First, I gave you a cheat sheet for which starting pitchers to select in your fantasy draft. Now it’s time to determine which relievers will help you pick up the championship trophy in October.

Obviously, the top 25 relievers are primarily closers because saves are the most valuable statistic for relievers in fantasy baseball. If holds are a category in your league, then feel free to take a gamble on a top-notch reliever who doesn’t close out games. However, he won’t get you anywhere near as many points as the following closers will.

Honestly, I don’t put much stock in closers. I won my league last year despite only having 19 saves for the entire season. I’d be sure to fill up the other spots on your fantasy team before selecting an elite closer. You’ll cover more statistical categories by following this theory.

Remember that these rankings aren’t scientific and players can get hurt, traded or even lose their closer status between now and spring training. I’ll monitor the situation closely and provide you with any updates as the season inches closer.

For now, I offer you a breakdown of the top 10 relievers followed by a list of the next 15 relievers to watch. Yes, I do include some non-closers in the list because, let’s be honest, some teams – like the Orioles – don’t currently have a valuable closer.

Make sure to check out the blog in the next several days as we continue to break down the top performers at each position.

1. Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles Angels, RHP -- Remember when Rodriguez was a 20-year-old phenom who helped the Angels capture the World Series title in 2002? Well, he’s now a 26-year-old veteran reliever with three consecutive 40-save seasons and a 2.37 career ERA. With the addition of Jon Garland, the Angels could be handing him even more save opportunities this season.

2. Jonathan Papelbon, Boston Red Sox, RHP – Papelbon has a 1.62 career ERA and 72 saves over the last two seasons. One negative to keep in mind is that his ERA doubled from 2006 to last year. OK, so it only went from 0.92 to 1.85, but I’m trying to warn you of some drawbacks to selecting Papelbon. In all seriousness, he could very well be the best closer in the game, which is pretty good considering he was thrown into the role in his rookie season without any experience to guarantee he’d be successful in the position.

3. Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins, RHP – Since being traded to Minnesota as part of the deal that sent A.J. Pierzynski to San Francisco in 2003, Nathan has picked up 160 saves. The Twins may not contend for the American League Central this season, but Nathan is good for another 40-save campaign and an ERA below 2.25.

4. J.J. Putz, Seattle Mariners, RHP – In two seasons as the Mariners closer, Putz has steadily become one of the most reliable closers in the major leagues. Last season, he saved 40 out of 42 games with a 1.38 ERA. While he may allow more runs this season, he should pick up another 40 saves.

5. Trevor Hoffman, San Diego Padres, RHP – Despite blowing seven save opportunities last season, Hoffman remains one of the top closers in the major leagues. His 42 saves ranked fourth in the majors last season. While the all-time saves leader may not reach that total this year, he’s earned the right to continue to be given the ball in the ninth inning.

6. Bobby Jenks, Chicago White Sox, RHP – In a previous post, I mentioned how Jenks will be given more save opportunities this year since the White Sox signed Octavio Dotel and Scott Linebrink to preserve leads for him. I think he’ll improve on his save total from last season (40) and could lead the major leagues in saves if the White Sox win enough games.

7. Takashi Saito, Los Angeles Dodgers, RHP – Saito converted 39 of his 43 save chances last season. Joe Torre always had a strong closer in New York, so Saito will need to be just as good as Mariano Rivera for the Dodgers to compete in the National League West.

8. Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees, RHP – Will the veteran closer ever wear down? Rivera has suffered a few early rough patches in the last few seasons, but he has always recovered by the end of the season to remain among the best closers in the league. He’ll save another 30-35 games this year for the Yankees.

9. Jose Valverde, Houston Astros, RHP – Quick, tell me who led the major leagues in saves last season. I bet you only guessed Valverde because I mentioned it under his entry. He’s still ranked ninth because he’ll need to adjust to pitching in a different ballpark this year after being traded to Houston from Arizona in the offseason.

10. Billy Wagner, New York Mets, LHP – The 36-year-old Wagner has saved at least 30 games in eight of the last 10 seasons. It’s a pretty good bet that he’ll save 30 again this season, so be sure to grab him if he’s still available. Hopefully the Mets don’t collapse again in the second half and he will be given more save opportunities at the end of the season.

And the best of the rest…

11. Francisco Cordero, Cincinnati Reds, RHP
12. Chad Cordero, Washington Nationals, RHP
13. Todd Jones, Detroit Tigers, RHP
14. Brad Lidge, Philadelphia Phillies, RHP
15. Rafael Soriano, Atlanta Braves, RHP
16. Manny Corpas, Colorado Rockies, RHP
17. Joe Borowski, Cleveland Indians, RHP
18. Troy Percival, Tampa Bay Rays, RHP
19. Huston Street, Oakland Athletics, RHP
20. Jason Isringhausen, St. Louis Cardinals, RHP
21. Eric Gagne, Milwaukee Brewers, RHP
22. Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals, RHP
23. Kevin Gregg, Florida Marlins, RHP
24. Tony Pena, Arizona Diamondbacks, RHP
25. Brian Wilson, San Francisco Giants, RHP

Player to watch: B.J. Ryan, Toronto Blue Jays, LHP – It remains to be seen if Ryan is ready for Opening Day after missing most of the 2007 season following Tommy John surgery in May. Whenever he returns, be sure to monitor his performance because he could return to his role as one of the most dominant lefties in the major leagues.