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Chad Cordero led all major league pitchers in saves after the All-Star break last season with 22. That's the same Chad Cordero who won't get a single save this season. It's the same Chad Cordero who pitched for the Washington Nationals, a team that was merely 37-37 after the break in 2007. What's my point? This stuff is unpredictable. This year's saves leader after the break could be the closer you least expect, really. So let's try to unearth that fella right here!

I don't think it will be Francisco Rodriguez, by the way. It's not that luck has to even out, but I looked up every year this decade, first-half and second-half saves, and in no season did those leaders match up. Eric Gagne and John Smoltz came close, but neither led the league in any season in both halves. K-Rod is having a memorable season, with the most saves ever before an All-Star break, but I take the under on his garnering another 30.

We don't need to find a surprising Chad Cordero-type who will lead the league in saves from this point on, because it could just as easily be one of the top closers, like Mariano Rivera or Brad Lidge. Or it could be Ryan Franklin or Brandon Morrow. Hey, the Mariners have played better recently -- it could happen.

Anyway, with intuition and some research leading the way for me, here are five relievers I expect to really pile on the saves the rest of the way.

Billy Wagner, Mets: I think the Mets are going to take a turn in first place at some point this season, maybe this week. This team is too good to play merely .500 ball all season, and clearly the Phillies and Marlins are ripe for the taking. Wagner did not have a great weekend in Philadelphia, allowing four runs -- three of them earned -- on Sunday and Monday, but he also had problems with the Phillies last season. Against pretty much every other team, the lefty is safe. Wagner was given 10 save opportunities in June, one off the NL lead, and I don't see why the Mets can't duplicate that number in the coming months. His overall numbers are terrific. Wagner doesn't share saves, and the Mets don't generally win games, 10-5. During the past three seasons, Wagner's top save months have been July and August.

Todd Jones, Tigers: The Tigers are already on the move in the AL Central, and I see this team getting really hot and presenting its closer with plenty of saves as well. Jones isn't a top closer. He never was, never will be. His season strikeout total, in three-plus months, remains less than what Josh Beckett and Cole Hamels have each done in a single game this season, which is kind of embarrassing. But Jones does tend to pile on the saves, and his stats from recent seasons show someone who thrives after the All-Star break. From 2005-07, Jones had a 3-12 record with 58 saves in 107 games and 4.07 ERA before the break, and a 1-3 mark with 57 saves in 86 games and a 2.50 ERA after. Detroit's starting pitching has come around, its middle relief is off the DL, and I think Jones has at least another 20 saves in him.

Salomon Torres, Brewers: He's not the perfect closer, despite what you might have heard lately. Yes, Eric Gagne is back, and setting him up, and I think this is a trend we'll see continue. The Brewers welcomed CC Sabathia to their team this week, which upgrades the rotation, and so far Gagne has pitched fine in a setup role, which is also important. Torres is going to blow some saves; he's 36, hardly dominant, and in a recent stretch of five outings he failed to record a strikeout. He also saved four of those games. He saved all eight chances he received in June, and if he can save eight games per month the rest of the way, you've got a terrific closer, who you can still get cheap.

Joe Nathan, Twins: Arguably the top second-half closer during the past three seasons, Nathan is hardly a fantasy liability in the early months, but he's downright nasty after the All-Star break. He's 25 of 26 on saves the past three Julys. His composite August ERA in that span is 0.80, with 11 hits allowed in 33 2/3 innings spanning three seasons. His post-All-Star break ERA since 2005 is 1.57. Nathan is tied for fourth in save opportunities so far this season, but I think he could get even more the rest of the way, on a team that scores just enough runs to win a lot of 4-2 games. Nathan is a top-5 closer by all accounts, but he's worth it.

Damaso Marte, Pirates: Shocker! I don't expect Matt Capps back this season. The Pirates claim he could return in September, but even as they aim to finish .500 for the first time in seemingly forever, I doubt Capps can overcome the serious shoulder problems colleague Stephania Bell discussed in her recent blog and close games this season. Marte is the closer. The Pirates do not have right-handers auditioning for the role, nor do they need to since Capps is likely to regain the role in 2009. Marte picked up his first post-Capps save on Monday and his second on Tuesday, and while he does throw with his left hand, his OPS against right-handed hitters is actually 100 points lower. Marte does have some closing experience a few years back with the White Sox, and now he has prime opportunity. He reminds me of Eddie Guardado, a talented, strikeout lefty who finally got his chance to close in his 30s, and did quite well. Marte has his chance to be this year's Cordero, a closer on a .500 team -- yes, the Pirates can do this -- who picks up plenty of saves.

Now, let's get back on to our normal Relief Efforts routine, and to the rest of the ample fantasy news coming from major league bullpens.

