Saves+Holds Fantasy Baseball Rankings (SV+HLD) Updates: Top 150 Relief Pitchers (May)

May 15, 2026

Updated fantasy baseball saves+holds (SV+HLD) rankings for the top 150 closers, relievers (May updates). Nick's rankings for 2026 Saves+Holds leagues (SOLDS).

Gather round and let's have some fun with our first in-season update for my Saves+Holds fantasy baseball rankings (SV+HLD or SOLDS) for the top 150 relief pitchers of the 2026 season. Enough of our bullpen content orbits the pampered world of saves, so let's widen the landscape and include holds. This is always a welcome exercise to dive into Saves+Holds reliever ranks, which will be updated with info going into May 15 for fantasy baseball bullpens.

This does not mean that closers are cast aside, as we know that they still get those valuable late looks. Saves+Holds (or Solds, or SV+HLD) leagues help fantasy formats reward the most talented arms, which allows us to focus on strikeout rates and ratios to help our teams. And I must point out that anyone who likes bullpens should bookmark our constantly updated fantasy baseball closers and saves depth charts to get frequent updates on the reliever universe.

To anyone who needs a holds refresher: 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. Carry on to see my rank for each player, their Yahoo rostered rate, and what tier they're in (the tiers are important, do not get hung up on ordinal ranks), followed by a team-by-team bullpen overview. I've done my best to introduce injury stashes where I'm comfortable targeting them, but risk tolerance is an extremely personal decision/inexact science, with available IL stints being a massive consideration.

Updated Saves+Holds Rankings: Top 150 Relief Pitchers

Rankings updated as of May 14, 2026

Team-by-Team Saves+Holds Rankings Analysis

Arizona: We’ll stay aware of A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez’s eventual return, but Sewald’s Driveline resurgence presses on with nine saves. He’s also absorbed four losses, with an iffy 4.70 ERA next to a sharper 0.91 WHIP and 108 Stuff+ grade.

Morillo has been the standout, rocking one save and eight holds, with a 1.93 ERA and a strong 2.52 FIP/2.65 SIERA to back it up. The southpaw swiftly blew past the others as the main attraction for solds.

Loaisiga, Thompson, Ginkel, and Clarke are all pitching well, with Loaisiga once looking like Sewald’s handcuff before his own scuffles. They all have ERAs below 3.75 with WHIPs south of 1.20, so none are a ratio risk. Clarke leads them with eight holds, though his 4.24 K/9 makes him tough to stomach in leagues with inning limits.

Athletics: This format protects us from the committee approach, so Perkins sitting there with three saves, one hold, and two wins is easier to roll with. His ability to work longer stints means he’s less likely to feed you incredible volume due to more rest, but the 22 Ks in 16 ⅓ IP with a 1.88 FIP/2.57 SIERA (3.86 ERA) is what draws us in. Sutter Health Park stinks, but we press on.

Harris leads the team with nine solds and a great 2.57 ERA with more Ks (23) than IP (21), but walks have bloated his 1.67 WHIP and peripherals. Being the high-leverage southpaw tends to buy more frequent usage for volume, but can you accept the traffic risks?

Kuhnel has good ratios and six solds, but he barely misses bats (3.58 K/9). I don’t want to lean on the BABIP gods in Sacramento. Sterner has eight holds with an xFIP and SIERA more than a run better than the 4.43 ERA. Barlow has seven holds with some luck in the 0.88 WHIP with an ugly 90 Stuff+ and 71 Pitching+ grade. Leiter’s 8.10 ERA also sits with a 3.72 xFIP/3.51 SIERA, but only four solds make him less enticing to chase down.

Atlanta: I can’t help but wonder if the Braves make a big deadline move from a position of strength and deal for someone like Aroldis Chapman to put the squeeze on a future Dodgers matchup, but we’ll worry about that later. Iglesias, Suarez, and Lee make up the best RP trio rolling right now. You should be thrilled to roster any of them in this format.

