14 Closer Fantasy Baseball Breakout Candidates: Relief Pitcher Targets For Saves (Week 5)

April 28, 2026

Nick looks at 14 potential fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers for closers and saves for Week 5 of 2026. His top relief pitcher waiver wire and trade targets for saves.

Alright, Mason Miller is mortal, so we're moving further into the uncharted territory that is 2026 bullpens. The injuries won't stop, we had Jordan Romano get designated for assignment, and elite bullpen arms are stuck in middle relief. Let's get into it with this week's relief risers and potential breakouts.

This column aims to identify surging arms and closer candidates, whether it's a short-term splash for the week to come, or for those looking farther down the road. We've got a month of baseball to pick apart, but plenty of relievers have rounded into form following some cold starts. With stats gathered through April 27, let's look at guys to add to the roster or watch list.

Many of you can't be picky, because only a blessed few are running pure enough to have tons of saves flowing in without a full injured list quota. "Enter Sandman" is cranking, which means it's time for this Mariano to get out there. Let's discuss MLB bullpens going into Week 5 of the 2026 fantasy baseball season.

Jack Perkins & Hogan Harris, Athletics

Perkins snagged a pair of two-inning saves this past week, which follows his getting a win through 2 ⅓ IP of scoreless action back on April 18. It remains highly unlikely that they limit him to more frequent one-inning stints as a locked-in closer, but they’ve clearly warmed up to lining him up for the final couple of frames with a lead.

I’m trying to attack guys, I’m trying to be a bulldog out there.”@Athletics Jack Perkins breaks down his shift from the rotation to the pen and why he thrives in high-leverage spots.

Perkins has 5 career saves—all of them have been for 3+ outs. pic.twitter.com/GdXOTpPtDR

— A's Cast (@athleticscast24) April 27, 2026

What he lacks in frequent volume, he (somewhat) makes up for by being able to become both a fireman and a closer. If there is a problem at the end of the seventh or during the eighth, his entry won’t preclude him from finishing the game.

Harris has been their key southpaw for late-game chances, except he had 12 walks to 10 strikeouts in his first 10 ⅔ IP. Luckily, most hitters can’t square him up, even if he wasn’t commanding it well. Only three earned runs on seven hits in that span feels lucky, given the free passes.

However, his last six games have seen him post a 6:1 K:BB with three hits allowed over 5 ⅔ IP, snatching two wins and two holds along the way. He has started to mix in more sliders and curveballs as well. With a 98th percentile hard-hit rate allowed and a .190 xBA against, we should perk up when the walks simmer.

Gregory Soto & Mason Montgomery, Pittsburgh Pirates

Dennis Santana got torched on Monday, allowing four runs on four hits (two homers) and two walks with two outs recorded. I respect what he’s done in the past, but Santana didn’t look sharp this spring or at the World Baseball Classic, and now he’s got a 10:8 K:BB in 13 ⅔ IP. That turns into an uglier 4:6 K:BB in his last seven games. The 5.54 FIP/5.64 xFIP dwarf the 3.29 ERA.

Soto pitched a scoreless eighth for his sixth hold and now owns a 20:6 K:BB with a 1.84 ERA/0.82 WHIP. You recall he had a 30-save season for Detroit in 2022! Please throw in the towel on Santana in the ninth.

Montgomery struck out one in a 1-2-3 first inning after being tabbed to open Monday’s tilt. That means he’s now up to a 16:2 K:BB with one run allowed on seven hits in 9 ⅓ IP since April 3. Yowza! Your top three RP strikeout rates since then: Mason Miller (63%), Montgomery (44%), and Varland (43%).

Jacob Latz, Texas Rangers

Following work from Cole Winn and Jakob Junis, Latz and his 25% strikeout rate got a 14-pitch save on Saturday. I still like Winn the most from a long-term perspective, but there’s no doubting that Latz has a hot left hand. The .086 BABIP will rise, but that 0.48 WHIP has plenty to give. He hasn’t walked a batter in five straight games, and had a pretty amazing start to the year as well.

Hitters were 0-for-30 against Jacob Latz this season before Max Muncy’s walkoff. Latz said he rushed the 0-2 slider a bit b/c of pitch clock.

“In hindsight, I would have rather taken the ball and reset … That one went right where he wanted it.”

— Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) April 11, 2026

I’d been concerned that he didn’t strike any out over a four-game window between April 12-17, but three Ks in his last two is heartwarming. He’s throwing more sliders at the expense of his changeup, to great effect. With no one running away with the job, it’s not surprising to see a possible lefty-righty closer platoon emerge.

Daniel Lynch IV, Kansas City Royals

We discussed Lynch last week, so we’ll keep it brief. Erceg has gotten better results lately, but has walked at least one in five straight appearances for a 5:7 K:BB in that span. His groundball rate could be 100%, and I’d still be grossed out (it’s 55.2%).

Lynch has thrown 6 ⅓ IP of no-hit action since April 7, sporting a 7:0 K:BB, but a hit batter means I can’t give him the “perfect” moniker. Matt Quatraro seems reluctant to let him loose, but I can’t get away from this form when the current closer is pitching so poorly.

Antonio Senzatela, Colorado Rockies

Another guy from last week who has seen his stock rise even further, Senzatela was able to log his second save of 2026 by getting last five outs on April 24. Coors will take its cut and the .190 BABIP won’t last, but Colorado’s retooling of the pitching coaches and analytics team has clearly paid off for many of these arms. Don’t just hand-wave it all to chance because “it’s the same ol’ Rockies,” because it isn’t.

