Quote:
Originally Posted by browna
I get that but pitching and relievers especially are somewhat like starting goalies with ego and routine and having things stable.
I think if you’ve trusted one guy for 3.5 months of the season to close games for you, it’s hard (for the team and the player) to just drop him for a shiny new toy that is airlifted in to the clubhouse in mid July.
Obviously that worked with someone like Beiber who hasn’t pitched and was a starter, and Varland as a setup guy, but your true trusted closer needs to be your trusted closer. You risk losing the skills of that reliever if you replace him, for him to properly bounce back if he’s demoted and doesn’t pitch for weeks (look at Hoffman after his week long layoff because they played the Rockies, he gave up 4 walks to the Dodgers and HRs) if the new guy doesn’t work out.
Well that’s the thing. If they blow saves early, you need a guy sooner than July. If they are in a good standings position at the deadline then the closer has probably done his job just fine and replacing him seems unnecessary and/ or splitting duties may or may not work out for either the existing or the new guy, especially in season and it could blow up.
Schenider already didn’t trust Hoffman to close Seattle out in Game 5 and threw Little (and his career possibly) to the wolves. He didn’t have anyone he could really turn to though in the WS in the end so it had to be Hoffman.
Anyways, if a team is going to do a two reliever setup like the Jays would have with Hoffman (assuming he isn’t DFA’ed), that should be from the start of the season. Getting a guy like Diaz or Suarez and having Hoffman (and the new guy) have the offseason, spring training and the regular season to sort out the heirarchy, it makes it easier for the clubhouse and the players and manager to handle the situation, then dropping a new closer in after 90+ games.
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"Closer" is an anochronysm anyway. They should go with a committee approach for save situations and just use the best pitcher for any given set of matchups. Hoffman doesn't pitch well with too much rest or too little rest, so using him only in save situations is a bad idea. Then if you need to promise "cloaer" to someone in a trade you don't have an incumbent.