Relief Efforts

The Cubs wish they had more to show for this year beside a broken starting staff, an ineffective relief corps and a .500 record. In terms of the closers, the Northsiders have gone from Borowski to Dempster to Hawkins to Fox to Wellemeyer to Hawkins to Dempster. Now LaTroy Hawkins has gone to San Francisco in exchange for Jerome Williams and David Aardsma . I think this is actually a win-win for both teams.

The Giants give up a closer prospect, but assuming Armando Benitez is healthy next year, they don't need him. They also ship out Williams , who has never lived up to the hype of the first half of his rookie year in 2003, while getting one of the best set up men since Dean Martin . There has been some talk that the Giants could use Hawkins at closer, but there's just too much data showing that he can't do the job. And while the Giants' organization is many things, it's not dumb. I'm not claiming Ty Walker has job security, but he is the named closer. And in case you missed it in the shuffle, San Francisco released Matt Herges .

For the Cubs, they get a live arm in Williams , even though he has an injury history and was getting clubbed in the minors. However, their aim was to acquire a live body to start. Chicago also got Aardsma, an alphabetical oddity who showed in college that he has the stuff to close for the team in the near future (August? September?). Right now he'll be in the minors, but if you can stash him away, do so. If the Cubs continue to slide, expect him up sooner rather than later. Having said that, we may be getting closer to seeing Borowski back in the ninth inning, but we're not there yet.

With all the upheaval in the ninth innings across the league, we should revisit the official closer situations for all 30 teams. I've listed the current closer (an asterisk denotes being on the DL), the probability of change (High, Medium, Low), who is the first choice to fill in for the closer, who might get into the mix later, and who you shouldn't worry about.

NL Notes: Brandon Lyon may be out for a while because the D'backs can't figure out what's going on with his elbow. Brian Bruney looks uncomfortable at closer. Expect Jose Valverde to jump into the mix (note, I didn't say "successfully"). ... Adam Bernero flunked the audition for Braves closer and Chris Reitsma has been mediocre. Danny Kolb may get a reprieve, but nothing is definite. ... Expect Borowski to get some chances when Dempster serves up some gopher balls, and then Aardsma will get the call when the Cubs realize they're out of the divisional race. ... Ryan Wagner will be the closer in Cincy . End of story. ...

Brian Fuentes keeps the easiest job in sports: closer for the Rockies, who rarely seem to have save opportunities. ... Todd Jones is nice insurance, but even manager Jack McKeon will see the disparity between Jones and Guillermo Mota . ... I have an "M" for the Houston situation just because Brad Lidge has been more than hittable lately, and he could get moved at the deadline. Chad Qualls , however, has been terrible. ... Eric Gagne and Yhency Brazoban : only two names you need to know for the Dodgers . ... Derrick Turnbow may see less mop-up duty and should be closer most of the year. I still like Julio Santana, though. ...

No problems lately for Braden Looper . ... I honestly don't know who Billy Wagner 's back up is, but at this point, it really doesn't matter (although Aaron Fultz has looked good). ... Trevor Hoffman 's job is as steady as any in the NL. ... I didn't list Benitez for San Francisco because I don't expect him back this season (could be wrong). The bad news for Walker: 6 ER in 1.2 IP. The good news: none of it was a save situation. Having said that, the next save he blows may be his last. Hope that his concentration comes back. ... St. Louis showed its line of succession while Jason Isringhausen was on the DL. ... No problems with Chad Cordero . Luis Ayala is now worth a whole lot less than he was on draft day.

AL Notes: B.J. Ryan is still a machine, but Jorge Julio is pitching much better and could end up, where, San Francisco ? Atlanta (his former team)? ... Keith Foulke may get some bench time during Boston 's next stretch of close games. Get Matt Mantei now. ... Dustin Hermanson has been great so far, but there are a few guys that will take his job at the first sign of cracking. ... Cleveland is the San Diego of the AL: any one of their relievers could be closers. ... I have no confidence Troy Percival stays healthy enough to get more than five more saves. ...

Quick, how many saves does the so-called closer (Affeldt) for K.C. have? None. ... K-Rod is expected back this week, but Scot Shields is arguably becoming the most valuable fantasy middle reliever in the AL. ... Joe Nathan has been automatic. ... Mariano Rivera is back on track and Tom Gordon hasn't been terrible (just not as good as we had hoped). ... Octavio Dotel will either still be injured or on another team by the All Star Break. The job is Huston Street 's to lose. ...

Eddie Guardado is pitching well, but the injury possibility gives the Seattle closer situation a Medium chance of change. If you're in AL keeper leagues, don't forget Rafael Soriano . ... Do you really care about the closer situation in Tampa Bay ? ... Francisco Cordero is in no danger of losing his job, but I've been intrigued with how well Brian Shouse has pitched this year and last. ... Miguel Batista has been unhittable.