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Fantasy baseball closer breakouts, sleepers, waiver wire add/drop analysis for Week 18 of 2026 include Mason Montgomery, Jordan Romano, Hogan Harris, Mitch Farris and more.
Targeting emerging relief pitchers before their fantasy value skyrockets is a great way to gain an edge in your fantasy league.
In this piece, we will spotlight seven relief pitchers on the rise and determine if managers should pick them up from the waiver wire.
Let's dive in!
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Erik Miller, San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants left-hander Erik Miller picked up his third save of the season on Monday night, throwing a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts in his team's 3-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. San Francisco has largely operated with a committee approach in the ninth inning so far this season. Still, Miller has a solid case as the team's best relief arm, as he's pitched to a 2.87 ERA and 1.40 WHIP with 44 strikeouts across 31 1/3 innings (36 games).
The 28-year-old's command is spotty, as he's surrendered a 16.2% walk rate. However, he's averaging 96.9 miles per hour on his fastball and has struck out 32.4% of the batters he's faced on the year. For deep-league managers who are searching for saves on the waiver wire, Miller could be a name to target.
-Written by Will Brady
Rico Garcia, Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles right-hander Rico Garcia picked up his fifth save of 2026 on Monday night, throwing a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts in his team's 8-5 win over the Detroit Tigers. With closer Ryan Helsley (elbow) currently on the injured list, Baltimore has been mixing and matching in the ninth inning in recent weeks.
Garcia's save on Monday was his first since early June, as fellow Orioles right-handers Tyler Wells and Andrew Kittredge have been seeing more opportunities of late. However, Garcia has excellent numbers for the year overall, as he's pitched to a 2.93 ERA and 0.87 WHIP with 49 strikeouts and four wins across 46 innings (49 games). While he's unlikely to see every save chance for Baltimore going forward, Garcia could still be a worthy deep-league waiver wire target with some upside.
-Written by Will Brady
Hogan Harris, Athletics
Athletics left-handed reliever Hogan Harris appears to be pulling away as the team's preferred option for saves after earning his eighth save on Friday in the 2-0 win over the Minnesota Twins. Since Harris' last blown save on June 21 against the division-rival Los Angeles Angels, he has allowed only one earned run on six hits while walking four and striking out 18 in 9 2/3 innings pitched across 10 appearances, adding two saves.
The 29-year-old southpaw has two saves already in his four appearances in the second half of the season and has been pretty reliable for most of the season with a 3-0 record, 3.15 ERA (4.03 FIP) and 1.49 WHIP with 61 strikeouts and 28 walks in 45 2/3 innings across his career-high 49 relief appearances. Chasing a pitcher technically in a closer committee on a struggling team well below .500 on the year isn't ideal, but Harris is certainly worth a look in deeper leagues for fantasy managers who are desperate for saves. Harris is currently rostered in 10% of Yahoo leagues.
- Written by Keith Hernandez
Mitch Farris, Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Angels left-handed reliever Mitch Farris could be emerging as a deep-league waiver-wire option for fantasy managers who are desperate for saves after he picked up his first career save in the team's 4-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. In two-thirds of an inning at Oracle Park, Farris allowed one hit and struck out one batter to close things out in the Bay Area.
The 25-year-old southpaw entered the contest with two runners on base and one out in the ninth inning, and he allowed a two-out double to Luis Arraez, but the runs were not charged to him. The former 14th-round pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2023 out of Wingate University is 0-1 on the year with a 3.53 ERA (4.84 FIP) and 1.41 WHIP with 43 strikeouts and 18 walks in 43 1/3 innings across his 22 relief appearances.
The Angels are technically rolling with a closer-by-committee situation that also involves Ryan Zeferjahn, Sam Bachman, and Kirby Yates, so we'd be surprised to see Farris earn many more save chances going forward for one of the worst teams in baseball. Reliever Ben Joyce (shoulder) is getting closer to making his 2026 season debut, too.
-Written by Keith Hernandez
Mason Montgomery, Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Mason Montgomery earned his second save of the season in the team's 8-7 win over the division-rival Chicago Cubs on Sunday, although it didn't come easily. Montgomery allowed two earned runs on two hits (one homer) while walking none and striking out two.
The 26-year-old southpaw is getting more run in high-leverage, late-inning situations, and he got the call in the ninth in this one over left-hander Gregory Soto, who has been the team's primary saves option for the majority of the 2026 season. Montgomery is now 3-3 on the season with two saves, a 4.04 ERA (2.92 FIP), 1.23 WHIP, and 65:19 K:BB in 42 1/3 innings across his 43 appearances (five starts) in his third year in the majors (first in Pittsburgh).
