Fantasy Baseball Saves Plus Holds Rankings & Advice (2026)

Fantasy baseball leagues that record saves + holds are becoming more popular. These kinds of leagues expand the relief pitcher pool and change strategy completely. Each week during the season, I’ll take a look at the relief pitcher landscape to aid with waiver wire and trade decisions.

Fantasy Baseball Saves + Holds League Advice

Saves + Holds Leaders

After the first week of the season, there are 30 pitchers with multiple saves + holds. Here are the 19 pitchers with multiple saves + holds who have yet to allow an earned run:

Player	Team	SV+H
Erik Sabrowski	CLE	3
Braydon Fisher	TOR	2
Hogan Harris	ATH	2
Tyler Alexander	TEX	2
David Bednar	NYY	2
JoJo Romero	STL	2
Ryan Helsley	BAL	2
Jordan Romano	LAA	2
Matt Strahm	KCR	2
Chase Silseth	LAA	2
Kevin Kelly	TBR	2
Tim Hill	NYY	2
Riley O’Brien	STL	2
Jakob Junis	TEX	2
Paul Sewald	ARI	2
Pete Fairbanks	MIA	2
Jalen Beeks	TEX	2
Lucas Erceg	KCR	2
Tony Santillan	CIN	2

Takeaways

Pete Fairbanks made the move to Miami this offseason and locked down their first two save chances of the season. He’s been sharp and efficient to start the season.
Carlos Estevez made one appearance before landing on the injured list (IL). Lucas Erceg has experience in this role for the Royals and is the best right-handed option. Matt Strahm is also in the same bullpen, but as a lefty, he likely won’t be used in the same way.
Paul Sewald is the de facto closer for the Diamondbacks. Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk both had Tommy John surgery last year and are still recovering, leaving Sewald as the most experienced healthy closer option.
The Cardinals were using Ryne Stanek quite a bit in the first week in their closer role, but that seems to have worked itself out. JoJo Romero and Riley O’Brien have both been much better and should have the most opportunities moving forward.

Saves + Holds Reliever Rankings

Here are my top 40 relievers for saves plus holds leagues.

Rank	Player	Team
1	Mason Miller	SDP
2	Edwin Diaz	LAD
3	Andres Munoz	SEA
4	Cade Smith	CLE
5	Jhoan Duran	PHI
6	Aroldis Chapman	BOS
7	Abner Uribe	MIL
8	Bryan Abreu	HOU
9	Jeff Hoffman	TOR
10	David Bednar	NYY
11	Ryan Helsley	BAL
12	Kenley Jansen	DET
13	Devin Williams	NYM
14	Ryan Walker	SFG
15	Daniel Palencia	CHC
16	Raisel Iglesias	ATL
17	Lucas Erceg	KCR
18	Emilio Pagan	CIN
19	Pete Fairbanks	MIA
20	Trevor Megill	MIL
21	Robert Suarez	ATL
22	Luke Weaver	NYM
23	Tanner Scott	LAD
24	Bryan Baker	TBR
25	Matt Strahm	KCR
26	Camilo Doval	NYY
27	Riley O’Brien	STL
28	Bryan King	HOU
29	Jordan Romano	LAA
30	Dennis Santana	PIT
31	Griffin Jax	TBR
32	JoJo Romero	STL
33	Matt Brash	SEA
34	Jeremiah Estrada	SDP
35	Will Vest	DET
36	Alex Vesia	LAD
37	Robert Garcia	TEX
38	Shawn Armstrong	CLE
39	Paul Sewald	ARI
40	Seranthony Dominguez	CWS

Rankings Notes

Edwin Diaz is my RP1 in a typical saves-only league. The Dodgers give him an advantage with the win total they should end up with. However, in a saves + holds league, I prioritize Mason Miller with his strikeout rate. You really can’t go wrong with either.
Unlike traditional leagues, in a saves + holds league, a team that is expected to win a lot of games can support multiple relievers. Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe both have value despite only one of them being in the closer’s role.
There are a few relievers left off this list due to injury. Josh Hader, Carlos Estevez, Kirby Yates, Edwin Uceta, Jason Adam and Hunter Gaddis are all currently on the IL but expected to have big roles for their teams.
Ten of my top 40 relievers have not picked up a save or hold. It’s not concerning this early in the season.
Aroldis Chapman is someone I was skeptical of this offseason because of his age. I’m still watching him with a side eye, but I can’t argue with the results. His sinker is sitting at 99 miles per hour (MPH), and he hasn’t walked anyone in the small sample size.