X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Closers and Saves Report - Week 18 Waiver Wire

Fantasy baseball closers, saves and bullpen waiver wire pickups for Week 18. David A Marcillo's relief pitcher and bullpen updates, and potential closers to add.

With the trade deadline in just a few hours, much of this article may be irrelevant by the end of the day. But it seems like several teams are trying to get ahead of the deadline and we've already seen some bullpen movement. A team with a solid closer picked up another solid closer. A team with an excellent closer picked up another team's closer to have him work in middle relief. A team lost their closer because of a trade, and their top setup man to the injured list, creating a mess.

We can take a look at all of the trades that have happened so far as well as other things that went down this week, but keep an eye on Rotoballer throughout the day for up-to-the-minute coverage of trades and closer changes.

Be sure to keep an eye on our RotoBaller Closers and Saves Bullpen Depth Charts. They're updated daily, or sometimes even more often in this wild 2021 baseball season. With that being said, here are the closers, saves, and bullpen waiver wire pickups to consider for Week 18 - July 26 through August 1.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Bullpen News For The Week

Toronto Blue Jays/Washington Nationals

The Blue Jays bullpen was a mess for parts of this season, but closer Jordan Romano really got it together and has been very good. Enter: Brad Hand. The Jays traded for Nationals closer Brad Hand on Thursday, and he will presumably enter the closer picture right away. Hand and Romano may end up sharing save chances, but Hand is more likely to take over fully and leave Romano as an excellent setup option. For now, Hand's value in standard fantasy leagues looks like it will hold, while Romano's looks like it might see a dip. In holds leagues though, both relievers keep their value, with Hand maybe getting a slight uptick since he'll be on a team that will likely have more leads to hold and save.

When one team gains a closer in a trade, another team loses a closer. That's probably some official baseball law named after an old timey pitcher or something. As the Blue Jays gained Brad Hand, the Nationals lost their closer. They also lost their two main setup guys, Daniel Hudson and Austin Voth, to the injured list at first, and now Hudson is on his way to San Diego in a trade with the Padres. So next man up, right? Kyle Finnegan and Tanner Rainey figure to see some save chances going forward. Rainey feels like the best bet for the rest of the season as long as he can get back to pitching like himself. It's been a rough year for Rainey, but he's been an elite relief pitcher in the past.

Risers: Brad Hand, Kyle Finnegan, Tanner Rainey
Fallers: Jordan Romano

 

Miami Marlins/Houston Astros/Seattle Mariners/Tampa Bay Rays

Speaking of teams who lost their closers, the Miami Marlins sent Yimi Garcia to the Astros in exchange for a minor league outfielder. Garcia was closing for the Marlins almost all season (Anthony Bass started the year as closer but was quickly replaced by Garcia). Yimi wasn't great, posting seven losses and three blown saves with a 3.47 ERA (4.63 xERA), but the Marlins stubbornly kept sending him out there in close and late situations. He's had issues with the long ball his entire career, and doesn't strike out enough guys to make up for the fact that he's an extreme fly ball pitcher.

With the Crawford Boxes basically right behind third base in Houston, Garcia could struggle even more than he did as a Marlin. That being said, he won't be pitching in anything close to the game situations he got in Miami. With Ryan Pressly, Kendall Graveman, and Ryne Stanek all being significantly better pitchers than Garcia, it looks like the former Marlins closer may be working in middle relief all of a sudden. Any fantasy value that Garcia had has completely evaporated and he can be dropped in almost all formats.

Speaking of Kendall Graveman, he and Rafael Montero were acquired from the Seattle Mariners in a rare AL West trade. Graveman has been excellent this season as Seattle's closer, but he'll settle in as a setup man ahead of Ryan Pressly in Houston. Graveman's value should stay about the same in holds leagues, but with Pressly having full control of that ninth inning, Graveman's standard league value takes a huge hit.

In Seattle, the newly acquired Diego Castillo should see most of the save chances with Paul Sewald and Drew Steckenrider possibly mixing in. In Miami, Dylan Floro, Anthony Bass, and Anthony Bender seem to be options for saves, although Floro and Bass could end up being traded before the deadline as well. Bender is the safest pick here. In the Tampa Bay bullpen: huge shrug emoji. With Castillo gone, J.P. Feyereisen and Peter Fairbanks on the IL, maybe Jeffrey Spings will close? It's never worth speculating on the Rays bullpen, let's just wait and see.

