RADIO
It's high time for a June update to hit the summer months strong with a powerful bullpen in our sails. I am back with an updated top-150 Saves+Holds (Solds) rankings with two months of baseball on the scoresheet. Time is precious but so are those of you who play in formats with SV+HLD/Solds or leagues where Saves and Holds are separate categories. Perhaps you're just a fantasy baseball bullpens fiend like me and can't help yourself from reading relief pitcher content!
While the closer's role is important, an increasing number of managers are moving their best arm into a flexible role while shuffling who gets the ninth. 2022 has been no exception as we see some more focus on Saves+Holds (or Solds, or SV+HLD) leagues, which allow for fantasy leagues to reward the best arms regardless of the inning, though it still favors closers in a vacuum. Be sure to also check out our constantly updated fantasy baseball closers and saves depth charts.
Reminder: A hold is recorded when a relief pitcher enters with a lead of three runs or less, or with the tying run on deck, at the plate, or on base, and maintains that lead while recording at least one out. While I look for pitchers used in high-leverage situations, this is also about how good the arm is and how efficient their K/9 works for many of you. I present you with my top-150 RP ranks, with tiers, their respective rank within the bullpen on their team, and some notes, followed by a trade-deadline preview. Currently, injured players are left off for this edition.
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Updated Saves+Holds Rankings - Mixed Leagues
Rankings updated on June 6th
| Rank | Tier | Player | Team | Lg | Team Rank | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Josh Hader | MIL | NL | 1 | Damn near perfect '22 until Phils got to him |
| 2 | 1 | Liam Hendriks | CWS | AL | 1 | Early injury/tipping issues look clear |
| 3 | 1 | Edwin Diaz | NYM | NL | 1 | Nearly an 18.0 K/9, whew! |
| 4 | 1 | Jordan Romano | TOR | AL | 1 | 16 saves already |
| 5 | 1 | Raisel Iglesias | LAA | AL | 1 | Barely used as Halos continue skid |
| 6 | 2 | Taylor Rogers | SD | NL | 1 | Early stud still safe in role |
| 7 | 2 | Kenley Jansen | ATL | NL | 1 | |
| 8 | 2 | Craig Kimbrel | LAD | NL | 1 | Flashes of old CK, but loses command too often |
| 9 | 2 | Devin Williams | MIL | NL | 2 | Airbender firing on all cylinders |
| 10 | 2 | Emmanuel Clase | CLE | AL | 1 | Doing what he can with few opps |
| 11 | 2 | David Bednar | PIT | NL | 1 | Glad PIT gave up on sharing 9th |
| 12 | 2 | Clay Holmes | NYY | AL | 1 | Breakout star should be NYY closer RoS |
| 13 | 2 | Ryan Pressly | HOU | AL | 1 | SwStr% still 14%, Ks should tick up |
| 14 | 3 | Ryan Helsley | STL | NL | 1 | Fireballer stepping up for STL |
| 15 | 3 | Jhoan Duran | MIN | AL | 1 | SVHLD rewards Duran, love it |
| 16 | 3 | Paul Sewald | SEA | AL | 1 | 2 saves in past week |
| 17 | 2 | Giovanny Gallegos | STL | NL | 2 | Still STL's No. 2 RP, used as a fireman |
| 18 | 3 | Scott Barlow | KC | AL | 1 | |
| 19 | 3 | Kendall Graveman | CWS | AL | 2 | BABIP 30 pts above career norm, should settle |
| 20 | 3 | Joe Barlow | TEX | AL | 1 | TEX finally committed to him in 9th |
| 21 | 3 | Corey Knebel | PHI | NL | 1 | No Girardi may mean the seat is heating |