Erik Miller & Keaton Winn, San Francisco Giants

Miller gave up two runs in back-to-back appearances on April 3 and 5, but his perfect four-out save on Sunday means he’s allowed just two hits with a 12:4 K:BB in 7 ⅓ IP since then. This has come with two saves and three holds.

Well, Winn isn’t going to be left out. He also gave up two runs on April 5, and he’s been perfect across seven games since then! That’s 6 ⅓ IP with zero hits and zero walks, without even a wild pitch. I know that Ryan Walker’s consecutive saves have rightfully improved his lot, but these two remain quite sharp.

Juan Morillo, Arizona Diamondbacks

Morillo was in the Dodgers’ system between 2016-24, but never got higher than Double-A thanks to poor control. He came to Arizona last year and wound up with more of the same: A rough 4.19 ERA/1.69 WHIP with a 13.2% walk rate.

So what gives? The fireballer who can hit triple digits only has four walks in 13 ⅔ IP thus far, but not at the expense of whiffs (16 Ks). He revamped his slider to make it slower with more movement, going from a ~2,550 rpm spin rate to ~2,730 rpm in ‘26. The righty has yet to allow a single pulled fly ball, which helps the ol’ .161 xBA and .263 xSLG stay low. He could be flashy if Paul Sewald goes down.

Mason Fluharty, Toronto Blue Jays

I realize that Varland rightfully has the attention, but Fluharty’s cutter/sweeper east-west approach has deserved better results. His 5.40 ERA/1.30 WHIP has seen too much weak contact fall in. Usually, higher fly-ball rates lead to lower BABIPs, yet the 24-year-old’s .364 mark is well above the .236 he posted over 52 ⅔ IP last season.

Between that and more whiffs with fewer walks, it shouldn’t be surprising that his 1.86 xERA and 2.52 SIERA are well below the 5.40 ERA. The 84.2 mph average exit velocity allowed is in the 97th percentile, as is the .157 xBA. Mix that with a 93rd percentile whiff rate and 85th percentile chase rate, and you could make quite the stew. Could he steal some southpaw save chances?

Eric Orze, Twins

The Twins still aren’t all that appealing to us, but Orze does have five strikeouts in his last three innings of work. He’s also yet to allow a barrel on 32 batted-ball events, supplying a healthy .282 xSLG and 2.57 xERA with that early 3.09 ERA. He’s a splitter-first guy with a fastball and an infrequent slider whose 2.27 FIP outpaces Cole Sands (3.58), Justin Topa (4.07), and Kody Funderburk (5.74).

Gus Varland, Nationals

Clayton Beeter and his 9:8 K:BB has been underwhelming, as has most of Washington’s league-worst pitching, and now he’s on the IL. The Nats are unlikely to suddenly proclaim one pitcher as the closer now, though Varland is their best current bet. That alone speaks volumes.

Alas, a situation riser is still one we have to note. That elevated .364 BABIP has helped inflate the 1.41 WHIP, yet his 3.18 ERA is backed by a 3.12 SIERA and 2.77 FIP. If you side with the 4.70 xERA, however, then you’re hard-avoiding this. (Richard Lovelady has already risen to high-leverage spots and could be neat. His 12:9 K:BB looks wild due to four intentional walks.)

Michael Petersen, Miami Marlins

Pete Fairbanks walked three and allowed a ground-rule double before exiting with a trainer due to a thumb issue (Reynaud's maybe?), which opens the door for saves in Miami. Anthony Bender is the early favorite and does have a 3.31 FIP to counter the 5.73 ERA, as his .367 BABIP is well above his .280 career mark. However, the walks are up and the whiffs are down, which is the opposite of what we want.

Calvin Faucher did throw a clean eighth inning before Fairbanks entered on Monday, but he’s allowed six earned runs with a 10:9 K:BB in eight innings since April began, so I’m okay there.

Petersen does have a save this year, but we’re more intrigued by the 9:1 K:BB in his last six games. They used him in the sixth and seventh on Monday, but things can change quickly if Fairbanks needs extended time off. Petersen was essentially a two-pitch guy last year to middling results (fastball/slider), but he’s grown into a changeup as a legit third offering. Look for talent in ambiguous bullpens!

Quick Hits:

-Phil Maton will be activated by the Cubs and should find himself with a clear chance at becoming the closer until Daniel Palencia is back. Ben Brown is exciting, but stuck in multi-inning looks earlier in the game.

-Luke Weaver’s whiffs are way down, but an 11.2% swinging-strike rate should give us more than a 15.6% K rate. He’s a hold with Devin Williams on the thinnest of ice.

-Anthony Nunez, Andrew Kittredge, and Rico Garcia all remain solid plays behind Ryan Helsley.

-Grant Taylor nearly had a five-out save, but a throwing error by Colson Montgomery to open the ninth led to a two-out hook. Taylor looks better than either Seranthony Dominguez or Jordan Leasure.

-Jordan Romano has been designated for assignment, Drew Pomeranz can’t stop allowing home runs, and Kirby Yates is getting crushed on his rehab assignment. Sam Bachman, Chase Silseth, and Ryan Zeferjahn all have walk rates of 13% and up, so it’s wrong to call anyone a “riser” here. Ben Joyce may be the biggest winner in the organization?

It's crazy that after six years on the job, this is the bullpen the Angels' front office is running out there.

Bad spending, bad development. A lot of things are Arte Moreno's fault. The bullpen isn't one of them.

Good news is it can only get better from here. I think.

— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) April 28, 2026

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