Top 125 Saves+Holds Rankings for Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitchers (2024)

March 26, 2024

Nick Mariano's fantasy baseball saves+holds (SV+HLD) rankings for closers and relief pitchers. His top 125 tiered rankings and analysis for the 2024 MLB season.

There's plenty of traditional fantasy baseball content where bullpen chatter is all about the closer role. Saves+Holds reliever ranks can be overlooked or left stale from an early offseason article, but I'll be here at least once a month to bring my leaderboard for the season. Allow me, Nick Mariano, to do my namesake proud (my middle name isn't Rivera, sorry) and bring you the breakdown about fantasy baseball bullpens.

While the closer's role is important, an increasing number of managers are moving their best arm into a flexible role while shuffling who gets the ninth. Saves+Holds (or Solds, or SV+HLD) leagues help fantasy leagues reward the best arms regardless of the inning, though it still favors closers in a vacuum. Be sure to also check out our constantly updated fantasy baseball closers and saves depth charts.

Reminder: A hold is recorded when a relief pitcher enters with a lead of three runs or less, or with the tying run on deck, at the plate, or on base, and maintains that lead while recording at least one out. Read on and you'll see where I rank each player, what tier they're in, and then a team-by-team bullpen breakdown. While I look for pitchers used in high-leverage situations, this is also about how good the arm is and how efficient their K/9 works for many of you.

2024 Saves+Holds Rankings - Mixed Leagues

Be sure to also bookmark our main 2024 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. It's loaded up with tons of other great rankings including roto mixed leagues, H2H points leagues, AL/NL only leagues, prospect rankings and more.

Rankings as of March 22nd

Team-by-Team Saves+Holds Rankings Analysis

Arizona: Paul Sewald remains the clear closer, but Kevin Ginkel was also a dynamite arm. Sewald, Ginkel, Miguel Castro, and Scott McGough are the frontrunners for solds. Andrew Saalfrank should also grab double-digits, but his WHIP may be a liability. Sewald and McGough are the best for your K/9, while Ginkel will most likely supply the best ratios.

Atlanta: The Bravos fleshed out a bullpen behind Raisel Iglesias so Reynaldo Lopez could stretch out as a starter. Iglesias and A.J. Minter had nearly identical 2023 seasons on paper, with Iggy logging 31 solds to Minter’s 27. Behind them, Pierce Johnson and Joe Jimenez carry high strikeout rates and should sniff 20 solds.

Baltimore: Craig Kimbrel will try to fill Felix Bautista’s cleats, but we’ve seen him lose command at times. Baltimore’s early schedule is tantalizing and could yield a surplus of solds for Kimbrel, Yennier Cano, and company. Danny Coulombe is the only other consistent name of interest right now, but be sure you monitor Dillon Tate’s early appearances.

Boston: *UPDATE* Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin have both made spring appearances and look okay for Opening Day. They're the 1-2 ahead of Josh Winckowski.

This is a tough scene. Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin haven’t appeared in game action yet this spring and have shaky durability records. Josh Winckowski should see 20 solds by default, but last year’s 1.43 WHIP and sub 9.0 K/9 aren’t heartwarming. With Garrett Whitlock likely needed to cover a rotation spot, this is a ‘pen to avoid investing much into. Trades should loom, both coming in and going out.

20 pitches of live BP for Kenley Jansen just now. Location a bit scattered but threw hard. Game next.

— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) March 12, 2024

Chicago (AL): *UPDATE* Michael Kopech has been moved into the bullpen and could be a massive presence if he works late leverage for us versus being a long-relief swingman type. He'd be in Tier 6 if we get some late frames, with room for much more come next update.

John Brebbia may not be ready for Opening Day, but he’s the best long-term option at the moment. Hotshot Jordan Leasure is still a rookie with an unknown role, but the ChiSox would be morons to bury him on the leverage ladder. Do you trust them to not be morons?

They also just traded for Steven Wilson from the Padres, who might be their most effective veteran RP. If Brebbia can’t go early or simply doesn’t recover well then Wilson could see early saves. Regardless, he should immediately be thrust into their high-leverage spots.

Chicago (NL): The Cubs aren’t committing to Adbert Alzolay as the closer yet, but he remains the best bet at seeing late sold opps. Alzolay and Hector Neris are a formidable one-two punch that should near 25-30 solds with plus ratios and over a strikeout per inning. Julian Merryweather and Mark Leiter Jr. are the only others with a reasonable path to 15+ solds and ratios that won’t burn.

Cincinnati: Alexis Diaz had an ERA of 3.00 or lower in each of his first five months last season before a nasty 8.38 ERA in September. Still, he trimmed his fly-ball rate by over 10 percentage points while posting another year with a strikeout rate above 30%. It’s hard to trust anyone else, especially at hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark, but Lucas Sims and Emilio Pagan would be it.

