FanHouse B.J. Ryan

We don't often see players ask for their release -- at least not when it's because they don't feel they can help their team. Apparently, though, B.J. Ryan has done precisely that (via Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times tweet). Ryan was said to have felt his velocity and sharpness wouldn't be back in time to help the Chicago Cubs this season.

The release is Ryan's second of the season, a shocking outcome considering he entered the season firmly entrenched as the Blue Jays closer. He had 32 saves and a 2.95 ERA last season as he came back from arm surgery.

WASHINGTON -- The Cubs signed recently released relief pitcher B.J. Ryan to a minor-league deal Thursday, ending speculation that the club would land the former Blue Jays and Orioles closer.

Chicago assistant general manager Randy Bush said that Ryan would report to Cubs' extended spring training in Mesa, Ariz. initially to work on his mechanics before moving up the chain to Triple-A Iowa and possibly Wrigley Field after that.

"We feel like there's a whole lot of upside for us," Bush said.

Here's an example of how badly the Chicago Cubs need another left-handed arm in their bullpen for the second half of this season. On Sunday night manager Lou Piniella had his lone lefty reliever Sean Marshall in to pitch the ninth inning. Well, with the bases loaded and nobody out, the Cardinals had Brendan Ryan at the plate so Piniella brought in righty Aaron Heilman to face him.

But Lou still needed Marshall to face Skip Shumaker after Ryan's at-bat, so he moved Marshall to left field for an at-bat before moving him back to the pitcher's mound. A somewhat ingenious move by the crafty Cubs skipper, but it speaks more to the team's lack of left-handed relief than anything else, which is why it's not all that surprising that the Cubs are interested in the recently released B.J. Ryan.

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Just by quickly looking at these numbers, which starting pitcher would you rather have on your fantasy roster?

Pitcher No. 1: 4 GS | 26.0 IP | 1.38 ERA
0.88 WHIP | .194 BAA
Pitcher No. 2: 4 GS | 26.1 IP | 2.05 ERA | 0.87 WHIP | .163 BAA

Both are phenomenal, but most of you, at first glance, would take Pitcher No. 1, right? Maybe not.

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Here are three abbreviations you don't want to see near your closer's name in the box score: BS, BB and HBP. Those three -- blown save, walk, and hit by pitch -- were all a part of B.J. Ryan's line Wednesday night against the Rangers. Prepare for the uptick in ownership of Jason Frasor and Scott Downs. Is it time to hit the panic button on Ryan after three blown opportunities?

It's always nice to know how secure a closer's job is and who's next in line if somebody loses their 9th inning job. Each week The Closer Report will give you that information. And if that wasn't good enough we'll rank the closers from top to bottom.

Here's an interesting statistic. Somewhere between 30 percent and 40 percent of the closers who are listed as the the team's official closer will not be in that role by the end of the season. It's the case every year. Whether a closer loses his job due to injury or just plain can't get the job done, you're going to learn that you can find saves on the waiver wire throughout the season. You just have to know where to look.

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Cole Hamels, Brandon Webb, Tim Lincecum and CC Sabathia owners eat your heart out. Relative unknowns -- and likely undrafted in nearly all mixed fantasy leagues -- Ricky Romero and Glen Perkins are straight dealing right now. And after three outings each, it's time to start wondering if the quick starts are not flukey.

B.J. Ryan hasn't had a good first week, and that's an understatement. He's now appeared in two games and looked pretty awful. In his first outing, he blew a save by allowing a game-tying Brandon Inge home run. His second time out should have been a nice, leisurely way to get himself on track. He had been spotted a four run lead, thanks to Roy Halladay and the Jays' bats. Plus, he was facing the bottom of the scuffling Indians' batting order.

Ryan walked three hitters and allowed a single. He also mixed in a double-play ball, so Mark DeRosa came to the plate with the bases jacked and 2 outs. DeRosa doubled in three, cutting the Blue Jays lead to 5-4. Ryan was promptly removed from the game.

MLB Power Rankings: Where we care what you've done for us lately when we break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world each week.

Baseball is here. Only for three days so far, but that's enough for knee-jerk reactions and our collective excitement, certainly. Are the Yankees in trouble? Will Ken Griffey, Jr. lead the Mariners back to glory? Are the Orioles for real? Are the Braves bound for the playoffs again? Will the Marlins manage to save baseball and win the National League East? What happens when Jim Thome and Kyle Farnsworth meet in a hadron collider?

Find out the answers to these questions -- and more! -- after the jump.

The timing couldn't be better, of course, for a "USA! USA! USA!'' moment. A sports team can be a powerful forklift when a nation needs a pick-me-up, and as America worries about the economy and online scams and why Rihanna is standing by that Chris Brown loser, sure, we'd like some heavy jingoism right now with our $2.99 value meals.

"When you put that USA across your chest," said David Wright, among the stars of the U.S. baseball team, "to me, there's really no bigger honor as a player than to represent your country."