Risers: Anthony Bender, Dylan Floro, Diego Castillo, Jeffrey Springs
Fallers: Yimi Garcia, Kendall Graveman

 

Cincinnati Reds

The Reds bullpen has been a constant feature here on Closers and Saves Report. Until they kind of settled on Heath Hembree recently, it was a revolving door of arms being replaced because of injury, because of ineffectiveness, and even because of suspensions. It was, as they say, "a whole thing." So it figured that the Reds would try to revamp their bullpen, and pending more trades, they've already done a lot of that.

In one trade, they acquired Luis Cessa and Justin Wilson from the Yankees, and in another, they picked up Mychal Givens from the Rockies. How the Reds will set their pen remains to be seen, especially if they end up acquiring a bona fide closer before today's deadline. For now, it looks like Hembree is still the guy in Cincinnati, and he'll be helped out by having better relievers to get the game to him as a save situation.

Risers: Heath Hembree (pending further moves)

 

Short Relief

-the Oakland A's have been one of the favorites to land Craig Kimbrel, but for now they have improved their pen by adding Andrew Chafin in a trade with the Cubs. Chafin should see a little more value in holds leagues with the move, but he doesn't alter the Oakland closer situation.

-Kenley Jansen has been struggling, but for now, the job remains his. The Dodgers are reportedly dipping their toes in the Craig Kimbrel conversation, so this could change quickly.

-The Orioles bullpen will likely see a few changes before the deadline, but for now, it looks like Dillon Tate is the favorite for saves but is only an option in the deepest leagues.

-James Karinchak remains the leader of the Cleveland bullpen, but Emmanuel Clase will still be around.

-Taylor Rogers (finger) landed on the injured list, leaving Hansel Robles as the closer in Minnesota, at least until he's traded.

-The Cubs also traded Ryan Tepera, sending him across town to the White Sox. Tepera should continue to have value in holds leagues. It's unclear who will close for the Cubs once Kimbrel is moved, but it may be Rowan Wick, who has been working in the minors while rehabbing from an oblique strain.

-The Padres bullpen was already good, but they traded for Daniel Hudson and should get even better. Hudson should see seventh and eighth innings ahead of closer Mark Melancon.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Kirill Marchenko26 mins ago

Scores Hat Trick On Tuesday
Tage Thompson37 mins ago

Stays Hot On The Scoresheet
Lane Hutson44 mins ago

Dishes Out Three Helpers In Overtime Victory
Alex Ovechkin49 mins ago

Tallies Two Points In Victory
Eugenio Suárez6 hours ago

Eugenio Suarez Hits Go-Ahead Grand Slam Tuesday
A.J. Puk6 hours ago

Earns First Save Of Season Tuesday
Michael King7 hours ago

Fans 11 In Five Shutout Innings Tuesday
Christian Yelich7 hours ago

Hits First Homer Of Season, Steals Base Tuesday
Evan Engram7 hours ago

Sean Payton Excited About Evan Engram In Joker Role
Anthony Bender7 hours ago

Earns First Save Of Season Tuesday
Robert Hassell III7 hours ago

Has Three-Hit Day At Triple-A
Thomas Harrington7 hours ago

Hit Hard In MLB Debut Tuesday
Gunnar Henderson7 hours ago

Hits Solo Homer In Triple-A Rehab Game Tuesday
Marcelo Mayer7 hours ago

Hits First Home Run At Triple-A
Caleb Williams8 hours ago

To Spend More Time Working Under Center
Tom Hoge8 hours ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Zebby Matthews8 hours ago

Twirls Five Shutout Innings At Triple-A
Daniel Jones8 hours ago

Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones To Split First-Team Reps This Offseason
Terry McLaurin8 hours ago

Commanders Interested In Extending Terry McLaurin
Rashee Rice8 hours ago

Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Hurston Waldrep8 hours ago

Fans Seven In Win At Triple-A
Garrett Wilson8 hours ago

Jets Plan To Get Garrett Wilson The Ball "As Much As Possible"
Keaton Mitchell8 hours ago

Ravens Have High Hopes For Keaton Mitchell
Angel Genao8 hours ago

Dealing With Shoulder Injury
Derrick Henry9 hours ago

John Harbaugh Wants Ravens To Extend Derrick Henry
Christian McCaffrey9 hours ago

