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Mike looks at eight potential fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers for closers and saves for Week 13 of 2026. His top relief pitcher waiver wire and trade targets for saves.
We enter the middle of June this week, and the perpetual search for closers and relief pitchers who can help your rosters continues unabated. If you need saves, ratio helps, or strikeouts, these pitchers here could help you in those crucial categories.
These are pitchers who may have roles that do not include closing or setup roles. However, these guys may be close to those and see their value skyrocket over the course of the next few days. With stats gathered through June 22nd, let's talk about some pitchers to add to the roster or watch list.
The hope here is that the pitchers listed here are available to you on the waiver wire or via trade in your league. There is help to be had if we look in the right spots. Let's break down some bullpen situations going into Week 13 of the 2026 fantasy baseball season.
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Yennier Cano, Baltimore Orioles
Cano toiled in relative obscurity this season, even as closer Ryan Helsley was out with an elbow injury; Rico Garcia got the opportunities instead. Yet, Cano continued to be excellent in his role, and currently has a win, a 2.08 ERA, a 0.81 WHIP, six holds, and a save in 35 appearances this year.
What I am following in Baltimore is that Helsley does not look right and could find himself out of the job with continued ineffectiveness. Cano has closed in the past and could easily again. He has the last save in this bullpen, while Garcia sports a 6.43 ERA in June. Why not Cano?
Look below at his Statcast page. Cano will not blow anyone away with his fastballs, but he has a 25% K% and a miniscule 4% BB%. Pair that with a 60% groundball rate, and you have my attention. This will be an interesting situation to watch in the short term.
Sam Bachman, Los Angeles Angels
No one has claimed the closer job in Los Angeles, but Bachman is trying to capture it. He has the only save this week, while would-be closer Kirby Yates appears to be in a setup role now.
Bachman intrigues me because he has a first-round pedigree and is having success in the bullpen. He has a win, a save, 11 holds, and a 3.63 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. The question here to me is, why not Bachman?
The Angels have nothing to play for and should be looking at options that could help them down the road. Maybe, at 26, Bachman is a guy the Angels can use moving forward, even if it ends up not being the closer role.
Edgardo Henriquez, Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are like a clown car, but instead of clowns, they stockpile relief pitchers you have never heard of. Enter Henriquez. In 28 appearances this season, Henriquez has a 3.03 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, five holds, and a 26.3% K%.
Check out his Statcast box below. You can see how impressive he has been in 2026. He has a tremendous fastball, and he is limiting hard contact while also engineering a 48.6% ground-ball percentage.
Here's the thing: in the Dodgers' bullpen, you never know who might get save chances. The setup men here shift every week, and Henriquez could get setup chances moving forward, especially with all the arms and movement they have there. He is emerging as a top target for those in deeper leagues that reward holds.
Luke Weaver, New York Mets
People were all over the Mets for the contract they gave Weaver, a fairly large contract, not long after signing a new closer in Devin Williams. And those people guffawed loudly when Weaver got off to a horrific start, including a 7.20 ERA in April.
But, look at him now: 18 games in May and June, 25 strikeouts in 20 innings, a 0.00 ERA, and a 0.70 WHIP. Could you use that in your bullpen? I think most of us could, despite the lack of saves. He has nine holds if your league counts those, and a 26.4% K% to go with his cumulative 2.25 ERA. Weaver looks like himself again and could easily close if Williams goes bad again or is injured.
Clayton Beeter, Washington Nationals
I love how the fantasy community ostracizes Beeter when I see a useful pitcher who is the primary closer for a decent team. Beeter has two saves in the team's last three games after poorly starting the month of June.
Four of his last nine outings have resulted in saves, giving him six on the season to go with three holes, a 26% K%, and a decent 3.47 ERA. It's not all rainbows and butterflies, though, as evidenced by 16% BB% and an elevated 1.29 WHIP for a reliever.
However, I believe Beeter is the current best option for saves here, despite the revolving door in the position to start the year. Gus Varland and Brad Lord, with the occasional Richard Lovelady, are the top setup options.
Grant Taylor, Chicago White Sox
I have written about Taylor here before and believe that the White Sox have a big decision to make on the closer role. Current closer Seranthony Dominguez is having trouble locating pitches and thus throwing strikes. Dominguez has 12 saves on the season, but has blown his last two in rather epic fashion and has elevated his season ERA back to 4.45. He also now has five blown saves and a bloated 1.34 WHIP.
Yes, Taylor blew the save on Monday night as well. However, he may be the better option at this time. On the season, the flamethrowing righty has two wins, two saves, five holds, a 3.05 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, and a whopping 55 strikeouts in 38 innings. Taylor remains a top stash option when looking for long-term saves.
Mason Barnett, Athletics
I really like what we have seen of Barnett, even as he is part of a circuitous committee for the Athletics. He has pitched six games since his recall from Triple-A, and has one save, a 0.71 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP, and a 31.3% K%.
With the carousel that the Athletics use in their bullpen, it is feasible that Barnett could get some save chances. Why not? With Elvis Alvarado and Hogan Harris both struggling, Barnett could be part of this save mix for the Athletics.
Jacob Webb, Chicago Cubs
This is a pure grab for saves if Webb is available in your league. With the injury to Daniel Palencia, the Cubs need someone to get saves for them. By my guess, it is either Webb or lefty Caleb Thielbar. I would guess that Webb would get more chances based on his handedness.
Webb has nine career saves, so he has some experience closing out games. Even with a struggling team, he is the best bet to earn the save chances in the short term.
Quick Hits:
- Sean Newcomb earned the save for the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night. It was his second of the season, and he carries a 2.58 ERA and 24.6% K% this season. The save had more to do with facing left-handed hitters in the ninth and the seeming fact that both Seranthony Dominguez and Grant Taylor were off.
- Cade Smith blew a save on Monday night but is in no danger of losing the job in Cleveland; he has 24 saves, a 2.78 ERA, and 37.8% K%. Use with confidence.
- Will Vest seems to be coming on in Detroit, with a hold, a win, and a save this week. Keep an eye on him; he seems to have surpassed Kyle Finnegan as the preferred setup option for the Tigers.
- Still watching carefully in Cincinnati, despite the seeming desire to have Tony Santillan be the closer for now, his struggles bear watching. Closer Emilio Pagan begins a rehab assignment Thursday, which means he could be back early next week.
- Caleb Kilian is the anointed closer in San Francisco, but he only pitched once in the past week (earned a save).
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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