With the regular season in the rearview mirror, it's time for a look back. So far, we've examined the position players and starting pitchers who provided the most value relative to their draft slots. This week, we're moving on to relief pitchers. I'll be using RotoWire's preseason ADP numbers for 12-team NFBC leagues and earned auction values.
Aroldis Chapman, 
Boston Red Sox
ADP: 306.7, 31st among relief pitchers
EAV: 1st among relief pitchers
Chapman wasn't even the first Red Sox reliever being selected during most of draft season, as that honor went to Liam Hendriks. Those two, along with Justin Slaten and Garrett Whitlock, were in the mix to serve as Boston's closer, but manager Alex Cora said just before Opening Day that Chapman won the job, and the veteran lefty never looked back. We had every reason to believe Chapman would remain one of the best swing-and-miss relievers in baseball in 2025, as he had a 37 percent strikeout rate in 2024 and a 37.2 percent strikeout rate across the last five seasons. What was unexpected was Chapman going from the first percentile to the 74th percentile in walk rate. Chapman had not had a walk rate below 10 percent in a non-COVID season since 2017 when his walk rate was 9.5 percent, and in 2025 that rate was all the way down to 6.6 percent. He finished with a 1.17 ERA and 0.70 WHIP and had a stretch during the second half when he
With the regular season in the rearview mirror, it's time for a look back. So far, we've examined the position players and starting pitchers who provided the most value relative to their draft slots. This week, we're moving on to relief pitchers. I'll be using RotoWire's preseason ADP numbers for 12-team NFBC leagues and earned auction values.
Aroldis Chapman, Boston Red Sox
ADP: 306.7, 31st among relief pitchers
EAV: 1st among relief pitchers
Chapman wasn't even the first Red Sox reliever being selected during most of draft season, as that honor went to Liam Hendriks. Those two, along with Justin Slaten and Garrett Whitlock, were in the mix to serve as Boston's closer, but manager Alex Cora said just before Opening Day that Chapman won the job, and the veteran lefty never looked back. We had every reason to believe Chapman would remain one of the best swing-and-miss relievers in baseball in 2025, as he had a 37 percent strikeout rate in 2024 and a 37.2 percent strikeout rate across the last five seasons. What was unexpected was Chapman going from the first percentile to the 74th percentile in walk rate. Chapman had not had a walk rate below 10 percent in a non-COVID season since 2017 when his walk rate was 9.5 percent, and in 2025 that rate was all the way down to 6.6 percent. He finished with a 1.17 ERA and 0.70 WHIP and had a stretch during the second half when he went 17 straight appearances without yielding a hit. Chapman inked a one-year contract extension in late August and will be Boston's closer again in 2026 in his age-38 season.
Carlos Estevez, 
Kansas City Royals
ADP: 233, 23rd among relief pitchers
EAV: 6th among relief pitchers
Like Chapman, Estevez was not the first reliever on his team to be taken in fantasy drafts. Lucas Erceg was taken, on average, two rounds earlier than Estevez, even though Estevez was the one who inked a two-year, $22 million contract over the winter. Estevez wound up leading all of baseball with 42 saves, collecting a 2.45 ERA and 1.06 WHIP along the way. However, Estevez's strikeout rate dipped to a career-low 20.1 percent, and the average velocity on his four-seamer (95.9 mph) was also a career low. Moreover, after collecting a career-low 5.7 percent walk rate in 2024, Estevez saw that number go back up to 8.2 percent. A 4.43 SIERA and 3.69 xERA point to regression for Estevez in 2026, but he will head into 2026 as the team's undisputed closer. Perhaps working in Estevez's favor is that Erceg's strikeout rate (19.3 percent) was even lower than Estevez's.
David Bednar, 
Pittsburgh Pirates/
New York Yankees
ADP: 196.3, 17th among relief pitchers
EAV: 8th among relief pitchers
Bednar had a disastrous 2024 campaign, and the Pirates gave him just three poor appearances at the start of the 2025 season before not only removing him from the closer role, but also sending him to Triple-A Indianapolis. The veteran reliever got his act together in the minors and was a different guy upon his return to the big leagues, putting up a 1.70 ERA and 50:8 K:BB over his next 37 innings for Pittsburgh. Bednar was then traded to the Yankees at the deadline, and he was nearly as good in New York, collecting a 2.05 ERA and 44:10 K:BB across 30.2 frames between the regular and postseason. There naturally will be some trepidation about a guy who struggled so mightily not long ago, but Bednar just turned 31, he's throwing as hard as ever and he's already shown the bright lights in New York don't phase him. He should be among the first relievers off the board in fantasy drafts heading into his walk year in 2026.
Emilio Pagan, 
Cincinnati Reds
ADP: 471.2, really late among relief pitchers
EAV: 10th among relief pitchers
There was plenty of distrust in Alexis Diaz in fantasy circles even before he landed on the injured list during spring training with a hamstring strain. The worry with Diaz proved to be well-founded, but Pagan was not the obvious guy to step into the Reds' closer role in Diaz's absence. However, step in he did, and he delivered 32 saves in 38 opportunities, along with a 2.88 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 81:22 K:BB across 68.2 frames. An impending free agent, Pagan boasts a career 28.3 percent strikeout rate and 7.2 percent walk rate. When he gets into trouble, it's often because of the long ball, as he is an extreme fly ball pitcher. The 34-year-old looks like a better fit as a setup man, but it's possible he'll get another chance to close, particularly if he re-signs with the Reds or links up with a noncontender.
Adrian Morejon, 
San Diego Padres
ADP: 489.8, really late among relief pitchers
EAV: 11th among relief pitchers
And now we arrive at the first noncloser. Morejon did log three saves this season, but they came about only because other Padres relievers higher in the saves pecking order were unavailable. The left-hander is on this list in large part because he managed to vulture 13 wins despite being used as a full-time reliever, a total that tied American League Cy Young front runner Tarik Skubal and bested likely National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes by three. While piling up that many wins out of the bullpen was purely luck, it doesn't diminish how good Morejon was this season. He finished the year with a 2.08 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 70:17 K:BB over 73.2 innings. Morejon's strikeout rate ticked down from 26.1 percent to 24.5 percent year over year, but his walk rate also went down from 7.7 percent to 5.9 percent, and he remained an elite groundball getter, ranking in the 92nd percentile. The 26-year-old will be hard-pressed to repeat his fantasy value in 2026 if he has a similar role. However, there are paths for him to have a juicier fantasy role. Morejon has past starting experience, so it's possible he's considered for a spot in the rotation if the Padres lose Dylan Cease and/or Michael King. It's also possible he could close when Robert Suarez opts out and if Mason Miller is moved to the rotation and Jason Adam (quadriceps) needs more time to recover.
Runners-up: Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians; Dennis Santana, Pittsburgh Pirates; Will Vest, Detroit Tigers; Shawn Armstrong, Texas Rangers; Ronny Henriquez, Miami Marlins
