The 2026 MLB Reliever of the Year market is already shaping up as a role-and-price futures board. The American League looks flatter at the top, while the National League is more top-heavy with Edwin Díaz sitting clearly ahead of the field.
That is what makes this market worth betting. Saves still drive the conversation, but role clarity matters just as much, and a few of the preseason prices already come with questions tied to usage, injury, or bullpen hierarchy.
Below, we break down both leagues, look at the key names on each odds board, and make one best-bet prediction for the AL and one for the NL.
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Who Won The American League Reliever Award?
Aroldis Chapman won the 2025 American League Reliever of the Year award for the Red Sox after posting a 1.17 ERA, 32 saves, and a 0.70 WHIP. He also held opponents to a .132 average and carried one of the strongest late-inning profiles in the league all season.
Who Won The National League Reliever Award?
Edwin Díaz won the 2025 National League Reliever of the Year award with the Mets after recording a 1.63 ERA in 66 1/3 innings with 28 saves and 98 strikeouts. He paired elite swing-and-miss stuff with closer usage again, which gave him one of the cleanest award cases in the league.
MLB Reliever Of The Year Odds
The current market splits pretty cleanly by league. The AL gives bettors a tighter cluster near the top, while the NL starts with a clear favorite and then shifts into a more volatile second tier.
| League | Favorite | Prediction |
|---|---|---|
| AL Reliever of the Year | Aroldis Chapman (+400) | Andrés Muñoz (+600) |
| NL Reliever of the Year | Edwin Díaz (+250) | Jhoan Duran (+600) |
The broad takeaway is simple. The NL favorite is stronger, but the better betting value appears to sit in the AL and in the second tier of the NL. Chapman and Díaz both make sense at the top, but neither price leaves much room for normal reliever volatility. For expert advice and data-driven betting insights, check out the best handicappers in the industry.
AL Reliever Of The Year Odds
- Aroldis Chapman (Boston Red Sox) +400
- Carlos Estévez (Kansas City Royals) +500
- Andrés Muñoz (Seattle Mariners) +600
- Jeff Hoffman (Toronto Blue Jays) +1000
- Josh Hader (Houston Astros) +1000
- Ryan Helsley (Baltimore Orioles) +1500
- David Bednar (New York Yankees) +2000
- Kenley Jansen (Detroit Tigers) +5000
- Will Vest (Detroit Tigers) +5000
Aroldis Chapman (+400)
Chapman is the deserved favorite, but the number is tight.
He is the defending AL winner, Boston’s clear closer, and he is coming off a season with 32 saves, a 1.17 ERA, 85 strikeouts, and a 0.70 WHIP. When a reliever posts that kind of line and keeps the ninth inning, the award path is obvious.
The hesitation is price. Chapman is now in his age-38 season, and back-to-back reliever futures are always fragile because the profile can shift fast.
Andrés Muñoz (+600)
Muñoz looks like the best blend of ceiling and price in the AL.
He enters 2026 as Seattle’s closer after a 2025 season that included 38 saves, a 1.73 ERA, 83 strikeouts, a 1.03 WHIP, and a .167 opponent average. That already reads like an award-level stat line, and he still sits behind Chapman on the board.
There is some volatility here because walks can still create trouble, but the role is clean and the price leaves more room than the favorite’s does.
Carlos Estévez (+500)
Estévez is the saves-volume case in this league.
He led MLB with 42 saves last season and remains Kansas City’s closer, so the path is easy to understand. If this award comes down to who stacks the cleanest save total with solid ratios, he is right in the middle of the conversation.
The issue is that his strikeout profile does not look as dominant as Chapman’s or Muñoz’s. That makes him a viable contender, but not the most appealing number on the board.
Josh Hader (+1000)
Hader still has the name value and track record to draw money, but this is a tougher sell right now.
He posted a 2.05 ERA, 28 saves, 76 strikeouts, and a 0.85 WHIP in 2025, but he opened the year on the IL and does not currently have the secure role path that other top names do. Houston’s ninth inning is not as clean for him at the moment.
That makes the +1000 price less attractive than it looks. The talent is there, but the award path is not nearly as stable.
Who Will Win AL Reliever of the Year?
The strongest AL cases belong to Chapman, Muñoz, and Estévez. Chapman has the best recent award résumé, and Estévez has the biggest raw saves case, but Muñoz sits in the middle with the cleanest combination of role security, elite production, and a more forgiving number.