Is Healthy
Clarke Schmidt9 hours ago

To Return April 15 Or 16
Shane Baz9 hours ago

Strikes Out 10
Mike Tauchman10 hours ago

Begins Rehab Assignment
Wyatt Langford10 hours ago

Launches Another Homer
Nathan Eovaldi10 hours ago

Throws Complete Game Shutout
Michael Petersen10 hours ago

Traded To Atlanta
Matt Fitzpatrick10 hours ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners10 hours ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay11 hours ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Reynaldo López11 hours ago

Reynaldo Lopez To Undergo Right-Shoulder Surgery
Gary Woodland11 hours ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia11 hours ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti11 hours ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
NFL11 hours ago

Tush Push Unlikely To Be Banned For 2025 Season
Xavier Legette11 hours ago

Dave Canales Compares Xavier Legette To DK Metcalf
Brett de Geus11 hours ago

Phillies Claim Brett de Geus Off Waivers From Marlins
New York Giants12 hours ago

Ty Summers Re-Signs With New York
Nick Mears12 hours ago

Beginning Rehab Assignment At Triple-A
Sam Ehlinger12 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Denver
Guerschon Yabusele12 hours ago

Out Against Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns12 hours ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Arizona Cardinals12 hours ago

Calais Campbell Returns To Arizona
Jevon Carter12 hours ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry12 hours ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Julian Phillips12 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Jalen Smith13 hours ago

Available Against Raptors
Lonzo Ball13 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Kevin Huerter13 hours ago

Cleared For Tuesday's Matchup
Josh Giddey13 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Dalano Banton13 hours ago

Starting Against The Hawks
Royce O'Neale13 hours ago

Unavailable Against Bucks
Jerami Grant13 hours ago

Out Again On Tuesday
Bradley Beal13 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Ron Holland II13 hours ago

Tagged With A One-Game Suspension Tuesday
Anfernee Simons13 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus The Hawks
Trae Young13 hours ago

Officially Available Tuesday
Marcus Sasser13 hours ago

Suspended For One Game On Tuesday
Giannis Antetokounmpo13 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud13 hours ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Isaiah Stewart14 hours ago

Suspended For Two Games On Tuesday
Jacob Trouba14 hours ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Jonathan Kuminga14 hours ago

Ruled Out On Tuesday
Troy Terry14 hours ago

On Track To Play Tuesday
Jaylen Brown14 hours ago

Questionable Versus Miami
Jonathan Marchessault14 hours ago

Remains Out Against Blue Jackets
Alex Laferriere14 hours ago

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Luke Schenn14 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Dante Fabbro14 hours ago

Returns Against Predators
Detroit Lions16 hours ago

Alim McNeill Could Miss Start Of Regular Season
Tennessee Titans17 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Returning To Titans
Washington Commanders17 hours ago

Brandon Coleman Moving To Right Tackle For Commanders
Raheem Blackshear17 hours ago

Returning To Carolina
Kirk Cousins17 hours ago

Not Expected To Attend Voluntary Offseason Training
NFL17 hours ago

NFL Ownership Votes To Move Kickoff Touchbacks To 35-Yard Line
Olli Määttä17 hours ago

Olli Maatta A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jordan Greenway17 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Tuesday
Dallas Cowboys17 hours ago

Cowboys Willing To Make Micah Parsons The Highest-Paid Non-QB
Jordan Staal18 hours ago

Doubtful For Wednesday
Matt Roy18 hours ago

Not Traveling With Team
Josh Norris18 hours ago

Not Traveling With The Team On Tuesday
Brady Tkachuk18 hours ago

Not Playing On Tuesday
Jordan Spieth19 hours ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp20 hours ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim20 hours ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood20 hours ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau20 hours ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole21 hours ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Casey DeSmith1 day ago

Sharp In Monday's Victory
Mason Marchment1 day ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Monday
Adam Klapka1 day ago

Tallies Two Points In Shootout Victory
Ivan Fedotov1 day ago

Sharp Against Nashville
Sam Stevens1 day ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA1 day ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy1 day ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman1 day ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ryan Preece2 days ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR2 days ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland2 days ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno2 days ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg2 days ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober2 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres2 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall2 days ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara2 days ago

