Welcome to a new series here at RotoWire. Every Monday and Friday, I'll take a look back at the previous series and wrap up everything you need to know about the rapidly changing closer market.
These articles will contain five parts:
Who Earned Saves This Week/Weekend? A division-by-division look at who picked up saves in the previous series, as well as "true" blown saves and a few quick notes.
Closers I'm Worried About: A breakdown of a handful of closers whose jobs seem the most tenuous, as well as a look at the setup men who could be about to step up.
Bullpen Deep Dive: A closer look at a bullpen where everything is even more up in the air than usual, focusing on key stats and usage trends.
Injury Round-Up: A quick look at any currently injured closers and their progress toward a return to action.
Closer Grid: A snapshot of the RotoWire Closer Grid, which can also be found here.
Who Earned Saves This Weekend?
| American League East | Saves | "True" Blown Saves* | Notes |
| Baltimore | Tyler Wells (3), Cam Sanders (1), Grant Wolfram (1) | Andrew Kittredge (3) | Kittredge pitched the eighth inning prior to Tyler Wells' save Friday. Sanders' save Saturday came in the 11th inning after Kittredge blew the save in the 10th. Rico Garcia, Yennier Cano and Tyler Wells pitched in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. Kittredge and Wells were unavailable for Wolfram's save chance Sunday, having pitched on back-to-back days. Garcia pitched |
Welcome to a new series here at RotoWire. Every Monday and Friday, I'll take a look back at the previous series and wrap up everything you need to know about the rapidly changing closer market.
These articles will contain five parts:
Who Earned Saves This Week/Weekend? A division-by-division look at who picked up saves in the previous series, as well as "true" blown saves and a few quick notes.
Closers I'm Worried About: A breakdown of a handful of closers whose jobs seem the most tenuous, as well as a look at the setup men who could be about to step up.
Bullpen Deep Dive: A closer look at a bullpen where everything is even more up in the air than usual, focusing on key stats and usage trends.
Injury Round-Up: A quick look at any currently injured closers and their progress toward a return to action.
Closer Grid: A snapshot of the RotoWire Closer Grid, which can also be found here.
Who Earned Saves This Weekend?
| American League East | Saves | "True" Blown Saves* | Notes |
| Baltimore | Tyler Wells (3), Cam Sanders (1), Grant Wolfram (1) | Andrew Kittredge (3) | Kittredge pitched the eighth inning prior to Tyler Wells' save Friday. Sanders' save Saturday came in the 11th inning after Kittredge blew the save in the 10th. Rico Garcia, Yennier Cano and Tyler Wells pitched in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. Kittredge and Wells were unavailable for Wolfram's save chance Sunday, having pitched on back-to-back days. Garcia pitched the eighth inning and Cano didn't make an appearance at all. Wolfram likely got the call due to the fact that two lefties were due up, as he's the only southpaw in the bullpen. |
| Boston | Alec Gamboa (1), Aroldis Chapman 2 (21) | none | Gamboa's save Friday was of the three-inning variety. |
| New York | none | none | |
| Tampa Bay | none | none | |
| Toronto | Louis Varland (20) | none |
*A pitcher can earn a blown save if he enters in what is technically a save situation prior to the ninth inning and blows the lead. For fantasy purposes, we don't really care about blown saves where a reliever was clearly being used as a setup man and coughed up the lead. What matters to us is when a reliever was genuinely being given a chance to save the game but blew it. Therefore, for the purposes of this article, I'm only going to report blown saves of that variety.
| American League Central | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | Grant Taylor (5) | none | |
| Cleveland | none | none | |
| Detroit | none | none | |
| Kansas City | none | Alex Lange (1) | Lange now owns a 6.00 ERA. |
| Minnesota | Yoendrys Gomez (12) | none |
| American League West | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | none | none | |
| Houston | none | none | |
| Los Angeles | Ryan Zeferjahn (3) | Kirby Yates (3) | Yates was likely available for Zeferjahn's save chance Sunday but did not make an appearance. Sam Bachman pitched in the eighth inning. |
| Seattle | Andres Munoz (17) | none | |
| Texas | Jacob Latz (19) | none |
| National League East | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | none | none | |
| Miami | none | Pete Fairbanks (3) | See "Closers I'm Worried About" below. |
| New York | Devin Williams (14) | none | |
| Philadelphia | none | none | |
| Washington | Clayton Beeter (8) | none |
| National League Central | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | none | none | |
| Cincinnati | none | none | |
| Milwaukee | Trevor Megill (15) | none | |
| Pittsburgh | none | Gregory Soto (5) | Soto's blown save came in the eighth inning in what would have been a five-out save opportunity. See "Bullpen Deep Dive" below. |
| St. Louis | Riley O'Brien (25) | none |
| National League West | Saves | "True" Blown Saves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Paul Sewald (23) | none | See "Closers I'm Worried About" below. |
| Colorado | none | none | |
| Los Angeles | Tanner Scott (14) | none | |
| San Diego | none | Kyle Hart (1) | Hart's blown save Friday came in the 10th inning after Mason Miller kept the game tied in the ninth. |
| San Francisco | none | none |
Closers I'm Worried About
Pete Fairbanks, Marlins: Fairbanks blew his third save of the year Sunday against the Brewers, entering the bottom of the ninth with a one-run lead and retiring just one batter before giving up a three-run walkoff homer to William Contreras. That continues a poor stretch which has seen Fairbanks give up at least one run in six of his last nine appearances, leading to a 10.80 ERA and 2.04 WHIP over that stretch.
