Fantasy Baseball Saves Plus Holds Rankings & Advice: Week 21 (2026)

Each week during the fantasy baseball season, I take a look at the relief pitcher landscape to aid in waiver wire decisions. We’re past the trade deadline in most leagues, so the waiver wire will have to do through the home stretch of the season.

Fantasy Baseball Saves + Holds League Advice: Week 21

There are 13 pitchers with 27+ saves plus holds:

Player	Team	SV+H
Bryan Baker	TBR	37
Louis Varland	TOR	33
Riley O’Brien	STL	33
Mason Miller	SDP	31
Cade Smith	CLE	31
Tyler Rogers	TOR	30
Trevor Megill	MIL	29
Tanner Scott	LAD	29
Dylan Lee	ATL	28
David Bednar	NYY	28
Kevin Kelly	TBR	28
Aroldis Chapman	BOS	27
Jhoan Duran	PHI	27

Takeaways

Bryan Baker continues to separate himself from the pack. In his 49 innings, he’s posted a 1.47 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 10.1 K/9 and a 20.6% strikeout-minus-walk rate. He deserves to be at the top of the rankings with his performance.
Louis Varland has rivaled Bryan Baker as the best reliever pickup of the year. He’s posted career-bests in ERA (1.26), WHIP (0.96), strikeout rate (31.7%) and groundball rate (55%). He didn’t start the year as the Blue Jays’ closer and didn’t get his first save until a month in, but he still has 28 saves, good for fifth in the league.
Dylan Lee has been phenomenal for the Braves. In 56.1 innings, he’s posted a 1.92 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and an elite 33.7% strikeout rate. He’s benefited from Robert Suarez‘s extended absence, who is still without a clear timeline.

Saves + Holds Reliever Rankings

Here are my top 40 relievers for save-plus-holds leagues:

Rank	Player	Team	Change
1	Bryan Baker	TBR	+1
2	Mason Miller	SDP	-1
3	Louis Varland	TOR	+2
4	Josh Hader	HOU	–
5	Cade Smith	CLE	-2
6	Trevor Megill	MIL	–
7	Riley O’Brien	STL	+1
8	Jhoan Duran	PHI	-1
9	Aroldis Chapman	BOS	–
10	Tanner Scott	LAD	+5
11	David Bednar	NYY	–
12	Raisel Iglesias	ATL	-2
13	Jacob Latz	TEX	–
14	Kevin Kelly	TBR	–
15	Dylan Lee	ATL	+1
16	Tyler Rogers	TOR	+2
17	Andres Munoz	SEA	-5
18	Garrett Cleavinger	TBR	+5
19	Adrian Morejon	SDP	+2
20	Hunter Gaddis	CLE	+6
21	Grant Taylor	CWS	+3
22	Mason Montgomery	PIT	+14
23	Eduard Bazardo	SEA	+4
24	Alex Vesia	LAD	+6
25	Yoendrys Gomez	MIN	+6
26	Kenley Jansen	DET	-1
27	Brandyn Garcia	ARI	+1
28	Jacob Webb	CHC	+4
29	Emilio Pagan	CIN	–
30	Jakob Junis	TEX	IL
31	Jeremiah Estrada	SDP	+2
32	Rico Garcia	BAL	+2
33	Ben Joyce	LAA	IL
34	Jeff Hoffman	MIN	+1
35	Ryne Stanek	STL	+5
36	Aaron Ashby	MIL	UN
37	Hogan Harris	ATH	–
38	Fernando Cruz	NYY	–
39	Steven Cruz	KCR	–
40	Daniel Duarte	NYM	UN

Biggest Risers

Ben Joyce (RP – LAA) | Previous: Injured List; Current: 33

Ben Joyce returned from injury after over a year’s layoff and has pitched well for the Angels. In his six appearances, he has allowed only one hit and one walk with zero runs.

Joyce has struck out at least one batter in each inning and picked up three saves and a hold. His velocity is back to pre-injury form, and he’s getting plenty of whiffs. He can be a real difference-maker in saves plus holds and traditional formats.

Aaron Ashby (RP – MIL) | Previous: Unranked; Current: 36

Aaron Ashby has a 3.39 ERA and 1.39 WHIP, both of which don’t blow you away, but he has 11 holds, a save and 13 wins. It could be a trap, seeing all those wins and chasing what he’s done before.

However, Abner Uribe recently landed on the injured list (IL), and JoJo Romero is still on the shelf. Ashby has proven he can cover multiple innings, has a career-best 12.7 K/9 and has a clear path to valuable opportunities.

Biggest Fallers

Luke Weaver (RP – PIT) | Previous: 20; Current: Unranked

Luke Weaver has not registered a save or hold since joining the Pirates. In his three appearances, he’s allowed three runs on five hits and a walk with three strikeouts.

The Pirates have gone with Mason Montgomery and stuck with him despite the acquisition of Weaver. Montgomery has pitched well and is the best bet for strikeouts in the Pirates’ bullpen.

Edwin Diaz (RP – LAD) | Previous: 19; Current: Injured List

Edwin Diaz landed on the IL with neck inflammation. Despite the injury, he would have been a faller for his poor performance. In August, he’s allowed 10 runs on 13 hits, including two homers and five walks in seven games over 5.2 innings.

Diaz struggled in his first year with the Mets before going on to have five straight fantasy-relevant seasons. Hopefully, this is just a pattern whenever he’s in a new environment. Either way, Tanner Scott is the reliever to roster in the Dodgers’ bullpen.