While the hitters and the starting pitchers get most of the headlines, this year the MLB Trade Deadline was especially impactful for relief pitchers. My colleague Garion Thorne did a great job keeping up with all the craziness, but now that the dust has settled, let’s take a look at who the closers are across the league and where you can grab some saves on the waiver wire in season-long formats.
Many fantasy baseball leagues include saves as a key category, but one common strategy is to punt the category in drafts and hunt saves on the waiver wire. If you’ve used that strategy all year or just need to pick up another closer to round out your roster, check out these widely available relief pitcher pick-ups who can bring saves from many leagues’ waiver wires.
Jack Perkins, Athletics
Ownership: 15%
The Athletics traded All-Star closer Mason Miller to the Padres, leaving a huge hole at the end of their bullpen. Last year, Miller had 28 saves in 55 games, posting a 2.49 ERA and 2.18 FIP across 65 innings while racking up 104 strikeouts. He was very solid this season, as well, although not quite as dominant, with 20 saves and a 3.76 ERA.
Perkins will have big shoes to fill, but it looks like he’ll be the next man up for the Athletics. The 25-year-old made his MLB debut earlier this season and is 0-1 with a 2.75 ERA, 3.70 FIP and 19 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings in the majors. In Triple-A, he pitched in nine games, but was the starter in all those outings, posting a 2.86 ERA, 3.45 FIP and 68 strikeouts in 44 innings.
MLB Pipeline ranked him as the team’s No. 7 prospect, and his stuff is top-shelf enough for him to step-in and replace Miller. He never earned a save in the minors, but he has three saves for the Athletics already this year along with one hold.
On Wednesday, Perkins worked the final two innings with Miller unavailable, and he picked up the save even though he gave up a homer to Randy Arozarena.
Perkins could be a great source of waiver wire saves for the rest of this season if he locks down the role with more strong outings. He’s my top pickup available, since I think the A’s will be decent enough to get him the ball in many save situations. He has all the tools needed to be a lights-out closer in the short term, even though he could shift back to the rotation down the road.
Dennis Santana, Pittsburgh Pirates
Ownership: 34%
The Pirates traded David Bednar to the Yankees at the trade deadline in another move that opened up save opportunities. Bednar had 17 saves in his 42 games with a 2.37 ERA and 1.96 FIP, but his departure opens the door for Dennis Santana to take over the role.
Santana has elite numbers in his 46 games this season, posting a 1.36 ERA and 2.38 FIP with a total of 38 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings. In 2025, he has allowed just seven earned runs while holding opponents to a .170 batting average.
Santana’s strikeout ceiling isn’t nearly as high as Perkins’ is, but he does have a clearer path to the full-time closer role. The Pirates are typically involved in low-scoring games, which should give Santana opportunities to provide waiver wire saves. He already has six saves in seven chances to go with his 12 holds this year.
If you’re looking for waiver wire saves, Santana is the safest widely available pick, although the aforementioned Perkins has a higher ceiling.
Cole Sands, Minnesota Twins
Ownership: 6%
The Twins traded just about everyone out of their bullpen, leaving Cole Sands as the last man standing to pick up saves. Since the team depleted both their starting rotation and their lineup, though, there may not be that many leads to protect, either.
Sands is 3-3 on the year with a pair of saves, but he has a 4.11 ERA, 3.72 FIP and just a 7.04 K/9. He doesn’t have the prototypical stuff to be a top-shelf closer, but he’s a bargain option if you’re looking for cheap waiver wire saves.
Cole Henry, Washington Nationals
Ownership: 0%
The Nationals are another team that moved its closer at the deadline, trading Kyle Finnegan to the Tigers. The problem with trying to figure out where the waiver wire saves will come from with the Nats is that they don’t have much left in the bullpen.
They will likely use a committee with Jose A. Ferrer, Zach Brzykcy and Cole Henry, according to MASN’s Mark Zuckerman. While they don’t have many proven arms, and even that trio is shaky, Henry has the most potential upside and is worth a flier if you need cheap waiver wire saves in a deeper format.
The 25-year-old Henry has pitched in 41 games for the Nats, with a 3.96 ERA, 5.53 FIP and 37 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings. Henry just gave up three runs in his last outing on Wednesday, but before that, he had not allowed a run in five straight games. He has the most upside of the options in the Washington bullpen, so he’s worth a flier if you are desperate for saves and the other names on this list have already been scooped up.
Other Options to Consider: Seth Halvorsen, Colorado Rockies; Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians; Ronny Henriquez, Miami Marlins
