For the most volatile position in fantasy baseball,  lack of change is what makes the most headlines in the wake of Thursday’s MLB trade deadline. As the 4 p.m. deadline came and went, Brian Fuentes and, to a lesser extent, Huston Street owners breathed a big sigh of relief as both closers stayed put and retained their jobs.

As usual, there has been a shakeup in the bottom of our list, as a result of trades, demotions and injuries. Kyle Farnsworth may provide a big-time boost in saves, if he can unseat the struggling Fernando Rodney as the Tigers’ closer. The deal that sent Ivan Rodriguez to the Yankees in exchange for Farnsworth may have created a rarity in fantasy - a new closer on a playoff contender. Farnsworth could be a difference maker the rest of the way.

Most other situations involve struggling teams that provide minimal save opportunities. Cases in point are the Nationals, Pirates, Indians and Braves. None of their teams’ proclaimed closers are making significant contributions, which gives each player very little value. Washington’s Joel Hanrahan can pitch, but he inherits the closer role from Jon Rauch as the Nationals prep for the 2009 season.

Damaso Marte had brought handsome rewards while filling in for injured Matt Capps in Pittsburgh, but when he was sent to the Yankees on July 26, a revolvind door was opened. Tyler Yates is far from desirable, but may end up carving out a majority of save opportunities.

Those in keeper leagues got a breath of fresh air at the trade deadline when young fireballer Craig Hansen arrived from Boston to conceivably compete for the job. Word out of Pittsburgh is that the job may only be open for a few more weeks, with Capps progressing ahead of schedule as he works to return to the lineup.

The full rankings with accompanying notes. Previous rankings are in brackets:

1. Francisco Rodriguez, LAA: Thigpen’s saves record (62) as good as broken [1]
2. Jonathan Papelbon, BOS: Poor Sox bullpen robbing him of save opportunities [2]
3. Mariano Rivera, NYY: Near-perfect season, on pace for career-low with 1.33 ERA [3]
4. Brad Lidge, PHI: Is 4-for-4 save opps since getting torched for 5 runs on July 25 [4]
5. Joe Nathan, MIN: Mr. Consistent has 29 saves, microscopic 1.21 ERA [6]
6. Joakim Soria, KC: Only Mariano has lower WHIP among closers than his 0.69 [7]
7. Jonathon Broxton, LAD: All reports say he’ll finish ‘08 as team’s closer [NR]
8. Brandon Lyon, ARI: Has righted the ship with 3 straight scoreless outings [9]
9. Billy Wagner, NYM: Shoulder cause for concern; may need additional nights off [8]
10. Kevin Gregg, FLA: Does it ugly sometimes, still has 2.47 ERA, 23 saves [15]

11. Troy Percival, TB: Has 14 straight saves, but spanning 2 DL stints [NR]
12. Bobby Jenks, CHW: Healthy (back), closing games for AL Central leader [16]
13. Francisco Cordero, CIN: More erratic than usual, has 29 BBs in 48.1 innings [11]
14. Salomon Torres, MIL: Has pitched well enough to finish year as closer [21]
15. Brian Fuentes, COL: Rockies’ hot streak kept him in town, closing games [23]
16. George Sherrill, BAL: Dodged a bullet at trade deadline, will push 40 saves [13]
17. Jose Valverde, HOU: 4.66 ERA 2nd worst among full-time closers [12]
18. Brian Wilson, SF: Has surprising 28 saves; not much to like about ratios [18]
19. Jason Isringhausen, STL: Franklin kept seat warm, officially back as closer [NR]
20. Huston Street, OAK: Not healthy; ERA has ballooned to career-worst 4.05 [17]

21. B.J. Ryan, TOR: Jays monitor workload closely, has pitched just 35 innings [19]
22. Trevor Hoffman, SD: By most standards, is at his most hittable in ‘08 [20]
23. Kyle Farnsworth, DET: One more stumble and Rodney turns job over [NR]
24. Brandon Morrow, SEA: M’s trying to give job back to Putz, watch closely [24]
25. C.J. Wilson, TEX: Worst ratios among closers; no competition for his job [25]
26. Mike Gonzalez, ATL: Time may be running out with Soriano back from DL [26]
27. Masa Kobayashi, CLE: Seems to blow few save chances he does get [29]
28. Joel Hanrahan, WAS: On the job for a week, still no save chances [NR]
29. Carlos Marmol, CHC: Leader of committee while Wood is on DL with blister [NR]
30. Tyler Yates, PIT: Things get interesting with arrival of Hansen from Boston [NR]

Dustin Hockensmith is editor of ImaginaryDiamond.com. He can be contacted at dhockensmith[at]fantasysports101.net.