Beyond the big three, Kinley and Bummer are the only other two we’d consider. They’re solid, but Bummer’s 4.85 ERA/1.54 WHIP has a brutal 6.80 FIP underneath it, but a 4.10 SIERA offers some hope. The same goes for Kinley’s 3.83 SIERA against the 4.83 FIP. Fuentes could be neat if he winds up in a more voluminous role one day (doubtful).

Baltimore: There are few better stories to open 2026 than Garcia, who has still allowed only one hit through 19 frames. As we’ve pointed out across other pieces, he’s earned much of the success thanks to relentlessly challenging hitters in the zone. Regression will appear, but that doesn’t mean he’s “due” to give up 10 hits all at once.

Helsley’s elbow injury is scary, no matter how optimistic the team reports have been. For now, I’ll side with positivity. Nunez has been the No. 2 behind Garcia with Helsley out, rocking two saves and six holds across 20 IP. Akin got tagged in his first game back, but has inspired more confidence lately (but no holds yet).

Kittredge should round into form, but he’s looked rather average in the handful of games following his activation. Cano has pitched well, but Baltimore has only fed him two holds, as he tends to work earlier.

Then there’s the injured Wolfram, who has five holds and 20 Ks in just 13 IP. The lefty paces the group in FIP (0.95), xFIP (1.93), and SIERA (1.73), but would you guess that with the 4.85 ERA? I just like pointing that out. The lower back strain doesn’t scare me off much compared to an arm issue.

Boston: Aroldis Chapman isn’t regularly pumping in triple-digit heat anymore, but the southpaw’s relatively new emphasis on locating has helped maintain the success. And to be clear, he’s still in the upper 90s, leaving us with nine saves and a 19:5 K:BB in 13 ⅔ IP.

Behind him, Whitlock is still his reliable self with eight holds, two wins, and a 20:6 K:BB in 16 ⅓ IP. Slaten is back after missing a month due to an oblique strain, which gives us a clear third arm to roster. I can’t say that Zack Kelly, Greg Weisert, or the injured Danny Coulombe are worth working around. Just aim for hotter hands instead.

Chicago (AL): This is a messy, yet intriguing group. I don’t trust Seranthony Dominguez at all, but can he do just enough to hold onto the ninth inning? Probably? And if he were demoted, he’d surely still get holds for you. But the 109 Stuff+ is coming with a 92+ Location score, manifesting as a 21:10 K:BB in 17 ⅔ IP.

Hudson and Newcomb have pitched quite well as the key left-handers, with Hudson being given trust in late frames. Taylor remains immensely fascinating, but he only has two holds, and the big whiffs continue to come with loud contact. Last year’s league-leading .420 BABIP has given way to a .396 BABIP in ‘26, but we’re now through 58 MLB frames without a homer allowed.

Chicago (NL): Palencia looks sharp after his oblique IL stint, so let’s hope the World Baseball Classic curse is done with him. The injuries have hammered this bullpen, but we’re still okay with targeting Maton in the setup spot. Maton’s sabermetric profile is superior to Thielbar for when the lefty gets activated.

Cincinnati: Emilio Pagan is facing up to another seven weeks out while recovering from his Grade 2 hamstring strain, but there are more problems to deal with. Santillan has horrible command, reduced velocity, and can’t stop giving up homers. Phillips has a high potential ceiling, yet 22 walks to those 23 Ks is far too messy.

Ashcraft is still my favorite long-term option, but I acknowledge that his 113 Stuff+ and the 25 Ks in 21 ⅔ IP (one save, eight holds) come with his own blend of elevated walks and lower velo. Johnson hasn’t been stellar, but he found himself with a save as a result of everyone else tanking. Even Burke has 11 BBs in 19 ⅔ IP, contributing to a 1.42 WHIP.

Cleveland: The Guardians needed Smith to be the man, and though there was early turbulence, he has stepped up in recent weeks. He wasn’t missing the zone, as evidenced by the 29:4 K:BB, but the heater was getting smacked around. Rest assured, Smith can anchor your squad for an MLB bullpen that isn’t afraid to lean on its workhorses.

Sabrowski may still walk a few too many, but we’re happy to overlook that thanks to a whopping 16.5 K/9 and a 1.86 ERA/0.88 WHIP that every nerdy metric backs as solid. He leads the league with 16 holds and is one of the best around. His ascension is critical without Emmanuel Clase in the ‘pen.