Cleveland: Emmanuel Clase led the league with 44 saves and solds in 2023. His ratios weren’t what we’ve grown to love but they weren’t bad. Is he breaking down under years of massive workloads or did he correct something(s) going into 2024?

Scott Barlow posted a 1.14 ERA with a 27:9 K:BB in his final 20 games for San Diego. He’s a nice target in this format behind Clase. Trevor Stephan likely cedes some of his 30 solds from last year to Barlow, but he’s a sneaky pick as well. Monitor James Karinchak’s rehab to see if that monstrous K-rate can hang.

Colorado: You must be truly desperate to plead with Coors for reliever help. Justin Lawrence and Tyler Kinley are vying for early closing duties, with Kinley holding some momentum from late 2023 when he posted five saves in September. Kinley also had a 0.75 ERA (1.74 FIP) over 24 innings in 2022. You can’t trust anyone, but Kinley has the edge over Lawrence for us regardless of the ninth.

Who will be the closer for the Colorado Rockies in 2024?

Justin Lawrence is down for whatever and Tyler Kinley is adding two pitches to his arsenal.

Plus, Anthony Molina is a sleeper worth eyeing. pic.twitter.com/yAPBHRjAHC

— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) February 18, 2024

Detroit: Alex Lange has the best stuff (121 Stuff+) and should stay in the late innings until he flubs it no matter how much A.J. Hinch hates the “closer” term. Jason Foley had more solds (35) than Lange (32) in ‘23 but is dealing with “mid-camp fatigue” for now. Andrew Chafin is unlikely to help your WHIP but should see holds as the key southpaw. Shelby Miller is an X-factor after his 1.71 ERA/0.90 WHIP for the Dodgers last year, but his .165 BABIP is unlikely to repeat.

Houston: The Astros made a splash by signing Josh Hader to anchor their bullpen. The star closer should clear 30 solds with ease on a winning Houston team. This news crushed Ryan Pressly’s value in traditional 5x5 but he doesn’t fall as far here.

Bryan Abreu had an incredible ‘23 (72 IP, 100 K, 29 solds, 1.75 ERA, 1.04 WHIP) and hopefully doesn’t lose many opps as the No. 3 man behind Hader and Pressly. Rafael Montero may return to form but his 2023 was horrid.

Kansas City: William Smith boasts “proven closer” experience but otherwise could easily get lost in KC’s quietly deep bullpen. Smith benefits from being the high-leverage southpaw, but then James McArthur, John Schreiber, John McMillon, and Nick Anderson are all capable of leading KC’s righties.

McArthur and McMillon have the nastiest stuff but their small track records make it tricky. Schreiber and Anderson have a deeper body of work to speculate on. All should clear 10+ solds.

LA Angels: *UPDATE* Indeed, Robert Stephenson will not be ready for Opening Day, which gives Estevez a chance to put his foot down in the ninth. Stephenson remains an elite stash.

The question here for most is “How long can Carlos Estevez fend off Robert Stephenson for the ninth?” Angels skipper Ron Washington said Estevez is the closer but he had a 1.49 WHIP last year and hasn’t looked sharp this spring (4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 K).

Stephenson is working through minor shoulder soreness and may not be ready by Opening Day, but his upside is still worth a top pick in this format. His 30.4% K-BB rate made him one of two RPs to cross 30% (min. 50 IP), with the other being Felix Bautista. Sweet company. Matt Moore and Jose Soriano are other names to keep track of here.

LA Dodgers:*UPDATE* Brusdar Graterol has opened the season on the 10-day IL but it sounds minor, but several tiebreakers go to the healthy arms along the way.

Evan Phillips is an easy click as the 1A/closer on a team that may lead MLB in late-game leads. Brusdar Graterol isn’t traveling to Korea with hip tightness but it sounds precautionary. Just mind his lesser whiffs and you’ll be golden with ~25 solds.

Joe Kelly should be No. 3 as he posted an electric 19:6 K:BB with a 1.74 ERA and two holds in 11 games (10 ⅓ IP). Alex Vesia, Ryan Brasier, J.P. Feyereisen, Blake Treinen, and Daniel Hudson are all on the radar depending on their late spring form.

Miami: Tanner Scott was dominant in 2023 after finding consistent command, logging 36 solds and sub-1.00 WHIP with over 100 strikeouts. But he’s lost that touch this spring, turning 19 batters faced into five outs, seven walks, and seven hits. Please recover the 2023 form soon!

Otherwise, Andrew Nardi is a potent left-hander to match up in key spots leading up to the ninth. Anthony Bender and Sixto Sanchez are the key right-handers but both are coming off of lengthy injury absences.

Milwaukee: The Brewers are reportedly without star Devin Williams for around three months due to multiple stress fractures in his back. Awful news. Behind him is a mix of Joel Payamps, Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, and Hoby Milner.

