Each week during the season, I take a look at the reliever landscape to aid with waiver wire and trade decisions. This past week came with a lot of movement in the top 40.
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Fantasy Baseball Saves + Holds League Advice
Saves + Holds Leaders
Here are the top 14 relievers in total saves plus holds (SV+H) through June 18th.
| Player | Team | SV+H |
| Robert Suarez | SDP | 21 |
| Tanner Scott | LAD | 21 |
| Abner Uribe | MIL | 20 |
| Carlos Estevez | KCR | 20 |
| Emilio Pagan | CIN | 19 |
| Andres Munoz | SEA | 18 |
| Josh Hader | HOU | 18 |
| Bryan Abreu | HOU | 18 |
| Kyle Finnegan | WSH | 18 |
| Jason Adam | SDP | 17 |
| Tommy Kahnle | DET | 17 |
| Camilo Doval | SFG | 17 |
| Tony Santillan | CIN | 17 |
| Jeff Hoffman | TOR | 17 |
Takeaways
- There were not many surprises among the leaders from the past week. Jason Adam and Tony Santillan both pitched three scoreless innings, adding a SV+H to move into this group. Both have been outstanding all year.
- Camilo Doval continues to dominate and prove that 2024 was just an off year for him. His 1.69 ERA ranks sixth among this group, and his three wins rank only behind Jeff Hoffman (6), Jason Adam (5) and Josh Hader (4).
- Kyle Finnegan gave up three runs in his last outing. All of a sudden, his ERA is up to 3.12 with a 1.31 WHIP. The SV+H total and job security will still play, though.
- The Padres, Reds and Astros lead all teams with two relievers with 17+ SV+H. All three teams are in the top half of the MLB in wins and should be able to capitalize on the opportunities for SV+H leagues.
Save + Holds Reliever Rankings
Here are my updated top 40 relievers for SV+H leagues.
| Rank | Player | Team | Change |
| 1 | Andres Munoz | SEA | – |
| 2 | Josh Hader | HOU | – |
| 3 | Robert Suarez | SDP | – |
| 4 | Edwin Diaz | NYM | – |
| 5 | Emmanuel Clase | CLE | – |
| 6 | Tanner Scott | LAD | +5 |
| 7 | Mason Miller | ATH | -1 |
| 8 | Jason Adam | SDP | -1 |
| 9 | Cade Smith | CLE | -1 |
| 10 | Bryan Abreu | HOU | -1 |
| 11 | Abner Uribe | MIL | +1 |
| 12 | Carlos Estevez | KCR | +1 |
| 13 | Devin Williams | NYY | +1 |
| 14 | Griffin Jax | MIN | +1 |
| 15 | Tommy Kahnle | DET | +5 |
| 16 | Camilo Doval | SFG | +5 |
| 17 | Kyle Finnegan | WSH | – |
| 18 | Aroldis Chapman | BOS | – |
| 19 | Lucas Erceg | KCR | -3 |
| 20 | Kirby Yates | LAD | +2 |
| 21 | Reed Garrett | NYM | +2 |
| 22 | Jhoan Duran | MIN | -12 |
| 23 | Robert Garcia | TEX | +1 |
| 24 | Daniel Palencia | CHC | +1 |
| 25 | Ryan Helsley | STL | -6 |
| 26 | Hunter Gaddis | CLE | +2 |
| 27 | Tony Santillan | CIN | +2 |
| 28 | Shelby Miller | ARI | +5 |
| 29 | Alex Vesia | LAD | +3 |
| 30 | Jeff Hoffman | TOR | -4 |
| 31 | Felix Bautista | BAL | +5 |
| 32 | Kenley Jansen | LAA | -2 |
| 33 | Emilio Pagan | CIN | +2 |
| 34 | Bryan King | HOU | – |
| 35 | Pete Fairbanks | TBR | -4 |
| 36 | Phil Maton | STL | +1 |
| 37 | Jeremiah Estrada | SDP | -10 |
| 38 | Chris Martin | TEX | +1 |
| 39 | Ryan Walker | SFG | UN |
| 40 | Matt Strahm | PHI | UN |
Biggest Risers
I struggle with Tanner Scott. After a two-week stretch that saw him give up 10 earned runs that ended on June 2nd, Scott has a 0.00 ERA, 0.25 WHIP, six SV+H and 11 strikeouts in eight innings pitched since. The Dodgers have plenty of options in their bullpen, but Scott is the guy.
Matt Strahm (RP – PHI) | Unranked
Matt Strahm is another tough pitcher to rank. He is the best pitcher in the Phillies’ bullpen, but as one of only two lefties, he isn’t always used in the best ways for fantasy. He’s also been shaky of late, which adds to their bullpen struggles.
His 3.68 ERA and 1.19 WHIP are a far cry from his 1.87 ERA and 0.75 WHIP from last season. Still, the Phillies are a top-five team and should have at least one reliever on this list.
Biggest Fallers
Jhoan Duran (RP – MIN) | -12
I’ve been holding out hope that Jhoan Duran will start racking up the SV+H, but it just hasn’t happened. His 1.64 ERA and 10.6 K/9 are impressive, but he’s only on pace for 24 total SV+H. He’s third on his team in SV+H on the season, and only has one in June. All of this is coming while he has the most innings out of the bullpen for the Twins.
Ryan Helsley has struggled this year. His 3.96 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 10.8 K/9 are all down from his previous three-year averages of 1.83 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 12.1 K/9. He’s on pace for only 29 SV+H after piling up 49 last season. Phil Maton has looked extremely sharp this year and is available practically everywhere.
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