That is what matters in this market. Muñoz already posted 38 saves with a 1.73 ERA and still comes at a better price than the favorite. For a reliever futures bet, that is the best price-versus-path combination on the board.
Bet: Andrés Muñoz (+600)
NL Reliever Of The Year Odds
- Edwin Díaz (Los Angeles Dodgers) +250
- Robert Suarez (Atlanta Braves) +500
- Jhoan Duran (Philadelphia Phillies) +600
- Pete Fairbanks (Miami Marlins) +800
- Mason Miller (San Diego Padres) +1200
- Raisel Iglesias (Atlanta Braves) +1500
- Emilio Pagán (Cincinnati Reds) +2000
- Tanner Scott (Los Angeles Dodgers) +3000
- Daniel Palencia (Chicago Cubs) +5000
- Ryan Walker (San Francisco Giants) +5000
Edwin Díaz (+250)
Díaz is the clearest favorite on either board.
He is the reigning NL winner and now enters 2026 as the Dodgers’ closer after a 2025 season with a 1.63 ERA, 28 saves, 98 strikeouts, a 0.87 WHIP, and a 13.3 K/9. That is the cleanest pure talent-and-role profile in the market.
The problem is price. +250 is short for any reliever, even one with this résumé, and that matters in a volatile award tied so closely to save totals and ratio maintenance.
Jhoan Duran (+600)
Duran looks like the best value play in the NL.
He has the secure closer role with Philadelphia and is coming off a 2025 season with 32 saves, a 2.06 ERA, 80 strikeouts, and a 1.10 WHIP. That is already a strong baseline, and his path is easier to trust than some of the names priced near him.
He does not bring quite the same overpowering recent profile as Díaz, but the number is much more usable.
Robert Suarez (+500)
Suarez is one of the biggest decision points in the entire market.
On price alone, he looks like a major NL threat after posting 40 saves, a 2.97 ERA, 75 strikeouts, and a 0.90 WHIP in 2025. That kind of save volume will always attract bettors in this award market.
The issue is current role clarity. He is priced like a top contender, but ESPN’s depth chart lists Raisel Iglesias as Atlanta’s closer and Suarez as primary setup. That is too much role uncertainty for this number.
Mason Miller (+1200)
Miller is the upside longshot in the NL.
He is now listed as San Diego’s closer, and the raw strikeout profile jumps off the page after a 2025 season with 104 strikeouts, a 2.63 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP, and 22 saves. If the save total climbs, he has the kind of stuff that can force his way into the award race.
That said, this bet still needs a leap in opportunity. He has to turn elite stuff into a much bigger saves total to really challenge the top of the board.
Who Will Win NL Reliever of the Year?
The NL market starts with Díaz, but the value discussion does not have to end there. Díaz is the safest name, Suarez comes with role questions, and Miller is more of an upside stab than a clean futures build.
That leaves Duran as the most practical wager. He has a real ninth-inning role, a 32-save season already on the résumé, and a much better price than the favorite. In this market, that is the right combination to back.
Bet: Jhoan Duran (+600)
MLB Reliever Of The Year Winners
The following is a list of the most recent MLB Reliever of the Year award winners:
| Year | AL Reliever Of The Year | NL Reliever Of The Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Aroldis Chapman (BOS) | Edwin Díaz (NYM) |
| 2024 | Emmanuel Clase (CLE) | Ryan Helsley (STL) |
| 2023 | Felix Bautista (BAL) | Devin Williams (MIL) |
| 2022 | Emmanuel Clase (CLE) | Edwin Diaz (NYM) |
| 2021 | Liam Hendriks (CHW) | Josh Hader (MIL) |
| 2020 | Liam Hendriks (CHW) | Devin Williams (MIL) |
| 2019 | Aroldis Chapman (NYY) | Josh Hader (MIL) |
| 2018 | Edwin Diaz (SEA) | Josh Hader (MIL) |
| 2017 | Craig Kimbrel (BOS) | Kenley Jansen (LAD) |
| 2016 | Zach Britton (BAL) | Kenley Jansen (LAD) |
| 2015 | Andrew Miller (NYY) | Mark Melancon (PIT) |
Be sure to follow updated MLB team performances and Pennant odds as we track these relievers all season long. And if you’re diving into future awards betting, keep an eye on our other MLB futures blogs here.








