Call me paranoid but I'm more worried about the bullpen than the starting pitching. If we have to depend on Mercker and Weathers to close games, then I think the bullpen will be the Achilles heal to the team. And with Coffey and Wagner not getting many opportunities to close games in spring training, I doubt very much the Reds are willing to take the chance of putting them in game situations where the game is on the line.
So here is a S.O.S. for any available closer out there.
If you think small, you'll go nowhere in life.
Danny Graves is available
I don't see this as a problem, closer by committee sounds fine to me, trading our limited resources for a "closer" sounds like a waste to me.
Go Gators!
Let's see how often we can take a close game in the 9th and then worry about a closer. The difference between the best closer in the world and what we've got is 4 or 5 games MAX. Between what we've got and any good non-rivera/gagne type is 2 or 3 games. Let's get that rotation fixed first and give the young guys a chance to step up.
Closers are probably the least efficient use of money in the game right now.
Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.
I agree with Rick.
How many teams ended the season with a different pitcher closing than they started with last year? This really doesn't seem to be the era of the closer. I tend to think that one of the young pitchers--my money's on Coffey--will step up and claim the role.
I'd rather see the Reds go after one more starter.
It is on the whole probable that we continually dream, but that consciousness makes such a noise that we do not hear it. Carl Jung.
If I remember right, the closer's spot did not kill the Reds last year. It was getting to the closer. I for one believe that, while having a closer is somewhat important, I would take a solid bullpen through and through before having below average middle relief and a solid closer. Middle relief seems to be a bigger question for the Reds. You also have to have a solid rotation before you can worry about a closer, IMO. I honestly think that having a closer is a luxury, but not a must.
Not having a real closer is not the Achilles Heel of this team. Nor is it the lack of stolen bases or sacrifice bunts or sacrifice flies or moving the runner(s) over. It is the starting pitching plain and simple. When we get better starting pitching, we can worry about a closer.
Originally Posted by Raisor
aslong as they designate the roles in the bullpen we should be fine we got through last year without a permanent closer basically weathers and mercker did a good job and there's nottin that say they wont' this year also
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