| 22 | 3 | Andrew Kittredge | TB | AL | 1 | Should resume high-leverage role |
| 23 | 3 | Camilo Doval | SF | NL | 1 | Recent scuffles but still late-inning K guy |
| 24 | 3 | Gregory Soto | DET | AL | 1 | Lesser Ks but also BBs, trade-off working |
| 25 | 4 | Dany Jimenez | OAK | AL | 1 | Next cheap OAK option to ascend |
| 26 | 4 | Hector Neris | HOU | AL | 3 | Little more trust than Montero for me |
| 27 | 4 | Jorge Lopez | BAL | AL | 1 | |
| 28 | 4 | Tanner Rainey | WAS | NL | 1 | |
| 29 | 4 | Ryan Tepera | LAA | AL | 2 | Used often, racking up SVHLDs |
| 30 | 4 | David Robertson | CHC | NL | 1 | |
| 31 | 4 | Daniel Hudson | LAD | NL | 2 | Looking crisp, may press Kimbrel for 9th |
| 32 | 5 | Seth Lugo | NYM | NL | 2 | |
| 33 | 5 | Rafael Montero | HOU | AL | 2 | |
| 34 | 5 | Michael King | NYY | AL | 2 | Dominant ceiling, better now after recent slide |
| 35 | 5 | Diego Castillo | SEA | AL | 2 | |
| 36 | 5 | Daniel Bard | COL | NL | 1 | |
| 37 | 5 | A.J. Minter | ATL | NL | 3 | |
| 38 | 5 | Andrew Chafin | DET | AL | 3 | |
| 39 | 5 | Adam Cimber | TOR | AL | 3 | |
| 40 | 5 | Aaron Bummer | CWS | AL | 4 | |
| 41 | 6 | Michael Fulmer | DET | AL | 2 | |
| 42 | 6 | Brooks Raley | TB | AL | 4 | |
| 43 | 6 | Andres Munoz | SEA | AL | 3 | High-ceiling fastball but inconsistent command |
| 44 | 6 | Alexis Diaz | CIN | NL | 3 | Could be CIN's best RP |
| 45 | 6 | Drew Smith | NYM | NL | 3 | |
| 46 | 6 | Brad Boxberger | MIL | NL | 3 | |
| 47 | 6 | Josh Staumont | KC | AL | 2 | |
| 48 | 6 | William Smith | ATL | NL | 2 | |
| 49 | 6 | Emilio Pagan | MIN | AL | 2 | Gets late opps but it's a tightrope act |
| 50 | 6 | Matt Wisler | TB | AL | 6 | |
| 51 | 6 | Phil Maton | HOU | AL | 4 | |
| 52 | 6 | Jake Diekman | BOS | AL | 1 | Late opps if you can eat high WHIP |
| 53 | 6 | Tyler Rogers | SF | NL | 3 | |
| 54 | 6 | Aaron Loup | LAA | AL | 3 | |
| 55 | 6 | Mychal Givens | CHC | NL | 3 | |
| 56 | 7 | John Brebbia | SF | NL | 6 | |
| 57 | 7 | Jake McGee | SF | NL | 4 | |
| 58 | 7 | Alex Vesia | LAD | NL | 4 | |
| 59 | 7 | Mark Melancon | ARI | NL | 1 | Near .400 BABIP, he's not THIS bad |
| 60 | 7 | Seranthony Dominguez | PHI | NL | 2 | My fav to challenge Knebel |
| 61 | 7 | Art Warren | CIN | NL | 2 | |
| 62 | 7 | Luis Garcia | SD | NL | 2 | |
| 63 | 7 | Genesis Cabrera | STL | NL | 3 | |
| 64 | 7 | Yimi Garcia | TOR | AL | 2 | |
| 65 | 7 | Brusdar Graterol | LAD | NL | 3 | |
| 66 | 8 | Colin Poche | TB | AL | 3 | Has TB trust for late work |
| 67 | 8 | Cole Sulser | MIA | NL | 2 | Can't string together enough good |
| 68 | 8 | Ian Kennedy | ARI | NL | 2 | |
| 69 | 8 | Zach Jackson | OAK | AL | 3 | |
| 70 | 8 | Anthony Bass | MIA | NL | 1 | |
| 71 | 8 | Alex Lange | DET | AL | 4 | |
| 72 | 8 | Griffin Jax | MIN | AL | 5 | |
| 73 | 8 | Felix Bautista | BAL | AL | 2 | Look out if Lopez is dealt |
| 74 | 8 | Ryne Stanek | HOU | AL | 5 | |
| 75 | 8 | Tyler Kinley | COL | NL | 2 | Strong slider has earned COL setup role |
| 76 | 8 | Wil Crowe | PIT | NL | 3 | |
| 77 | 8 | Collin McHugh | ATL | NL | 4 | |
| 78 | 8 | Trevor Stephan | CLE | AL | 5 | |
| 79 | 8 | John Schreiber | BOS | AL | 2 | BOS most consistent RP in '22 |
| 80 | 8 | Tanner Houck | BOS | AL | 3 | Was warming for save last weekend |
| 81 | 8 | Jason Adam | TB | AL | 5 | |