All except Megill are having horrid springs halfway through March, but it’s still early. Payamps should have the most trust of the rest after logging 30 solds in ‘23 but Megill and Uribe have nastier arsenals, so be ready for a fluid ladder to kick off 2024. The solds door should be wide open to most of these four names.

This Trevor Megill overlay is Reason #271240 why hitting a baseball is impossible.

99mph up and in at the hands followed by an 88 mph curve at the bottom of the zone.

That's one baseball simply splitting into two baseballs like magic. https://t.co/uzA1xPNJah pic.twitter.com/Ox35cKqbjc

— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) February 13, 2024

Minnesota:*UPDATE* Jhoan Duran's moderate oblique injury stings, but Griffin Jax and Brock Stewart are even better picks now. Caleb Thielbar is injured too, which elevates Steven Okert.

This is one of my favorite bullpens. Jhoan Duran is a known Terminator on the bump, leading any ‘pen he’s in. Griffin Jax matched Duran’s 129 Stuff+ metric, with superior Location+ and Pitch+ scores. You still take Duran first, of course, but Jax has another gear to him.

Brock Stewart is slept on after only nine solds in ‘23, but 39 K’s with a 0.65 ERA in 27 ⅔ IP is spicy. Caleb Thielbar, Justin Topa, Steven Okert, and (a healthy) Jorge Alcala all boast viable ratios and whiffs. There’s no space for Kody Funderburk it seems, but don’t lose track of him!

New York (AL): Clay Holmes needs to stay strong because there are several interesting yet questionable arms behind him. He’ll have a few spots where the sinker command isn’t there but we hope that’s rare. Jonathan Loaisiga only threw 17 ⅔ IP last year and Tommy Kahnle is already banged up.

Caleb Ferguson should see last year’s .364 BABIP regress (under .295 in each of his first four seasons). Ian Hamilton has thrown seven hitless innings of ball this spring (11 K’s) and shouldn’t be overlooked.

Ian Hamilton’s Spring numbers have been stellar as he has become one of our most reliable RPs:

4 games
7 IP
11 Ks
ERA 0.00
WHIP 0.29

2023 stats:

58 IP
69 Ks
ERA 2.64
WHIP 1.22

— Hank’s Yanks (@fantasyfurnace) March 12, 2024

New York (NL): Praise be, Edwin Diaz is back. We’ll see about his conditioning after a lost season but at least it wasn’t an arm injury. Adam Ottavino and Brooks Raley should see 20+ solds while Drew Smith and Jake Diekman offer plus whiffs in the middle innings.

Oakland: Generally speaking, this is Mason Miller or bust. Just stay healthy! I hope that Dany Jimenez gets enough consistent late work to be relevant (3.63 ERA/1.12 WHIP in 22 ⅓ IP last year) but relying on Oakland to generate solds is tough.

Lucas Erceg is the other late man of interest. The former third baseman had an ugly 4.75 ERA/1.58 WHIP but his 3.31 FIP points to brighter days. If he can rein in the 14% walk rate then perhaps there’s a conversation to be had here.

Philadelphia: This is the bullpen. Jose Alvarado had a 14 K/9 with 21 solds and elite ratios over 41 IP last year in tandem with Craig Kimbrel. Jeff Hoffman has blossomed into a stud away from Coors (2.41 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 69 K’s in 52 IP) and should see saves as the big righty.

Gregory Soto managed to keep a lid on walks again. Seranthony Dominguez took a step back but we’ve seen the ceiling. Matt Strahm quietly delivered 13 solds with plus K’s and ratios. Orion Kerkering is everyone’s favorite sleeper RP with one of the best sliders in the game, but will he log enough solds to help us? I’m all for siding with talent first.

Gameday3D: Orion Kerkering sliders

88.1 mph / 18 inches of break
88.0 mph / 20 inches of break
87.2 mph / 18 inches of break
87.6 mph / 20 inches of break pic.twitter.com/XCu2UMv1iX

— David Adler (@_dadler) September 25, 2023

Pittsburgh: *UPDATE* David Bednar made a triumphant return to the mound on Thursday and he looks ready to rock for Opening Day. Hopefully, this is the last of his lat issues.

David Bednar is dealing with lat tightness but the initial prognosis remains optimistic. Aroldis Chapman had reasonable control throughout 2023, striking out 103 over just 58 ⅓ IP, and won’t be squeezed out of late frames in PIT. Colin Holderman and Carmen Mlodzinski should approach 15 solds. Roansy Contreras has upside but he’s still working through plenty before we get there. He has one strikeout and a 1.95 WHIP over 6 ⅔ IP this spring.

San Diego: Robert Suarez will lead SD’s bullpen after injuries marred his return from being a star in Mexico. He still had a 0.90 WHIP and eight holds over 27 ⅔ IP, but now he’s the guy.