While the Pirates seem to be trusting Montgomery more now that reliever Dennis Santana is out of the picture, Soto is still the better option for saves in the Pirates' bullpen for fantasy managers. Montgomery is currently rostered in 4% of Yahoo leagues, although he's an option for those desperate in deeper leagues.
-Written by Keith Hernandez
Jordan Romano, Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Jordan Romano worked around two leadoff singles to close out Friday's 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, retiring the next three hitters to earn his eighth save. Romano allowed two hits and struck out one in the scoreless inning. It was his fourth save in as many chances since joining Colorado's bullpen, where he has surrendered one earned run with nine strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings.
Colorado has not formally named a closer, but Romano is getting the opportunities that matter. Each of his seven appearances for the club has come in the ninth inning, and he has converted every save chance. His 10.13 ERA with the Los Angeles Angels earlier this season remains a warning, especially after he allowed two baserunners Friday. Still, 94% of Yahoo leagues have left Romano on the waiver wire. He is a priority saves pickup in 12-team leagues and deeper and a viable target in competitive 10-team formats.
-Written by Bruno Mule
Grant Taylor, Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox right-hander Grant Taylor has been one of the better relievers in baseball so far this season, recording a 2.58 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 74 strikeouts, four wins, and five saves across 52 1/3 innings (39 games). Chicago has been hesitant to deploy Taylor as its full-time closer in 2026, preferring to utilize him in a fireman role.
However, the 24-year-old has notched three saves in July and could be securing the team's ninth-inning role. Even if Taylor does not see every save chance for the White Sox the rest of the way, he should remain a valuable reliever for fantasy managers to roster. Taylor is averaging 98.3 miles per hour on his fastball and has posted a 34.9% strikeout rate and a 26.4% K-BB rate. In leagues where he is available on the waiver wire, Taylor profiles as a must-add pitcher.
-Written by Will Brady
Updated Closers and Saves Depth Charts
Check out our updated closer depth charts for each of the 30 MLB teams that are updated regularly by Nick Mariano.
AL EAST: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves
| RotoBaller Stability Rating | Team Name |
Current Closer |
Direct Backup |
More Holds Candidates |
Waiver Wire Add |
| Solid | Yankees | David Bednar | Fernando Cruz | Tim Hill, Brent Headrick, Paul Blackburn | N/A |
| Solid | Red Sox | Aroldis Chapman | Garrett Whitlock | Greg Weissert, Tyron Guerrero, Justin Slaten | Garrett Whitlock |
| Solid | Blue Jays | Louis Varland | Tyler Rogers | Jeff Hoffman, Braydon Fisher, Mason Fluharty, Yimi Garcia (IL) | N/A |
| Questionable | Orioles | Tyler Wells | Andrew Kittredge, Rico Garcia, Ryan Helsley (IL) | Yennier Cano, Grant Wolfram, Felix Bautista (IL) | Tyler Wells, Andrew Kittredge |
| Solid | Rays | Bryan Baker | Garrett Cleavinger, Kevin Kelly | Casey Legumina, Cole Sulser, Craig Kimbrel, Edwin Uceta (IL) | N/A |
AL CENTRAL: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves
| RotoBaller Stability Rating |
Team Name | Current Closer | Direct Backup | More Holds Candidates |
Waiver Wire Add |
| Solid | Tigers | Kenley Jansen | Keider Montero, Kyle Finnegan | Tyler Holton, Drew Anderson, Will Vest (IL) | N/A |
| Questionable | White Sox | Grant Taylor | Sean Newcomb, Jordan Hicks, Bryan Hudson | Seranthony Dominguez, Trevor Richards | Grant Taylor |
| Solid | Guardians | Cade Smith | Hunter Gaddis, Colin Holderman | Erik Sabrowski, Matt Festa, Shawn Armstrong, Franco Aleman | N/A |
| Questionable | Royals | Alex Lange | John Schreiber | Lucas Erceg, Matt Strahm, Carlos Estevez (IL) | Alex Lange, Daniel Lynch IV |
| Solid | Twins | Yoendrys Gomez | Andrew Morris | Travis Adams, Taylor Rogers, Woo-Suk Go, Tommy Nance | Yoendrys Gomez |