| 82 | 8 | Brock Burke | TEX | AL | 3 | |
| 83 | 8 | Kyle Nelson | ARI | NL | 5 | |
| 84 | 8 | Tyler Duffey | MIN | AL | 3 | |
| 85 | 8 | Matt Foster | CWS | AL | 3 | |
| 86 | 8 | Scott Effross | CHC | NL | 4 | |
| 87 | 8 | Joe Mantiply | ARI | NL | 3 | ARI's best behind tradeable vets |
| 88 | 8 | Tanner Scott | MIA | NL | 3 | |
| 89 | 9 | John King | TEX | AL | 5 | |
| 90 | 9 | Brad Hand | PHI | NL | 3 | |
| 91 | 8 | Will Vest | DET | AL | 5 | Electric but below the Chafin/Fulmer/Soto trio |
| 92 | 9 | Matt Strahm | BOS | AL | 4 | |
| 93 | 9 | Eli Morgan | CLE | AL | 4 | Looks great in the 'pen, opps may grow |
| 94 | 9 | Dillon Tate | BAL | AL | 3 | |
| 95 | 9 | Dennis Santana | TEX | AL | 4 | |
| 96 | 9 | Cionel Perez | BAL | AL | 4 | |
| 97 | 9 | Nick Sandlin | CLE | AL | 6 | |
| 98 | 9 | Joe Smith | MIN | AL | 4 | Low Ks but steady Holds play |
| 99 | 9 | Steven Wilson | SD | NL | 5 | |
| 100 | 9 | Joely Rodriguez | NYM | NL | 5 | |
| 101 | 9 | Jose Ruiz | CWS | AL | 5 | |
| 102 | 9 | Tony Santillan | CIN | NL | 1 | |
| 103 | 9 | Evan Phillips | LAD | NL | 5 | |
| 104 | 9 | Noe Ramirez | ARI | NL | 4 | |
| 105 | 9 | A.J. Puk | OAK | AL | 2 | Nice to see health holding up |
| 106 | 9 | Robert Suarez | SD | NL | 3 | Has recovered well after early woes |
| 107 | 9 | Trevor Gott | MIL | NL | 4 | |
| 108 | 9 | David Phelps | TOR | AL | 4 | |
| 109 | 9 | Chris Stratton | PIT | NL | 2 | |
| 110 | 9 | Adam Ottavino | NYM | NL | 4 | Frisbee slider Ks and BBs, as is tradition |
| 111 | 9 | Dominic Leone | SF | NL | 2 | |
| 112 | 9 | Ryan Thompson | TB | AL | 7 | |
| 113 | 9 | Domingo Acevedo | OAK | AL | 5 | |
| 114 | 9 | Matt Bush | TEX | AL | 2 | |
| 115 | 9 | Steven Okert | MIA | NL | 5 | |
| 116 | 9 | Kyle Finnegan | WAS | NL | 2 | |
| 117 | 9 | Miguel Castro | NYY | AL | 3 | |
| 118 | 9 | Rowan Wick | CHC | NL | 2 | |
| 119 | 9 | Penn Murfee | SEA | AL | 4 | Love him, Holds should come soon |
| 120 | 9 | Jalen Beeks | TB | AL | 8 | |
| 121 | 10 | Alex Colome | COL | NL | 3 | Low Ks & Coors = not worth it |
| 122 | 10 | Reynaldo Lopez | CWS | AL | 7 | |
| 123 | 10 | Jackson Stephens | ATL | NL | 5 | Earning more leverage for ATL |
| 124 | 10 | Nabil Crismatt | SD | NL | 4 | |
| 125 | 10 | Bryan Shaw | CLE | AL | 2 | |
| 126 | 10 | Andre Pallante | STL | NL | 5 | |
| 127 | 10 | Craig Stammen | SD | NL | 7 | |
| 128 | 10 | Justin Bruihl | LAD | NL | 6 | |
| 129 | 10 | Victor Arano | WAS | NL | 3 | |
| 130 | 10 | Sam Hentges | CLE | AL | 3 | |
| 131 | 10 | Luis Cessa | CIN | NL | 4 | |
| 132 | 10 | Oliver Ortega | LAA | AL | 4 | |
| 133 | 10 | Dylan Floro | MIA | NL | 4 | |
| 134 | 10 | Jimmy Herget | LAA | AL | 5 | |
| 135 | 10 | Collin Snider | KC | AL | 3 | |
| 136 | 10 | Nick Wittgren | STL | NL | 4 | |
| 137 | 10 | Blake Taylor | HOU | AL | 6 | |
| 138 | 10 | Jeurys Familia | PHI | NL | 4 | |
| 139 | 10 | Trevor Richards | TOR | AL | 5 | |
| 140 | 10 | Lou Trivino | OAK | AL | 4 | |
| 141 | 10 | Dillon Peters | PIT | NL | 4 | |
| 142 | 10 | Phil Bickford | LAD | NL | 7 | |
| 143 | 10 | Wandy Peralta | NYY | AL | 5 | |
| 144 | 10 | Joe Jimenez | DET | AL | 6 | |
| 145 | 10 | Ryan Brasier | BOS | AL | 5 | |
| 146 | 10 | Louis Head | MIA | NL | 7 | |
| 147 | 10 | Jarlin Garcia | SF | NL | 5 | |
| 148 | 10 | Brandon Hughes | CHC | NL | 5 | |
