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David's closers and saves fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and bullpen report for Week 16 (2025). His relief pitcher updates, and closers to add for saves.
It's all happening, folks! The All-Star break is almost here, and we had our first (somewhat) relevant reliever trade. Plenty of other things are going on in the league's bullpens this week as well.
A team lost their third closer of the year to injury right when he was settling in. Another team continues to try to make things work at the end of games, but they will clearly need to make a trade. A third team got another good outing out of their closer, softening some concerns that were building from a recent rough stretch. That and much more, coming up!
Let's dive into this week's report! As always, stay tapped in with our Fantasy Baseball Closer Depth Charts for saves, holds, and bullpens. They will be updated frequently throughout the 2025 baseball season as new information becomes available.
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Waiver Wire Pickups For Standard Leagues
Kevin Ginkel, Arizona Diamondbacks (Rostered in 13% of leagues)
Juan Morillo, Arizona Diamondbacks (Rostered in 1% of leagues)
Kyle Backhus, Arizona Diamondbacks (Rostered in 1% of leagues)
The curse of the D-Backs bullpen continues, as now Shelby Miller joins Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk as closers on the injured list. Miller made his way to the IL with a forearm strain, which is never good news for a pitcher. Manager Torey Lovullo said, "We're gonna piece it together the best way we can. I'm not gonna say anybody's gonna close the game."
Kevin Ginkel got the first save chance in the post-Miller era and converted it. He's the favorite to continue working the ninth innings in this bullpen, but Juan Morillo and Kyle Backhus could mix in for some chances as well. Jalen Beeks could even see some chances if lefties are due up. Right now, Ginkel can be added in deeper leagues and should certainly have an eye kept on him in all formats.
He got off to a rough start this season but has allowed just two earned runs since June 20.
Kevin Ginkel, 86mph Slider and 97mph Fastball, Individual Pitches + Overlay pic.twitter.com/Jxz9OFhqzR
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 28, 2023
Ronny Henriquez, Miami Marlins (Rostered in 39% of leagues)
Regular readers of this article have been hearing about Ronny Henriquez for a while (hey, there are some good things about being a Marlins fan!) He has seen his roster rate increase significantly in the last few weeks, but remains available in plenty of leagues. He's clearly the highest leverage reliever in the Marlins' bullpen, but three different Marlins earned saves this week.
Henriquez pitched the sixth inning of a 6-0 game, but was warming for a high-leverage situation before the Marlins starter let things get out of hand. He also hadn't pitched all week and likely needed to get work in regardless.
Henriquez got one, Lake Bachar got one (in a game where Henriquez earned a win), and Anthony Bender got one. These were all mostly situation-based saves, with Henriquez still very much "the guy" in this bullpen. With the Marlins playing much better baseball, he should be rostered in most leagues at this point.
It's rare for a reliever like Ronny Henriquez to consistently use 4 different pitches (sweeper, four-seamer, slider & changeup).
Even rarer, he misses bats with all of them. pic.twitter.com/JpwktuVXSi
— Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) June 6, 2025
Luke Jackson, Texas Rangers (Rostered in 14% of leagues)
Robert Garcia, Texas Rangers (Rostered in 17% of leagues)
Chris Martin, Texas Rangers (Rostered in 19% of leagues)
Shawn Armstrong, Texas Rangers (Rostered in 2% of leagues)
Someone is going to get saves in the Texas bullpen. We're really not sure who, but it has to be someone, right? This week, the only Texas save went to Shawn Armstrong, who earned it by retiring the one batter he faced. In that game, Luke Jackson came in for the seventh inning, and he was followed by Hoby Milner, Chris Martin, and Robert Garcia.
Garcia got into some trouble in the ninth inning and was rescued by Armstrong.
It didn't really tell us too much about the order of things in the Texas pen, but it did show us that manager Bruce Bochy is not afraid to pull his relievers in the middle of an inning if they aren't pitching effectively, even if it's the nominal closer in Garcia. It's impossible to know which Rangers reliever to add right now, but desperate fantasy managers could take a chance with any of these guys and hope for the best.
