Saves+Holds Rankings: Top 150 Relievers

Nick's top 150 saves+holds (SV+HLD) fantasy baseball rankings for May 2025. His tiered rankings for closers, relief pitchers and Saves+Holds leagues (SOLDS).

Welcome back for an updated look at our Top 150 Saves+Holds fantasy baseball rankings for relief pitchers with just over a month in the books. We're taking all of the stats through the end of April and putting them under a microscope to best gameplan our approach moving forward. We know that most fantasy baseball bullpen content is all about closers, but we love our fantasy baseball bullpens around here!

It's true that closers will typically see the highest leverage looks, but many bullpens have us chasing that studly fireman, wherever he pitches. Saves+Holds (or Solds, or SV+HLD) leagues help fantasy leagues reward the best arms, even if it isn't a perfect system. Be sure to also check out our constantly updated fantasy baseball closers and saves depth charts to get more bullpen insights and running updates on reliever news.

Reminder: A hold is recorded when a relief pitcher enters with a lead of three runs or less or with the tying run on deck, at the plate, or on base and maintains that lead while recording at least one out. Read on, and you'll see where I rank each player and what tier they're in, followed by a team-by-team bullpen overview. Strikeout rates, pristine ratios, job security, and projected saves+holds are the primary factors, (remember it is still very early!) with injured arms omitted this early in the year. Please note this was written before the May 1 games played out.

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2025 Saves+Holds Rankings: Top 150 Relief Pitchers

These rankings are for roto leagues (5x5 category leagues) -- but instead of Saves, we use Saves+Holds as a pitching category. These are for the top 150 relief pitchers.

Team-by-Team Saves+Holds Rankings Analysis

Arizona: Justin Martinez is down on the 15-day injured list with shoulder fatigue and inflammation, while A.J. Puk is now on the 60-day IL with a flexor strain in his elbow. This leaves Shelby Miller, the freshly activated Kevin Ginkel, and Ryan Thompson to handle the late frames.

It went Thompson, Ginkel, and then Miller in the respective 7-9 innings on Thursday, with Miller now sporting 13 ⅔ IP of scoreless action this year. He’s the primary target, but Ginkel gets some grace appearances to shake off the rust. Thompson has the lowest ratio and K/9 appeal. Jalen Beeks has also performed well thus far, rocking above-average Stuff+ and Location+ scores.

Athletics: Mason Miller is the man, but y’all knew that. Tyler Ferguson has only given up one run through 14 ⅔ IP going into May, recording six holds. But note the .176 BABIP and 95% strand rate, so temper expectations. While Justin Sterner also has an untenable BABIP (.200) and strand rate (100%), at least his superior 31% K rate gives us more to fall back on.

The 0.00 ERA club through April (Min. 10 IP):

Andres Muñoz (SEA)
Shelby Miller (AZ)
Yimi Garcia (TOR)
Danny Coulombe (MIN)
Luke Weaver (NYY)
Reed Garrett (NYM)
Justin Sterner (ATH) pic.twitter.com/Thh9LPJtaT

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) May 1, 2025

Atlanta: This bullpen has needed strong forms from Daysbel Hernandez and Dylan Lee out of the gate with how thin the depth is. Pierce Johnson has done well, but only has two holds despite healthy numbers.

Raisel Iglesias is struggling with the long ball, giving up five HRs in 11 IP after yielding just four round-trippers across 69 ⅓ IP last year. His swinging-strike rate is down nearly three percentage points, and the early 55% fly-ball rate is 10 points above any annual figure in his lengthy career. He should be fine, and no one is truly pressing him, but we’ll be monitoring this.

Baltimore: If five saves and 11 Ks over nine innings of two-run ball from Felix Bautista is him revving up and getting back into the swing of things, then we’re in for a great year. Yennier Cano continues to help our ERA/WHIP enough to absorb getting less than a strikeout per frame, with Keegan Akin, Seranthony Dominguez, and Gregory Soto providing a traditional RP profile with whiffs.

Boston: This format means we don’t care where Aroldis Chapman slots into the closing hierarchy, only that he’s still in command of the flamethrower. His 21.6% swinging-strike rate would be a career-best mark, while the 8.9% walk rate is nearly half of his usual from the last four years. The 77.8% first-strike rate is incredible, as it sits 20 percentage points above the career rate. He’s just going after batters, daring them to hit the 37-year-old’s gas, and they’re failing.

