Every year the MLB trade deadline creates new opportunities for fantasy managers searching for saves. Contending teams look to strengthen their bullpens, while rebuilding clubs often move veteran relievers, opening the door for new closers during the final two months of the season.
Last year we looked at non-closers and handcuffs who had the potential to step into the closer role following the trade deadline. My 2025 top five were:
2025 Top 5 Save Pickup Rankings
- Griffin Jax
- Randy Rodriguez
- Cade Smith
- Dennis Santana
- Jose A. Ferrer
While Griffin Jax and Randy Rodriguez never fully emerged as fantasy closers in 2025, Cade Smith, Dennis Santana, and Jose A. Ferrer combined for 35 saves after the article was published, reinforcing how valuable these speculative adds can become during the second half.
This year’s list focuses on pitchers who could inherit ninth-inning duties if their current closer is traded, loses the job, or lands on the injured list. To keep the list actionable, I only included pitchers currently rostered in fewer than 25% of CBS leagues.
2026 Save Pickup Rankings
- Garrett Whitlock (23% owned)
- Kyle Finnegan (7% owned)
- Elvis Alvarado (10% owned)
- Sam Bachman (3% owned)
- Andrew Morris (8% owned)
- Luke Weaver (23% owned)
- Jeremiah Estrada (7% owned)
- Jordan Romano (8% owned)
- Erik Miller (2% owned)
- Tejay Antone (1% owned)
Boston Red Sox
With Boston seemingly out of playoff contention this year, Aroldis Chapman could become an attractive trade candidate at this year’s deadline. This opens the door for Garret Whitlock to step into the closing role after having been one of the Red Sox’s most valuable pitchers out of the bullpen behind Chapman. While Whitlock does not possess elite velocity or a high K%, he limits walks and damage. Combined with years of experience pitching out of Boston’s bullpen, I think he’s the clear favorite as the next man up.
Detroit Tigers
Detroit appears headed toward another selling deadline, making Kenley Jansen one of the more obvious trade candidates. With only a club option remaining on his contract, moving the veteran closer makes plenty of sense. If that happens, Kyle Finnegan immediately becomes one of the favorites for save opportunities, having already recorded more than 100 saves in his career. While his K% has taken a big dip this year, he should still have plenty of value heading into the final months of the season and I think he’s one of the most likely pitchers on this list to notch 10+ saves.
Athletics
The Athletics have used a committee for much of the season, with seven different pitchers recording multiple saves, including Hogan Harris, Mark Leiter Jr., Jack Perkins, and Elvis Alvarado. Of everyone in that committee, Elvis Alvarado has the highest upside, with a fastball averaging close to 99 mph and a slider averaging 88.1 mph. While he hasn’t run away with this role and currently has a 4.94 ERA on the season, his SIERA sits at a 2.86 and a K% above 30%, showing that better days could be ahead of him in the Athletics bullpen as they search for their closer of the future. Alvarado carries more risk than Finnegan, but he also has some of the highest upside if Oakland finally settles on a full-time closer.
Los Angeles Angels
With Jordan Romano now on the Rockies, Kirby Yates, Ryan Zeferjahn, and Sam Bachman are now the primary options for saves out of the bullpen. While Yates currently has the edge for save chances, I think his time could be running short in Anaheim. At 39 years old and with his contract expiring at the end of the season, he could find himself shipped off to a contender looking for bullpen help at the trade deadline.
If Yates is dealt, Sam Bachman, a former 2021 1st rounder, is my favorite to take over the ninth inning. Bachman has led the team in holds this season, serving as one of the go-to arms to keep the lead. While Zeferjahn may have better raw stuff than Bachman, I give Bachman the edge to take over the closer role due to his usage this year in high leverage spots and having stronger command.
Minnesota Twins
Yoendrys Gomez has served as the primary closer for the Twins, posting a 1.71 ERA and recording 10+ saves since joining the club this season. While the results with the Twins have been strong, over the course of the full year he still has a 3.50 ERA with an xERA more than 1.5 runs higher at 5.22, suggesting there is likely regression coming his way. This is also supported by his 9.6% K-BB%, which is well below what you would want to see. If Gomez starts to struggle, I could see the Twins experimenting with Andrew Morris closing games out.
Morris has primarily served as a starter during his career, and there’s still a chance the Twins eventually stretch him back out. That said, it’s hard to ignore someone who has arguably been the team’s best reliever this season, especially given Minnesota’s lack of quality bullpen depth. This is more of a gamble if you’re desperate for saves but could pay off in the final months of the season.
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