Once again it is Shawn Armstrong coming in a high-leverage situation and shutting the bats down
Is this the closer from here on out? pic.twitter.com/lXHN2iEVyY
— Rangers Nation ⚾️ (@rangers__nation) May 16, 2025
Daniel Palencia, Chicago Cubs (Rostered in 48% of leagues)
It was a slow week for the Chicago bullpen, with no saves and only one hold recorded. The hold went to Ryan Pressly. Palencia only pitched once, recording a scoreless appearance by getting two outs.
Still, even without much this particular week, Palencia is the Cubs' closer. Palencia has allowed six earned runs all season, and he is still available on more than half of waiver wires in fantasy baseball. That makes no sense! Pick him up in every league he's available, right now!
Daniel Palencia, 100mph Fastball and 89mph Splitter, Overlay pic.twitter.com/EN3X6jLl1M
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 10, 2025
Orion Kerkering, Philadelphia Phillies (Rostered in 18% of leagues)
Matt Strahm, Philadelphia Phillies (Rostered in 18% of leagues)
Every season, there's at least one team that everyone knows will trade for a closer before the deadline. The Phillies are currently in first place in the National League East despite no reliever having more than eight saves. They have eight different relievers with at least one save, too. It's been messy in the Phillies' bullpen all season, and this week was no different.
Jordan Romano and Orion Kerkering both ended up taking losses, and no one earned a save. The Phillies are rumored to be interested in top-tier closer options like Jhoan Duran and Emmanuel Clase, and those same rumors say they're likely willing to give up what it takes to get them.
Any Phillies reliever picked up in fantasy right now may be a temporary saves option given the news. However, fantasy managers are more than used to adding guys "for now" and knowing they have expiration dates.
Waiver Wire Pickups For Deeper Leagues
Dylan Lee, Atlanta Braves (Rostered in 10% of leagues)
Raisel Iglesias, Atlanta Braves (Rostered in 77% of leagues)
Another rough week for the Braves, who went 1-5, but at least they get to host the All-Star Game, right? No saves or holds recorded by an Atlanta pitcher this week, so no more clarity on what they're doing with their closer's role. It continues to look like Dylan Lee is the high-leverage reliever or fireman in the bullpen, with Raisel Iglesias also getting some work now that he's pitching better.
Lee is still putting up good enough ratios to be worth a roster spot in deeper holds leagues, but right now, in standard shallower formats, it might just not be the time to have a Braves bullpen arm on your roster.
Jordan Hicks, Boston Red Sox (Rostered in 4% of leagues)
Greg Weissert, Boston Red Sox (Rostered in 4% of leagues)
Garrett Whitlock, Boston Red Sox (Rostered in 7% of leagues)
Aroldis Chapman is the Red Sox's closer, but Chapman is also by far considered the most likely reliever to be on the move before the trade deadline. When that happens, someone else will need to be on the mound in the final frame.
Hicks got his first save as a Red Sox pitcher this week, and could be the favorite in a post-Chapman bullpen if he starts pitching better. Greg Weissert could mix in as well, and Garrett Whitlock remains an option despite the Red Sox seeming unwillingness to lock him into a specific role.
Right now, none of these relievers need to be rostered in most leagues, but managers looking ahead a few weeks could get a jump start.
Short Relief: More Bullpen Notes
-This week's saves leader is Trevor Megill, with three saves for the Brewers.
-The holds leaders for the week are Abner Uribe and Tim Hill, with three each.
Tampa Bay Rays
We have our first somewhat significant reliever trade: the Rays acquired Bryan Baker from the Orioles in exchange for a draft pick. Baker had two saves and 10 holds for the Orioles and was working mostly as their eighth-inning guy. He'll slide into a similar role for the Rays, replacing Edwin Uceta, who has been struggling mightily most of the season.
Baker should remain a solid holds league option.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers' bullpen has settled in lately, with Tanner Scott again working as one of the elite relievers in the game. Injury news from the bullpen this week, as Michael Kopech was sent to the 60-day IL after undergoing knee surgery. Blake Treinen hasn't pitched since April 13 due to a forearm injury, but he started a rehab assignment this week and could be back with the big league bullpen soon if things go well for him.
San Diego Padres
There was considerable concern surrounding Padres closer Robert Suarez recently, which led many fantasy managers to add Jason Adam and Adrian Morejon. However, Suarez appears to be okay. In his past four games, he's allowed just one hit and no runs, softening most of his team's and his fantasy managers' concerns.
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