Otherwise, Justin Slaten and Garrett Whitlock both look fantastic. Slaten is still tracking towards being Boston’s closer of the future. We’ll give Liam Hendriks time to get his mechanics back, but he may not have it anymore. We’re likely just eyeing the top three here.

Chicago (AL): No, just no. Steven Wilson has looked good, but this team won’t generate enough Sold opportunities to make this a worthy gamble. Guys like Jordan Leasure and Fraser Ellard may have decent stretches, but you can do better.

Chicago (NL): Porter Hodge’s sophomore campaign has not gone well on paper. He took a 5.14 ERA/1.36 WHIP into May, yet the 3.22 FIP/3.41 xFIP/3.37 SIERA were very close to last year’s sabermetrics. He’s generating more grounders that are finding holes, but he should be better in the future.

The same cannot be said for Ryan Pressly, who had an atrocious start to the year. After a 2:6 K:BB in his first six games, he’s at least posted a 3:1 K:BB in the last seven. But the reliance on balls in play without putaway stuff is frightful. Mix in the need to drain a knee, and we’re on alert. Caleb Thielbar and Julian Merryweather are the others getting holds, but lackluster Ks limit things.

Cincinnati: Emilio Pagan has earned Terry Francona’s trust, and that’s the bottom line. The longstanding problem with home runs will cause problematic days at Great American Ball Park, but will they be spaced out enough to hold onto the job?

Tony Santillan has plus ratios but has lost the strikeout edge, though nine Solds mean were still invested. Graham Ashcraft keeps looking like the bullpen’s future. Alexis Diaz’s inconsistency bounced him back to Triple-A, with triple-digit heatmaker Luis Mey called up instead. Let’s see how he comes out of the gate.

Cleveland: Emmanuel Clase has not looked like himself and got a breather from closing after some shoulder fatigue, which tracks given his league-leading usage over the past few seasons. This cropping up in April rather than August is intimidating, but Clase has looked better with 100 mph since returning.

Meanwhile, Cade Smith held it down but his last April game saw his own velocity dip. Has Cleveland been riding their big bullpen arms too hard? Hunter Gaddis is overshadowed but has been the best of the three (11 ⅔ IP, 1 ER, 20 Ks).

Colorado: Zach Agnos came out of nowhere to snag a late April save while Seth Halvorsen took the eighth. But Agnos has one strikeout in 6 ⅓ IP and needs to find whiffs for us to start that conversation. (He just locked up Thursday’s save without a K, that’s 7 ⅓ IP with a 1:0 K:BB, which is just flipping off the BABIP gods.)

It’s still Halvorsen’s potential here, with Jake Bird the most consistent through the opening month. They’re better than the White Sox, but you still don’t want to tangle with Coors.

Detroit: It’s a two-man show with Tommy Kahnle and Will Vest in the high-leverage spots. Jason Foley was improving in the minors but landed on the 7-day IL at Triple-A with a shoulder issue. The Tigers aren’t afraid to be flexible with roles, with four others earning a pair of Solds through April. Trust in the Kahnle changeup!

The Tommy Kahnle psychological battle is amazing to watch.

Whole stadium knows another changeup is coming, but that 5% doubt that he might rip one in there at 94 makes it work. Fascinating.

— Jed 🇬🇧 (@TigersJUK) April 27, 2025

Houston: The Astros have used a pair of B’s in Bryan Abreu and Bryan King to set up Josh Hader, with each of them securing at least eight Solds in the early going. The only problem out of the three is Abreu sporting a 13.3% walk rate after holding that near 10-11% in 2021-24.

Kansas City: Carlos Estevez has performed well as a Royal, logging nine saves and a win over 15 IP. We’re not seeing mixed roles between him and Lucas Erceg, who has allowed one run with a 0.57 WHIP in 12 ⅓ IP of his own.

However, Erceg is a mixed bag underneath it all. His 1.94 xERA is rooted in a minuscule 2.4% walk rate and 18.8% Sweet Spot rate, yet his strikeout rate has fallen 10 points from last year to 19%. His slider has a similar whiff rate, yet the PutAway rate is 7.7% compared to 26.7% in ‘24. The sinker PutAway% has also been halved. It’s clearly not bad, but we want the Ks and the weak contact, please.

Hunter Harvey looked rejuvenated before hitting the IL, and we can’t ignore how well Daniel Lynch IV has taken to the relief role. But much of Lynch’s fantasy value comes from three victories, only posting one save and zero holds alongside a 5.5 K/9.

