RADIO
Ryan Kirksey's top fantasy baseball closers to stash and waiver wire pickups for Week 17 of 2025. His favorite relief pitchers to add for sneaky waiver wire saves.
We are less than 10 days away from the Major League Baseball trade deadline, so if you have not been stashing potential closers for fantasy baseball, now is the time to start! Last year, closer-relevant players like Carlos Estevez, Tanner Scott, Gregory Soto, Lucas Erceg, Ryne Stanek, and Seranthony Dominguez were all traded near the deadline. Will we have that many again?
One thing is for certain. Some closer jobs are going to turn over in the next week or two. Guessing right on which ones might be the key between securing saves for a fantasy baseball championship. The list below provides some of this helpful speculation.
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 player options to stash, which 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.
Featured Promo: Save 50% the regular price with discount code SPRING, for a limited time. Exclusive access to our Team Sync platform, DFS cheat sheets, Lineup Optimizers, betting/prop picks, and exclusive content from Nick Mariano and Eric Cross! GAIN ACCESS NOW
Fantasy Baseball Closer Handcuffs
In this section, I'll highlight some of the established setup and eighth-inning men who are the clear backup to a firmly entrenched closer on their team. These teams have absolute clarity for now, but each of these pitchers is just an injury or a sudden cold streak away from being promoted to the closer role.
From this group, I believe the one closest to gaining a closer job right now is Dominguez (after an inevitable Felix Bautista trade, as the Orioles have already said they would listen to offers).
Jason Adam, San Diego Padres (37% rostered)
Robert Suarez seems to have righted the ship after some rocky appearances, and now has 28 saves and a 26.7% strikeout rate this season. Adam is one of the league leaders in holds with 23 this year, and has a sparkling 2.05 ERA and 26% strikeout rate. The Padres are not likely to be sellers, so Adam would need a Suarez injury to gain the ninth inning.
Randy Rodriguez, San Francisco Giants (30% rostered)
No reliever in baseball can match Randy Rodriguez's combination of 0.84 ERA and 35% strikeout rate. He has 13 holds and one save this season, so we know he can handle high-leverage situations. Still, Camilo Doval seems to have the ninth inning and the saves on lock right now.
The best ERA of any reliever in the Majors, and the first non-closer reliever to make the All-Star Game in #SFGiants history.
Now, Randy Rodríguez gets to showcase his nasty stuff at the Midsummer Classic. pic.twitter.com/LTyUImVfto
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) July 6, 2025
Griffin Jax, Minnesota Twins (21% rostered)
If the Twins become sellers at the end of this month, they would have Griffin Jax and his 38% strikeout rate ready to take over the closer duties if Jhoan Duran gets traded. Jax has no saves this season, but chipped in 10 last year during a period when Duran was injured, and he has 20 holds in late-inning situations.
Bryan Abreu, Houston Astros (31% rostered)
There is a strong case to be made that Bryan Abreu is the best eighth-inning man in the league right now. He has been unhittable apart from a blown save in Seattle on Saturday night. He has 23 holds, a 1.83 ERA, and over a 38% strikeout rate this season. But you need a Josh Hader injury to get saves in Houston.
Abner Uribe, Milwaukee Brewers (22% rostered)
Abner Uribe now leads Major League Baseball in holds with 27 as he continues to set the table for closer Trevor Megill. Uribe strikes out more than 30% of the batters he faces, has a 2.42 ERA, and now has his fastball up to 99.5 miles per hour this season. He picked up a save on Sunday when Megill was not available.
Luke Weaver, New York Yankees (31% rostered)
Luke Weaver was, of course, the New York Yankees' closer for some time while Devin Williams worked some struggles out in the early part of the 2025 season. He now has eight saves and eight holds this season, and still carries a way better ERA and velocity than Williams. If Williams were to go down, we have proof that Weaver can handle the ninth inning.
Five BIG outs from Luke Weaver tonight, man. Saved Loaisiga big time pic.twitter.com/Jxd8mr1U35
— Max Mannis (@MaxMannis) July 20, 2025
Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians (27% rostered)
Cade Smith now has three saves to go along with his 18 holds, as the Guardians prepare for the chance that they might get a haul that is too tempting to pass up for Emmanuel Clase on the trade market. Smith has bounced back from some injury worries to push his strikeout rate to 34.8% this season.