AL WEST: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves
| RotoBaller Stability Rating | Team Name | Current Closer | Direct Backup | More Holds Candidates |
Waiver Wire Add |
| Solid | Rangers | Jacob Latz | Jakob Junis | Cole Winn, Robby Ahlstrom, Tyler Alexander, Peyton Gray | N/A |
| Volatile | Angels | Kirby Yates, Ryan Zeferjahn | Sam Bachman | Samy Natera Jr., Brent Suter, Chase Silseth, Ben Joyce (IL) | Sam Bachman, Ryan Zeferjahn |
| Committee | Athletics | Hogan Harris, Elvis Alvarado | Luis Medina | Mark Leiter Jr., Justin Sterner (IL) | Hogan Harris |
| Solid | Astros | Josh Hader | Bryan King | Steven Okert, Enyel De Los Santos, Bryan Abreu | N/A |
| Solid | Mariners | Andres Munoz | Jose A. Ferrer | Eduard Bazardo, Gabe Speier, Matt Brash (IL) | N/A |
NL EAST: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves
| RotoBaller Stability Rating | Team Name | Current Closer | Direct Backup | More Holds Candidates |
Waiver Wire Add |
| Solid | Braves | Raisel Iglesias | Dylan Lee | Tyler Kinley, Didier Fuentes, Dylan Dodd, Robert Suarez (IL) | N/A |
| Volatile | Marlins | Pete Fairbanks | Michael Petersen | Calvin Faucher, Cade Gibson, Anthony Bender (IL), John King (IL) | Michael Petersen |
| Questionable | Mets | Devin Williams | Luke Weaver | Brooks Raley, Huascar Brazoban, A.J. Minter | Luke Weaver |
| Solid | Phillies | Jhoan Duran | Jose Alvarado, Orion Kerkering | Jonathan Bowlan, Tim Mayza | N/A |
| Volatile | Nationals | Clayton Beeter | Orlando Ribalta | Justin Lawrence, Tom Cosgrove | N/A |
NL CENTRAL: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves
| RotoBaller Stability Rating | Team Name | Current Closer | Direct Backup | More Holds Candidates |
Waiver Wire Add |
| Questionable | Cubs | Jacob Webb | Trent Thornton, Caleb Thielbar | Ryan Rolison, Phil Maton, Daniel Palencia (IL) | Jacob Webb |
| Solid | Reds | Emilio Pagan | Tejay Antone, Brock Burke | Caleb Ferguson, Pierce Johnson, Graham Ashcraft (IL), Tony Santillan (IL) | N/A |
| Solid | Brewers | Trevor Megill | Abner Uribe | Aaron Ashby, Grant Anderson, Chad Patrick | N/A |
| Volatile | Pirates | Gregory Soto, Mason Montgomery | Dennis Santana | Yohan Ramirez, Isaac Mattson, Brandon Eisert | Mason Montgomery |
| Solid | Cardinals | Riley O'Brien | George Soriano | Ryne Stanek, Justin Bruihl, JoJo Romero (IL) | N/A |
NL WEST: 2026 Fantasy Baseball Closers & Saves
| RotoBaller Stability Rating | Team Name | Current Closer | Direct Backup |
More Holds Candidates |
Waiver Wire Add |
| Solid | Diamondbacks | Paul Sewald | Jonathan Loaisiga, Juan Morillo | Brandyn Garcia, Taylor Clarke, Kevin Ginkel, A.J. Puk (IL), Justin Martinez (IL) | N/A |
| Questionable | Rockies | Jordan Romano | Antonio Senzatela, Jimmy Herget, Juan Mejia | Victor Vodnik, Brennan Bernardino, Jaden Hill (IL) | Jordan Romano |
| Solid | Dodgers | Tanner Scott | Edgardo Henriquez, Will Klein | Alex Vesia, Brock Stewart, Evan Phillips, Edwin Diaz (IL) | N/A |
| Solid | Padres | Mason Miller | Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam (IL) | Kyle Hart, Bradgley Rodriguez, Yuki Matsui, Jeremiah Estrada (IL) | N/A |
| Committee | Giants | Erik Miller, Caleb Kilian | Dylan Smith | Sam Hentges, JT Brubaker, Keaton Winn | Erik Miller |
Who Should I Pickup Fantasy Baseball Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
2026 Player Decisions. Looking to pick up someone else instead? Today's focus is on specific players like Mason Montgomery, Jordan Romano, Hogan Harris, Mitch Farris, Grant Taylor, Erik Miller, Rico Garcia, Tyler Wells, Luke Weaver, Garrett Whitlock. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four MLB players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy baseball rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see MLB player tiles with stats, projections, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Looking to pick up someone else instead? Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for players like Mason Montgomery, Jordan Romano, Hogan Harris, Mitch Farris, Grant Taylor, Erik Miller, Rico Garcia, Tyler Wells, Luke Weaver, Garrett Whitlock:
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