What makes it even more important is how Hunter Gaddis still looks bad following his spring forearm injury, with a 2.04 WHIP and lesser whiffs. Shawn Armstrong is on the IL, which has led to Festa joining the aforementioned workhorse inner circle. Herrin and Holderman are knocking on that door as well.

Colorado: Senzatela is a revelation through more cutters and sinkers, but any “off day” can be amplified to Kingdom Come thanks to Coors shenanigans. You cannot escape the low floor when you tangle with anyone wearing that uniform. Even then, he only has three solds, and no one on the team has more than four. And signing Jordan Romano is quite the red flag.

Detroit: Jansen got tagged for homers in consecutive appearances, and then we had to wait out an abdominal/groin injury that may have contributed to said HRs. Finnegan looked like he was rising, but he slipped again, and once again has more walks (15) than strikeouts (14) with his six solds in 20 ⅔ IP. With Vest on the IL, I’d hope to source my solds from another team.

Houston: Many of you may be stashing Hader away for his eventual return in 2-3 weeks (hopefully), which the team hopes stabilizes the unit. Bryan Abreu’s lack of command unraveled the entire scene, with De Los Santos and King being the best of the rest, though far from reliable, and neither provides a strikeout per inning.

Kansas City: Lynch IV is the best arm that this bullpen has to offer, even if Erceg is the one getting the ninth-inning glory. Erceg’s 5.06 SIERA is more than double the southpaw’s 2.29 figure, but the power of dedicated saves versus a more flexible role still leads to value. Erceg has 11 solds, while Lynch only has five.

Strahm hasn’t been great, but the man still gets those late looks, and has eight holds. Pacing for a 30-hold season, even if the ERA stays around 4.00, will keep him around several fantasy squads. Carlos Estevez is off the board until further notice.

LA Angels: Big Z! We love to see Zeferjahn getting buzz and love, even if some balk at the 4.15 ERA and fail to recognize the 2.37 FIP and 3.06 SIERA behind the curtain. Sometimes he loses control of that 114 Stuff+ arsenal, but it’s more than Bachman’s whiff potential offers. Zeferjahn is 2-1 with a save and two holds, while Bachman only has seven holds without a decision.

Those who want more predictable usage can sit comfortably with that, at least until Yates proves he’s ready for the spotlight. I’d rather speculate on Joyce versus sitting with Yates, though neither is a lock to hit their preseason projected form.

LA Dodgers: Diaz won’t be back until the second half of the season thanks to those danged loose bodies in his elbow, though it has given Scott a chance at redemption after his own injury-marred 2025 campaign. He’s real and spectacular at the back end of LAD games.

Vesia leads the rest of them, but the Dodgers aren’t afraid to use him if a starter struggles around the fifth or sixth inning. Then there’s Dreyer, Klein, and Treinen with 3-5 solds apiece. Hurt is crushing it with 16 Ks through 11 IP of one-run ball, but has only seen one hold. Look for Graterol’s return on the horizon as well. I wish Brock Stewart could stay healthy!

Miami: I still miss Ronny Henriquez, and I am dreaming of Josh White’s eventual promotion, but there’s still fun to be had here. Fairbanks’ nerve issue will always be a concern for his fantasy managers, though warmer weather should lessen the risk of that flaring up. He’s looked incredible when healthy, outside of the strange way they handled his paternity leave.

Nardi’s ratios are poor, but he’s a recipient of Miami’s left-hander bump with six holds and three wins. King is the best southpaw they’ve got, and it seems they’re finally rewarding him with the appropriate work to reflect that. He’s up to four solds with a 16:6 K:BB in 17 ⅔ IP, logging a 1.02 ERA/0.57 WHIP that is due for some regression. He’s the one I trust the most beyond Fairbanks.

Petersen has come on with five solds, but there’s little to separate him from Bender (five solds), Phillips (two), and Bachar (one). I trust Faucher (four) the least, yet the Marlins clearly still hold him in high enough regard to give him opportunities.

