Projecting Rest of Season Top 10 Closers in 2026 Fantasy Baseball (September Update)

September 3, 2026

Kevin Larson projects which 10 closers will finish the season in the top 10 for the 2026 fantasy baseball season as we roll through Week 23 of MLB action.

The fantasy playoffs are in full swing, so you're looking for every opportunity to ensure your roster will pull out precious wins. One area that can often be overlooked is bullpen arms. The right ones can make filling that spot on your roster very easy to think about.

With September kicking off, it's time for our monthly check-in on the closer rankings and leaderboard. The leaderboard is pretty steady for now, but this final chase could provide some movement in the rankings.

So, which closers do we expect to finish in the top 10 by the end of the season? Let's start by looking at the current top 10 closers as of September 3.

Current Top 10 Closers for Fantasy Baseball

Here are the top 10 most valuable relievers, according to Yahoo's player rankings. All stats were current through Tuesday, September 1.

No surprise to see Miller up top. The 28-year-old has dominated all season, racking up a career-high strikeout rate of 47.5%. That's been down a touch in August, but the good news is the Padres have been rolling. That's going to mean more opportunities for the flamethrower that should keep him in our top spot.

Latz may be one of the more interesting arms here. A first-time All-Star in 2026, he's in the 99th percentile for both xERA and xBA. He's not always going to light it up with strikeouts, at least in a way that someone like Miller would, but he's always very effective out of the pen for Texas. They're in the midst of both a wild card and division race, which should give him more opportunities.

(8/30) Jacob Latz | 9.30 RPRhttps://t.co/IQoDsJCKaQ#mlb #RPR #Rangers pic.twitter.com/aaIcZQFyJE

— Relief Pitcher Rating (@RP_Rating) August 31, 2026

Perhaps one of the more unlucky pitchers here is Munoz, yet he still ranks ninth from a fantasy perspective. In August, he threw to a 5.56 ERA, but the rest of his peripheral stats read pretty nicely. He had a 16.68 K/9 in August to go along with five saves. With the Mariners fighting for that final AL Wild Card spot, they're going to be turning to Munoz more when they've got a lead.

Now let's highlight Baker. He's not going to be a household name by any means, but he does a few things very well. His current chase rate of 37.3% sits in the 97th percentile, helping to get strikeouts and create weak contact. When you pitch in a place like Tropicana Field, that's almost always going to be a recipe for success. And with how often the Rays are winning games, he's going to continue to get plenty of opportunities for saves in September.

Bryan Baker with his 24th consecutive save, and this one was 5 outs.

The best season by a closer in Rays history. pic.twitter.com/bW5PSIwFPv

— Jake (@TBRaysCentral) August 18, 2026

The last closer to highlight in this section is O'Brien. He's barely edging out Trevor Megill of the Brewers for that final spot, but that final spot has certainly been earned this season. He ranks third in the majors in saves with 34. Some of the overall stats aren't quite what you think of when you think about a top ten closer, but he's still getting the job done.

A ground-ball rate in the 81st percentile, combined with average fastball velocity of 97.9 MPH, makes him a very tough closer to face.

Projected Top 10 Closers for Fantasy Baseball

When we factor in the remaining schedule and adjust for some expected regression, we end up with this list - my prediction for which relief pitchers finish as the top 10 closers by the end of the season.

There's not much change between the current rankings and how I'm projecting the season to finish, but we'll touch on a few points while highlighting some of the other players.

I have Bednar overtaking Latz for fifth overall. The gap between the two is fairly minuscule as it is, so I'm siding with the guy who's going to get more save opportunities in September. Bednar's Statcast page is full of red, which you love to see as a fantasy manager. He's got a very high ground-ball rate and a very low barrel rate.

The chase rate's in the 99th percentile, with walks being his only real concern, but even that walk rate is still in the 64th percentile. He notched eight saves in August and should have more on tap in September.

(8/28) David Bednar | 9.00 RPRhttps://t.co/IQoDsJCKaQ#mlb #rivalry #Yankees pic.twitter.com/I4dRjuD9P5

— Relief Pitcher Rating (@RP_Rating) August 29, 2026

Smith is on pace to finish out another stellar year for the Guardians. His 2.36 ERA is balanced out by a 2.52 FIP and a 2.91 xFIP, giving us an indication that the raw numbers he's posting are relatively true. August gave us his second-highest K/9 rate of the season at 13.1 in 11.0 IP. That amounted to five saves for the 27-year-old.

The Guardians are in a fight for both the wild card and the division, so expect Smith to continue to get high usage when Cleveland needs to slam the door on their opponents.

For the final spot, I'm siding with O'Brien over Megill. They both are so close in the rankings and are performing well, but ultimately I'm siding with the player who has the easier remaining schedule. Both did well in August with eight saves recorded each, but both had peripheral concerns in the month (5.06 xFIP for Megill, 4.37 xFIP for O'Brien). I don't necessarily believe there's a wrong choice between the two, but my gut tells me that O'Brien edges him out in the end.

Honorable Mention

I'm going to use this section as an area to recommend other hot closers from August that you could certainly use on your roster. The first I want to highlight is Emilio Pagan. The Reds' closer racked up eight saves in August to go along with a 2.70 ERA. Outside of a rough start, he's been very solid since July. He's 76% rostered in Yahoo! leagues, but if he's available, he could certainly be worthy on your roster.

(8/26) Emilio Pagan | 9.10 RPRhttps://t.co/IQoDsJCKaQ#mlb #reliefpitcherrating #reds pic.twitter.com/IVvmBLoXYc

— Relief Pitcher Rating (@RP_Rating) August 27, 2026

Mason Montgomery of the Pirates has also been a very solid option out of the pen as of late. He's actually recorded the most fantasy points of any reliever over the last 30 days. That's thanks to 20 Ks in 11.2 IP, which resulted in five saves.

There are some rough spots on Pittsburgh's remaining schedule (most specifically a nine-game stretch against the White Sox, Cubs, and Brewers), but that shouldn't take away from Montgomery's value. He's rostered in just 33% of leagues, so if you're in need, then he could be a very valuable piece for you.

Another intriguing option would be Andrew Kittredge. The Orioles' closer had a pretty solid August, recording five saves while posting a 2.19 ERA. He's taken over as Baltimore's closer after Rico Garcia blew four saves in five opportunities in late July. While Kittredge won't dazzle you with gaudy strikeout numbers, he's limiting contact.

Hitters have just a 37.9% hard-hit rate and a 4.5% barrel rate against him in the second half. That's going to work for a guy who's rostered in just 11% of leagues. If you're in a deeper league and need an answer, Kittredge may just be your guy.

That's going to be it for the September edition! Good luck in the fantasy playoffs, and let's hope these closers help you slam the door on your opponents.

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