Nick Mariano's Closer Rankings and Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 20)

August 7, 2026

Nick Mariano's top 50 closer fantasy baseball rankings, breakouts and closer waiver wire pickups for saves and holds - updated rankings for Week 20 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 20 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.

Things are always in flux in some major league bullpens, and we get to sort through it each week. What a time to be alive. Are you in a position to take some high-risk, high-reward dart throws? Looking for boring vets? Ratio stabilization? We have you covered.

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 7, with tiered ranks alongside Yahoo rostered rates before moving to the waiver adds.

Top 50 Closers: Fantasy Baseball Rankings (Week 20)

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!

Yennier Cano, Baltimore Orioles

Cano looks to be in a timeshare with veteran Andrew Kittredge. They have split the last two save chances in Baltimore. Cano has pitched better this year, with an ERA two runs lower than Kittredge's (2.05 to 4.05) and a slightly higher K% at 23.1% to 19.3%.

What really separates Cano, though, is his ability to get groundball outs. See below. His 64% ground-ball percentage is in the 100th percentile of all major league pitchers. Cano uses his sinker about 55% of the time while mixing in a splitter and a sweeper. He should get save chances down the stretch.

Steven Cruz, Kansas City Royals

Cruz nabbed the save on Wednesday night and appears to be a better option for saves than Alex Lange. Lange has only pitched twice in the last week, and neither was a save opportunity. Cruz has terrific velocity at 98.4 MPH, and he has a 27.6% K%.

Cruz now has three saves using his three-pitch mix, which consists of a four-seamer, a cutter, and a slider. In his last 11 games, he has three saves, a 2.53 ERA, and a 0.84 WHIP. I think he is currently the best arm in the Kansas City bullpen and could get more chances than Lange.

Ben Joyce, Los Angeles Angels

Joyce is back, and it looks like he may be inserted into the closer role immediately in Los Angeles. Given the trades of potential closers Kirby Yates and Ryan Zeferjahn, the job appears to be there for the taking. Samy Natera Jr. might be the left-handed complement to Joyce; he got the save Thursday.

It's been well-documented that Joyce features elite velocity on his four-seamer; in his debut this week, he hit 100.8 on the fastball. He pairs that with a sinker. This will be an interesting bullpen to watch the rest of the way; Joyce is 25 now, and it's time to take the kid gloves off and see what he can do.

Jeff Hoffman, Minnesota Twins

I am excited for the potential of Hoffman moving into the closer role now that he is in Minnesota. I know Yoendrys Gomez has done a stellar job for them, with a 3.35 ERA and 15 saves. But Hoffman brings experience and octane to the bullpen, and he should get chances. Gomez saved Thursday's game.

Much has been written about Hoffman's struggles, and not as much about his success. He had an April and a May to forget, with 7.45 and 6.23 ERAs in those months. However, in 24 appearances in June and July, Hoffman has a paltry 1.86 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 23 innings.

Even better: only one home run and eight walks. See below. An elite 34.9% K%, a 37.8% whiff percentage, and 38.1% chase percentage. All are among the best in the game. Do not be surprised if he passes up Gomez soon.

Luke Weaver, Pittsburgh Pirates

Weaver looks like he is part of a committee in Pittsburgh, but I like his potential the most to close in the current situation. Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto have largely done well trading chances, but Weaver should at least serve as the right-handed option in the closer ranks here.

Weaver has two wins, a save, 15 holds, a 1.84 ERA, and a 26.6% K%. Montgomery and Soto strike out more guys, but they also have walk rates in the double digits. Do not be surprised if Weaver ends up taking over the job outright this month. We will see what happens.

After a tough April, you can see how good Weaver has been since May 1st; he has been almost untouchable. Check out the chart below.

Yovanny Cruz, Washington Nationals 

Cruz is a name to earmark even if you do not pick him up now. Clayton Beeter's grip on the closer job is tenuous, and Cruz could find himself in the mix for save chances sooner rather than later. Cruz did get an opportunity this week, and he blew it. But so did Beeter in the same game.

Cruz has elite velocity on his four-seamer and generally pairs that with a tight slider, adding in an occasional splitter. Cruz was acquired last week as part of the Luis Garcia Jr. trade last week and immediately thrust into the middle of this messy bullpen. He could easily get save chances here.

Short Relief: More Closers and Bullpen Notes

• Looks like a committee in Baltimore. Yennier Cano and Andrew Kittredge seem to be the time-share now after the trade of Tyler Wells to Tampa Bay earlier this week.
• Robby Ahlstrom looks to have moved into a setup role in Texas, the left-handed complement to Peyton Gray.
• Tyler Wells gets into a middle relief role in Tampa Bay, joining resurgent lefties Garrett Cleavinger and Cam Booser.
• I will be watching to see how Victor Vodnik fares in a role outside of Coors Field; he was traded at the last moment to the Miami Marlins at the deadline.
• Kodai Senga looks to be in a high-leverage role for the New York Mets, and I am intrigued. He could be electric in that role, or he could be a colossal failure if he maintains his 15.2% BB%.
• A fascinating situation may be unfolding in Pittsburgh; the organization added four relievers in 48 hours at the trade deadline. Luke Weaver, Kirby Yates, Camilo Doval, and Lake Bachar were all additions to a remade bullpen as the Pirates fight for a playoff spot.
• San Francisco appears to be a committee approach with Dylan Smith, Keaton Winn, and JT Brubaker. I lean Smith, simply because I think he has the best stuff here, but he has lost two of his last three appearances, neither of which was a save chance.

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!

More Fantasy Baseball Analysis