Please tell me the Reds aren't keeping Aroldis at closer...

[WMR]

If so, SMH...

[mdccclxix]

The horse may be midstream, I don't know. I'd like to see them pull it off so that he starts next year, though.

[Steve4192]

I wouldn't have a major problem with it if the Reds left him in the bullpen.

I would love to get 200+ IP out of his arm annually rather than the 60+ he will deliver in the closer role, but I have my doubts about whether he will be able to hold up to the workload. I also worry about how effective he will be in a different role. Just because a guy is an excellent closer does not mean he will automatically succeed as a starter. I would hate to see a repeat of the 2003 Danny Graves experiment.

[westofyou]

Goose Gossage

[jhu1321]

I kind of like having the most dominating closer in the game.

[_Sir_Charles_]

Originally Posted by jhu1321

I kind of like having the most dominating closer in the game.

Kimbrel waves hi.

[Caveat Emperor]

Originally Posted by jhu1321

I kind of like having the most dominating closer in the game.

The most dominating closer in baseball still needs someone to get the ball to him with a lead. I'd rather have him starting a playoff game than waiting to see if he's needed later.

[Vottomatic]

I'm fine either way. But if he starts, we better bolster the bullpen and find an equal closer.

[Reds/Flyers Fan]

Originally Posted by Caveat Emperor

The most dominating closer in baseball still needs someone to get the ball to him with a lead. I'd rather have him starting a playoff game than waiting to see if he's needed later.

The problem is, if the Reds go the Strasburg route with starter Chapman and shut him down early next year when he reaches his innings limit, he won't be starting any playoff games in 2013.

And then, four years into the Chapman era in Cincinnati, we'd still not be fooling around with this guy. If they wanted him to be a starter he should have started this past year. They could have probably made the deal with KC for Broxton in spring training. The Royals knew they weren't going anywhere.

[IslandRed]

Originally Posted by Reds/Flyers Fan

The problem is, if the Reds go the Strasburg route with starter Chapman and shut him down early next year when he reaches his innings limit, he won't be starting any playoff games in 2013.

And then, four years into the Chapman era in Cincinnati, we'd still not be fooling around with this guy. If they wanted him to be a starter he should have started this past year. They could have probably made the deal with KC for Broxton in spring training. The Royals knew they weren't going anywhere.

They can convert him to starter without handling him exactly like Strasburg.

However, I'm of the opinion that a team needs strong starting pitching AND a lights-out bullpen to win in October. Truthfully, I don't have a strong opinion on which one of those two roles Chapman should fill, just that they get filled.

[RANDY IN INDY]

I hope they keep him as the closer, period. He is at the top of the food chain in that role, and I think he will only get better.

[edabbs44]

Originally Posted by Caveat Emperor

The most dominating closer in baseball still needs someone to get the ball to him with a lead. I'd rather have him starting a playoff game than waiting to see if he's needed later.

They got him some leads last year, no? This isn't Aroldis on the 2004 Reds.

[Unassisted]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Does anyone have fond memories of the Danny Graves-to-SP experiment?

[Caveat Emperor]

Originally Posted by edabbs44

They got him some leads last year, no? This isn't Aroldis on the 2004 Reds.

No, but if you have the opportunity to add a TOR arm to the staff, you take it. Every time.

What's the worst case scenario? He bombs out and goes back to the pen. It's not like starting is going to make him forget how to throw a fastball really hard, which is basically all he did as a closer.

[dougdirt]

I don't get the mindset of those who want to keep him as a closer. I really don't. Would you have have Justin Verlander or Craig Kimbrel? That is a no brainer. The Reds potentially have a Verlander but they are using him like Kimbrel. Both are quite valuable, but one is a whole lot more valuable than the other.