Matt Brash, Seattle Mariners (6% rostered)
Matt Brash has 11 holds and a save in his 23.2 innings pitched so far this season. His 1.14 ERA is better than Andres Munoz's, and he carries a strong 26% strikeout rate. Seattle is competing for a Wild Card, so it's unlikely that Munoz is traded, but Brash is the man who would step up and has claimed the eighth inning from all Seattle relievers.
Seranthony Dominguez, Baltimore Orioles (5% rostered)
Dominguez blew his latest shot with a loss on Saturday, and then watched Bautista get a save on Sunday. With Bautista and Dominguez, the Orioles are blessed with two relievers who have a strikeout rate north of 31% and ERAs under 3.75. Bautista is a strong candidate to be traded as the Orioles continue to fail in making up ground in the AL East.
Reed Garrett, New York Mets (8% rostered)
Edwin Diaz remains one of the most prolific and reliable closers in the National League. However, Diaz does have some injury history and has already thrown 39 innings this year, including a blown save on Sunday. Diaz did get the win, and his 37.6% strikeout rate is among the best in the business, but Garrett is around if necessary with his 17 holds and 25% strikeout rate.
Relievers With Closer Potential on Teams With Closer Uncertainty
Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels (9% rostered)
The Los Angeles Angels have been treading water lately and have recorded two saves over the past week. If that increases the chances that Kenley Jansen is traded, it means a greater chance Reid Detmers finds his way into saves. Now fully moved to relief appearances, Detmers has a 29% strikeout rate, two saves, and nine holds for the Angels.
Garrett Whitlock, Boston Red Sox (9% rostered)
With how well Toronto is playing, and with the Yankees still in the thick of the race, it looks less and less likely that Boston will be able to make up too much ground in the AL East. If they trade Aroldis Chapman, who is having a career resurgence with a 1.18 ERA and 40.6% strikeout rate, Whitlock is the eighth-inning man who has 12 holds and a 30% strikeout rate.
Garrett Whitlock, 97mph Paint. 🖌️🎨 pic.twitter.com/bOIPuGv027
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 15, 2025
Caleb Ferguson, Pittsburgh Pirates (0% rostered)
Both David Bednar and Dennis Santana are the subject of heavy trade rumors this month, which would leave the Pittsburgh relief corps pretty bare for the (likely few) wins still to come for them the rest of this season. Caleb Ferguson would likely take the role and deploy his 3.57 ERA and high-leverage experience (nine holds). The only thing holding him back is that he is left-handed. Also, keep an eye on Isaac Mattson.
Orion Kerkering, Philadelphia Phillies (16% rostered)
The Phillies keep the revolving door open at closer with Jose Alvarado suspended. Orion Kerkering has the fewest saves out of him, Matt Strahm, and Jordan Romano, but I prefer Kerkering's 2.34 ERA and 15 total saves plus holds as the pitcher most trustworthy in the ninth inning. Romano has fallen off a cliff with a 6.88 ERA this season.
Dylan Lee, Atlanta Braves (8% rostered)
The Atlanta Braves don't have a save in their last week, which makes this bullpen hard to predict. They are supposedly in a closer-by-committee situation right now, but I am sure they would trade Iglesias and his 5.12 ERA for just about anything right now if a contender came calling. Iglesias took a bad loss on Sunday, so his market might be shrinking.
At a 27.2% strikeout rate, Lee is tied for the second-highest mark in the Braves' bullpen.
Tyler Holton, Detroit Tigers (12% rostered)
Tommy Kahnle has been awful lately, and Tyler Holton might have surpassed him as Will Vest's handcuff. With Kahnle now having a 4.85 ERA and a loss on Friday night, his time as the heir apparent is probably over for now. Holton, on the other hand, has 10 holds and a 3.66 ERA and got the win on Sunday to set up Vest's save.
Brad Keller, Chicago Cubs (3% rostered)
Ryan Pressly took another loss for the Cubs on Sunday, so he is likely out of the picture again. Daniel Palencia is still the ninth-inning guy, but Keller has a hold and a flawless inning in the previous week. Pressly's strikeouts have really fallen off this season, so give me the reliever with a 24% strikeout rate as my backup plan for the Cubs.
Palencia has been lights out, but Keller is now the primary backup.
More Fantasy Baseball Advice
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!