LA Angels: As always in early May, we’re looking at small samples. That said, Ryan Zeferjahn’s 50% K% and 41.7% K-BB% trail only Mason Miller’s marks of RPs with at least five innings. His 4.15 ERA is thin wallpaper over the 1.04 SIERA, especially with how well he performed down the stretch last year.

He’s sorely needed with Ben Joyce down. Kenley Jansen hadn't allowed an earned run going into May, but that all changed on Friday night as he was crushed for six runs in just 2/3 of an inning. Age and recent durability trends will never make this writer feel entirely comfortable.

LA Dodgers: Tanner Scott is indeed bearing the “brunt” of saves so far, recording eight with two holds for an elite Solds profile. We’ve yet to see his usual strikeouts, but a 2.40 ERA/0.93 WHIP with the Dodger avalanche of generating leads demands a top spot.

Kirby Yates has 24 Ks in 13 ⅔ IP with three wins and six holds, paying off those of us in this format who don’t care which late inning he gets. Alex Vesia and Evan Phillips have pitched well, with Jack Dreyer popping as an early revelation. Ben Casparius would be near top billing in this section, though now we’re sweating his being transitioned to the rotation. That’s good in a fantasy vacuum, just not for a Solds-focused column!

Miami: It’s an ugly three-headed dragon in Calvin Faucher, Jesus Tinoco, and Anthony Bender. Bender has been trending down while Faucher looks to have found his command and boasts the greatest whiff potential of the bunch. Lake Bachar (1.69 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 16 Ks in 16 IP) could work his way up the ladder, especially as midseason trade candidate buzz ramps up.

Milwaukee: Trevor Megill has had a roller-coaster season thus far, striking out five of his first eight batters faced before getting rested for a week only to reveal a potential knee issue. He got an innocent MRI but then imploded with three runs allowed on two hits and three walks on April 12. He’s since been largely solid, though he has just three strikeouts over his last six appearances.

Abner Uribe should be the next man up, given his 1.98 ERA, team-leading eight holds, and 117 Stuff+ arsenal. Jared Koenig has been solid, but he’s left-handed. And Joel Payamps is shaky, while Craig Yoho still adjusts to the bigs.

Minnesota: Jhoan Duran’s maddening usage pattern continues into 2025, as he’s racked up two saves and a hold over 12 ⅓ IP. This paltry Solds tally trails Griffin Jax (7) and Louis Varland (4), who are both surging of late. Jax’s early form scared us, but he’s got multiple strikeouts in five straight scoreless games.

New York (AL): Devin Williams’ start in the Bronx couldn’t have gone much worse, as the 30-year-old allowed runs to score in three of his first four games. Then four consecutive clean outings had us out of the woods before back-to-back meltdowns saw him removed from the closer’s role. He has since thrown two hitless innings and could be back in the ninth soon.

This has allowed Luke Weaver to slide back into closing as he remains the dominant force seen last year. There’s less pressure on him from Aaron Boone thanks to Fernando Cruz’s renaissance.

They’ve axed his cutter, ramped up the vicious splitter, and mixed in the sinker and slider with fewer straight four-seamers. The 27:6 K:BB in 16 ⅔ IP is elite territory, especially when mixed with his average exit velocity, xBA, xSLG, and xwOBA all in the 98th or higher percentile.

Is anyone going to give cashman praise for finding another absolute monster in Fernando Cruz?

— Jordan (@bronxbombers992) April 27, 2025

New York (NL): Edwin Diaz is another volatile case in someone we selected early for stable, high-end returns. But we only got multiple strikeouts in one of his first six games, with five runs and four walks gumming up the works. Since then, he’s really only had a solo homer be the only blemish in a six-game window, posting a robust 13:3 K:BB in 6 ⅓ IP. That 45% first-strike rate must improve but history and recently getting ahead in counts more often say it should.

Ryne Stanek looked like the next man up, but he has blown his last three chances. Reed Garrett, who has nine holds without an earned run against, remains the key target beyond Diaz. Max Kranick is working his way up, and Huascar Brazoban has five Solds with good ratios.

Philadelphia: On paper, the Phillies should be rocking a “superpen” of sorts. At least Jose Alvarado is delivering with massive Ks, three wins, five saves, and three holds. Matt Strahm is next in the reliability chain, as the 1.41 FIP behind the 3.00 ERA underscores. Orion Kerkering started well but has only two scoreless efforts in his last five games, yet he’s still more trustworthy than Jordan Romano. Oy.

