Chapman to Close

[stsparks72]

According to Cincinnati.com, Paul Daugherty is reporting that Aroldis Chapman will Close in 2013.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/daughert...ng-line-321-2/

My only concern is the one brought up by Daugherty in his article. For a small to mid size market team the Reds have seriously over spent on their bullpen. The combined salaries for Marshall, Broxton, and Chapman are way too high. Its not my money, but come next year when money needs to be spent on 2 more Starters it could make things difficult. Bailey and Arroyo will both have contracts that expire. There are a couple young guns in the system (Cingrani and Corcino), but no guarantee either of those pan out. Lastly, I wonder if this means the Reds might go out and sign a player like Kyle Loshe or Roy Oswalt? Does this mean Mark Prior has a real shot of being on the big club at some point this season? All-in-all, for as much as I wanted to see Chapman start, I'm not bothered that he will be the Closer. He has been outstanding in that role, but I hope the club has a plan for this new direction.

[behnke2017]

They need to stop ****ing around with him. Either he's the team's closer or he's in the rotation. Stop moving him back and forth and have a plan.

[PraiseJesus]

Dam it.

Yahoo projected Chapman to have 270 Ks as a starter...

We will never know if he could do it

[stsparks72]

Lets keep it real though. Having Chapman as the Closer is not a bad thing. He has proven that he is a dominate Closer. That said, it seems a little unprofessional that the Reds are having trouble making a decision on this guy. If he is going to be the Closer then let that be the end of it. Having Chapman, Broxton, and Marshall at the back end of a game is the nastiest trio in baseball. That said, it is probably one of the most expensive trio's in the game.

[stsparks72]

With Chapman in the bullpen going into the next offseason the Reds pitch staff looks like this.

Johnny Cueto
Mat Latos
Mike Leake
???
???

[behnke2017]

They'll probably consider Chapman again and then change their minds.

[stsparks72]

They'll probably consider Chapman again and then change their minds.

Well at least that keeps things interesting and the Reds can stay in the forefront of many discussions.

Let me throw another bone out there. No matter how small, do you think the Reds keep announcing Chapman as a starter to push ticket sales? How many people bought tickets for Saturday April 6th in anticipation that would be Chapman's first big league start?

[behnke2017]

It's quite possible. I just hope whatever they're doing doesn't piss off the man. He's an incredible talent and they need to decide one way or another instead of jerking him around.

[jlohm1]

this is good news. He wouldn't last in the rotation. I guarantee it. he throws way too many pitches to be a starter. there are times he'll throw 25 or 30 pitches during the 9th inning, but it's not because he's bad it's because he throws a ton of strikeouts. It would be pointless to make him a starter because he would only throw 3-4 inning anyway. he even said he would rather close.

[jlohm1]

They need to stop ****ing around with him. Either he's the team's closer or he's in the rotation. Stop moving him back and forth and have a plan.

I don't think he likes it either. He said he would rather close so just leave him there.

With Chapman in the bullpen going into the next offseason the Reds pitch staff looks like this.

Johnny Cueto
Mat Latos
Mike Leake
???
???

Arroyo and Bailey again.

[stsparks72]

Arroyo and Bailey again.

That could potentially be very expensive. Frankly I would be shocked if both return. Bailey is Arb eligible one more time, so very likely that he returns.

[N. Cog Neato]

The Reds did the obvious thing and put him back in as their closer. His arm won't hold up as a starter, while he throws only hard stuff. Dibble blew out his elbow throwing a flaming fastball and wicked slider. He's gonna be more effective coming out of the bullpen in the 9th to close the door on the opposing team.

[jlohm1]

That could potentially be very expensive. Frankly I would be shocked if both return. Bailey is Arb eligible one more time, so very likely that he returns.

I honestly would not want the Reds to pay Bailey a ton of money. At least not right now. he was pretty good last year, but overall throughout his career he's proven to be inconsistent and injury prone. and a little cocky. I like him, but I wouldn't want to see the Reds throw a huge contract at him anytime soon.

[stsparks72]

He's gonna be more effective coming out of the bullpen in the 9th to close the door on the opposing team.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but based on what? Your opinion?

[stsparks72]

I like him, but I wouldn't want to see the Reds throw a huge contract at him anytime soon.

If he Wins 15+ games this year he is likely going to be looking for a long term deal worth a lot of $$$. Doesn't mean he will get that kind of deal, the two sides might have to settle on a 1 year arb deal.