Fantasy Baseball Category Killers: Saves

Grant Balfour, Athletics
The wheels look to be nearly falling off the Ryan Cook wagon, and it's beginning to look like Balfour could be fantasy relevant again. He hasn't given up a run since June 29th and could soon find himself back in the circle of trust if Cook has a complete implosion.

Jared Burton, Twins
To those who invested in Burton recently, well done. He picked up two saves at the end of last week, and has positioned himself to earn continued opportunities moving forward. Glen Perkins is still in the picture and not going anywhere, meaning a timeshare situation should continue. Still, some saves are better than no saves.

Steve Cishek, Marlins
Cishek has done a nice job in the ninth inning since former closer Heath Bell was sent to Ozzie Guillen's doghouse, picking up five saves since the middle of July. With Cishek pitching well, he could hold the job down for the remainder of the season. Bell could get another crack at the job --  but that may not come until next year.

Jeremy Affeldt, Giants
The Giants bullpen is in a state of flux and is looking like more of a committee approach at this point in time. Enter Affeldt, the late-inning lefty,. He picked up a save on July 31st, and could be in line for a handful more before the end of the year. If you're scraping the bottom of the barrel for saves, here's your man.

Alexi Ogando, Rangers
Joe Nathan is getting some extra time off due to a “dead arm”, allowing Ogando to collect two saves while filling in. There could be a few more chances for him to vulture handshakes between now and the time Nathan is back up to full speed, making him worth a speculative short-term add.