Pittsburgh: David Bednar’s early struggles saw him demoted to Triple-A, but he cleaned things up in short order and looks to be back in the closer’s role as of May 1.

David Bednar in six appearances since rejoining the Pirates:

6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, two saves

— Frank Stampfl (@Roto_Frank) May 1, 2025

Dennis Santana did well in his stead but doesn’t have the firepower arsenal to stand out over a long period of play (1.46 ERA, 4.28 SIERA). Ryan Borucki and Caleb Ferguson are the key left-handers, with Borucki roughly doubling Ferguson’s K output.

San Diego: Robert Suarez is having a premier season worthy of All-Star honors after a putrid preseason, rewarding the faithful with a positive pendulum swing. Jason Adam and Jeremiah Estrada are some of the best setup men in the game, tossing routinely filthy stuff. Business as usual!

Adrian Morejon has notched five Solds with a 1.76 ERA/0.91 WHIP as well, giving San Diego’s bullpen four strong pieces. Yuki Matsui and Wandy Peralta don’t see regular high leverage, though they’ve pitched quite well.

San Francisco: Much is made of Ryan Walker vs. Camilo Doval, but Tyler Rogers has been the most valuable Solds arm in SF, with seven early holds (and two wins). We buy into Walker’s 2.23 FIP and 2.83 SIERA given last year’s elite performance, whereas Doval is walking an uncharacteristic tightrope with depressed whiffs and a .158 BABIP.

Randy Rodriguez only has two holds, but the 16:0 K:BB sure jumps off the page! Erik Miller would also step up if something happened to Walker, Doval, or Rogers.

Seattle: Andres Munoz is pitching like one of the best in the game. Hopefully, he can avoid any barking back issues, and we can get a full year of this. While Gabe Speier has pitched the best out of their setup men, Collin Snider has trended up the most of late, posting four holds in just the last two weeks.

St. Louis: Ryan Helsley is struggling after leading MLB with 49 saves last year. He started well enough, striking out six over three near-perfect appearances. Since April 6, he’s issued eight walks with as many runs allowed as strikeouts (4) in 7 IP.

Phil Maton had looked like the hedge, yet he’s surrendered seven hits over his last five games, including the April 21 four-run clunker. JoJo Romero has also scuffled of late, leaving Kyle Leahy, who has five holds in his last seven games, as the best arm available.

Tampa Bay: Despite healthy results, Pete Fairbanks has a 3:3 K:BB in his last seven games. He’s throwing fewer sliders, and the chase rate on said slidepiece has fallen from 28% to 18% in the early going.

Edwin Uceta has recovered after early stumbles, while Manuel Rodriguez and Hunter Bigge have ascended this April. Mason Montgomery still holds plenty of promise, but he’s been throwing rather than pitching, and the results have been poor.

Texas: There’s no arguing that Luke Jackson has been more effective than either Chris Martin or Robert Garcia, but Jackson is still Bruce Bochy’s guy. We love the Solds format because we don’t need blind allegiance to the sketchy closers.

This writer wonders if they ease off on Martin at any point (he turns 39 on June 2), but his outstanding control remains on point (18:3 K:BB), so keep firing away. Garcia is the top southpaw, holding left-handed bats to a hilarious .174/.208/.174 triple slash through April. (Righties only have a .546 OPS.)

Toronto: Jeff Hoffman’s failed physicals may one day prove damning, but he sure looks exceptional through the first month of play. Yimi Garcia possesses a 0.00 ERA through 13 IP an,d Brendon Little has 21 Ks in 13 IP to help balance the iffy control (1.31 WHIP). Beyond them, the cupboard is rather empty at the moment.

Washington: Kyle Finnegan seems to thrive on doubt. Despite a drop in swinging strikes (10.8% last year, 8.3% entering May), a rise in walks, and an inflated .333 BABIP, I just watched him convert his 10th save of the year as his ERA falls to 2.84 with a janky 1.50 WHIP.

But he’s better than anyone else at the moment, with Jorge Lopez and Jose A. Ferrer getting hit hard when they’re off. (Both entered May with ERAs above 7.00, though Ferrer has seven holds to Lopez’s two.) I will be forever skeptical of Finnegan, but those with ratios to spare can’t turn their nose up at the late-inning job security.

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