Thanks to his recent slump, Fairbanks now owns a 7.42 ERA and 1.52 WHIP on the year, numbers that look closer to a DFA candidate than a closer. His ERA estimators are mixed, with a 3.48 SIERA offering some encouragement while his 4.31 xFIP and 5.09 xERA tell a less optimistic story. Fairbanks does still have a strong 29.5 percent strikeout rate, but he's issued too many walks (10.1 percent). He's also done a very poor job managing contact, allowing a 13.6 percent barrel rate while keeping the ball on the ground just 21.5 percent of the time.
Fairbanks' struggles wouldn't be a problem if the Marlins were heady for yet another losing season, but they currently sit four games over .500 and are in a three-way for the final wild-card spot. That means they need every win they can get and should be very motivated to upgrade on Fairbanks at the deadline.
Worry-o-meter: 4 out of 5
Setup man to stash: Michael Petersen leads the Marlins' bullpen in leverage index over the last month and would be the likeliest in-house replacement for Fairbanks. While he had minimal big-league success before this season, the 32-year-old righty has a 2.91 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 41 appearances as well as a 19.9 percent K-BB%. Anthony Bender is another candidate, as he has a longer track record of success and similar numbers to Petersen this season, with a 2.62 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 20.7 percent K-BB%. While handing the ball to Petersen or Bender in the ninth inning could make sense, however, an outside addition at the trade deadline is something the Marlins should be very interested in.
Paul Sewald, Diamondbacks: Sewald made two appearances in the opening series of the second half and gave up a run in both of them. He entered Friday's game with the score tied in the top of the ninth and proceeded to allow the go-ahead run while retiring just one batter. He then returned to the mound for a save Saturday and got the job done, but not before allowing a solo homer to Jimmy Crooks.
Sewald has now allowed an earned run in six of his last 10 appearances, raising his ERA to 4.58 on the season. While his strikeout rate (28.4 percent) and walk rate (6.4 percent) are both strong, his bottom-of-the-scale groundball rate (18.9 percent) has led to eight homers, tied with the previously discussed Pete Fairbanks for the most among relievers with at least six saves.
The threat to Sewald's job in the next two weeks is three-fold. First, he could simply swap roles with one of his setup men, as the Diamondbacks have multiple options who have outpitched him this season. Second, Arizona could acquire a better closer at the deadline, as they're just half a game out of the final wild-card spot. Third, if the Diamondbacks go on a losing streak between now and the deadline, they could become sellers, with Sewald likely to find himself pitching in the seventh or eighth inning for a new team if that happens.
Worry-o-meter: 3 out of 5
Setup man to stash: Juan Morillo or Brandyn Garcia. Righty Morillo has a stat line which would look at home in the ninth inning, with a 2.95 ERA and 1.08 WHIP backed by a 28.4 percent strikeout rate and 9.3 percent walk rate. Garcia has been even better, with a 1.82 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 30.8 percent strikeout rate and 6.6 percent walk rate, but he's a lefty, so the Diamondbacks might want to keep using him in high-leverage spots against opposing lefties earlier in games rather than converting him to a closer. Both Morillo and Garcia are under team control for several more seasons and are thus likely to survive a potential deadline-day sell-off, though a potential replacement for Sewald is arguably likelier to come from outside the organization than from within.
Bullpen Deep Dive
Pittsburgh Pirates
| 2026 Stats | Saves | ERA | WHIP | SIERA | K% | BB% | K-BB% | Stuff+ | Location+ | gmLI* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gregory Soto (L) | 12 | 3.98 | 1.11 | 3.51 | 27.5% | 10.8% | 16.8% | 113 | 93 | 1.80 |
| Mason Montgomery (L) | 1 | 3.92 | 1.26 | 2.77 | 35.2% | 10.9% | 24.2% | 109 | 102 | 1.42 |
| Yohan Ramirez | 1 | 3.27 | 1.36 | 4.01 | 25.4% | 13.4% | 12.1% | 110 | 93 | 1.15 |
| Dennis Santana | 2 | 6.20 | 1.52 | 3.68 | 22.2% | 6.3% | 8.7% | 92 | 97 | 0.99 |
| Evan Sisk (L) | 0 | 2.23 | 1.18 | 3.15 | 28.3% | 8.6% | 19.7% | 106 | 88 | 0.88 |
*gmLI is the average Leverage Index when a pitcher enters the game. 1.0 is average; closers typically sit north of 1.50.
