SAGNOF Bullpen Report Week 2: Paul Sew-All-Da-Way To The Bank

What’s poppin’, Razzpimples?

Week 2 is in the books. SAGNOF Bullpen Report time!

Don’t forget to keep that there Razzball Bullpen Chart bookmarked. It’s been updated with the latest, and I’m usually quick to get it touched up once any type of news drops. And if you’re not a subscriber, I do highly, highly, highly recommend it. If’n you’re of the mind to consider it, you can find all the info here. I’m partial to the Relievonator Game Log Tool. It shows the last two weeks of relief appearance game logs. Every single one. And the inning they were called in. It’s gold.

---

Player Rater Top 20 (5×5 Standard)

Player Rater Top 20 (6×6 w/ Holds)

---

2026 SVHD Leaders

---

Weekly SVHD Leaders

---

Weekly BS+L Losers

Weekly Notes:

Note: All stats and Player Rater values are accurate through Sunday’s games.

Paul Sewald kicks us off this week. Covering bullpens is a funny ol’ game sometimes. I remember a headline not long ago about “Paul Sewage” having lost his way. Fast forward to 2026, and he’s back with the Diamondbacks, looking like the peak Mariners version that got everyone all hot and bothered. Gotta say it: Sewald is a priority add everywhere now. All formats. He’s breezing through his innings and racking up K. Bro really has an even 50 K-BB%. I know it’s crazy early in the season, but did you ever think you’d see that from Paul Sewald at any point for the rest of his career? Led the way this week with 3 SV and 7 K in just 3.2 IP.

Mason Miller 3 SV, 9 K. Does he even need a blurb at this point? Consensus #1 doing consensus #1 things. If you paid up, congratulations.

Devin Williams 2 SV, 3 K, healthy CSW%. His owners have to be happy about his start to this season, given how last year went when he was on the other New York team.

Jordan Romano 2 SV, 4 K, tasty ratios. Another great week for Resurgent Romano. Reckon he’s scooped everywhere saves are a commodity, but if he happens to be there then you best hop to it. I don’t have faith he’s going to be this level of lights out all year long, but I’ve been wrong before, if you can believe it.

Kevin Kelly 2 SV, 2 K. He goes through spurts of dominance but is also a big question mark as a bona fide 9th-inning option. Wager he and Bryan Baker see saves moving forward. Add one or both, clasp both hands real right, and pray. Don’t know what to make of Griffin Jax anymore. Really don’t. What I do know is that, for a guy whose bread and butter is the strikeout, something ain’t right if he’s only got one so far.

Riley O’Brien 2 SV, 3 K. Starting to feel like the Cardinals have found their closer. Matt Svanson certainly ain’t it. So much for that guy. Don’t like Ryne Stanek either. JoJo Romero remains a pretty good SVHD type, albeit with boring stuff. Yeah, he’s tied with Sabrowski for the league lead with 4 HLD, but I don’t trust the stuff is good enough to keep those ratios down for too much longer. O’Brien doesn’t super excite me in SVHD either, for what it’s worth. That’s cuz there isn’t any strikeout upside, and he’s still relatively unproven. But for SV-only formats, you gotta scoop while the gettin’s good.

Cade Smith 2 SV, 5 K. Commenter on Reddit asked me if he’s worth dropping. Said hell nah. Maybe you’ve got an owner in your league who’s scared of the unsightly ratios right now. Doesn’t hurt to see if you can buy low, eh?

Jhoan Duran 1 W, 2 SV, 4 K. The metrics are pristine in the early goings, and that’s even with a .400 BABIP. Small sample, sure, but not a lick to complain about yet.

David Bednar 2 SV, 3 K. The metrics and ratios are both very bad, but he co-leads the MLB with 4 SV! If you scroll up and go look at the season leaders, it’s wild to see how blue his stuff is and how red Miller’s is.

Let’s pivot to holds. Couple of Diamondbacks took the lead this week with 3 HLD: Juan Morillo and Taylor Clarke. It’s fun to see marginal dudes pop off like this, but I must say I don’t think they stay relevant for very long. Clarke was kind of a thing once upon a time for the Royals, but that train left the station eons ago. Morillo has made noise before, just hasn’t been able to stay successful in high leverage for an extended stretch. Maybe I’m being a curmudgeon and 2026 is their year!

Abner Uribe 3 HLD, 2 K. Off to a good start to build on his breakout 2025 year. Hasn’t flashed good swing-and-miss stuff yet, though. Owners will want the SwStr% to creep back up to last year’s mark that helped him get to 90 K.

Brad Keller 2 HLD, 1 K. I hope there aren’t any folks still out there thinking Jose Alvarado is the main setup man in Philly. Keller’s the guy you want. Really him and Duran are all I want anywhere.

Brooks Raley 2 HLD, 3 K. Said in preseason that Minter’s injury will open the door for Raley, who somehow finds ways to gobble holds when he’s on the mound. Those two holds this week now lead the team.

Jeremiah Estrada 1 W, 2 HLD, 5 K. It’s seriously unfair that the Padres have this guy setting up Miller now. Those two will probably combine for about 225 K. Estrada is one of the best SVHD assets there is.

Dennis Santana 1 W, 2 HLD. Welp, yeah…looks like Gregory Soto is the primary saves dude for Pittsburgh. Didn’t see that one coming. I only spent like all of preseason saying how good of a value Santana was going to be. Soto’s K stuff is poppin’ right now, I just don’t think it will last. A career 1.42 WHIP doesn’t make me feel cozy and comfy. You gotta add him for saves right now, though I’d recommend a Plan B in your back pocket. Not giving up on that Santana value in the long run.

Graham Ashcraft 2 HLD, 8 K. You’d love 8 K from any given SP in a week, let alone a reliever. Didn’t expect the best Reds RP so far to be Ashcraft. Rockin’ a 44 K% and 22.4 SwStr%. Not too shabby! Let’s see if he can keep it up.

Erik Sabrowski 2 HLD, 3 K. Dream start to his 2026 season despite an already ugly BB%. The way he’s throwing, it doesn’t matter if Hunter Gaddis comes back soon or not. Like I’ve said before, the strikeout upside is extremely high, but so is the WHIP upside given the control issues. Should be rostered everywhere holds count regardless.

Chase Silseth and Drew Pomeranz each have 3 HLD already on the young season. I don’t even a little bit expect that pace to continue. The fun part of this gig is I get to shout out these types, though. I never ever thought I’d type out Chase Silseth’s name with something good to say. He’s impressed thus far with strong metrics across the board. Maybe there’s something here? If you’re after an Angels setup man, I’d take this upside over the oft-injured Pomeranz.

Now onward to the duds of the week. Brendon Little was my dark horse for Jays SVHD value, but that’s looking like a total wash. He’s been terrible.

Jeff Hoffman had 1 BS and 1 L to show for what was otherwise a beastly week (5 K, 45.5 K-BB%, 26.7 SwStr%, 35.6 CSW%).

Cole Henry looking like a whole lotta nothin’ for the Nats. Cionel Perez is worth way more right now, and I’m still highest on Clayton Beeter rest of season.

Bryan Abreu doesn’t show up anywhere up above, but I’m officially extremely concerned. He has the strikeout going, aaaand that’s it. Nothing else. Guy is wrecking ratios (23.63 ERA, 3.38 WHIP). The 37.5 K% is indeed admirable…only thing is that BB% is almost equal to it. I’ve already said I’m dropping Jax everywhere, so why can’t I quit Abreu? I think I need to quit Abreu.

 

That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading. Leave me a comment below so I feel all warm and fuzzy.

---