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Mike looks at eight potential fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers for closers and saves for Week 19 of 2026. His top relief pitcher waiver wire and trade targets for saves.
We're in the sprint to the finish line now, and gathering bullpen arms all season is part of your job as a fantasy manager. At this point, you should know where you stand in most leagues and what you might need to add this week before the sprint to the finish line of the season.
The trade deadline came and went, and many relievers changed teams. Others remain and will fill in roles to replace the departed. It could take time for several situations to shake out in the next couple of weeks; here are our best guesses as to what these could look like.
The most important thing to remember is to keep your finger on the pulse. Stay active in managing your roster and knowing what is happening in your leagues. Let the football preparation wait; we have championships to win that are hanging in the balance.
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While he has not been great this year, the trade of Tyler Wells yesterday and the continued rehab of Ryan Helsley leaves this job wide open for Kittredge. It seems clear to me that Kittredge is the last man standing here and should get the most chances at this point.
Except for one bad outing last week, Kittredge has been solid the last two months: an ERA less than 2.00, four saves, and a 1.15 WHIP. You could do worse if you need saves, although there may be a paucity of chances for a decimated Baltimore squad.
Huascar Brazoban, Chicago White Sox
Chicago acquired Brazoban on Sunday and should utilize him immediately in a middle relief role. With the White Sox in need of bullpen help, he made perfect sense. Brazoban could find himself in a key setup role quickly, considering the fluidity of the back end of the White Sox bullpen.
Look at his Statcast data below. Have you ever seen soft contact data like this? It is the best I can remember seeing in recent memory. The metrics suggest his success can continue as Brazoban now finds himself in a playoff race.
Sam Bachman, Los Angeles Angels
This is a bit of a lukewarm endorsement, as both Kirby Yates and Ryan Zeferjahn were traded, and could-be closer Ben Joyce figures to be back soon. But Bachman figures to get the chances until Joyce is ready; important to note that Joyce has struggled in the role before.
Here's the thing about Bachman though: he is actually pretty good when he can locate his pitches and throw strikes. A 13.6% BB% hurts him. But he limits hard contact (32% hard-hit rate, 86.1 MPH exit velocity) and elicits groundballs at a 51% rate. Let's see what happens.
Jeff Hoffman, Minnesota Twins
It was easy to miss that Hoffman switched teams yesterday in the flurry of moves ahead of the trade deadline. But Minnesota added a bona fide closer who should bump Yoendrys Gomez back into a setup role with Andrew Morris and A.J. Minter.
Hoffman has been at the center of controversy before, but he has been stable over the last couple of months. There are very few guys who get the swing-and-miss as he does, and the chase percentage is absurd. See below. I expect him to be successful in Minnesota as the closer.
Brandyn Garcia, Arizona Diamondbacks
Garcia appears to have won the Arizona committee at this time. Kevin Ginkel, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Juan Morillo can also stake a claim. Still, Garcia received and converted the last two chances for the Diamondbacks, who are in the thick of the playoff hunt.
In the box below, you can see how good Garcia was in July. Note in particular the spike in his strikeout percentage to go with a paltry 1.54 ERA and 0.77 WHIP. He's a legitimate closing option right now and should not be sitting on most waiver wires.
Ryan Zeferjahn, Chicago Cubs
Zeferjahn had been the best pitcher in the Angels' bullpen until yesterday, when he was acquired by the Chicago Cubs. It will be incredibly interesting to see where he slots in here. Chicago has been using a committee approach with veterans Jacob Webb, Trent Thornton, and Caleb Thielbar.
Would-be closer Daniel Palencia remains on the injured list with elbow troubles, but is scheduled to throw an up-and-down bullpen session today and seems to be working his way back. Zeferjahn figures to be used in middle relief here on the North Side.
Zeferjahn could quickly move into the closer committee situation; he has a whopping 41.9% K% over the last two months. Free passes can be his Achilles' heel at times. This will be an interesting bullpen to watch in August.
Luke Weaver, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates made four moves in 48 hours to overhaul their bullpen, and no move was more important than getting Weaver. I expect him to be the main closer on a Pittsburgh team fighting for its playoff life. He is on the waiver wire in most leagues; grab him if you can.
Dylan Smith, San Francisco Giants
The unexpected move of would-be closer Erik Miller to the Boston Red Sox yesterday afternoon leaves a wide-open space at closer for San Francisco. Of the holdovers, I think I like Dylan Smith the best to be the closer over journeyman JT Brubaker and veteran Keaton Winn.
Smith is essentially a fastball and sweeper guy with what Statcast says is an occasional sinker. He has the highest octane of the holdovers here, with a 26.7% K% and a low 5.8% barrel rate. Smith took a loss on Saturday but has a 2.75 ERA, a save, and six holds this season.
Quick Hits
Baltimore Orioles
What a mess this bullpen has been this year, but now we may have some clarity. Neither Tyler Wells nor Andrew Kittredge had done anything to separate themselves in the committee. Wells was traded Monday to the Tampa Bay Rays, leaving Kittredge alone in the closer spot.
Yennier Cano could vulture a save now and again, but Kittredge should be the guy to finish this lost season. Would-be closer Ryan Helsley has just resumed a throwing program. Perhaps their season would have looked different if Helsley had been healthy.
Chicago White Sox
This team could use some help in the back end, where both Bryan Hudson and Sean Newcomb have recently struggled. Grant Taylor is probably the best bet most nights to get the save chance, but if the Sox are going to stay in the playoff picture, figuring out the bullpen this week is a high priority.
Adding the aforementioned Huascar Brazoban will help. There has been some talk that the organization could promote minor league prospects Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal to provide more bullpen support in middle relief. It will be interesting to watch.
Kansas City Royals
I am utterly surprised that Kansas City moved no one from their bullpen. Alex Lange should be the top choice most nights, but Steven Cruz has worked his way into the setup mix and has also been getting some chances. Egads.
New York Mets
The Mets moved everyone that was not nailed down these past few days: A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley, Brazoban, and Luke Weaver all moved before the deadline. Devin Williams remains the closer; the rest of the bullpen is TBD.
Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia bolstered their bullpen by adding veterans Caleb Kilian and Brooks Raley to their middle relief corps. Solid additions who should help get games to their setup guys, Orion Kerkering and Jonathan Bowlan, ahead of closer Jhoan Duran.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates made some big changes on the fly over the last few days. First they acquired Camilo Doval over the weekend, and then followed that up by nabbing Luke Weaver, Lake Bachar, and Kirby Yates in the hours leading up to the trade deadline yesterday.
Recall this has been a committee between Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery. My best bet now is that Yates, Bachar, and Doval all slot into middle relief, and that Weaver is the top bet most nights to get saves, although Soto and Montgomery could still be factors here. I am rooting for the Pirates.
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