Yuki Matsui struck out the side in his MLB spring debut but is dealing with a back issue now. The excitement is warranted there, so draft away. Wandy Peralta always finds himself in 15-20 high-leverage spots, with Enyel De Los Santos and Woo-Suk Go rounding out names of interest.

Mike Shildt on Yuki Matsui's live BP earlier today: "He did come out of it well."

Shildt also discusses the Padres controlling the running game and Pedro Avila appearing out of the bullpen for an inning today against the Angels: pic.twitter.com/wAeaMOjvay

— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) March 10, 2024

San Francisco: Camilo Doval faces little competition for late work in pitcher-friendly Oracle Park. His team getting leads is his biggest hurdle. The Rogerses, Taylor and Tyler, are still the two-three behind him, with Taylor bringing more strikeouts (11.25 K/9) but fewer solds and Tyler logging 32 solds with a 7.3 K/9 mark.

Seattle:*UPDATE* Matt Brash and Gregory Santos appear to have avoided major injury, but we still have setbacks to avoid until we can exhale.

Andres Munoz better stay healthy because early injuries to Matt Brash and Gregory Santos are exposing depth problems. At least they appear to have escaped anything major, while Jackson Kowar will miss 2024 due to Tommy John surgery. Munoz, Brash, and Santos should be the big three here, but old friend Ty Buttrey is having a nice spring and the newly signed Ryne Stanek could earn late work. Gabe Speier is the lefty of interest after 18 solds last year.

St. Louis: Ryan Helsley dealt with injuries last year but still put up a 2.45 ERA/1.06 WHIP and 13 K/9 when on the bump (36 ⅔ IP). This coincided with a down year for Giovanny Gallegos (4.42 ERA), who still recorded 10 saves and 20 holds.

Beyond them, JoJo Romero should reach double-digit solds while Keynan Middleton and Andrew Kittredge look to rebound from injuries. Kittredge is the most intriguing of the lot given his stellar 2021-22 before Tommy John.

Tampa Bay: Will this be the year we get 50+ innings out of Pete Fairbanks? He reached 45 last year with an ERA, FIP, xFIP, and SIERA below 2.85 while standing as one of six RPs with a >37% strikeout rate.

Jason Adam is still the reliable “1B” late arm while Colin Poche not only posted 23 solds last year but also logged 12 wins. High-leverage spots on a team like Tampa can do that! The rest shouldn’t get lofty sold totals but Phil Maton and Shawn Armstrong can stabilize ratios.

Texas: *UPDATE* Jose Leclerc looks to be the closer, but that outcome was largely baked in already. It was difficult to envision them passing Leclerc over after his playoff performance.

We don’t need to sweat which order Jose Leclerc and David Robertson enter the game, but we do need their volatility to calm down. Leclerc finished ‘23 strong as he led the bullpen through their triumphant postseason run.

Robertson initially flopped in Miami but posted clean frames in 10 of his final 11 games of the year. Josh Sborz and Kirby Yates are the next tier here, followed by Brock Burke and Jonathan Hernandez.

Toronto: *UPDATE* Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson have early, allegedly minor injuries. Romano should throw in the next couple of days, after which we'll update as needed. Swanson appears OK. Yimi Garcia, Chad Green, and Tim Mayza all get a slight bump in the meantime.

Jordan Romano’s form slipped in 2023 but that simply meant a 2.90 ERA and 1.22 WHIP rather than ~2.10 ERAs and ~1.05 WHIPs. His swinging-strike rate remained a stellar 17.1% so let’s just protect that back of his. Erik Swanson had 33 solds with pristine ratios and is a massive riser in this format.

Yimi Garcia and Tim Mayza had over 20 solds as well. And then we’ll see how Chad Green’s big whiffs are deployed as well. It was only 12 innings, but last year his 19.5% swinging-strike rate came only behind Robert Stephenson, Felix Bautista, and Brock Stewart (min. 10 IP).

Spring Training tjStuff+ Leaders
2024-03-10

Chad Green 🥇
Wilmer Flores 🐯
Justin Slaten 🔥
Jared Jones 🏴‍☠️ pic.twitter.com/EuqY4IPFrB

— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) March 10, 2024

Washington: Everyone and their mother has earmarked Hunter Harvey for closer, president, and future commander of this bullpen over Kyle Finnegan. Harvey’s ERA was nearly a full run lower than Finnegan’s 3.76 mark, while his 0.94 WHIP made Finnegan’s 1.30 blush.

But Finnegan would string together enough good games to stay in the picture and few others are pushing them for action. Draft each with confidence in this format, with an edge to Harvey’s skill set, and then perhaps Tanner Rainey can rebound as a seventh-inning arm after a lost 2023 season.

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