Chapman

[mdccclxix]

I'll be frustrated if Chapman isn't a starter this year, however, I think using him one more year as a closer has it's benefits.

1) he's a good closer
2) Brox is still paid like a setup guy
3) Leake is a decent 5th starter anyway and the overall team talent is stronger
4) Arroyo is a FA and Bailey's future is uncertain, so 2014 may be a better time for Chapman to the rotation.
5) Arb-wise, if Chapman can or cannot start, perhaps it's cheaper to find out a year from now when the chips are on the table.

[MartyFan]

I hope the Reds keep Chapman in the closer role and I hope they resign him to a 5 year deal mid-season.

I actually am not a fan of moving him into the rotation. I do not thin he has the makeup to be a starter in MLB. He gets knocked a bit and he melts down. He needs the heat and little exposure.

He is an incredible athlete but how long would his greatest weapon (100+ mph) be available to him if he is expected to go 6 innings?

Keep Chapman a closer, put Leake in the #5 and end the drama...PLAY BALL!

[AtomicDumpling]

I hope the Reds keep Chapman in the closer role and I hope they resign him to a 5 year deal mid-season.

I actually am not a fan of moving him into the rotation. I do not thin he has the makeup to be a starter in MLB. He gets knocked a bit and he melts down. He needs the heat and little exposure.

He is an incredible athlete but how long would his greatest weapon (100+ mph) be available to him if he is expected to go 6 innings?

Keep Chapman a closer, put Leake in the #5 and end the drama...PLAY BALL!

He is already under team control for 4 more seasons. He won't be a free agent until the offseason before the 2017 season.

[CySeymour]

I do not thin he has the makeup to be a starter in MLB. He gets knocked a bit and he melts down.

Wouldn't this be a knock against being a closer?

[Blitz Dorsey]

We are going to laugh our collective asses off at this thread a year or so from now. So much overthinking in this thread that it's unbelievable.

[TSJ55]

I hope the Reds keep Chapman in the closer role and I hope they resign him to a 5 year deal mid-season.

I actually am not a fan of moving him into the rotation. I do not thin he has the makeup to be a starter in MLB. He gets knocked a bit and he melts down. He needs the heat and little exposure.

He is an incredible athlete but how long would his greatest weapon (100+ mph) be available to him if he is expected to go 6 innings?

Keep Chapman a closer, put Leake in the #5 and end the drama...PLAY BALL!

Grande brazo, poquito seso

[dougdirt]

We are going to laugh our collective asses off at this thread a year or so from now. So much overthinking in this thread that it's unbelievable.

If Chapman never gets a chance to start, I will not be laughing one bit. He could throw 15 perfect innings in the playoffs out of the bullpen including an inning to clinch the world series and I still wouldn't be laughing.

[Wonderful Monds]

If Chapman never gets a chance to start, I will not be laughing one bit. He could throw 15 perfect innings in the playoffs out of the bullpen including an inning to clinch the world series and I still wouldn't be laughing.

You *may* have lost sight of the bigger picture, then.

[dougdirt]

You *may* have lost sight of the bigger picture, then.

Not at all.

I will certainly celebrate. But when it comes to Chapman, I will never think "this worked out great" if he isn't given a shot as a starter, even if he turns into Mariano Rivera Part II.

[Roy Tucker]

We are going to laugh our collective asses off at this thread a year or so from now. So much overthinking in this thread that it's unbelievable.

What!!?!?!? RZ overthink things? I'm shocked, you hear, shocked!

[Roy Tucker]

Walt Jocketty's quote on Chapman. I wish he had included Dusty Baker in the quote too.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- By Sunday afternoon, Reds general manager Walt Jocketty had heard all about pitcher Aroldis Chapman's public wishes to remain as the team's closer. Jocketty did not want to discuss the issue in depth.

It's not a lock that Chapman will get what he wants, however.

"It would certainly be considered, but we don't let every player tell us how they want to be used," Jocketty told MLB.com.

I think I see frost on those words. Yikes.

[Matt700wlw]

IIRC, he was always going to start the season in the pen, in order to limit his innings, and then move into the rotation around May-June.

What will be interesting is if he is named the closer. If that happens, I don't see him starting at all this season, if ever.

I should have been more specific.

I believe on Friday, Leake is starting, and Chapman is scheduled to pitch as well....it will be interesting to see the innings limit. This is the time of spring training he needs to be increasing innings if he's going to start (even if not right away) -- he's pitched 8 innings so far.

[edabbs44]

Not at all.

I will certainly celebrate. But when it comes to Chapman, I will never think "this worked out great" if he isn't given a shot as a starter, even if he turns into Mariano Rivera Part II.

If the Reds win pennants, WS, etc with Chapman then it worked out great.

[RedEye]

If the Reds win pennants, WS, etc with Chapman then it worked out great.

This is sort of missing the point. Yes, we all are seeking a "Red October." But using the resources of the team correctly is a different matter. We can root for the team to win, but we can also root for them to make smart decisions. The two are often connected -- but not always.

[edabbs44]

This is sort of missing the point. Yes, we all are seeking a "Red October." But using the resources of the team correctly is a different matter. We can root for the team to win, but we can also root for them to make smart decisions. The two are often connected -- but not always.

If the FO believes that the best route for Chapman is in the pen, they put him there, he thrives and the Reds win it all, we would say that it wasn't a smart decision?