X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Baseball Closers and Saves Waiver Wire Report for Week 26

Jhoan Duran fantasy baseball rankings closers saves draft sleepers

Fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for closers, saves, and bullpen arms for Week 26 (2024). David's relief pitcher and bullpen updates, and closers to add.

Sometimes, you make the playoffs in your home fantasy baseball league every season since its inception 17 years ago. Other times, you make it 16 years in a row and then actually miss the playoffs the 17th year by two games in the standings. I wonder how that feels, I'm asking for a friend...

This week, baseball's hardest throwing closer got hurt, committees around the league continued doing committee things, and one of two pitchers who still hasn't allowed a home run this year went on the injured list. We'll take a closer look at that and more in this week's report!

Be sure to also keep an eye on our Fantasy Baseball Closer Depth Charts for saves, holds, and bullpens. They will be updated daily or sometimes even more often throughout the 2024 baseball season. 

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Weekend Quick Hit Closer Updates

-Tyler Holton picked up a save this weekend in a game where Jason Foley wasn't available because he'd pitched in two in a row.

-Luke Weaver got his second save and Yankees manager Aaron Boone heavily implied they may not officially name a closer any time soon.

-Edwin Uceta earned his third save for the Rays. Manuel Rodriguez remains the highest leverage guy in that bullpen, but he won't always be kept waiting for save situations.

-Lucas Erceg leads all of baseball in saves + holds (SOLDS) since the All-Star Break, with 16. He has nine saves and seven holds.

-Emmanuel Clase is the saves leader for the second half, with 15 so far.

-Evan Phillips had a really rough day on Saturday, coughing up five earned runs while getting only one out. That won't help anyone's ratios.

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Saves

Jesus Tinoco, Miami Marlins (Rostered in 1% of Leagues)
Declan Cronin, Miami Marlins (Rostered in 1% of Leagues)
Anthony Bender, Miami Marlins (Rostered in 1% of Leagues)

The Miami Marlins had one of the league's best closers in Tanner Scott until the trade deadline. Once Scott was shipped off to the Padres, the Marlins mixed and matched for a while until Calvin Faucher settled into the ninth inning and pitched more than well enough to keep the role.

Faucher landed on the injured list this week with a shoulder impingement, leaving the Marlins with yet another committee approach for now. Jesus Tinoco, Declan Cronin, and Anthony Bender have been handling leverage innings when they come up, and one of them should end up picking up any Marlins saves.

Each guy is available in almost every league, but it's a complete toss-up as to who will work his way into the role. Desperate fantasy managers can close their eyes and pick one of these guys and maybe get lucky.

Hunter Strickland, Los Angeles Angels (Rostered in 2% of Leagues)
Jose Quijada, Los Angeles Angels (Rostered in 1% of Leagues)

The Angels bullpen is in a similar position to the Marlins bullpen, as mentioned above. They had a closer, they traded their closer, they had a guy take over the role, and now that guy is hurt. Ben Joyce landed on the IL this week with shoulder inflammation.

The Angels' committee approach seems more likely to be a two-headed monster compared to the three-headed one in Miami. Still, both of the guys expected to see save chances in Anaheim are guys who are available in almost every fantasy league right now.

Hunter Strickland has settled into a leverage role and has been pitching well, and Jose Quijada is only 16 innings into his 2024 season, but he's allowed just two runs so far.

 

More Bullpen and Closer News

New York Yankees

Clay Holmes has been removed from the closer's role in the Bronx, and yet he still found a way to add to his league lead in blown saves, suffering his 12th in the seventh inning of a game this week. Luke Weaver has been used the most like a closer, although Tommy Kahnle and Jake Cousins are still seeing significant leverage innings.

Detroit Tigers

The Tigers are somewhat suddenly Wild Card contenders, and Jason Foley is heating up just at the right time. The closer committee leader in Detroit has 22 saves and has allowed no earned runs since August 14, saving seven games in that span with 10 strikeouts and four walks in 11 1/3 innings.

 

Short Relief - Other Bullpen News

-Jordan Montgomery earned the first save of his career by throwing 37 pitches and getting the final nine outs of a blowout win.

-Edwin Diaz earned the 223rd save of his career by throwing one pitch.

-Since August 26, three pitchers have saved six games: Emmanuel Clase (okay, yes of course), Kirby Yates (oh, that's kind of interesting), and ... Tyler Kinley (what?!).

-Michael Kopech pitched his way into and out of a rough outing this week and earned another save. He's been a totally different guy since the trade.

