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Mike looks at eight potential fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers for closers and saves for Week 17 of 2026. His top relief pitcher waiver wire and trade targets for saves.
We're in the sprint to the finish line now, and gathering bullpen arms all season is part of your job as a fantasy manager. At this point, you should know where you stand in most leagues and what you might need to add this week before the sprint to the finish line of the season.
With the trade deadline approaching in two weeks, some of the pitchers listed here could find themselves in closing or setup roles with their current teams should those ahead of them be traded. Or, these pitchers could be traded to new teams as well.
The hope is that the pitchers listed here are available to you on the waiver wire or via trade in your league. Many fantasy players do not trade closers. But there is help to be had if we look in the right spots. Let's break down some bullpen situations going into Week 17 of the 2026 fantasy baseball season.
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Luis Medina, Athletics
Medina finds himself near the closer committee for the Athletics. Current closers Elvis Alvarado and Hogan Harris are sharing the job and doing nothing to differentiate themselves. They are both also possibly available via trade; Medina could find himself in a larger role.
Medina has five holds, a 3.71 ERA, and a 26.9% K% this season. This is his first season as a reliever, and he has largely pitched well in the role. He can really let it go in the bullpen; Medina is averaging 1.5 MPH more on his fastball than when he was a starter.
Didier Fuentes, Atlanta Braves
Fuentes was a starter in his previous stints with Atlanta, but has now found a home in the bullpen. Fuentes has worked into a setup role with a 2.50 ERA, a save, nine holds, and a 28% K%. With the injury to setup guy Robert Suarez and the relative ineffectiveness of Tyler Kinley, Fuentes is in the mix.
Check out his Statcast below. With outstanding fastball velocity, an above-average strikeout percentage, and a low barrel percentage, Fuentes is making his mark in the Atlanta bullpen and may have found his MLB calling there.
Tejay Antone, Cincinnati Reds
Could closer Emilio Pagan find himself on the move in the coming weeks before the trade deadline? If so, Antone could find himself in the closer role. Pagan finds himself with a 6.23 ERA and seven saves, and a shaky hold on the job.
Even so, he could be traded soon, and if so, Antone could lay claim to the job. Antone has a 34.5% chase percentage and an outstanding 51.2% ground-ball percentage, and could be the last man standing in the Cincinnati bullpen.
Michael Petersen, Miami Marlins
Pete Fairbanks blew another save on Sunday, which could open the closer seat in Miami. I like what we are seeing from Petersen this season. Petersen has a win, a 2.91 ERA, a save, 17 holds, and a 29.8% K% in 2026. He has been excellent.
His strikeout percentage has exploded this season (see below), and with the Marlins looking like a playoff contender, Petersen could get some shots, given Fairbanks' struggles. Petersen did leave Sunday's game with hamstring tightness, and no word was available on him yet at press time.
Justin Lawrence, Washington Nationals
Lawrence is no stranger to articles like these, a perpetual bullpen arm who finds himself in a variety of roles over the course of time. Given the recurring troubles of closer Clayton Beeter, and his current elevation to a setup role, Lawrence could get looks at the closer position.
His results have been inconsistent over time, but Lawrence could get into the mix if he can control his walks. On Monday, veteran lefty Tom Cosgrove earned his first save, a two-inning job, if that shows you how difficult this bullpen has been this season. Egads.
Erik Miller, San Francisco Giants
It appears to be a full-blown committee situation in San Francisco, and Miller appears to be part of that. Miller has been impressive this season in his setup role, and he seems to find himself in consideration as the co-closer at this time.
Take a look at his Statcast data below. The blood red sliders are there in the key areas. Many teams do not like using left-handed closers, but the Giants may want to strongly consider it here, given Caleb Kilian's struggles and their lack of options besides the aforementioned and JT Brubaker.
AJ Blubaugh, Houston Astros
The dearth of right-handed relief help in Houston leads us to Blubaugh, a starter who is lending his help to the bullpen right now. Given the disappointment of Bryan Abreu, Blubaugh could find himself in a setup role in the near future.
Blubaugh has four wins in 37 appearances out of the bullpen this year, with a 3.63 ERA, four holds, and an average 24.1% K%. Obviously, Josh Hader will close, but with lefties Bryan King and Steven Okert holding setup roles, Blubaugh could be their right-handed complement.
Jordan Hicks, Chicago White Sox
I wrote about Hicks last week and heard about it from some of you! Compared to 2025, he's added almost two ticks to his four-seamer (97.4 MPH to 99.3 MPH), five ticks to his sweeper (82.5 MPH to 87.2 MPH), and a tick to his sinker (97.5 MPH to 98.7 MPH).
Take a look at his June and July months below. Spotless in nine outings. He has 15 strikeouts in nine innings. One walk, three hits. Hicks looks to have found his former level. Keep in mind that the Chicago White Sox need stability in high-leverage innings. Could Hicks find himself in the high-leverage mix?
Quick Hits
Baltimore Orioles
This one is fascinating to watch, as there seems to be no favorite each night between Tyler Wells and Andrew Kittredge. In two consecutive weeks, I have leaned two different ways. Kittredge blew the save but got the win on Saturday, while Wells took a loss on Monday.
Based on experience, one would lean Kittredge; he has 24 career saves. But one could also argue that Wells has better stuff and a higher ability to whiff batters. Maybe one will emerge this week, but it seems more likely this will remain a committee. Could they also be traded?
Chicago White Sox
Grant Taylor got the last save opportunity for the Sox, and one-time closer Seranthony Dominguez is now pitching in middle relief. Lefty Sean Newcomb has been terrific all season and seems to share the closer role with Taylor as of this writing.
Of note, Taylor was warming up on Monday night to close the game in the ninth, but the White Sox scored five runs in the top of the inning to cancel his appearance. Look for Taylor to get 75% of the chances in the short term, but the Sox could also look to acquire bullpen help at the deadline.
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have experimented with three different pitchers in the closer role: Kirby Yates, Ryan Zeferjahn, and Sam Bachman. None has done much to distinguish themselves from the other. Yates blew a save Friday night, while Zeferjahn converted one on Sunday.
The Angels look to be sellers in this market, and all three of these guys could be sold off in the next two weeks. Yates seems to hold the most value based on his experience despite his mediocre results this year. Look for the committee to continue unless they attempt to showcase Yates in the coming days.
Philadelphia Phillies
No one is questioning Jhoan Duran as closer: he has a sparkling 1.32 ERA, 24 saves, and a whopping 38.2% K%. Getting to him has been a bit of a struggle in Philadelphia, as Jose Alvarado has posted inconsistent results, and Brad Keller has injured his ulnar collateral ligament.
Jonathan Bowlan has stepped into a setup role with Orion Kerkering, which has helped. The team also recalled relief prospect Alex McFarlane, who will be interesting to watch over the next couple of weeks. The Phillies could look to acquire some help in middle relief to get to Duran.
We will always try to help you find usable players on your waiver wire or that you might target via trade. If you have questions or want to discuss any of these things, my DMs are always open on Twitter/X @mdrc0508. Happy hunting this week! Always remember to have fun with your fantasy baseball teams.
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