Milwaukee: Uribe and Megill should both cross the 30-sold threshold this year, though neither is pitching as well as they did last year. Uribe set an extremely high bar with a 1.67 ERA/1.04 WHIP and 44 solds, so fair enough. But the current 4.96 ERA should calm down (3.59 xFIP, 3.37 SIERA). I’m more worried about the 8.1% swinging-strike rate (13% last year), but we’ll see.

Megill’s velocity is down a couple of ticks, but it is trending back up towards 97-98 as we hit mid-May. His nine solds and exceptional sabers (1.97 FIP, 3.03 SIERA) keep us in despite the 6.00 ERA. Feel free to make a move if his current manager isn’t a believer.

Ashby and his seven victories are all the rage, but it means he only has one hold. That’s what coming into tight or tie games can do. Injuries to Jared Koenig and Angel Zerpa have winnowed our circle of Brewer interest, but it has made Anderson (five holds) a bit more consistent.

Minnesota: Sigh, I can’t believe there’s a bullpen that makes me feel worse than Colorado, but here we are. Funderburk is the best bet with a team-leading seven solds, but he has 13 walks to 10 strikeouts! Perhaps all of the starters are healthy, they’ll wind up with an exciting SP-to-RP conversion that rivals Senzatela in Colorado.

New York (AL): Bednar seems to have shaken off the early, cold-related mechanical issues to (mostly) settle in as the closer. Either way, 10 saves and a 22:5 K:BB in 18 IP will buy you a high spot on the leaderboard.

Doval routinely displays just how filthy his pitches can be, and then promptly illustrates why he’d been demoted from San Francisco’s closer slot and moved to New York. He only has two holds, as it seems NYY may still be tweaking things. Headrick is largely the inherited runner eraser, which has led to three wins and five holds.

Cruz is teetering on the edge with 11 walks, but that’s what his nasty splitter can lead to. At least you have a 32.4% K rate to fall back on. His 86 Location+ score mirrors last year’s 85 mark, but his Stuff+ is at 98, down from 103. Hill may just be the best of the bunch as a southpaw sidearmer, but he’ll tank your team’s K% (10.8%) in spots where every IP needs whiffs.

New York (NL): Williams had one finger still grasping onto the closer’s role, but it was enough to recover. Despite the heavy turbulence, he’s evened out and owns a ridiculous 35.5% K rate with five saves. The Mets will win more moving forward, so expect the opportunities to rise.

Raley is another lefty stud who offers plus whiffs and ratios, and could simply relegate A.J. Minter to the lesser southpaw spot on the leverage ladder when returns down the road. Weaver has been fine, but less than we’d hoped. Brazoban and Myers have fringe appeal, but two or fewer solds by mid-May is discouraging.

Philadelphia: It has been a bumpy ride in Philly, but Duran is healthy and here to save the game. Keller held down the fort in his absence and has a 28.4% K rate to go with seven solds, even if the ratios are not as electrifying as last year’s campaign. Alvarado can run into command woes, but the stuff remains filthy (125 Stuff+). No one else has more than two holds.

Pittsburgh: That we’ve already seen Soto flip into the driver’s seat over Santana warms my heart, good for the Pirates. It seemed the writing was on the wall even as spring and the WBC unfolded. Now, the question is how far does Santana slip down the totem pole?

They still seem to want Montgomery to be flexible enough to be their opener at times, which isn’t great for our purposes. That top-10 upside is trapped, just like Grant Taylor. Mattson and Lawrence have good pieces to their game, but it isn’t coming together thus far. At least Mattson is getting significant holds usage to date, with seven in 17 ⅓ IP.

San Diego: Cheers to you, Mr. or Ms. Mason Miller Drafter. You are a legend, and your entire league should bow down to your intelligence and might.

Even with his late start, Adam already has eight solds in 13 IP, which matches Morejon’s total over 21 IP. Of course, Morejon’s 28.6% K rate is roughly triple Adam’s 9.8% clip.

