This column took last week off for the All-Star break, and boy has a lot changed in the last couple weeks! With the trade deadline just days away, we’ve already seen four closers get dealt into setup roles (Brad Hand, Jeurys Familia, Joakim Soria, and Zach Britton) and several more could get moved by Tuesday. We knew this was coming, and yet it still feels like chaos while it’s happening, doesn’t it?

It’s no surprise, then, that this week’s rankings look quite a bit different than the last round. A lot more could change by next week, but here’s where we’re at right now.

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Big Movers

Brad Boxberger/Wade Davis/Cody Allen
Boxberger and Davis each get a bump up the rankings this week, but it has little to do with how they’re pitching. Kyle Barraclough and Keone Kela are performing better than Boxberger and Davis this season, but they’re also prime trade candidates and would be unlikely to close in their new locales. Boxberger and Davis seem to have decent job security, and that is gold in the world of closer chaos we live in as the trade deadline approaches.

The same general principle would have also applied to Cody Allen, but he now has Brad Hand breathing down his neck. Indians manager Terry Francona has indicated that both Allen and Hand will see some save chances for now, and Francona added that Allen would occasionally be deployed in non-save situations to work on his mechanics. This isn’t quite a committee yet, but Allen needs to step up his performance if he wants to hold onto the role.

Will Smith
Smith is a more-than-capable closer, and with several other teams trading their closers and implementing committees, Smith gets a nice bump up the rankings. Just remember that Hunter Strickland is likely to ultimately regain this job when he returns in late August.

Chicago Cubs
Brandon Morrow is on the shelf with a biceps injury, and while Morrow is sounding optimistic about returning, he hasn’t even picked up a baseball yet. It’s the kind of injury that could turn out to be relatively minor or sideline him for the rest of the season. Pedro Strop, Steve Cishek, and Carl Edwards Jr. are all candidates for saves in Morrow’s absence. Strop has the team’s last two saves, so he’s the current favorite, but it’s also entirely possible that Chicago deals for a closer before the trade deadline. For now, this situation is a lot like the one in Philadelphia — several good ninth-inning options but little clarity on who will close on any given night.

Wily Peralta
With five saves since June 25, there’s no longer any doubt that Peralta is the Royals’ closer. Peralta is far from dominant, but paradoxically his lack of real world trade value could be a good thing for his fantasy owners, who know he likely wouldn’t be closing anywhere other than Kansas City. Think of him as a roughly similar fantasy closer to Sergio Romo, Fernando Rodney, Shane Greene, or Brad Brach — but without the same risk of getting traded into a setup role.

Chicago White Sox
Well, it was fun while it lasted, Joakim Soria owners. Soria was a waiver wire gem for enterprising fantasy owners who surely enjoyed his 16 saves, 2.56 ERA, and 1.16 WHIP. But now that he’s been shipped off to a setup role in Milwaukee, there is little in the way of closer clarity on the south side of Chicago. Jace Fry seemed like the most likely candidate to inherit the closer role, but then he pitched in the seventh inning of a game the White Sox were trailing by four runs, as Closer Monkey pointed out.

Perhaps the White Sox will turn to Jeanmar Gomez, another veteran with closing experience. But remember, it took some time for this team to commit to using Soria in the ninth inning, even though he is a proven late-inning reliever. In other words, this situation could be messy for a while.

New York Mets
The Mets dealt away Jeurys Familia to Oakland, where he’ll now help set up for Blake Treinen. With Familia out of the picture, Robert Gsellman, Anthony Swarzak, and Seth Lugo are all possibilities to close in New York. Of course, if another team wanted any of that trio, they would probably be traded, too.

Random Musings

Kirby Yates
Yates has inherited the ninth inning in San Diego, following the Padres’ trade of Brad Hand to the Cleveland Indians. Yates has been lights out all season long (1.40 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 11.64 K/9) and could be an elite closer if given the opportunity, so he slots directly into Hand’s spot in the rankings for now. But the Padres have already shown that they are looking to deal top-notch relievers for young talent, and there is some speculation that Yates could get moved before the trade deadline, likely leaving either Craig Stammen or Phil Maton as the next closer up in San Diego.

Closer Handcuffs
Several more closers could be traded in the next few days, so you’re probably wondering if there are relievers to be picked up now who could be closing by this time next week. Here are some closer handcuffs, listed roughly in order of their likelihood of taking over and ability to perform in the role: Drew Steckenrider (MIA), Joe Jimenez (DET), Jordan Hicks (STL), Craig Stammen (SD), Trevor Hildenberger (MIN), Jake Diekman/Jose Leclerc (TEX), Jose Alvarado/Austin Pruitt (TB), and Mychal Givens (BAL). Hicks would be my first choice if Bud Norris was as likely to get dealt as Kyle Barraclough and Shane Greene are. Additionally, while Raisel Iglesias and Felipe Vazquez seem unlikely to get traded, Jared Hughes and Kyle Crick could both have considerable fantasy value if those deals were to happen.

Andrew Seifter is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive and follow him @andrew_seifter.