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Dan Palyo's top fantasy baseball closers to stash and waiver wire pickups for Week 10 of 2025. His favorite relief pitchers to add for sneaky waiver wire saves.
It takes a very special type of pitcher to be able to close out the ninth inning in a save situation. Some very talented pitchers try and fail at it often, leaving the door open for other bullpen arms to inherit save opportunities for their teams.
Saves are the one category where it feels like you can never have enough. Closers get relieved of their duties quite often these days, and plenty of teams have gone to a "closer-by-committee" approach either by design (intentionally spreading the burden around to multiple pitchers to lighten the load) or by default (not having a reliable top-notch arm available).
If you are hunting for saves, then consider stashing some top relievers who currently aren't their team's top option in the ninth inning. In this article, I'll provide some of the top options to stash that are widely available in Yahoo leagues. To stay up to date with all the latest developments in the world of relief pitching, be sure to check out our Fantasy Baseball Closer Depth Charts for saves, holds, and bullpens.
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Fantasy Baseball Closer Handcuffs For Standard Leagues
Jason Adam, San Diego Padres (41% rostered)
Adam is one of the most rostered setup men in fantasy at over 40%. Even though he hasn't even earned a save this season, he's been very valuable for fantasy managers, collecting five wins and pitching to a 1.20 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. He's also whiffed 35 hitters across 30 innings while setting the table for Robert Suarez.
Adam's 15 holds are tied for the second most in baseball with Bryan Abreu of Houston. He has the type of stuff to close if the Padres ever need him to move into that role.
Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians (32% rostered)
The right-handed flamethrower has been racking up strikeouts in bunches this season, whiffing 41 batters over 26 1/3 frames. He's picked up three saves this year, too, though none since April, as Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase has rounded back into form after a slow start.
Smith is used mainly in high-leverage spots and would be the next man up if Clase were to get hurt or struggle again. Clase has been one of the best closers in baseball over the last three seasons, so he likely has a long leash, but injuries can happen to anyone at any time.
Tommy Kahnle, Detroit Tigers (34% rostered)
Kahnle is the other half of Detroit's closer committee along with fellow right-hander Will Vest. The two have formed a very effective duo this season, but Vest has outpaced Kahnle in saves, nine to seven so far, and has collected four of the bullpen's last five saves.
Tommy Kahnle, Dirty 90mph Changeup. 👌 pic.twitter.com/iHiYD9l8HO
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 28, 2025
Kahnle is available in more leagues, however, as Vest has seen his rostered percentage rise to 54%. Kahnle has been just as good as Vest statistically, posting a 1.40 ERA and 0.78 WHIP. There's no reason he shouldn't be rostered in more leagues with how well he's pitched and the fact that he's still getting save opportunities. If anything were to happen to Vest, Kahnle would be the hottest pickup on the waiver wire.
Bryan Abreu, Houston Astros (24% rostered)
Abreu has been one of the most effective setup men in baseball. His 15 holds are the second most in all of baseball. He's stuck behind one of the best closers in the majors right now, Josh Hader, but would be the logical choice to slide into the closer role if Hader were to get hurt.
Shelby Miller, Arizona Diamondbacks (23% rostered)
The return of Justin Martinez to the closer role has bumped Miller back to the eighth-inning role for now, but it's worth monitoring how Martinez fares the next few weeks. His first appearance after returning from injury was shaky, and he's still young and fairly inexperienced as a closer.
Miller did a decent job closing when he had the job, converting five save opportunities. His 1.90 ERA and 1.06 WHIP won't hurt your ratios if you decide to roster him in the meantime, either.
Abner Uribe, Milwaukee Brewers (20% rostered)
Uribe is a ton of fun to watch and has both the personality and electric stuff you come to associate with closers. His fastball regularly touches 100, and his slider can buckle the knees of even the best right-handed hitters.
Abner Uribe, Annihilating the Side.
Painted 100 and 2 Slider Swords. ⚔️⚔️ pic.twitter.com/06d80WsugG
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 21, 2025
Uribe leads all of baseball with 16 holds, and he has piled up 39 strikeouts in 29 innings. He's been arguably more impressive than incumbent closer Trevor Megill, although Megill has settled down and quieted some early season concerns about his effectiveness.
