Name recognition and marginal statistics are often times all that separates elite closers from the ‘middle class.’ There’s a steep price to be paid for both items, most of the time for fantasy owners who want to lock down their bullpens, then shift their focuses elsewhere for the rest of the season.

That’s one form of bullpen shopping. But the other, more popular, way to obtain help involves a season-long dedication to bargain hunting and scavenging for saves. Like a housemom fixated on clipping coupons, a hustling fantasy owner is rewarded for his hard work with freebies and cost-effective substitutes. Read more »

We’re all about closers this week. We’ll rank ‘em 1-30 and let fantasy owners know who may or may not be on the chopping block.

As closers get injured or lose their managers’ confidence, doors open for setup men to win jobs and for fantasy owners to score on the waiver wire. Closer is the only position where playing time translates directly into fantasy value, so all it takes is one chance for a no-name player to be worth a roster spot.

Take Oakland A’s new closer Andrew Bailey, for example. No baseball fan or fantasy owner outside of the Bay Area could have told you who this guy was until this season. But, lo and behold, he starts pitching lights-out as a setup man, and suddenly finds himself as the team’s go-to reliever in the ninth inning. Read more »

St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin was impeccable in his first 13 appearances of the season, going 9-for-9 in save opportunities with a spotless 0.00 ERA. That perfect run ended on Sunday when he gave up a couple of solo home runs in the ninth inning against the Reds, blew a save, then rebounded to pick up his first win of the season.

Needless to say, Franklin — one of the most valuable waiver wire pickups in all of fantasy thus far — still has plenty of leash left with manager Tony LaRussa. Just enough to choke himself with, which is exactly what he did after a dominant run as a closer last season. Read more »

Another look at the state of bullpens across Major League Baseball. About a third of teams in the league are dealing with some sort of upheaval in the late innings, which, of course, opens plenty of doors in fantasy.

The St. Louis Cardinals were quickly scrambling for a ninth-inning solution when rookie Jason Motte blew his first save opportunity. They appear to have found their man, at least for now, with veteran Ryan Franklin. The Toronto Blue Jays enter a two-week stretch with B.J. Ryan on the 15-day disabled list, and Colorado’s Huston Street has been relegated to middle relief in favor of Manny Corpas.

All of those details and more in our Week 3 closer rankings. Previous ranking is in brackets at the end of each player note. Read more »

St. Louis Cardinals closer Jason Motte isn’t doing anything to clear up his team’s bullpen situation. He entered the Cards’ 5-3 win over the Houston Astros Friday night, got one out, allowed two singles, and was lifted in favor of Kyle McClellan. While Motte didn’t blow a save, he did manage to blow another opportunity to take control of the closer job.

After the game, in typical Tony LaRussa fashion, mixed signals were sent to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about both McClellan and Motte. Read more »

By this point of the season, most fans, GMs, and members of these organizations are willing to “forgive and forget” with their closers. All they have to do is finish games and help the team inch towards the postseason.

If you’re a fantasy owner, then you’ve already had to live and die with whoever your relievers are, as most fantasy league trade deadlines have come and gone. It is still always a good idea to check the news and fish around the waiver wire, as bullpen situations are changing and new closers are emerging.

Ryan Franklin is a newcomer to the list, re-claiming ninth-inning duties after the Cardinals had seen enough of rookie Chris Perez. Other closers have ascended the ranks after their veteran counterparts either struggled or lacked opportunities to close in the past week. Chad Qualls is a great example, as he has seen his fantasy stock jump since being named the D-Backs new closer. He has not disappointed his owners, either. Read more »

Struggling closers Eric Gagne and Jason Isringhausen lost their jobs over the weekend, bringing an end to charades that both were going to break out of their funks anytime soon.

Blown saves against one another prompted the action. Isringhausen lost his job on Saturday to a pair of veterans, 35-year old Ryan Franklin and 39-year old Russ Springer. Gagne was removed on Sunday, which created a wide open committee that was seen immediately in the Brewers’ 5-3 win over the Cardinals. Read more »

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa announced on Saturday that Jason Isringhausen will be removed from the closer role after blowing his fifth save of the season on Friday night. Ryan Franklin and Russ Springer are expected to share ninth inning duties, though Isringhausen could return to the role later this season.

Isringhausen had a 1-4 record, 11 saves and a 7.47 ERA in 18 appearances. LaRussa will likely play matchups in determining to use either Franklin or Springer in save situations. Read more »