Yankees right-hander Chad Green boasts nary a save this season, and chances are good that no more than a stray one is coming his way, but this hardly means he cannot aid a fantasy team. In fact, Green, with his fancy 0.71 ERA and 0.47 WHIP, plus an ample strikeout rate as usual, is among the top five relief pitchers in ESPN points leagues, despite the big goose egg in the saves column, and there are myriad pitchers of his ilk with value just waiting to be rostered.
Fantasy managers continue to invest in potential save options on the worst clubs because they need every last save, but they might find themselves better off, even in roto leagues, simply going with the best relief pitchers. Giants right-hander Trevor Gott looked like a decent closer after one week, but then the home runs arrived and kept arriving, and he sure doesn't look appealing anymore. Green is a dominant reliever. Orioles right-hander Cole Sulser, despite the saves, is not.
Here are 10 readily available relief pitchers getting the job done, even though their jobs do not include even the occasional saving of baseball games.