Nick Mariano's Closer Rankings and Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 21)

August 14, 2026

Nick Mariano's top 50 closer fantasy baseball rankings, breakouts and closer waiver wire pickups for saves and holds - updated rankings for Week 21 of 2026.

The trade deadline came and went, and now we sprint through August. This column brings you my updated fantasy baseball closer rankings for Week 21 of 2026, with tiered closer rankings and relievers to add across all league types. Andy Smith is filling in for Nick Mariano for the rankings, while I (Mike Carter) will continue to provide you with the waiver wire suggestions.

I get many comments during the week asking me how I can tolerate following bullpens without getting upset or angry. The truth is, I rather enjoy it. It is enjoyable to me to try and map it out, to think along with the manager, and then have a different player get the save. Much debate will happen again this winter on how fantasy players go about their draft preparations, thinking about how and when they add closers. Chasing on the waiver wire seems like it may be passe by the end of this year.

Keep up with the latest and greatest by signing up for our industry-leading news notifications. Here are my top-50 fantasy baseball closer leaderboard and waiver suggestions. Stats are gathered through August 13th, with tiered ranks alongside Yahoo-rostered rates, before moving to the waiver adds.

Top 50 Closers: Fantasy Baseball Rankings (Week 21)

Mike's Closers Fantasy Baseball Analysis, Waiver Wire Pickups

Don't forget to check our daily updates on the closer depth charts if you have more questions and want even more names!

Jordan Hicks, Chicago White Sox

Hicks continues to be mostly great for the White Sox. The key seems to be two things: an extra tick and a half on his fastball, and improved command. The Statcast box below shows that he is also limiting barrels (a whopping 1.1%) and pairing that with a great hard-hit percentage (32.6%). The groundball percentage also draws your eye to it.

At issue is his usage pattern and that manager Will Venable continues to use veterans Sean Newcomb and Bryan Hudson as his setup men, despite the fact that both have struggled with command and getting outs lately. This week, however, Hudson appears to have moved back to a middle-relief role, thus opening a spot in the leverage ladder for Hicks, who seems to be a better option for a scuffling White Sox team.

For a team without a true closer, could Hicks get some chances down the stretch?

Tyler Holton, Detroit Tigers

Holton remains a sneaky weapon for Detroit, as he can play several roles to help the team. Holton has three holds and a win over his last week of results. Two of those holds directly set up veteran closer Kenley Jansen for save opportunities, both of which he converted for the Tigers. Holton has been a starter, an opener, and now a high-leverage arm for Detroit in his career.

Now they need him at the back end of their bullpen, setting up for Jansen as the Tigers make a playoff run.

Holton has a win, two saves, 12 holds, a 2.68 ERA, and a 1.19 WHIP. He won't help you much with strikeouts; his 18.7% K% is well below average. But his 52% groundball percentage more than offsets that. See his Statcast box below documenting his increase in groundball outs. Holton has clearly moved into a high-leverage position in Detroit, the left-handed complement to Kyle Finnegan.

Samy Natera, Jr., Los Angeles Angels

Natera is just nasty. I know he seems to be part of a committee with Ben Joyce in Los Angeles, but there is a scenario in which they share this job the rest of the year. Natera has been like a video game reliever; a 40.4% K% and 37.3% whiff percentage are top of the class. The interesting part is, he does not have a blazing fastball, as he averages 94.8 MPH with the offering.

He throws the fastball a whopping 81% of the time thus far in the major leagues. He mixes in a slider as well, and his control is good.  A late bloomer, he is here to stay.

Jacob Webb, Chicago Cubs

I am beginning to wonder if Webb will remain in the closer role even after the return of would-be closer Daniel Palencia. There has not been much action for him over the last week, but he did earn the save in his only appearance. Webb has eight saves while subbing for Palencia, and a nice 2.38 ERA and a 27..6% K%. Manager Craig Counsell would not commit to Palencia taking back the closer role when asked about it.

You may recall last year in the playoffs, Palencia was used as the "stopper" to quell early rallies. Maybe Webb sticks in the role?

See below. A high whiff and chase rate show he's getting the swing and miss many managers desire at the back end of their bullpens. At the very least, Webb should stay in the high-leverage mix if not retain the top role.

Kodai Senga, New York Mets

This really intrigues me.  Moved to the bullpen because he was ineffective as a starter, and then elevated once there because the Mets traded four relievers in 48 hours last week, Senga earned a save on Monday night.

Have the Mets stumbled onto something here, with Daniel Duarte and Nate Lavender at the back end of their bullpen? In three August appearances, Senga has not given up one hit. My thought is if he can focus on throwing three of his pitches rather than six, he might have a chance to be an incredible weapon there. Devin Williams is one of the top closers in the game when healthy, but Senga has an interesting opportunity in front of him for the next couple of weeks.

Short Relief: More Closers and Bullpen Notes

• Looks like a committee in Baltimore, but Andrew Kittredge may have the upper hand.
• The Chicago White Sox have a good bullpen, but it is fascinating and frustrating to watch manager Will Venable use the guys in no particular order with no established roles. Grant Taylor should be closing, and he is not always doing that. Instead, he often gets used in two-inning jobs and then off for three days. If the Sox want to make the playoffs, perhaps establishing known bullpen roles could help them.
• Kodai Senga is in a high-leverage role for the New York Mets, and I am intrigued as stated above. His walk percentage is terrifying, but he is taming that in the bullpen...maybe. Is he the closer now? Daniel Duarte may have something to say about that as well. I like Duarte as well, as he limits hard contact and has a 1.04 ERA and 0.87 WHIP.
• Jonathan Bowlan got the last save in Philadelphia; Jhoan Duran has pitched three times in the last week, in exactly zero save situations. I think Duran will get the next one, but the Philadelphia bullpen has been interesting to watch, especially as they did some retooling at the trade deadline, adding Caleb Kilian and Boorks Raley.

Remember, at the end of the day, fantasy baseball should be a fun distraction from the daily rigor of life, and we should not take the game too seriously. Have fun with it and keep grinding; don't give up your fantasy baseball dreams to move over to football next month. Hang in there!

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