Quote Originally Posted by traderumor View Post
I don't think this is axiomatic. They are paying for a good back of the pen reliever. They gave a very similar contract to Marshall and their 9th inning guy last year has a premium contract. It seems intuitve to me that money allocated to the pen ought to be spent on the guys who are going to pitch the "money" innings, while you try to fill the other spots with young cheap arms. You gotta pay to play, "never pay premium for a closer" sounds like an excuse more than a strategy.
Almost all very good relievers can close. Guys who have a double digit number in the saves column tend to be paid more, even if they aren't better pitchers. That is bad business.