baltimore Orioles
Ryan Helsley is similar to Williams in that he is a reliever with elite stuff, coming off a disappointing season. Helsley had a 4.50 ERA and saw his strikeout drop to 25.0%. However, he still has a fastball that sits at 99 MPH, so the stuff is there.
The Orioles are likely to get back in contention this season, especially after a busy offseason headlined by the Pete Alonso signing. That means more save opportunities for Helsley. Don't forget, this is a guy who is one year removed from 49 saves.
Jeff Hoffman, Toronto Blue Jays
Jeff Hoffman had an outlier HR rate that ballooned his ERA, but still had strong peripherals last year:
2023:
0.52 HR/9, 2.99 SIERA, 33.2 K%2024:
0.81 HR/9, 2.39 SIERA, 33.6 K%2025:
1.99 HR/9, 3.21 SIERA, 29.3 K%I'm betting on a bounce back.
— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) January 25, 2026
Jeff Hoffman is another reliever similar to Williams: a great strikeout rate but a bloated ERA due to an outlier home-run rate. I'm betting that Hoffman will get back to a sub-1.00 HR/9, which he had in his previous two seasons. The 1.99 HR/9 that we saw last year was a clear outlier.
The Blue Jays remain one of the best teams in the AL, so just like others on this list, Hoffman is in a spot where he can get to 40+ saves. Add in a 29+% strikeout rate, and you have a reliever who feels poised for a bounce back here.
Kenley Jansen, Detroit Tigers
Kenley Jansen is a veteran closer who goes overlooked because he's entering his age-38 season. There's also concern that the Tigers will mix and match at closer, giving Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest some chances.
However, Jansen has been used as a traditional closer for his entire career, so I don't see that changing. He's coming off a rock-solid season with the Angels, where he racked up 29 saves with a 3.94 SIERA. While you won't get elite strikeout rates here, you're likely getting 25-30 saves, which is exactly what you want out of your second closer.
Ryan Walker, San Francisco Giants
Ryan Walker was a major disappointment last season, posting a 22.6% strikeout rate, a significant drop from 32.1% the previous year. Walker's SIERA also jumped from 2.45 to 3.40.
This has caused Walker to come at a low price in drafts. He's the perfect target if you wait for your second closer. What I like about this situation is that there's no clear candidate to push Walker for the closer role. It's also worth noting that Walker has been solid this spring, putting up a 31.8% strikeout rate. I'm betting on a bounce back here.
Matt Svanson, St. Louis Cardinals
Matt Svanson isn't the closer in St. Louis, but he's definitely a viable candidate in an unclear situation. The 27-year-old righty put up a 1.94 ERA (3.10 SIERA) and a 29.1 K% last season. Those are exactly the type of numbers you want from a closer.
Riley O'Brien has dealt with a calf strain at times this spring, opening up the door for Svanson. Even if Svanson doesn't start the year as the closer, he's still worth adding to your watch list. The stuff is there for him to make an impact in the ninth inning, just remember that the save opportunities could be a bit rare with the rebuilding Cardinals.
Mason Montgomery, Pittsburgh Pirates
Mason Montgomery was a savvy addition by the Pirates this season, coming over from the Rays along with Brandon Lowe. Montgomery has exactly the type of elite stuff that can make him overtake Dennis Santana for the closer role. The former Ray had a 125 Stuff+ last season, which is elite. For context, Santana was at 97.
While Santana was dependable last season, he only had a 22.2% strikeout rate. That's more of a profile for someone in the seventh inning rather than the ninth. If Santana struggles at any point and Montgomery finds his command, don't be surprised to see a change at closer. I'd keep a close eye on Montgomery throughout the season, as he's a viable sleeper. He's been one of my main targets as late-round potential saves source in draft and holds.
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