| 149 | 10 | Carl Edwards Jr. | WAS | NL | 4 | |
| 150 | 10 | Arodys Vizcaino | KC | AL | 4 |
Saves+Holds Tiered Rankings Analysis Notes
The table and notes largely speak for themselves, but I'll quickly speak on a few situations to monitor as the Aug. 2 trade deadline draws ever closer:
-Baltimore should explore trades for Jorge López given his strong start to '22 as their stopper. Félix Bautista stands the gain the most by way of consistent late work as a result, though both Cionel Pérez and Dillon Tate would also see a bump. I'm sure López would see plenty of hold opportunities wherever he went, though stepping onto a contender as a closer is unlikely.
-Seattle could look into replicating last year's Kendall Graveman deal with Paul Sewald if their fortune doesn't turn around in the next month. Again, Sewald is good enough to earn high-leverage innings wherever he lands. Perhaps this would also hinge on how well Ken Giles looks upon his arrival with Seattle after his rehab work is all done. I'd imagine that Diego Castillo, Andrés Muñoz, Penn Murfee, and company can hold down the fort on their own though, even if Giles isn't 100% and Drew Steckenrider can't recover his form in the minors.
-Chicago's North Siders will be fielding many a call regarding Willson Contreras as his contract nears an end on a high note, but David Robertson has performed well and should get flipped as well. Rowan Wick has pitched well enough to earn another crack at the closer's role, while Mychal Givens can be the veteran fallback. Scott Effross continues to display swing-and-miss stuff while Brandon Hughes has emerged as a sneaky weapon too.
-Cincinnati could deal anyone at this point, with the best potential awaiting in Alexis Díaz. I doubt Lucas Sims will have enough time to establish any trade value (if he returns before the deadline at all), but Tony Santillan or Art Warren could certainly go.
-Kansas City will likely consider trading one or both of Scott Barlow and Josh Staumont, which leaves us speculating on Arodys Vizcaíno and Dylan Coleman types for KC's back-end. Perhaps Amir Garrett will be back by then, but he's done little to warrant much confidence in 2022 after the 2021 debacle.
-Pittsburgh may get overwhelmed for David Bednar and fall back into a mash of Chris Stratton, Wil Crowe, and Dillon Peters as the left-hander if Bednar is dealt. I can see the Red Sox overpaying for a true anchor at RP if they keep rising, or maybe the Yankees re-unite Bednar with Clay Holmes as a vicious one-two threat with the injuries they've sustained.
-Oakland is another team we can always count on to flip good performers for future, cheap assets. That said, I'd be surprised if Dany Jiménez was moved given the cheap team control Oakland has to flex with him.
This is a net-zero game and while it's fun to think about the pitchers that climb their respective bullpen totem poles instead of others being dealt, you have to be prepared for the third or fourth options on contending teams to be pushed out a bit. On the whole, I'd expect the Yankees, Cardinals, Padres, Giants, Twins, and Red Sox to be the strongest bullpen buyers. Luckily, I don't think many of you are leaning heavily on the Miguel Castro/Tyler Rogers/Tyler Duffey contingent.
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