The Pirates know they probably only have a limited number of seasons to build a winner around Paul Skenes, and with the team currently tied for the final wild-card spot in the National League, every win matters. Pittsburgh remains in the mix despite a sub-par performance from Gregory Soto, who leads the team with 12 saves but wouldn't close for many other contenders with his 3.98 ERA. He's been particularly shaky over his last 13 appearances, allowing 17 runs (13 earned) in 12.1 innings with a 12:7 K:BB.
The Pirates have arguably already turned away from Soto as their sole closer, as he has just one save in the last month. But do they need to bring in outside help at the deadline, or do they have the pieces internally to replace him in the ninth inning?
Judging by the above table, Mason Montgomery seems like a legitimate closer candidate. He picked up the Pirates' final save of the first half, though that came in the second half of a doubleheader after Soto had already picked up a save earlier in the day. While his ERA is a near match for Soto's and his WHIP is worse, he has a strong edge in SIERA thanks to a much higher strikeout rate. The pitch modeling stats like him as well, as his stuff is nearly as good as Soto's while his location has been much better.
Outside of Montgomery, the best candidate is probably Evan Sisk, though he hasn't been used in a particularly high-leverage role this season and is currently out with elbow inflammation. Yohan Ramirez has been used in a high-leverage role and has held his own, but he doesn't look like a good fit for the ninth inning. Meanwhile, Dennis Santana had 16 saves last year and two more this April but has declined to the point that he no longer belongs anywhere near the closer role.
The verdict? Stash Montgomery if you're going to add anyone from this bullpen, as his underlying numbers suggest he'd be up to the job and the Pirates' track record suggests they won't make a huge splash and bring in a proven closer. This is another team who really ought to pay up for a proper solution to the ninth inning, however, so a Montgomery stash might not wind up paying off.
Injury Round-Up
Ben Joyce, Angels: Joyce is still working back from shoulder surgery, a procedure he underwent last May. After a setback during his first rehab assignment in early May, he got back into game action at the complex-league level in early July. He's allowed three runs in three appearances but averaged triple digits with his fastball in his most recent outing Thursday. Barring setbacks, he should finally be ready for big-league action sometime in the next two weeks. He won't necessarily be thrust immediately into the closer role, but his competition for save chances — Ryan Zeferjahn, Kirby Yates and Sam Bachman — shouldn't be too hard to beat.
Daniel Palencia, Cubs: Palencia hit the injured list with a flexor strain in mid-June, an injury which followed a lat strain in April and a shoulder strain last September. Progress in his recovery from his latest injury doesn't appear to be going quickly, though manager Craig Counsell did say Friday that he hoped Palencia could return in mid-August. While the Cubs aren't talking in such terms yet, it does seem as though there's a non-zero chance he's already thrown his last pitch this season. Jacob Webb and Trent Thornton have split the team's recent save chances, but the Cubs will likely add another late-inning arm or two at the deadline, especially if Palencia's progress remains slow.
Edwin Diaz, Dodgers: Diaz has made four rehab appearances as he works his way back from surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow, a procedure he underwent in late April. He's allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out seven in four scoreless innings. A return as soon as this weekend is possible, and he should immediately reclaim his closer role, though Tanner Scott could continue to see the occasional save chance if the Dodgers want to avoid overworking Diaz's elbow.
Ryan Helsley, Orioles: Helsley was transferred to the 60-day injured list Sunday and will now be ineligible to return until August 29. It's probably now wise to drop him in many fantasy formats unless you have plenty of IL space. Helsley has made two separate trips to the injured list with elbow issues this season, and if the Orioles slip further behind in the playoff race (they're currently two games out of the final wild-card spot), they could shut him down rather than risk further damage. Tyler Wells looks like the top option for saves at the moment, but the Orioles are spreading things around, just as they did the first time Helsley was out.
Carlos Estevez, Royals: Estevez restarted his throwing program Friday after being shut down for almost three weeks due to a setback while recovering from his rotator cuff strain. The Royals are well out of the playoff race, so expect them to be cautious with the veteran righty, who's been battling injury problems all season. Alex Lange has been filling in as the closer recently but now owns a 6.00 ERA, even worse than Lucas Erceg (5.40 ERA), who had the job earlier in the year.
Closer Grid
This article will be published every Monday and Friday this season, taking a look back at the previous series' top closer news. For more closer updates, check out the RotoWire Closer Grid, which changes daily.
Here's how the whole thing looks as of Monday evening:
*part of a committee
Questions about any of the closers covered above or any relievers you're considering picking up off the waiver wire? Let me know in the comments below.
