Pete Fairbanks Fantasy Stats

The Toronto Blue Jays and Miami Marlins are among the teams interested in free-agent closer Pete Fairbanks, industry sources briefed on the market told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo. Ryan Helsley just signed with the Orioles, and Fairbanks could be the next closer to sign this offseason. Toronto already signed right-handed starter Dylan Cease to a seven-year deal, but now they are pursuing late-inning relievers after Jeff Hoffman blew a save in Game 7 of the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 31-year-old Fairbanks held Toronto hitters to a .130 average and .468 OPS in 27 career innings against them, and he's familiar with Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, who was with the Rays from 2009-21. Tampa declined Fairbanks' $11 million option for 2026. He finished with a 2.83 ERA and a career-high 27 saves in 60 innings in 2025 in his third season with the Rays.

Right-handed closer Pete Fairbanks is officially on the free-agent market after the Tampa Bay Rays declined his $11 million option for the 2026 season on Thursday, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN. Fairbanks will receive a $1 million buyout and will now be free to sign with any MLB team this winter. The 31-year-old veteran will have his fair share of suitors after a strong 2025 campaign in his sixth full season with the Rays. Fairbanks had a 2.83 ERA (3.63 FIP), 1.04 WHIP, a career-high 27 saves, 59 strikeouts, and 18 walks in 60 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. His fantasy value for the upcoming season will depend entirely on where he lands in free agency, but at the very least, Fairbanks should be attractive in fantasy as a high-leverage arm at the back end of a bullpen. He has become a high-end closer in recent seasons, saving 75 games in his 156 relief outings.

It doesn't appear that Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks will be on the move before the July 31 trade deadline. The Rays would "strongly prefer" to retain the right-hander, according to Patrick Mooney, Will Sammon, and Katie Woo of The Athletic. The Rays are 53-50 and just 1 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot, so they're not lining up as sellers. Even if they weren't in contention, they'd be under no immediate pressure to trade Fairbanks. The 31-year-old still has another season of team control remaining in the form of a $7 million club option that could max out at $11 million with incentives. Even $11 million would be a reasonable price for Fairbanks, who's on track for a third straight season of 20-plus saves. He has racked up 17 saves in 20 chances and posted a 2.84 ERA (2.99 xERA) with a 1.13 WHIP over 38 innings, though his 32:15 K:BB leaves plenty to be desired.

Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks (4-3) had a night to forget in a 5-4 defeat to the Boston Red Sox on Friday, recording his third blown save and taking his third loss of the year. Heading into the bottom of the ninth with a 4-3 lead, the Rays called on Fairbanks to close out a victory. Instead, he issued a one-out walk to Roman Anthony and then surrendered a two-run homer to Ceddanne Rafaela to drop an important game against a division rival. Fairbanks didn't allow a homer in any of his first 36 appearances this season, but his luck ran out in that department on Friday. He has now given up two earned runs in two of his past four appearances. While Fairbanks still holds a 2.75 ERA with 15 saves in 36 innings, that production has come with unspectacular strikeout and walk numbers (31:15 K:BB).

Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks (4-2) earned his fourth win of the season in a 7-5 decision against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. Fairbanks entered with one out and a runner on first in a 4-4 game in the bottom of the eighth. He retired both hitters he faced, striking out one, and stayed in for the ninth. Fairbanks didn't encounter much trouble in a scoreless frame, only allowing a single to Christian Vazquez. The Rays then scored three times in the top of the 10th, putting Fairbanks in position to nab the win. Rays reliever Eric Orze converted his third save in the bottom of the inning. After throwing a spotless 1 2/3 innings on Sunday, Fairbanks' ERA dropped to 2.34 with 30:14 K:BB, a 1.10 WHIP, and 15 saves in 34 2/3 frames.

Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks fell to 3-2 in Monday's 6-4 loss to the Athletics. Fairbanks came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning with the game tied 4-4. He allowed back-to-back singles, got the first out on a strikeout, allowed a two-RBI triple, got the second out at home on a fielder's choice, and got the third out on a pickoff. The 31-year-old has converted 15 of 17 save opportunities this season with a 2.53 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in 32 innings pitched. However, his 7.59 K/9 rate is the lowest of his career and is much lower than his 11.40 career mark. The Rays have played well this season, and Fairbanks has served as the team's primary closer, so he should offer a relatively high fantasy floor even if his strikeout numbers remain down.

Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks recorded two outs on just four pitches to collect save No. 15 in a 4-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. The Rays called on right-hander Paul Gervase to pitch the ninth inning, but he left with one out after allowing two singles. In came Fairbanks, who got Maikel Garcia to ground into a game-ending double play. Fairbanks has now converted 15 of 17 save opportunities while registering a 2.03 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP and 26:14 K:BB over 31 innings.

Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks preserved a 3-0 lead and tallied his 14th save in a win over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday. Fairbanks had to work around an error by second baseman Brandon Lowe in the bottom of the ninth, but he retired the other three hitters he faced to help the Rays keep rolling. The 31-year-old has not allowed an earned run in 11 of his past 12 appearances, which has dropped his ERA to 2.08 across 30 1/3 innings. Fairbanks hasn't exactly posted dominant strikeout and walk numbers (26:14 K:BB), but he's managing to get the job done consistently despite that.

ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan list Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks with a 60 percent chance of being traded this summer. Fairbanks raised his arm slot this year and now his more cutting action on his 97.1 mph fastball and more depth to his slurvy slider. It has led to a stingy 2.15 ERA (2.73 FIP), 13 saves, a 1.16 WHIP, 26 strikeouts and 14 walks in 29 1/3 relief innings in his sixth full season in Tampa. The 31-year-old veteran reliever has a team option for 2026 that should wind up in the $10 million range. McDaniel and Passan list the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers as the best potential fits for Fairbanks if he is traded this year. If Fairbanks were dealt by the July 31 deadline, Edwin Uceta would most likely become the Rays' primary closer the rest of the season.

Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks closed the door on the Yankees in a 3-2 victory on Saturday, dispatching New York on three consecutive grounders in the ninth inning to pick up his seventh save of the season. The righty has been good this season, logging a save in four straight appearances now with zero blown saves to this point, posting a 2.19 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. However, the strikeout rate is the lowest of his career, and the walk rate the highest, leading to a paltry 8.0 percent K-BB%, not something you see from your prototypical closer. Still, collecting saves while not crushing your fantasy team's ERA is what managers are looking for, so as the team's unquestioned closer, he remains one of the preferred options for saves in fantasy.