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[Just Regular]

Aroldis Chapman would feel pretty bad to perhaps almost all of us, but may rate a mention as we look around at 1-year temps while Felix heals.    The player did put in some work in 2023 not quitting on his team.    Our perception of his October colored by that game he walked everybody, but the overall October results were 8 innings of 2.25 RA.

Josh Hader vs. Craig Kimbrel vs. Jordan Hicks were the 3 guys Christopher Russo's producers proposed today for a "who should be the interim Orioles Closer" segment.     David Robertson, Hector Neris and Robert Stephenson are other possibilities.     Yuki Matsui is a new name @Billy F-Face3mentioned.

Staff build wise, I think I trust Cole Irvin enough (assuming Wells-Hall are 100% relievers) I might lean towards this group before a Jack Flaherty reunion, but acknowledging bias I mostly believe your 5th reliever is a more important role than your 5th starter if you trust your team to qualify for the tournament.    

All of the good relievers probably smiling at Reynaldo Lopez's 3/30 benchmark, but some of the above are ending up with the 1-year deals Elias likes.

 

Edited November 29, 2023 by Just Regular

[HakunaSakata]

I'd be fine with them bolstering the bullpen and going int the season with Wells as the closer. My personal / probably somewhat affordable favorites would be Hudson and Moore. Neris and Robertson would be good too, but I think someone will overpay for them. 

I would rather have chlamydia than Aroldis Chapman or Craig Kimbrel anywhere near this team. 

 

[interloper]

It would feel pretty bad, J.R.

[ChipTait]

39 minutes ago, HakunaSakata said:

 

I would rather have chlamydia than Aroldis Chapman or Craig Kimbrel anywhere near this team. 

 

Is there a "Post of the Year" award?  

[sportsfan8703]

MLBTR has Chapman at 2/24. I think we’d prefer to give Kimbrel that. 

[Sports Guy]

Get Kopech and see how things fall with several guys. I care less about the closer role as I do just having a bunch of high leverage relievers.

[24fps]

1 hour ago, sportsfan8703 said:

MLBTR has Chapman at 2/24. I think we’d prefer to give Kimbrel that. 

I'd rather give Stephenson less.  Much less chance of buyer's remorse that way.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

36 minutes ago, 24fps said:

I'd rather give Stephenson less.  Much less chance of buyer's remorse that way.

Kimbrel's stat line was pretty good last year except he gave up 10 home runs in 69 innings pitched. I might take Chapman before Kimbrel even with his tendency to get wild.

I like your idea with Stephenson better assuming the Orioles analytics team don't think his performance with the Rays was a fluke. Plus Stephenson budget wise should fit better leaving some money to address other spots.

 

[Billy F-Face3]

Chapman is basically the same as Fujinami at this point in their careers. They can throw fast but they are also wild and melt down alot. They are unreliable.

For high leverage relivers, you need guys you can count on to get the job done in the spot they are called upon. 

For once I agree with @Sports Guy on something, in that we could take a closer by comitee approach like we did at the end of the season and simply play the matchups. That can work too. What's most important is getting reliable high leverage guys to build the bullpen around and having a healthy mix of options between LHP + RHP as well as pitching styles. If Brandon Hyde has a full set of tools to matchup with, that improves the odds in the Orioles favor.

[SteveA]

9 minutes ago, Billy F-Face3 said:

Chapman is basically the same as Fujinami at this point in their careers. They can throw fast but they are also wild and melt down alot. They are unreliable.

For high leverage relivers, you need guys you can count on to get the job done in the spot they are called upon. 

For once I agree with @Sports Guy on something, in that we could take a closer by comitee approach like we did at the end of the season and simply play the matchups. That can work too. What's most important is getting reliable high leverage guys to build the bullpen around and having a healthy mix of options between LHP + RHP as well as pitching styles. If Brandon Hyde has a full set of tools to matchup with, that improves the odds in the Orioles favor.

How many times have fans/analysts/managers talked about closer by committee, playing the matchups, etc?   Seems like it comes up in discussion all the time.

Now how many teams have actually done it.   I mean really done it, not for some transitional period where the Closer-with-a-capital-C was injured or starting to lose his job and other guys were getting shots?

Has any team EVER really done a closer by committee, situationally based, as a strategy, for an entire season or even most of a season, and eschewed having a designated guy who gets the vast majority of save opportunities when he is rested/available?

Honestly, I'd love to see a team try it.   But it rarely if ever happens   In the end, managers guy with a guy the majority of the time.   Until he loses the job to another guy for a while.

[Billy F-Face3]

If they do put 1 guy in the closers role, I hope he gets his own cool music and a light show. That's entertainment.

[Frobby]

7 hours ago, SteveA said:

 

Has any team EVER really done a closer by committee, situationally based, as a strategy, for an entire season or even most of a season, and eschewed having a designated guy who gets the vast majority of save opportunities when he is rested/available?

I feel like it was pretty common in the 60’s and 70’s.  Look at the ‘66 Orioles: Stu Miller 18 saves, Eddie Fisher 14, Dick Hall 7, Moe Drabowski 6, Eddie Watt 4, Gene Brabender 2.

Norm Charlton (26 saves) and Rob Dibble (25) basically shared the job for the 1992 Reds, though Dibble sort of took over in the final two months.

[sportsfan8703]

Wells as closer, and Irvin as the 5th SP, is the biggest risk we have at regression.  Possibly playoff missing regression, but it’s also the cheapest option.

Bradish, Grayson, Means, Kremer, Irvin

Wells, Cano, Coloumbe, Perez, Webb, Hall, Baumann, Baker

Zimmerman in the 2023 Irvin role

The safe play would be to trade for Quintana. Have Wells in the pen. Irvin back to his role in 2023.  Sign one of Kimbrel/Chapman.  Kimbrel preferred.  Those moves would get us to the deadline and mitigate regression.  Then we see where we’re at come deadline time.  

 

[HakunaSakata]

9 hours ago, SteveA said:

How many times have fans/analysts/managers talked about closer by committee, playing the matchups, etc?   Seems like it comes up in discussion all the time.

Now how many teams have actually done it.   I mean really done it, not for some transitional period where the Closer-with-a-capital-C was injured or starting to lose his job and other guys were getting shots?

Has any team EVER really done a closer by committee, situationally based, as a strategy, for an entire season or even most of a season, and eschewed having a designated guy who gets the vast majority of save opportunities when he is rested/available?

Honestly, I'd love to see a team try it.   But it rarely if ever happens   In the end, managers guy with a guy the majority of the time.   Until he loses the job to another guy for a while.

I'd say that a little less than 1/2 the teams in MLB use some form of a closer committee approach throughout the season. All aren't as committed to it as the Rays (i.e., they might ride the hot hand for a few weeks), but the set it and forget type closers are few and far between and seem like they're a dying breed and/or a luxury not a necessity. 

[jamalshw]

I don't think they'll do this, but I would prefer to see them sign someone like E-Rod for the rotation and then trade for a reliever like a Williams or Bednar. That would give you a lockdown closer as well as insurance in the off-chance Bautista doesn't recover as well as we expect/hope. And if he does, just imagine the backend of the 2025 bullpen.