Early 2026 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 at relief pitcher requires a great deal of guesswork this far out

If I'm being honest, ranking relief pitchers before the offseason even begins is a fool's errand. Most teams will have only one worth caring about, at least in conventional Fantasy play, and that one will generally be the best that's under contract when the dust settles.

The dust hasn't even been kicked up yet. Edwin Diaz, Robert Suarez, Raisel Iglesias, Devin Williams, Kenley Jansen, Emilio Pagan and Ryan Helsley are all expected to enter the free agent market, which itself will reorder the closer landscape, and you have to presume that a trade or two might go down as well. At present, we can only guess as to which relievers will ultimately be in line for saves. Some guesses are better than others, but they're still only guesses.

• Early rankings: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP

One reliever who we can probably rule out is Emmanuel Clase, who remains under investigation for a gambling probe that began in July. No official pronouncements have been made yet, but the buzz isn't good. If he's able to rejoin the Guardians bullpen, he would surely be their closer, and he would probably still rank in the top five here.

You'll notice that all of the pitchers featured here are true relievers as opposed to starting pitchers with relief pitcher eligibility. Yes, the SPARP selection is pretty slim as of now, with Ryne Nelson standing out as the most significant. He, Ian Seymour and Reid Detmers (who is reportedly returning to a starting role after a year in the bullpen) would at least rank in my top 20 for Head-to-Head points leagues -- i.e., the format where SPARPs are most valuable.

Note that the focus here is standard 5x5 scoring (such as Rotisserie leagues), but if you scroll a little further, you'll see my rankings for Head-to-Head points.  