Uribe is certainly worth a stash in case Megill falters again, and you would think that his elite performance has earned him a chance at closing if the opportunity presents itself.
Dennis Santana, Pittsburgh Pirates (20% rostered)
Pirates closer David Bednar has had his share of struggles over the last few seasons. After being sent to the minors earlier this season, Bednar is back up and has resumed his role as closer. But his grasp on the job is tenuous at best.
Santana has been rock solid for the Buccos, posting a 1.48 ERA and 0.90 WHIP while picking up five saves. If Bednar struggles again or pitches well enough that the Pirates can trade him before the deadline, then we could see Santana with an opportunity to close for Pittsburgh this season.
Randy Rodriguez, San Francisco Giants (19% rostered)
Rodriguez has been one of the most impressive relief pitchers in the major leagues. He's struck out 38 batters over 26 2/3 innings while allowing a minuscule 0.68 ERA and 0.64 WHIP.
Randy Rodriguez only needs 2 pitches to be one of the best relievers in baseball. He owns a 0.68 ERA and 1.16 FIP across 26.2 IP and has been a pivotal piece of the Giants MLB leading bullpen. His high 90s fastball gets a ton of ride and his slider command is stellar
He is elite pic.twitter.com/P6lu8WSJfy
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) June 3, 2025
The Giants have moved on from Ryan Walker as their closer and are going with Camilo Doval. But if Doval were to stumble or get injured, then Rodriguez would have the best case to close ahead of the veteran Walker, who has struggled badly this season.
Alex Vesia, Los Angeles Dodgers (16% rostered)
The Dodgers have a real crisis on their hands in the bullpen. Tanner Scott now has a league-leading five blown saves and continues to be an adventure every time he takes the mound in a high-leverage situation. Kirby Yates is hurt, and the recently acquired Alexis Diaz isn't on the roster yet.
Ben Casparius is better suited for a bridge role as he's stretched out, leaving Vesia as the possible next man up in the short term. He earned his second save of the year in the last series against the Yankees and could be the guy the Dodgers turn to until they figure out a more permanent solution.
Reed Garrett, New York Mets (16% rostered)
Garrett has formed a formidable duo with Huascar Brazoban in the late innings as the high-leverage relievers who get the Mets to Edwin Diaz in the ninth inning. Garrett has 13 holds on the season and some fantastic ratios (0.70 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) while striking out 30 in 25 innings. He's earned two saves this year and would be the favorite between him and Brazoban if the Mets had to replace Diaz at any point.
Fantasy Baseball Closer Handcuffs For Deeper Leagues
Dylan Lee, Atlanta Braves (5% rostered)
The Braves aren't likely to pull the plug on veteran closer Raisel Iglesias too quickly, but he's already blown three saves and in the process has seen his ERA balloon to 5.64.
Lee has been quietly very effective in a late-inning role this season, striking out a batter per inning while registering a 2.52 ERA and a tidy 1.04 WHIP. He's a very cheap insurance policy who could inherit the role behind a quality staff of starting pitchers.
Michael Kopech, Los Angeles Dodgers (5% rostered)
I mentioned the mess that the Dodgers have in the bullpen right now in the Alex Vesia section. A healthy and effective Michael Kopech could be the answer they are looking for, and he's nearing a return to the major leagues. He hasn't pitched very cleanly in the minors, but is hitting 99 mph on the gun regularly.
Dodgers still don’t have a set date for Michael Kopech’s return, but it should be this week.
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) June 2, 2025
It could be that the Dodgers give him some time to acclimate to the major leagues before handing him the keys as the closer, but it's hard to ignore how good he was for them last season when he had 15 saves in the second half of the season.
Mark Leiter Jr., New York Yankees (5% rostered)
The Yankees bullpen just suffered a major setback with Luke Weaver's hamstring injury. He could be out at least a month, and it looks like Devin Williams will slide back into the closer role that he occupied to start the season.
Williams was shaky in that role, which is how Weaver ended up closing in the first place. So if Williams were to struggle again, then the next man up could be Leiter Jr., who has two saves on the year and has flashed some nice strikeout upside with 35 strikeouts in 24 innings.
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