-Andres Munoz pitched well and looked sharp in an outing this week, but it had been a week since he'd last pitched and workload concerns could limit his fantasy value going forward.

-Declan Cronin has faced 281 batters this season and has yet to allow a home run. He and his teammate, Calvin Faucher, remain the only pitchers with 50+ innings pitched and no home runs allowed.

-We have a tie for the league lead in saves, with both Emmanuel Clase and Ryan Helsley at 44. Kyle Finnegan takes the bronze with 36.

-On the holds leaderboard, we have Bryan Abreu up top on his own with 34, followed by Andrew Kittredge, Hunter Gaddis, and Yennier Cano each with 32.

 



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Yordan Alvarez

Resumes Swinging -- Return Imminent?
Jake Burger

to Miss an Additional 2-3 Weeks
TreVeyon Henderson

Signs Rookie Contract
Christian Watson

Goes on PUP List
Austin Riley

Hopes to be Activated Next Week
Ketel Marte

Lands on Restricted List After Burglary
Ricky Pearsall

Heads to PUP List
Brandon Aiyuk

Placed on PUP List
Luther Burden III

Signs Rookie Deal
Washington Nationals

Eli Willits Expected to Sign Contract on Saturday
Grayson Rodriguez

Being Shut Down Again - Will We See Him Again This Year?
Ezequiel Tovar

Activated and Back in Lineup on Friday
Max Fried

"Hopeful" to Pitch Next Week - Looks Like He'll Avoid IL Stint
Steven Kwan

Receives Injection in Wrist, Considered Day-to-Day
CJ Abrams

Back to Start Second Half
Alec Bohm

Back From Rib Injury on Friday
Trey Hendrickson

Holdout to Spill into Regular Season?
Jalen McMillan

Bucs Offensive Coordinator Not Forgetting About Jalen McMillan
Levi Onwuzurike

to Miss at Least Four Games
Nick Emmanwori

Seahawks, Nick Emmanwori Reach Agreement on Rookie Deal
Max Holloway

Set For Main Event
Brandon Lowe

Back From 10-Day Injured List
Dustin Poirier

Set For His Final UFC Fight
Roman Kopylov

Set For Co-Main Event
Paulo Costa

Returns At UFC 318
Luis L. Ortiz

to Remain on Leave for Another Month - Will he Pitch Again?
Daniel Rodriguez

Looks For Third Win In A Row
Kevin Holland

Set For His Fourth Fight This Year
Dan Ige

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
MMA

Patricio Freire Set For His Second UFC Fight
Daniel Zellhuber

Set To Open Up UFC 318 Main Card
Michael Johnson

Looks For Third Consecutive Win
Elijah Arroyo

Signs Rookie Deal
Jaydon Blue

Described as "Borderline Lazy"
T.J. Sanders

Bills Sign T.J. Sanders to Rookie Deal
Christian Wilkins

Raiders Put Christian Wilkins on PUP List
Jabari Small

Lions Add Jabari Small to Backfield
Quinshon Judkins

Remains Unsigned, Won't Report With Rest of Rookies
Mason Taylor

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Jets
Hendon Hooker

Leading Lions QB2 Battle Entering Training Camp
Ozzy Trapilo

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Bears
Tate Ratledge

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Lions
Jack Bech

Signs Rookie Contract with Raiders
Yegor Chinakhov

Requests Trade
Dakota Joshua

Maple Leafs Acquire Dakota Joshua
Lukas Dostal

Signs Five-Year Extension with Ducks
Shemar Stewart

Not Practicing With College Team
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Expected Back Friday
Damian Lillard

Returning to Portland
Paul Skenes

Pirates Could Preserve Paul Skenes in Second Half
Brooks Barnhizer

Grabs 19 Points, Nine Boards in Summer League Win
Jeremiah Fears

Scores 22 Points in Summer League Loss to Thunder
Isaiah Collier

Collects 17 Points In Summer League Win
Caleb Houstan

Joins Hawks
AJ Johnson

Erupts for 25 Points in Summer League Loss
Washington Wizards

Leaky Black Logs Double-Double in Loss to Jazz
Connor Norby

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Trey Alexander

Tallies 25 Points in Losing Effort
Johni Broome

Records Second Consecutive Double-Double
Jahmir Young

Has Historic Summer League Outing
Rob Dillingham

Plays Big Role in Wednesday's Win
Tyrese Proctor

Erupts for 35 Points Against Kings
Cody Williams

Leads Jazz to Victory Against Wizards
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
Los Angeles Clippers

Bradley Beal Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF