The countdown continues to the start of the new baseball season. Consider this week's The Lineup a "Closer's Special" as there are plenty of stories going on about ninth-inning stoppers. Here, for the upcoming week, are the five storylines you should be following:

The 2006 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals were able to capture the title with rookie Adam Wainwright as their closer in the post-season. But Jason Isringhausen, who had hip surgery in September that ended his season, is ready to reclaim his spot on the team. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, this past week Isringhausen "threw 20 pitches without discomfort before laying out a schedule that would have him ready for the defending world champions' season opener April 1." Wainwright is expected to move to the starting rotation if Isringhausen is indeed ready by the beginning of the season. Isringhausen struggled last year while dealing with a lot of pain in the injured hip, but he has been a reliable closer for the Cardinals since 2002. If Izzy experiences no setbacks, he would have significant fantasy value as a solid No. 2 or 3 closer on fantasy teams. He has recorded at least 30 saves in six of the last seven seasons. But look out for Wainwright in case Izzy's rehab doesn't go as planned. Wainwright allowed no earned runs in the 2006 postseason while recording 4 saves.

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Takashi Saito set a rookie franchise record by compiling 24 saves in 2006 after landing in the closer's role. Saito "expects to be 100 percent for next week's opening of Spring Training, despite cutting short his off-season throwing program because of what club officials described as a "slight" calf strain," according to MLB.com. Saito also posted 6 wins, a 2.07 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in a sensational fantasy year. While Saito and the Dodgers seem optimistic, this news should come as a concern to fantasy owners. After all, he's 37-years old and will be pitching his first full season as a closer. Behemoth reliever Jonathan Broxton is being groomed to be Saito's successor and would be the obvious choice to assume the closer's role should Saito be unable to start the season. See what happens in the next week with Saito. Any news about him laboring or dealing with injury should force fantasy owners to bump Broxton up their draft sheets, if only as a handcuff pick.

The Cincinnati Reds may have re-signed reliever Eddie Guardado, but he is unavailable to pitch for the team until July while recovering from elbow ligament replacement surgery. That means that the club needs a closer until "Everyday Eddie" is back and according to The Cincinnati Enquirer, "the club is interested in Dustin Hermanson." You may remember that Hermanson saved 34 games for the 2005 Chicago White Sox while posting a tidy 2.04 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. But Hermanson has been slowed by back problems that limited him to only six appearances last year for the White Sox. He is now a free agent and could be just what the Reds need, a veteran reliever who has proven that he can close in the big leagues. It seems as if the Reds want someone for the short term until Guardado is back, but if Hermanson does an outstanding job, it could create a closer controversy in Cincinnati. Keep your ears open for any updates on the situation as the Reds could move in to sign Hermanson this week.

Unless the Florida Marlins acquire Armando Benitez from the San Francisco Giants, they have a gaping hole in the back-end of their bullpen that somebody is going to have to fill. In a report by The Miami Herald, "as many as four candidates stand to vie for the closer's role when Marlins pitchers and catchers report Feb. 17." Those four candidates include Ricky Nolasco — an 11 game winner in 2006 — Taylor Tankersley, Henry Owens and Matt Lindstrom. Nolasco is revealed to be the early favorite, but if injuries to starters Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez prevent them from starting the season, Nolasco will likely be asked to pitch in the rotation. Should that happen, Tankersley seems next in line to close. Of course, all of this could change should a dark horse emerge from spring training or if the Marlins can land Benitez. The Marlins have a lot of young talent, so whoever takes over the closer's role should at least get a look from fantasy owners. And Dolphin Stadium is a pitcher's park. Follow any developments this week to see if anyone in the organization gains steam as the favorite to close.

There are rumblings throughout baseball that Boston Red Sox pitcher Jonathan Papelbon will end up closing should the team experience difficulty finding someone to take the ball in the ninth inning. But according to MLB.com, "There's no chance Papelbon will be the closer on Opening Day...it looks to be a four-horse race between Julian Tavarez, Brendan Donnelly, Mike Timlin and Joel Pineiro." Terry Francona is adamant about making sure the young talent is in the rotation and indicated that Papelbon becoming the closer is a long shot. A combination of bullpen struggles, ineffective pitching by Papelbon in the rotation and medical clearance from doctors would all have to occur for him to even have a shot at closing again in 2007. This news seems to snuff out any hope fantasy owners had of drafting Papelbon as an insurance policy closer while putting the fantasy spotlight on the aforementioned candidates for the closing job in Boston. Piniero, despite having one career save, is the early favorite.