Fantasy Baseball Saves + Holds Rankings & Waiver Wire Targets (Week 18)

That trade deadline was out of control. There weren’t many fantasy-relevant moves, but the number of players who moved cities is mind-blowing. Tracking all of the transactions was challenging, but there weren’t too many closer changes. That’s a rarity during a trade deadline, but there were still plenty of bullpen developments.

With that said, let’s get started and look at some of the developments.

• Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Advice
• Fantasy Baseball Trade Advice
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• Rest-of-Season Rankings
• Rest-of-Season Projections

Saves + Holds Rankings & Waiver Wire Targets (Week 18)

Closer Situations to Watch

These are bullpens we need to monitor.

Chicago White Sox

Chicago hasn’t even reached 30 wins yet. Let that soak in before talking about their closer situation because they might be lucky to get 10 saves from here on out. That’s even more problematic since they traded Michael Kopech at the deadline, who led the team with nine saves. It appears John Brebbia is next in line, but he allowed a game-winning grand slam in his most recent appearance. He’s the pickup, but just know he’s not doing much for your fantasy team.

Detroit Tigers

This Detroit situation has been frustrating. Jason Foley‘s grip on the job gets looser every time he steps on the mound. The righty has allowed eight runs over his last 10.1 innings while posting a WHIP above 2.00 in that span. He has two saves in that stretch and leads the club with 13, but who knows if he’ll get the next chance with where he’s been pitching in games recently. If it’s not Foley, Shelby Miller looks like the best bet behind his 0.88 WHIP.

Kansas City Royals

James McArthur has almost all of Kansas City’s saves over the last month, but he’s not necessarily mowing down opposing bats. The righty has allowed eight runs over his last three appearances, accruing a 5.49 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 5.3 K/9 rate since May 1. That’s scary because the Royals went out and traded for Hunter Harvey and Lucas Erceg, who have both been dominant at times this year. Don’t be surprised to see one of those guys steal this gig.

Los Angeles Angels

Carlos Estevez was incredible for the Angeles but he was shipped to Philadelphia at the deadline. Luis Garcia was named the closer but was traded about 24 hours later. That leaves Ben Joyce and Hunter Strickland as the last two left. We saw Strickland record the save on Tuesday. With that said, Joyce faced the heart of the order. Ron Washington said he wants to give both guys some save chances moving forward.

Los Angeles Dodgers

This is probably the most frustrating bullpen in baseball. Evan Phillips was the guy early on, but he can’t get anyone out right now. That’s led to save chances for Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen, Brent Honeywell and Alex Vesia over recent weeks. If that wasn’t complicated enough, the Dodgers went out and traded for Michael Kopech. It’s anyone’s guess who will get the next chance, but this is one of the best teams in the league. Discovering who their closer will be for the final two months could be a massive boost for fantasy managers. We’ll bet on it being either Phillips or Hudson, but who knows?

Miami Marlins

Miami is the second-worst team in baseball and they got much worse when they traded Tanner Scott, Jazz Chisholm, Bryan De La Cruz and Josh Bell at the deadline. Scott is the one who really matters, but it’ll be tough for this team to get any saves with a dismantled roster like that. In any case, Andrew Nardi has been pitching in a set-up role ahead of Scott. We’ll talk about him later.

Milwaukee Brewers

Trevor Megill has been brilliant as Milwaukee’s closer all year, holding things down until Devin Williams was ready to return. That happened this week. It was ironic because Megill was sent to the injured list (IL) with a back issue. That should force Williams back into the ninth inning. Megill will likely be the set-up man when he returns.

Oakland A’s

Mason Miller broke his pinky on his left hand and will be out for a few weeks. We thought Lucas Erceg would take over, but he was shipped to Kansas City. Tyler Ferguson was filling in anyway, recording a save in his last two appearances. He also hasn’t allowed a run in nearly three weeks and should get the saves until Miller can return.

Philadelphia Phillies

This situation is almost as frustrating as the Dodgers’ situation. It’s funny because these are two of the best teams in baseball, but Philly has much better options. Jeff Hoffman and Jose Alvarado have been splitting saves all season, but they traded for Carlos Estevez at the deadline. We’d bet on Estevez taking over this role because he has 51 saves since the start of last season, totaling a 0.00 ERA and 0.38 WHIP since May 20.

Toronto Blue Jays

This is the last time Toronto will be in this section. Jordan Romano is out with a long-term injury and Yimi Garcia was traded to Seattle. That’s left Chad Green as the only guy left. He has recorded five saves and two wins in his last 13 appearances.

My Saves/Holds Rankings

Relievers on the Rise

Ben Joyce/Hunter Strickland (RP – LAA)

Carlos Estevez and Luis Garcia were both traded at the deadline. It should leave save opportunities for Ben Joyce and Hunter Strickland. Joyce looked like the best bet with his 105 miles per hour (MPH) fastball, but Strickland got the first opportunity on Tuesday. Both guys are speculative adds until we see another save.

Andrew Nardi (RP – MIA)

With Tanner Scott and A.J. Puk getting traded, Andrew Nardi appears to be next in line for saves. He’s been working the eighth inning recently, registering a 3.18 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 11.9 K/9 rate since April 14.

Potential Holds Specialists

JoJo Romero, Hunter Harvey, Tanner Scott, David Robertson, Scott Barlow, Matt Moore, Bryan Abreu, Yennier Cano

Potential Closers on the IL

Felix Bautista (RP – BAL): The O’s closer is out for the year after Tommy John surgery.

Mason Miller (RP – OAK): Mason Miller broke the pinky finger on his left hand and will be out for at least two more weeks.

Jordan Romano (RP – TOR): Jordan Romano had elbow surgery before the break and is expected to miss another month.

Trevor Megill (RP – MIL): Trevor Megill lost the closer’s gig to Devin Williams and is now on the IL with a back issue.

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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.