The trade market has been completely dead. Just about every team is still in contention for the Wild Card, especially in the National League, and that has probably chilled the market. That being said, there should still be some trades between now and the trade deadline, and many of them will likely involve relievers. The Giants look like they may try to make one last playoff run with Madison Bumgarner and Bruce Bochy, in which case three of the top relievers could be off the market. That would leave Ken Giles as the prize free agent closer. If Giles and Daniel Hudson are both traded, David Phelps would be my guess to get the next save chance, though Joe Biagini and Sam Gaviglio would likely be involved as well.

Last week it was reported Nathan Eovaldi would not necessarily be handed the closer role as had previously be reported. Eovaldi proceeded to allow three runs on five hits in two-thirds of an inning in a blowout win Monday. My guess is Eovaldi will still close if the Red Sox do not trade for a closer. That being said, I think the Red Sox will trade for a closer. If you added Eovaldi, you should probably hold onto him at least until the trade deadline passes.

Scott Oberg ’s march to the closer job suffered a setback this week. Oberg has allowed three walks and three earned runs over his last three outings, while Wade Davis threw a scoreless inning at Yankee Stadium in his only work. Davis probably only needs to be competent to keep finishing games, and I expect that will be the case.

Don’t look now, but Ian Kennedy has eight saves since the All-Star Break. He has allowed earned runs in two of his last four appearances, giving him a 3.40 ERA and 1.25 WHIP for the season. Kennedy still owns an impressive 5.20 K/BB rate, and with only a handful of teams selling at the deadline, I still think there is a decent chance Kennedy is traded. Jake Diekman appears to be next in line in Kansas City. He is a classic wild reliever, with a ton of strikeouts and a ton of walks.

Speaking of which, could the Mets turn around and trade Edwin Díaz less than a year after taking on Robinson Canó ’s albatross contract for the pleasure of paying Diaz? They would probably be selling low, which is why I kind of doubt it. On the other hand, Brodie Van Wagenen may be on the hot seat, so maybe he feels like he needs to make a move. Seth Lugo has been the Mets’ best reliever all season long, though he might lose some saves to Robert Gsellman . Both relievers routinely get used for more than one inning, though that could certainly change if Diaz is traded.

Carlos Martínez has converted his last seven save chances, but he has allowed six earned runs over his last five innings. On some level, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt probably doesn’t care about Martinez’s ERA so long as he is getting the job done. On the other hand, Martinez is going to have to protect a one-run lead sooner or later, and John Gant and Andrew Miller are lurking. If I owned Martinez, I would be nervous, though there’s probably not much you can do about it.

Let Blake Treinen be a cautionary tale the next time you want to spend a high draft pick on a closer coming off one good season after a history of being not very good. Even by his own standards, Treinen’s 5.88 BB/9 is pretty awful. His 8.49 K/9 is nearly identical to his marks from 2015-2017. With as good as Liam Hendriks has looked, it would be pretty shocking if Treinen got his job back.

José Leclerc and Chris Martin are expected to share closer duties with Shawn Kelley on the IL. Leclerc was pretty clearly overrated for fantasy coming into the season, but the Rangers said all along they wanted Leclerc pitching late in games, and it seems likely he will be the closer for as long as he can handle it. His 3.35 FIP and 3.61 xFIP suggest he will be just fine in the role, though his fantasy owners should be prepared for the occasional three-walk blowup, because it is always lurking.