Once upon a time, the Milwaukee Brewers selected Lucas Erceg in the second round of the draft, expecting him to reach the major leagues as a left-handed, hard-hitting third baseman. Things didn’t quite go as planned. Still, eight years and several franchises after his draft, Erceg is the most frequently added Replacement launcher in ESPN’s standard fantasy leagues while saving games for the Kansas City Royals, who are qualifying for the postseason.

Erceg made his MLB debut last season for the Oakland Athletics, posting a 4.75 ERA and a chaotic 1.58 WHIP in 55 innings (walks were a problem). Erceg is a powerful right-hander who averages 98.5 mph on his fastball, but throws four different pitches (sinkers, sliders and changeups too) at least 20% of the time. Erceg was traded to the Royals at the trade deadline and quickly assumed a major role. He has now thrown 12⅓ scoreless innings for his new team, with 15 strikeouts, just one walk and, most importantly, five saves. Somehow, Erceg is still only on the roster in 15.6% of ESPN standard leagues.

Erceg, 29, has hardly followed a typical path to success, but he’s a reminder to fantasy managers that saves often come unconventionally and we should always take opportunities seriously. Erceg wouldn’t play for the Athletics as a healthy Mason Miller thrives. There’s no such competition with the Royals, though. Erceg has cut his walk rate in half and in 104 MLB innings he’s allowed just four home runs. That all seems to be in good shape, making Erceg a serious candidate for a top-10 RP finish in the 2025 draft.

Five more readily available relievers

Michael Kopech, Los Angeles Dodgers: His wild, inefficient days as a starting pitcher seem to be over, as Kopech has blossomed since being traded from the Chicago White Sox to the Dodgers at the trade deadline. Kopech has thrown 11⅓ innings for his new team (allowing just one earned run), striking out 15 batters with just two walks. He also has one win, one hold, and two saves in his last four appearances. He may not be the only closer for the league’s top team, with Daniel Hudson, Evan Phillips, and Alex Vesia all in action, but he’s close. Next year, like Erceg, he could easily save 30 or more games.

Ryan Walker, San Francisco Giants: Walker took over the closer’s role two weeks ago when incumbent Camilo Doval was surprisingly demoted to Triple-A. Although Doval is now back, there is little indication that Walker will relinquish the role. Walker hasn’t allowed a run in over a month and, contrary to his last name (and unlike Doval), walks are not a problem. Walker strikes out 33% of the hitters he faces. He could keep that job until 2025, and while closers are generally poor keepers, the best ones are valuable.

Justin Martinez, Arizona Diamondbacks: It’s been that kind of season for the NL West’s original closers, folks. Robert Suarez of the San Diego Padres is great, but the other teams have had to make changes. Martinez took over for the sagging Paul Sewald, and even though he allowed earned runs in back-to-back games this week, he still remains the closer. He has the signature pitch that managers like to see from ninth-inning options: a 100-mph heat. Martinez, a rookie who tends to lose control of the strike zone, also forces ground balls 62% of the time, one of the best rates among relievers. He’s also allowed just two home runs all season.

Ben Joyce, Los Angeles Angels: Speaking of a hard thrower, Joyce is currently the king of lighting up the radar gun, averaging 102 mph with his fastball. Like Martinez, Joyce doesn’t always know where the baseball is going, and walks can be a problem, but when the Tennessee product has his skill under control, watch out! The Angels don’t have many games to save right now, but Joyce still had several in August — and there are more to come. Because of this, Joyce was drafted in 2022. Fantasy managers will have quite a decision to make about him next spring, because the ceiling is incredibly high.

Edwin Uceta, Tampa Bay Rays: As a journeyman playing in the majors for his fourth franchise in as many seasons, Uceta has not had much success in the past. He has not had much success, even this season at Triple-A, with a dreadful 5.77 ERA over 34⅓ innings for Durham. The Rays promoted him anyway, and…voilà! His 0.86 ERA and 0.61 WHIP over 31⅓ innings are mighty remarkable. Uceta has been a top-10 fantasy reliever over the last 30 days. There’s some BABIP love here, but Uceta earned his first career save last week after Pete Fairbanks went on the IL, and more high-pressure outings seem likely. It’s the Rays, so you never know if there will be ninth-inning committees, but this is a great reliever.

Final RP Thoughts

• Some may wonder why Baltimore Orioles RHP Seranthony Dominguez didn’t make the list in the previous section, but the former Phillies pitcher isn’t exactly at his best. He does have the opportunity to make saves because Craig Kimbrel has become less reliable, but as we saw in the Mets series last week when Dominguez allowed two walk-off home runs, you have to be careful.

• Brewer RHP Trevor Megill can’t make many saves when Devin Williams is healthy, which reduces his remaining value. Still, Megill has proven himself this season and could be heading elsewhere in 2025.

• Padres LHP Tanner Scott is a free agent prospect expected to target a closer position this winter. He’s pitching top-notch innings right now and will have countless saves in 2025. Hide him now!

• Cleveland Guardians – Right-handed Cade Smith is only a rookie, but if the franchise decides to trade Emmanuel Clase for other reasons (or to save money), Smith is obviously a future closer.