Chapman to bullpen now official

[malcontent]

If he wants to close for the rest of his career it will cost him. Come free agency it will be his decision to make.

If it will make him less expensive to re-sign and keeps him in River City, why shouldn't we all be ecstatic?

[marcshoe]

Because that which reduces his cost also reduces his value.

[redsfandan]

If it will make him less expensive to re-sign and keeps him in River City, why shouldn't we all be ecstatic?

Resigning a top closer can be expensive. Would the Reds turn him into a starter then? Doubt it. They've had plenty of chances and haven't yet. Another few years as a closer won't make it easier. If he IS resigned would he really be worth what would be necessary to resign him if he's pitching less than 80 innings? It's debatable.

[WildcatFan]

Well, they messed this one up, again, but I don't think it costs them a division title. The same can't be said for the NLDS

The Broxton signing was bad--that money could have gone a long way toward re-signing Choo or any other above-average corner outfielder.

Chapman cost himself money.

If the five starters go all season without injury, I'll eat my hat. Would much rather have Leake the 6th starter than anyone from AAA at this point.

I think Chapman has more value to this team as trade bait rather than as closer.

I'll be cheering him on in the ninth, but also screaming for him, to no avail, with bases loaded and one out in the seventh.

Sucks that we'll never know what could have been. It's all I asked. Walt was too chicken to make the call. Dusty was too short-sighted.

[LeDoux]

Does anyone think it possible that Chapman could pitch 100 innings or more before next Spring (with winter ball or something?) It would be nice if next year's rotation could be an option without the requirement for an August "shutdown."

[AtomicDumpling]

Excellent article about Chapman:

http://redlegnation.com/2013/03/22/the-reds-disarm/

[757690]

An reliable pen for innings 7-9 always makes a difference, but you get that with a good closer as much as some so-called elite closers. We saw that first-hand with Coco. He converted 86% of his save chances with the Reds, which is very good.

An elite closer might get you an extra save or two over the course of a year (though some of that is dependent on luck) and an extra win could make all the difference. But it's not a terribly big gap between the best closer baseball and an average closer. And most elite closers tend to have short stays at the top. Rivera, Hoffman and Wagner were freaks. More common are guys like Joakim Soria, K-Rod (already on the downhill when he saved 62 games) and Brian Wilson.

Save situation percentage is a horrible stat that is basically meaningless. There are plenty of saves that are junk and plenty of other high leverage appearances that aren't save situations. If you use high leverage situation, I'm guessing elite closers are far more than just a couple of games better than the average closer.

Elite closers, when used properly in high leverage situations, are far more valuable than just averge closers. In high leverage situtions, the game is on the line basically every time. An elite closer who can be effective in just five more of these games than an average closer is worth 5 wins above not just replacement, but above average. That's huge.

Now, the way Dusty manages, that's probably moot. But in theory, elite closers should be real difference makers over just average closers.

[Tom Servo]

I'm still not over Dusty using Chapman for just one inning in the pivotal game 3 of the NLDS last year, for the record.

[757690]

Excellent article about Chapman:

http://redlegnation.com/2013/03/22/the-reds-disarm/

Some good stuff in the article, but I just can't get behind anyone who claims that using Chapman as a closer is a waste.

I don't think it's the best use of him, and would rather he was starting this year, but in no way is the closer role as meaningless as this guy or others are making it out to be. It's probably one of the top five most important positions on a team, if used properly, and probably close to the top five even if used as Dusty uses him.

[gilpdawg]

I said it then....well, maybe not on this site, because it would have been redundant, because I was far from the only person who felt this way, but I think as soon as it was apparent that the 2011 team was going nowhere Chapman should have immediately went to Louisville and started stretching out and maybe came back up for a start or two when rosters expanded. We would most likely not be having this conversation if that had happened and he actually pitched well.

[gilpdawg]

Some good stuff in the article, but I just can't get behind anyone who claims that using Chapman as a closer is a waste.

I don't think it's the best use of him, and would rather he was starting this year, but in no way is the closer role as meaningless as this guy or others are making it out to be. It's probably one of the top five most important positions on a team, if used properly, and probably close to the top five even if used as Dusty uses him.

Goose Gossage was one of the top five guys on his teams. Modern day closers are not, but that's just my humble opinion.

If your top reliever is used in the highest leverage spot then I think you could make a case, but no manager today uses their bullpen in the most efficient way.

[jhiller21]

Closers IMO aren't as overrated as some might think. Look at guys like Hoffmann, Rivera, Wagner... Even Danny Graves.

There's something to be said about a guy who can come into the 9th throwing 100 mph gas. Stick them in the rotation and who knows, the guy who used to throw 100 might get shelled throwing 92-93. I think the coaches measured his potential as a starter vs. a closer and made the decision based on that. If Chapman wants to remain the closer, I say he's the best man for the job. Too bad we're now paying our setup man the big bucks...

[Raisor]

I stopped reading when you lumped Danny Graves in with Mariano and Hoffman.

[Scrap Irony]

Here's the part of this whole decision I just really dislike:

It's small thinking...

It's a very Cincinnati thing to do. And I hate it.

I think this post was accurate.

Five years ago.

Today?

Choo in CF says hello. Mat Latos in the Cincinnati mound (not to mention Alonso, Grandal, and others all the way in San Diego) says hi as well. And, look, there's Joey Votto's gigantic contract waving away at us too.

You might not like this decision by the Red braintrust, but they cannot rightly be judged as conservative.

Were the Reds truly conservative, they'd have run out a team with Drew Stubbs leading off, Alonso at 1B (Votto was traded last year), Rolen at 3B, Frazier as a utility guy, Phillips replaced by DiDi Gregorius, and a whole host of others.

This is, like it or not (and I truly believe many on this site actually do not like it), a well-run organization from the top down.

But hey, at least Redszone has found both its whipping boy for the year and the reason why Cincinnati won't be World Series champion-- the extra 90 IP Chapman would have pitched had he been starter.

Yay.

[Sea Ray]

Except for putting Votto in LF wouldn't appreciably decrease his overall offensive contribution to the team.

We don't know for sure that moving Chapman to the rotation will increase his value to the team. He may walk a bunch of guys and turn into a mediocre SP who only goes 5 innings. It's a crap shoot