Top 20 relief pitchers for 2026

1	Mason Miller San Diego Padres RP
If the Padres transition Miller to a starting role, as some have speculated, then he'll need to rank a few spots lower than this. If they bring back Robert Suarez or sign someone else to close, then he's likely out of the top 20 altogether. But if, as seems most likely, they install him as their closer for 2026, then it's hard to imagine anyone doing better in the role, particularly after he put together a 0.77 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 17.4 K/9 in his 22 appearances with the Padres.
2	Edwin Diaz New York Mets RP
One of Diaz's best seasons with the Mets may also end up being his last if he opts out of the rest of his deal, which may be best for his Fantasy value since his saves count has always been curiously lacking in New York. He's still one of the game's most dominant relievers and a lock to close no matter where he goes.
3	Josh Hader Houston Astros RP
Hader and Diaz are about the same age, produce about the same numbers, and have occupied the closer role for about the same length of time, so there's very little to distinguish them in these rankings. Diaz gets the edge for me because Hader was sidelined late last year by a shoulder strain, not that I'm particularly worried about it.
4	Andres Munoz Seattle Mariners RP
The move to Dan Wilson as manager did away with much of the late-inning bullpen shenanigans that have clouded Munoz's stay with the Mariners, putting him on a path for 38 saves in 2025. His walk rate makes him a little more vulnerable than Diaz and Hader, but he's a stud nonetheless.
5	Cade Smith Cleveland Guardians RP
Obviously, Smith's fate is tied to Emmanuel Clase's, but with Clase still ensnared by the league's gambling probe, it seems only right to assess Smith as if he's the Guardians' closer. And what little we've seen of him in the role makes him out to be every bit as dominant as the three names ahead of him on this list.
6	Aroldis Chapman Boston Red Sox RP
While there were relievers with more saves in 2025, there was none more dominant than Chapman, whose 1.17 ERA and 0.70 WHIP were the best marks he's ever delivered. He apparently tweaked some things heading into the season, most notably the tightness of his grip, to overcome some of the control issues that had been mounting for him, but there's certainly risk of regression at age 38.
7	Jhoan Duran Philadelphia Phillies RP
Some unconventional bullpen usage by manager Rocco Baldelli prevented Duran from meeting his full Fantasy potential in Minnesota, but he was the purest form of closer after a midseason trade to the Phillies. His strikeout rate historically is a tick behind those ahead of him here, but that also improved in Philadelphia.
8	Robert Suarez San Diego Padres RP
One of the biggest mistakes the majority of Fantasy Baseball analysts made in 2025 was to doubt Suarez, who was so steady for the Padres that he remained the closer even following the acquisition of Mason Miller. He's not as dominant as the top-tier relievers, but he's proven enough that he's likely to secure a big deal to close somewhere after opting out this offseason.
9	David Bednar New York Yankees RP
Bednar went from losing his job with the Pirates in April to closing out games for the Yankees in October. The improvement came pretty early, with some tweaks to his curveball and pitch selection making those initial struggles a distant memory. While he won't inspire the same confidence, his final numbers were about on par with Cade Smith's.
10	Jeff Hoffman Toronto Blue Jays RP
After two dominant years as a middle reliever for the Phillies, Hoffman's transition to closing games for the Blue Jays was a bumpy ride. His stuff graded out similarly, suggesting that the jump in home runs was just a blip, but he'll be an avoid for some after putting together a 4.37 ERA, even if his role appears to be secure.
11	Raisel Iglesias Atlanta Braves RP
Some early struggles with his slider created a great deal of heartburn, but once he ditched the pitch, Iglesias was back to being the reliable closer we've always known him to be, putting together a 1.25 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 10.0 K/9 over his final 45 appearances. This will presumably make him a closer for someone in 2026, though there are no guarantees as he enters the free agent market.
12	Devin Williams New York Yankees RP
Williams was supposed to be the big relief pitcher acquisition who shored up the back of the Yankees bullpen finally but his New York stint ended up being so disastrous that the Yankees were forced to acquire two other teams' closers at the trade deadline. Why he was so bad was a head-scratcher, which means he'll almost certainly get a chance to close for some other team this offseason. He could still be a top-five reliever.
13	Carlos Estevez Kansas City Royals RP
While there was initially some dispute as to whether Lucas Erceg should remain in the closer role for the Royals, newly signed Carlos Estevez ultimately took the job and ran with it, leading the majors with 42 saves. He was actually the worst he's ever been as a bat-misser, delivering the sort of strikeout numbers that wouldn't normally work in a high-leverage role without some insane quality-of-contact numbers (which he doesn't have).
14	Trevor Megill Milwaukee Brewers RP
Megill would rank at least five spots higher if we could be absolutely certain in him closing for the Brewers, but his understudy, Abner Uribe, was arguably the more effective of the two and continued to fill in as closer even after Megill returned from a flexor strain in the playoffs. Megill's All-Star credentials likely give him the edge to begin 2026, but he'll have little margin for error.
15	Daniel Palencia Chicago Cubs RP
While the hard-throwing Palencia was pretty great as the Cubs closer, save for the few weeks he missed in September with a strained shoulder, the Cubs are at a point in the contention cycle where they might want to beef up their bullpen with a more established closer. This ranking obviously presumes Palencia will close.
16	Kenley Jansen Los Angeles Angels RP
The 38-year-old Jansen is once again looking to latch on with a new team and will probably get a short-term deal to close somewhere, as has been his recent pattern. He's ranked that way, projecting for 25-30 saves with ratios that will help more than hurt, and given his stated goal of reaching 500 saves, it doesn't sound like he'll settle for a lesser role to pitch for a surefire contender.
17	Pete Fairbanks Tampa Bay Rays RP
Fairbanks finally managed to stay healthy for a full season, and the results were ... fine. Good enough for the Rays to pick up his option, anyway, though perhaps as a precursor to trading him. He hasn't done anything to forfeit the closer role yet, but he's not the bat-misser he once was and isn't a certainty to remain in the role, regardless of where he's pitching.
18	Dennis Santana Pittsburgh Pirates RP
Santana was the obvious choice to step in as closer after David Bednar was traded to the Yankees, and he filled the role capably enough over the final two months that he'll likely start out in it again. His 2.18 ERA and 0.87 WHIP both seemed too good to be true, given his marginal strikeout numbers, and there's always a chance he gets traded to a contender at some point.
19	Tanner Scott Los Angeles Dodgers RP
The bad news is that Scott was a big disappointment in his first year of a four-year deal with the Dodgers, failing to nail down the closer role as he struggled to keep the ball in the yard. The good news is that no other reliever stepped up in his place, forcing the team to turn to starting pitcher prospect Roki Sasaki in the postseason. Maybe Sasaki will continue as the closer (he'll have to earn RP eligibility in CBS leagues), but if the Dodgers would prefer to develop him as a starter still, Scott will likely get another shot to close.
20	Will Vest Detroit Tigers RP
Vest became the Tigers closer mostly because all of the other options removed themselves from consideration, so his claim to the role was precarious from the beginning. A poor finish exposed him as being too hittable for a serious contender to trust with the ninth inning, but until the Tigers bring in a clear upgrade, he'll remain the front-runner for saves.

What changes in points leagues?

1. Mason Miller, SD
2. Edwin Diaz, likely free agent
3. Josh Hader, HOU
4. Andres Munoz, SEA
5. Cade Smith, CLE
6. Aroldis Chapman, BOS
7. Jhoan Duran, PHI
8. Robert Suarez, likely free agent
9. David Bednar, NYY
10. Jeff Hoffman, TOR
11. Raisel Iglesias, free agent
12. Devin Williams, free agent
13. Carlos Estevez, KC
14. Trevor Megill, MIL
15. Daniel Palencia, CHC
16. Ryne Nelson, ARI
17. Ian Seymour, TB
18. Reid Detmers, LAA
19. Kenley Jansen, free agent
20. Pete Fairbanks, likely TB