Late Round Targets for Fantasy Baseball – Saves

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  • By Paul Williamson

    Last Updated on February 27, 2026 2:01 pm by Paul Williamson | Published: February 27, 2026

    So your plan to punt saves until a bit later left you without the dudes you were hoping to get.

    In 12-team standard leagues, this isn’t a bad strategy.

    Especially if you know who to target toward the end.

    And in deeper formats, finding diamonds in the rough is the name of the game.

    In this exercise, I will be examining potential closers that are sure to be there for you at the end of your drafts (12-team and deeper formats).

    I will list names that are available after pick 250 in NFBC Online Championship leagues from Feb 1-Feb 27.

    Honorable Mentions

    These are arms that have ADPs that barely don’t make the cutline of pick 250.

    • Riley O’Brien (251.44) – Now he does have a calf issue that is keeping him out of the WBC. But he is the favorite close games in St. Louis. NOTE – his ADP dropped a few spots since the beginning of me writing this article due to the calf strain.
    • Robert Garcia (248.79) – He is the favorite to be the closer for the Rangers and I would draft him before O’Brien given he has better swing and miss ability.
    Edwin Uceta (291.10) – Rays

    Keep an eye on his shoulder injury, though early reports are positive.

    Uceta is a potential closer for Tampa Bay that is oozing with strikeout upside. The K% the last two seasons have been 35.8% and 32.1%.. The SwStr% has been 16.0% and 17.2% as he has allowed a sup-69% contact% in both seasons.

    Griffin Jax is no slouch but Uceta certainly has the chops.

    Clayton Beeter (307.36) – Nationals

    I’m skipping over the LA Angels’ Kirby Yates prior to Beeter and going with the dude that has a much clearer path to being his team’s closer.

    In his first extended taste of big league action, he showed great K-production with a 31.7% K% and 68.1% contact%.

    The glaring red flag here is the 17.3% BB%. But he induced very soft contact with a 32.1% hard-hit rate as all he needs to do is be just ‘meh’ at the walks and he can be a solid source of saves on a young, up-and-coming Nationals squad.

    Robert Stephenson (334.70)/Ben Joyce (359.56) – Angels

    Now we get to the point of the draft that I’ll be willing to take a shot on one of the three or four options in Anaheim.

    Before injuries derailed Stephenson, he was an absolute stud out of the ‘pen. In 2023 he had a 3.10 ERA (2.79 xERA, 3.22 FIP), 0.88 WHIP and a 38.3% K% to go with an 8.0% BB%.

    If he comes out wheeling and dealing this spring, the job could easily be his. as he had a stupid 24.8% SwStr% in 2023. Even a regression closer to his 15.2% SwStr% for his career would be great.

    Joyce throws 101 MPH+ and was the heir apparent to the closer’s role before injuries derailed him, too.

    That fastball gives him a fantastic ceiling as he also showed a great ability to force balls into the dirt in his only real taste of MLB action in 2024 with a 58.9% ground ball rate. I prefer Stephenson but Joyce isn’t a bad pick this late either.

    [/wcm_nonmember]


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    February 27, 2026, 2:01 pm