If you are reading this article, you are likely aching for saves in roto leagues like me. Drafting closers can be tricky, for example we have seen big name closers like Emmanuel Clase and Devin Williams temporarily shifted out of the closer jobs already this season. Using some custom calculations to dive deeper into some underlying player skills, I put together a list of deep league save targets for 2025. This list includes RPs who were not the primary closer for their team to start the season.
Top-15 Closer Handcuffs
- Fernando Cruz
- Griffin Jax
- Shelby Miller
- Lucas Erceg
- Cade Smith
- Chris Martin
- Phil Maton
- Abner Uribe
- Porter Hodge
- Mason Montgomery/Garret Cleavinger
- Paul Sewald
- Justin Lawrence
- Reed Garrett
- Ryan Zeferjahn
- Steve Wilson
Team’s Closer is Traded
Griffin Jax – MIN
The Twins have struggled out of the gate, sitting at 15-20, which could lead to trades if they fall further out of contention. Jhoan Duran, their closer with 62 career saves and a 2.48 career ERA, could become a key trade piece should Minnesota decide to retool. Despite a rough start inflating his 6.75 ERA, Griffin Jax’s underlying metrics tell a different story.
His high .417 BABIP and strong SIERA and K-BB rate suggest a major bounce-back, making him a prime deep-league stash for fantasy managers seeking potential saves later in the season.
Phil Maton – STL
With the Cardinals unlikely to contend for the playoffs, they may look to retool for the future, putting Ryan Helsley in a prime trade position. If Helsley is moved, Phil Maton could step into save opportunities despite not having a traditional closer. Maton has quietly put together a strong season, posting a 2.22 SIERA with strong K%, BB%, and CSW.
While he does not have an overpowering fastball, his ability to generate whiffs and limit walks makes him an intriguing deep-league stash for this season. Keep an eye on the Cardinals’ standings—the further they fall, the higher the likelihood Helsley gets dealt, opening the door for Maton to see regular ninth-inning chances.
Closer Takeover
Fernando Cruz – NYY
With Devin Williams struggling in his move to New York, the Yankees bullpen has leaned on both Fernando Cruz and Luke Weaver early in the season. While Weaver boasts a pristine 0.59 ERA, Cruz has shown greater strikeout potential, positioning himself as the Yankees’ most dominant late-inning arm.
Cruz’s elite 40% K-rate and 36.4% CSW suggest he can sustain a ~35%+ strikeout rate, making him an intriguing fantasy stash. His splitter (55% whiff rate), four-seam fastball (45.5%), and slider (33.3%) have all generated swings and misses at an elite level.
Cruz has already secured two of the Yankees’ 10 saves, and if his performance holds, he could take a larger share of save opportunities. With Williams’ struggles and elite swing-and-miss stuff, Cruz is high-upside speculative add for fantasy managers hunting for saves.
Lucas Erceg – KCR
Carlos Estevez getting the bulk of save chances in KC is not because he is the best RP in KC, it is more of a result of KC investing a $22M over a 2-year. Erceg has beat out Estevez in nearly every key metric. Last season after being traded to the Royals, Erceg collected 11 saves in his 23 games and looked very capable of closing games for the Royals.
Pick-up Erceg as he could pick up the occasional save with upside for consistent saves. Also keep your eye out on Hunter Harvey in KC too as he has had a strong start and has closed in the past with the Nationals. Harvey is likely right behind Erceg on the bullpen pecking order.
Chris Martin – TEX
At 38 years old, Chris Martin might not be the flashiest name on this list, but timing is everything. The Rangers bullpen ranks in the bottom 5 of my custom bullpen rankings, and Luke Jackson, their current closer, has struggled with a 6.00 ERA.
Martin is positioned to steal save chances if Jackson continues to struggle. Robert Garcia is another dark horse option, but my hunch is that Bochy will go with the Martin given his success and previous closing experience.
Injury Back-Ups
Shelby Miller – ARZ
The Diamondbacks bullpen has been hit hard by injuries, with AJ Puk (elbow strain, 60-day IL) and Justin Martinez (shoulder inflammation, 15-day IL) both sidelined. This has opened the door for Shelby Miller to step into save opportunities for Arizona. Miller recently earned his first save of the season, closing out a 4-2 win against the Mets.
Miller should be picked up in all Roto leagues for the near future (May), as he is likely to see save chances until Martinez returns. Even when Martinez is back, Miller could still share opportunities if he continues to perform well. Keep an eye on Kevin Ginkel, who could also factor into the late-inning mix later in the season.
Cade Smith/Paul Sewald – CLE
After a rough start to the season, Emmanuel Clase was briefly removed from the closer’s role, allowing Cade Smith to step in and collect three saves. While Clase has since reclaimed the ninth inning role, the Guardians bullpen remains filled with talent. Smith could still steal save opportunities if anything happens to Clase(struggles again, gets injured, or is traded).
