By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer
Saves is the one category not readily available on your waiver wire. I’ve never been a big fan of spending early draft picks on closers, but looking at the ninth-inning situations around the league, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to lock up a stud with so many volatile back ends to bullpens. That said, many fantasy owners are scrounging for saves right now, and a handful can make quite an impact on your standings at this stage of the season. Fully aware that league formats will influence the names on this list, if stashing a potential closer down the line is something you’d be interested in, look no further than:
Zack Greinke – The overall numbers still don’t look pretty, but Greinke has really turned it around of late, posting a 21:4 K:BB ratio during June. He’s already been dubbed the alternative to close if/when Octavio Dotel gets hurt or traded, a scenario that seems more than likely to happen one way or the other. He has the stuff to be a very successful major league pitcher.
Santiago Casilla – With Justin Duchscherer out for the season, Huston Street’s health still up in the air and Alan Embree’s recent implosion, Casilla could fall into a dozen or so saves over the second half of the season. The fact he’s given up just one run over 17.2 innings this year doesn’t hurt matters either.
Carlos Marmol – Regardless of Ryan Dempster’s health, Marmol already has the best stuff in Chicago’s pen. 34 strikeouts in 24 innings tell you as much.
Rafael Betancourt – Probably not available in too many leagues, Betancourt’s season has been so good that he got All-Star consideration. Joe Borowski, the Indians’ current closer, has a 5.68 ERA and 1.55 WHIP.
Vinnie Chulk – Brad Hennessey hasn’t been bad, but his stuff is atypical of a closer, and he’s just one year removed from a 42:42 K:BB ratio season. Chulk, meanwhile, had a 0.73 ERA and 0.89 WHIP last month. Jonathan Sanchez (1.74 ERA, 0.77 WHIP in June) is another option in S.F.
Paul Shuey – I don’t really see a need for change, but Shuey seems to be the alternative to Chris Ray.
Jon Rauch – There’s a decent chance Chad Cordero gets dealt, making Rauch the top choice to finish games in Washington.
Eddie Guardado – Everyday Eddie is quite an ironic nickname at this stage of his career, but if he ever gets back to health, the Reds could move David Weathers to a contending team looking for a setup guy.
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