Estrada is also back and rolling after he couldn’t “thug it out” in the face of diminished velocity to open the year. The pop came back to 96-97 mph, though his May 13 outing dipped to 95.3. The pre-injury 8:5 K:BB has given way to an 8:1 K:BB since returning, with two hits scattered over five games. Let’s see where he takes this.

San Francisco: With Ryan Walker demoted to work on things at Triple-A, we’ve seen both Kilian and Miller secure a pair of saves. Miller has a 4-2 holds advantage as well, despite missing a couple of weeks due to a lower-back strain. He’s expected to return shortly and resume duties as the tall, intimidating left-hander.

Winn doesn’t get traditional buzz because he’s without a save so far, only the man leads the team with nine holds. We can make that work, even if it comes with a lesser 22.1% K rate. He also carries SP/RP flexibility on Yahoo. The flamethrowing Peguero could sneak into the solds mix, but being fourth on the ladder when Miller is back dampens the enthusiasm.

Seattle: Munoz is another reliable guy whose ERA/WHIP do not align with a stellar sabermetric profile. I realize that gets tiring to hear, but RPs will always deal with smaller samples, and one quarter of the usual small sample is even more fickle. I’ll take Munoz’s track record now that he’s seemingly got the slider command working (29:7 K:BB in 17 IP).

Ferrer and the injured Speier have six solds apiece. Bazardo leads the setup gang with seven holds. Brash has four holds, but only struck out eight in 11 ⅓ IP before going on the IL. Luckily, he’s showing off the whiffs to kick off his rehab assignment.

St. Louis: O’Brien is a revelation, and we hope you came by to read his touts in the face of Stanek getting the early spotlight. Romero’s spotless May was ruined by a run on three hits and a walk as I write this, but 14 holds echo his heavy usage in ‘25. You want his volume.

Stanek may be the third man up to many, but Soriano and his nine solds is closing in. Unfortunately, his 15:10 K:BB underscores a worse FIP, xFIP, SIERA, and Stuff+ figure. I’d prefer looking elsewhere beyond O’Brien and Romero. Sorry to those who drafted Matt Svanson.

Tampa Bay: Baker is another superstar breakout in ‘26, even after that strange four-walk blip this week. Cleavinger is showing more life after taking a month off to heal his calf injury, and the southpaw actually has more solds (8) than innings thrown (7).

We can’t count on Edwin Uceta to give us meaningful work this year, sadly. This leaves Kelly, Seymour, and Sulser are strong plays. Kelly has 11 solds and Seymour’s numbers are robust since that nasty five-run 2026 debut. And we hope that Griffin Jax finds success as a starter, allowing us to forget about those first few weeks of bullpen spiraling.

Texas: Latz finally hit a speed bump as the Rangers’ closer, but we won’t make one day into a trend just because we expected the ride to end. The velocity is starting to come down, but I’ll hold my breath a bit longer. I’d rather press on with his current form rather than go back to Junis, who has a 5:5 K:BB in his last 14 IP. Is Beeks the best of the rest? Oy.

Toronto: Hoffman’s strikeouts helped make all of the homers that sailed away do minimal damage, but the pile of mistakes just stacked too high, especially after last year’s 1.99 HR/9. I actually needed Varland to stay in a setup role for my head-to-head league, where holds and saves are separate categories. Someone convince my college roommate that solds are cool.

Rogers won’t get Ks, but who expected any different by now? You get pristine ratios and 30 holds to take to the bank. Yimi Garcia could break into the late frames when healthy, but his elbow has been giving him trouble for too long to believe we’ll get sustained play in ‘26.

Washington: I had high hopes for Clayton Better after he posted a 38.1% K rate in the second half of ‘25, which tied with Edwin Diaz for the fifth-best by a reliever (min. 20 IP). Four solds came with an underwhelming 9:8 K:BB, so we’re not prioritizing him as a stash.

Varland has eight solds and a 2.73 FIP/3.38 SIERA behind the 4.50 ERA and above-average Stuff+ and Location+ scores. But I strongly assume he’ll be traded at the deadline and find himself on a contender where he’ll be fourth or fifth on the ladder. Lovelady and Poulin could saunter to 20 solds if you can accept some bloated ratios.

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