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Eric Karabell
This season, ESPN fantasy managers made Seattle Mariners RHP Andres Munoz one of the first 10 relief pitchers selected on draft day. Still, few expected him to perform at quite this fantastic level. Roughly one-third of the MLB season is now complete, and Munoz not only leads the majors in saves (tied with the San Diego Padres RHP Robert Suarez), but he has yet to permit an earned run. That’s right, as we approach June, 40 pitchers have saved three or more games, and Munoz is the only one with a spotless 0.00 ERA!
As a result, it seems rather obvious to bestow our made-up “Reliever MVP award for the first two months of the 2025 season” to Seattle’s finest, as Munoz plows toward his second consecutive All-Star game. He is well on his way to breaking his personal record for saves, set last season when he had 22. He is already at 17 and the Mariners lead the AL West. Munoz, with a 2.38 career ERA, a 1.01 WHIP and an excellent K rate, has always been a fantasy favorite (despite more than a few IL stints), but today he sure looks like baseball’s top relief pitcher.
Seattle’s bullpen enters Tuesday with a 3.43 ERA, 10th in the league, although that figure can mislead as non-leverage pitchers tend to affect the number. What really matters are how the top options perform. Save and hold shares matter, too. Munoz boasts all but one of the Mariners saves. RHPs Carlos Vargas and Gabe Speier lead in holds, with Speier being the preferred fantasy option due to his K rate. Watch RHP Matt Brash, too. Now healthy after missing all of 2024, the electric Brash (107 K in 2023!) has thrown six scoreless innings since making his recent 2025 debut.
Munoz leads all pure relief pitchers (Kansas City Royals LHP Kris Bubic boasts dual eligibility) in ESPN standard fantasy points. For perspective, a mere 11 starting pitchers have outscored him. It has been quite an impressive start. Last season, Cleveland Guardians RHP Emmanuel Clase and St. Louis Cardinals RHP Ryan Helsley finished among the top-10 pitchers in scoring. They permitted earned runs, though. Can Munoz make it through six full months of perfection? We shall see!
As I continue to make up the rules for deciding fantasy MVP awards, we tend to focus more on draft day bargains than those who were expected to carry fantasy rosters. As a mid-draft selection, Munoz qualifies, but for those looking for relief pitchers who were far from coveted on draft day, New York Yankees RHP Luke Weaver, Royals RHP Carlos Estevez and Cincinnati Reds RHP Emilio Pagan all deserve credit — and more attention in leagues. Each is among the top-10 scorers among relievers, and each remains quite available in standard leagues.
For the more negative/pessimistic readers out there, there are made-up Least Valuable Pitcher (LVP) awards as well. Based on results from average live drafts, Yankees RHP Devin Williams seems to be the clear winner for this dubious honor. Williams, he of the career 1.83 ERA entering this season, has a 6.16 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP for his new team, with only four saves. Still, let’s not overlook eight consecutive scoreless outings, and 13 strikeouts against 28 hitters over that span. Weaver has pitched magnificently, but both he and Williams can be top-10 fantasy relief pitchers for the rest of the season, regardless of who earns the saves.
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Daniel Palencia, RHP, Chicago Cubs: Palencia, 25, boasts Chicago’s three most recent saves over the past week. He may hold onto the ninth-inning role for a while. Palencia, who saved games in the minors and made his 2025 debut in mid-April, pitched well enough to earn a setup role. Then, with RHP Ryan Pressly still struggling and RHP Porter Hodge (oblique) on the IL, he moved into the closer role a week ago. Palencia reaches 100 mph with his fastball, although control and the lure of issuing free passes have been a problem for years. This doesn’t make Palencia so unique among closers, though. He should pile on the saves.
Jason Adam, RHP, San Diego Padres: While Suarez remains in firm control of San Diego’s ninth innings, Adam has enjoyed the superior statistical season with his 1.35 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 28.8% K rate. Oh, and Adam boasts a 5-0 record, which isn’t so predictive, but most fantasy managers like wins. Adam has just as many of them as Detroit Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal and two more than Pittsburgh Pirates RHP Paul Skenes. Adam is a top-10 reliever in fantasy points, just one hold off the MLB lead. He should be way more popular in fantasy leagues.
Will Vest, RHP, Detroit Tigers: It’s still a relative committee bullpen approach for A.J. Hinch’s league-leading Tigers, but Vest is the one with three of the team’s five saves in May (and three wins!). He also leads Detroit relievers in fantasy points for 2025. Vest, 29, hasn’t permitted an earned run in May, and he is holding left-handed hitters to an overall .352 OPS (they are 3-for-33 off him!). Don’t be disappointed if RHP Tommy Kahnle or another Tiger saves a game on occasion, but Vest is the one to target these days in fantasy.
Abner Uribe, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers: While RHP Trevor Megill leads Milwaukee with 10 saves in 11 chances, Uribe is having the better season. He leads baseball with 14 holds, and while they aren’t saves, holds do matter in ESPN standard (points) leagues. Uribe boasts a 32.4% strikeout rate, top 20 among qualified relief pitchers. Walks can be a problem, but then again, Megill walked a trio of Red Sox (though one intentionally) in Monday’s nail-biting win. It would hardly be a surprise to see Uribe handling ninth inning work this season.
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Shelby Miller, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks: Well, that didn’t take long. Miller, the focus of our most recent blog on relief pitchers, enters Tuesday having not pitched in a game for a full week. That’s a problem for fantasy managers seeking volume. The other issue is that RHP Justin Martinez (shoulder) returned from his recent IL stint and appeared in two high-leverage situations in that span. Martinez is the better pitcher, and comes more recommended for fantasy, but health remains a concern. Miller hasn’t been necessarily bad as the closer, but it is hard to tell if he actually still is the closer.
Mason Miller, RHP, Athletics: Miller is clearly the closer here and one of the top options from draft day, but his investors are not enjoying his 5.79 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. Miller hurled in all three of the A’s weekend games against the Philadelphia Phillies, permitting four hits and three earned runs on Friday and blowing the save thanks to a Max Kepler home run on Saturday, before successfully finishing off Sunday’s win. It is rare for any pitcher to perform on three consecutive days — especially one who is only in the bullpen because he couldn’t keep healthy in the rotation. Nevertheless, while the numbers and perhaps usage concern us, Miller is still someone to target. He leads all pitchers with a 44.4% strikeout rate and his extreme .419 BABIP should normalize. Let’s just hope he stays healthy.
Dennis Santana, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates: Pittsburgh’s top relief pitcher is earning only some of the save chances because RHP David Bednar is a two-time All Star with 89 career saves to his credit. Perhaps the Pirates wish to shop the expensive Bednar in a mid-season trade. Bednar features an unsightly 5.17 ERA with a 1.60 WHIP and, while he has two of the team’s most recent three saves, he is still showing few signs of being, well, valuable. Santana boasts seven consecutive scoreless outings, and he has struck out seven of the past 13 hitters he faced. Oh well! The best relievers don’t always get the saves, and it’s not like the Pirates present their pitchers with many of them anyway. Perhaps fantasy managers should look anywhere other than Pittsburgh.