Gets Submitted
Ryan Fox2 days ago

Showing Improvement Heading Into The Valero Texas Open
Édgar Cháirez2 days ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales2 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.2 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira2 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez2 days ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas2 days ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez2 days ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Joel Dahmen2 days ago

Scores Top-20 Finish At Texas Children's Houston Open
Jacob Bridgeman2 days ago

Had Some Rest Heading Into The Valero
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott2 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson2 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano2 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain2 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe2 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones2 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry3 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg5 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno5 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres5 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober5 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer5 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum5 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales5 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.5 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira5 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Calvin Ridley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Draft Sleepers

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings: Overvalued, Undervalued Players (2025)

Dynasty fantasy football rankings constantly shift, especially as we inch closer to the new season and fantasy drafts. Dynasty managers know the importance of finding those underrated players who could be steals in drafts or trades. They also know some players are overhyped due to unsustainable trends or past production. I'll break down two overvalued […]


Justin Fields - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Best Fantasy Football Moves During 2025 NFL Free Agency

It has been a wild offseason so far in the NFL. Plenty of players have switched teams in free agency, and some stars were even traded. Deebo Samuel Sr. was dealt to the Washington Commanders, Geno Smith was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, and DK Metcalf has a new home with the Pittsburgh Steelers. These […]


Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Three Aging Fantasy Football Players To Sell In Dynasty Leagues

It's hard to always know when to sell off your aging fantasy football players. Often, it's also difficult to accept that it's better to move on from a player when he's coming off a productive season and still has a lot left in the tank. But I believe it's better to be a year early […]


J.J. McCarthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Draft Sleepers

Five Fantasy Football Superflex Quarterback Breakouts, Draft Targets (2025)

If you’ve ever played in a Superflex fantasy football league, then you know how important quarterbacks are in this format. The ability to start multiple stud quarterbacks can carry you to a Superflex title. Unfortunately, finding two such players isn’t so easy. All the top signal-callers come off draft boards first, and that makes it […]


Omarion Hampton - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Ideal Landing Spots For The Top 12 Fantasy Football Rookies - 2025 NFL Draft

Then, the NFL Draft continues to inch closer and closer. This is a very interesting class, with a handful of players who could be stars in the NFL and reshape fantasy football leagues going forward. Here are the ideal landing spots for the top 12 fantasy football rookies. These picks exist in conversation with each […]


Jalen Coker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eight Best Ball Late Round Value Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is the most popular game in all of sports. It has gone from a paper-and-pen game to a multi-million dollar-a-year one. While redraft leagues are the most popular form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are quickly gaining steam. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft thousands of […]


Abdul Carter - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football Edge Rusher Prospects

Edge rusher is the most important, most coveted, and most highly-paid position on defense in the NFL. It stands to reason that the most important position in the entire game being quarterback, and by a wide margin, means the most important position on defense are the players that are tasked with disrupting opposing QBs as […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Brock Purdy Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook and Trade Value

Despite becoming the all-time leading passer for the Iowa State Cyclones, Brock Purdy wasn't a highly touted prospect due to his perceived lack of athleticism. The 49ers picked him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Mr. Irrelevant quickly proved everyone wrong. In his first two years, he started in back-to-back NFC […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Buy or Sell: Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason

One year ago, we discussed the futures of Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Aaron Jones as those free agents found new homes. This year's headliners are Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, and Jordan Mason. Not quite the same. Still, with every transaction come implications for dynasty fantasy football rosters across the globe. Below, we […]


Romeo Doubs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued NFC Draft Targets

While the 2025 fantasy football redraft season is still several months away, there is no such thing as being too prepared for your fantasy draft. Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. The landscape of fantasy football will change between today and the start of redraft season, with the […]


Detroit Lions Defense, Aidan Hutchinson - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Streamers, IDP Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football IDP Sleepers: Five Draft Targets

It's notably difficult to identify sleepers in fantasy football IDP leagues. The skill of the players in question is very important, but situation also plays a large factor, as does a recent history of injuries. Rather than bucketing them into groups, it's better to analyze each one individually, look at where they are in terms […]


Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Ashton Jeanty's Top Potential Landing Spots For 2025: Fantasy Football NFL Draft Outlook

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will enter the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best prospects in the class. Jeanty just ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns across 14 games this past college season. Those 2,601 rush yards were the second-most of all-time in FBS history, only behind Barry Sanders's 2,628 rush yards […]