If you’re an avid fantasy baseball player, you know there’s a difference between playing standard and keeper formats. Whereas standard formats require teams to draft annually, keeper leagues don’t have a traditional draft; instead, they add players every offseason while keeping a set number of elements per season. Those players are called “keepers.”
This time, we’ll focus on players who are valuable to retain in long-term keeper formats. We won’t be looking at the obvious options like Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, or Elly De La Cruz. This time, we’ll take a look at players who, even though they might not gain a lot of buzz from a fantasy perspective, should be trusted in keeper formats.
Top Keeper League Targets for 2026 Fantasy Baseball
Cade Horton – Chicago Cubs
Horton didn’t pitch for the Cubs during their postseason run because he suffered an injury in his final start of the regular season. His rookie numbers were impressive, as he went 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP across 118 innings and 23 appearances (22 starts). However, those numbers don’t tell the whole story, as Horton went 8-1 with a 1.03 ERA in 61.1 innings after the All-Star break.
Expecting that kind of dominance over the course of a full season isn’t realistic, but now that the jitters are out and he’s completely healthy, Horton could deliver another season in which he’d hover around a 2.75 ERA. That over 30 starts is excellent production, and considering his ADP remains fairly low, Horton could be a sneaky addition in most keeper formats. His long-term upside is off the charts.
Colson Montgomery – Chicago White Sox
Montgomery is an interesting case heading into the 2026 fantasy baseball season. He’s poised to enter the 2026 season as the White Sox’ everyday shortstop after slugging 21 home runs in just 71 games as a rookie in 2025. However, he also struck out in nearly 30% of his appearances while hitting below the .240 threshold, so there’s definitely room for improvement.
Still, Montgomery has above-average raw power for a middle infielder, and the fact that he plays for the White Sox means he’ll likely have a prominent role in the middle of the order. That should boost his fantasy appeal. Given that Montgomery is only 24 years old and has already shown flashes of his potential, he’s a player worth targeting in keeper formats as a long-term option for the middle of the infield.
Bryce Eldridge – San Francisco Giants
Speaking of players who could be long-term solutions at one particular position, we have to analyze Eldridge and his potential future role in San Francisco. Hyped as one of the top prospects in the game, Eldridge made his big-league debut in mid-September last year after posting a .843 OPS with 25 homers in 102 games in the minors in the 2025 season. He’s expected to have eligibility at both first base and designated hitter as the season progresses, and the towering 6-foot-7 slugger is a player worth keeping close tabs on.
His prospect pedigree (16th overall pick in 2023), elite power, and raw potential will grant him a spot in the Giants’ lineup as long as he shows he’s not utterly overmatched against big-league pitching. Scoop him up while you can, because if he adjusts quickly to the majors, he’ll be off most boards by late May or early June, if not sooner. Get him as a sleeper prospect for keeper formats while he’s still a relatively unknown commodity.
Jac Caglianone – Kansas City Royals
Caglianone made his MLB debut on June 3, 2025, going 0-for-5 against the Cardinals, and his performances in his first taste of big-league action weren’t encouraging. Caglianone only managed a .157/.237/.295 slash line with 7 homers across 232 plate appearances, numbers that don’t exactly scream “top prospect thriving at the MLB level.” They’re the opposite.
While Caglianone performed slightly better after recovering from a hamstring injury in September, he still hit below the Mendoza Line with an .183 batting average and a .643 OPS. Caglianone might need seasoning at Triple-A to refine his approach, but the Royals are likely to give him every chance to succeed at the MLB level. The power is there, and if he can make consistent contact, things should click for him.
Caglianone isn’t ready to be a starter right away in any fantasy format, but if you’re thinking about drafting him anywhere, a keeper format would be the way to go. You could stash him as a prospect, hoping things click for him. The power potential is simply too big to ignore.
Ryan Waldschmidt – Arizona Diamondbacks
Out of the five players mentioned in this list, Waldschmidt is the only one who’s yet to make his MLB debut. He isn’t even on the 40-man roster in the Diamondbacks organization, but he’s also a player who could be an elite fantasy contributor if he reaches his potential. Waldschmidt spent the 2025 season between High-A and Double-A but looked at his best in the upper level, hitting .309 with a .921 OPS, 9 homers, 35 RBI, and 19 stolen bases across 66 games and 300 plate appearances.
If you’re planning on a long-term strategy, Waldschmidt is worth the risk, especially since he’s bound to reach the majors sooner rather than later. He has the potential to be a player capable of producing in each of the five major categories.
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