Masa Kobayashi, Indians: Someone has to save games for this team now that Joe Borowski is looking for a job, and while the Indians waived the white flag when they sent Sabathia packing, they still have a team that can win games. Kobayashi has the best numbers in what has been a disappointing bullpen, and I just can't see Rafael Betancourt getting another chance anytime soon. I also don't think the inexperienced Rafael Perez gets a shot. Kobayashi was a closer in Japan, his 1.22 WHIP is second on the team behind Cliff Lee and he's done a nice job against both lefties and right-handed hitters. By the way, feel free to release Borowski from your teams, but he should find work somewhere setting up.

Troy Percival, Rays: On the DL for the second time this season with a hamstring problem, Percival is no lock to return in the next few weeks and have the same success he started the season with. Plus, he could get hurt again. One might argue this is more than a 50/50 proposition considering his age. I actually think Grant Balfour could pass Dan Wheeler for saves with Percival out, but the point is, it could be any of these three pitching the ninth inning, which creates plenty of doubt for Percival owners. Plus, it's pretty well documented the Rockies want to move Brian Fuentes, and while everyone has assumed the lefty would end up a setup man, what would prevent the Rays from acquiring him and letting him close? I say with each passing week this becomes more likely.

Scott Linebrink, White Sox: Bobby Jenks was placed on the DL with back problems, but the right-hander had not pitched in July, so with the retroactive move he could be back in a week, or right after the All-Star break. Then again, this type of injury can be problematic and linger. The first-place White Sox made the right decision in disabling their closer, but if you see Linebrink sitting there on free agency, don't assume Jenks returns in a matter of days. It's possible Jenks has been having this problem for months; his strikeout rate is rather low, second-worst among full-season, full-time closers to Todd Jones. Linebrink and Jenks each boast an ERA below 2, but remember, the White Sox want everyone healthy in September. Octavio Dotel is a strikeout machine and there are lefties here to carry the load as well. Linebrink remains homer prone, just like always, but the rest of the numbers look very good. He already has one save for this team and he should get more chances.

Romulo Sanchez, Pirates: Oddly enough, I found three situations in the past week that could fit in this space, and all three pitchers are middle relievers or long men for closers I mentioned at the top of the column. In Pittsburgh, Sanchez is a hulking 6-foot-5, mountain of a closer who throws with his right hand and was mentioned as a possible save option when Capps went down, but his save came in an 11-inning win, and he did allow a run in the game. Sanchez is very inexperienced, and will not be passing Marte anytime soon. The Tigers' Fernando Rodney picked up a one-pitch save on a night when Todd Jones really didn't have it, but Joel Zumaya had already pitched in the game, and since then Jones has been fine. Finally, in Milwaukee Carlos Villanueva relieved Ben Sheets on July 4 and went 3 1/3 innings to close out a 9-1 win. Villanueva is the long reliever for the Brewers, not a closer.

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Carlos Marmol, Cubs: Let's check back in on the guy who is leading the majors in this growing fantasy category, because Marmol has had an interesting few weeks. He's getting lit. Arguably the best relief pitcher not getting saves in fantasy this season, Marmol allowed home runs in three consecutive appearances recently. Two weeks earlier, Marmol was having control problems. He's been perfect in his past two appearances, but his season ERA is up to 3.60. Don't worry about it. His WHIP is 0.90. He's a fly ball pitcher who will give up home runs (seven already), but he's also on pace for 40 holds and 126 strikeouts. For reference, the only relief pitcher to top 100 K's in 2007 was Heath Bell, at 102, and the 2007 holds leader was Brandon Lyon with 35, and in 2006 Linebrink had 36. That's the most this decade. Marmol remains a monster. The addition of Chad Gaudin won't affect Marmol, since he wasn't a setup man in Oakland anyway, but Gaudin could push Jon Lieber off the team eventually.

Seattle's Brandon Morrow has been filthy over the past month, allowing one hit and one walk total in his past 10 appearances. J.J. Putz will not be back in July. … Who is closing in Tampa Bay with Troy Percival out? It's still Dan Wheeler, but each time Grant Balfour looks dominant, the situation could change. Balfour has allowed eight hits in 15 games covering 19 2/3 innings. That's really good. … I'm finally convinced Jason Isringhausen is not reclaiming the closer role in St. Louis anytime soon. However, Izzy remains on deck in case Ryan Franklin struggles. Just pretend Izzy is on the DL working through his problems. … Philadelphia's Brad Lidge earned a three-year contract extension by not blowing a save chance or allowing a home run in three months. His top setup man, Tom Gordon, hit the DL with a sore elbow, however. … Brian Fuentes got obliterated in back-to-back games against the Tigers and Padres for seven earned runs, while getting two outs, but since then he's thrown three perfect innings. I think Taylor Buchholz is next in line when Fuentes gets traded.

Eric Karabell is a senior writer for ESPN.com fantasy. You can e-mail him here.