Cleveland boasts a strong bullpen and has multiple late-inning options, including Cade Smith and Paul Sewald, both of whom have closing experience. If Clase falters, the Guardians could deploy a committee approach, making Smith and Sewald a valuable speculative stash.
Reed Garrett – NYM
While Edwin Díaz is firmly locked in as the Mets’ closer, Reed Garrett has quietly been the best arms in the Mets bullpen this season. He leads all Mets relievers in ERA (0.59) and holds (10).
A strong indicator of pitcher effectiveness is K-BB%, which measures the ability to miss bats while limiting free passes. Garrett’s 21.3% K-BB rate places him between Matt Strahm (21.1%) and Jason Adam (22.4%), both of whom have been reliable late-game arms in recent years.
Garrett is one injury away from save opportunities, making him a high-upside stash in deeper leagues if you have the roster room.
Deep Shots
Abner Uribe – MIL
Uribe was given save opportunities early in the 2024 season before being sent down to the minors due to struggles. This season, Uribe has turned the page and is posting his best BB% of his MLB career. Megill has struggled to stay healthy for full seasons and does not have a long track record of closing, with 2024 being his lone season as a closer (21 saves). Uribe has outperformed Megill in some key metrics this season:
Pat Murphy is not afraid to make changes, and I would not be shocked to see Uribe given a shot to close again if Megill struggles or gets injured. Uribe has led the Brewers in high-leverage usage and could see save situations sooner rather than later.
Garret Cleavinger/Mason Montgomery – TBR
With Pete Fairbanks locked in as the Rays’ primary closer, both Garrett Cleavinger and Mason Montgomery sit just behind him on the depth chart. The Rays hold a club option on Fairbanks through 2026, meaning he isn’t a long-term commitment, and could become a trade piece if Tampa Bay decides to retool.
Given Fairbanks’ injury history and the possibility of the Rays selling off pieces, Cleavinger and Montgomery make for interesting save speculations. Both have elite underlying metrics, suggesting they could thrive in late-inning roles.
Edwin Uceta remans another popular bullpen name; however, I see more upside in Cleavinger and Montgomery this season with their current stuff+ metrics. I lean towards Mason Montgomery as he has the elite stuff+ and has been used in more high-leverage usage ((SV +HD opportunities))/Games appeared) so far this season but both are worth a stash if you have the room.
Porter Hodge – CHC
Ryan Pressly, 36, was traded to the Cubs during the offseason and is currently signed to a 2-year contract ending 2026. Though the cubs have some investment in Pressly, he is on the wrong end of any aging curves and has started to see his skills decline. Pressly already had to have his knee drained this season in which Hodge picked up a save during that time.
While Pressly has performed fine to date, keep an eye on Hodge as a back-up closing option if Pressly starts to struggle. Keep in mind, the biggest competitor to Hodge and Pressly for saves is likely someone who is not on the Cubs roster yet.
DoubleDeep Shots
Justin Lawrence – PIT
With David Bednar fighting to regain form after a minor league stint, the Pirates may be motivated to showcase him for a midseason trade. If Bednar is moved or struggles again, Justin Lawrence could be a dark-horse candidate to step into save opportunities. Lawrence has experience closing for the Rockies in 2023, with 11 saves, and is now looking like is having a career year.
As primarily a sweeper/sinker pitcher, getting out of Colorado should help his pitch movement alone. It also looks like he has reintroduced his four-seam fastball this season which has a 33% whiff rate. This slight tweak will help Lawrence attack hitters differently vertically in the zone and keep them guessing between his fastballs. Consider adding him to your watchlist but hold off on stashing unless Bednar falters.
Ryan Zeferjahn – LAA
With Kenley Jansen surfacing in early-season trade rumors, the Angels’ bullpen situation could shift dramatically. Given Los Angeles’ struggles, a midseason trade wouldn’t be surprising, potentially opening the door for Ryan Zeferjahn to step into a larger role.
Zeferjahn has stood out in the Angels pen with a 46.5% K rate, 39.5% K-BB, and a 1.14 SIERA. He also finds himself among stuff+ leaders among RP right between Mason Miller and Alex Vesia at a 123.6 Stuff+.
Steven Wilson – CHW
While Brandon Eisert is the only White Sox pitcher with a recorded save, Steven Wilson has been their most effective reliever, posting a 0.00 ERA and 0.52 WHIP to date. Wilson looks to have made mechanical changes year over year, raising his arm slot 43 degrees to 47 degrees and adding an additional 4.6 inches of induced drop on his sweeper.
While his 3.28 SIERA indicate his ERA will regress some, I still expect Wilson to be a top contributor to the Chi-Sox pen given their limited bullpen talent.
Reach out on X @2BScoopBaseball for any questions or other deep dives you want to see