With the injury bug biting so many ninth inning men early on in the season, I feel it would be prudent to take stock of where saves can be gathered now and later on in the season. Though I don’t fully subscribe to the theory that closers grow on trees and drafting them is a futile effort, as I confidently picked Jonathan Papelbon for one of my teams at what I deemed an appropriate draft spot, and I am not regretting his contributions, I do understand that there are plenty of closing situations each year that manage to find themselves up in the air. For the most part, these freed up opportunities for middle relievers around the league are more the result of injuries to the primary men, than failures by the incumbents to maintain their spot on the throne. Either way, the door has been opened for others to step in and bring stability to the role, giving you the chance to find bargain sources of saves for your fantasy teams in the process. Some of these guys may contribute to the category for a couple weeks, while others may find a more permanent home in your relief pitcher slots. Be on the lookout for key players in the middle of these pivotal closer battles. Oh, and don’t worry about the status of J.J Putz, Seattle doesn’t have anyone better to overtake him anyway.

Atlanta Braves: I took a shot with Rafael Soriano for one of my teams, but that’s not working out too well. I can’t kick myself, as injuries will happen and there’s still a lot left in the tank for Soriano as a future closer, but it’s looking less and less likely that he’ll return to the role in 2008. Peter Moylan had a brief stint that didn’t net much, before landing next to Soriano on the DL and passing the torch to Manny Acosta, who is the current closer and may provide a small bushel of saves for a while. Stick with Acosta for the immediate future, as he’ll be receiving the bulk of the save opportunities, but be ready to hear this name come up as the next in line: John Smoltz. Smoltz has already voiced his intentions to abandon the starting role in favor of the bullpen, and he’s proven a solid closer in the past. The role will be his when he’s ready for it, so be prepared to put everyone else in the Braves’ bullpen on the back burner when the time comes. Just don’t completely write off Soriano, especially for 2009, as a potential source of saves.

Colorado Rockies: This situation was not about injury, but ineffectiveness on the part of Manny Corpas. Brian Fuentes, who lost the role a year ago after a DL stint allowed Corpas to shine in the interim, has reclaimed the role that made him an all-star the past three seasons. I’ve already picked him up on the very fantasy roster that needed a replacement for Soriano. I look forward to reaping the benefits of the promotion for Fuentes, and you should too if you can or already did grab him. Keep Corpas on your radar, though, because he may find himself in the position to notch saves again. All it takes is a dismal record for the Rockies entering July, and we could see Fuentes dealt near the deadline to a contender for youngsters. He is, after all, a southpaw who is tough on lefty hitters, and they tend to be in demand. Otherwise, Mike Myers would’ve started playing golf a long time ago.

Toronto Blue Jays: Despite Scott Downs notching saves this week, he is not the closer, B.J. Ryan is. Downs did not start the ninth inning in either game he finished against the White Sox, but Ryan pitched a full ninth for the save in the middle game of the series. Recovering from Tommy John surgery is a process, and you need to be patient as Ryan returns to form. It may take some time for him to pitch back-to-back games again, and there will be plenty of save opportunities that will be lost to Toronto relievers sitting on the waiver wire, but Ryan owners will be rewarded for playing the waiting game, as relievers don’t get paid that kind of money for their role to be diminished more than medically necessary.