The Washington Nationals plucked relief pitcher Casey Janssen off the free agent market this week, and have started the merry-go-round for relievers. The Milwaukee Brewers are reportedly interested in trading for Philadelphia's Jonathan Papelbon, with last year's closer Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez as their fallback plan.
I get impression #Brewers would like to find way to do problematic Papelbon trade. If that fails, fall-back position likely is K-Rod.
— Tom (@Haudricourt) January 28, 2015
There may be a problem with those plans however-the Toronto Blue Jays. With Janssen no longer an option, it looks like Toronto is turning their attention to K-Rod, who saved 44 games in 2014, the fifth-best total in MLB.
#BlueJays in contact w/ reps for multiple free-agent relievers, including Francisco Rodriguez, Rafael Soriano, Burke Badenhop, sources say. — Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 29, 2015
Toronto's bullpen on paper right now is a weakness, with soft-tossing Brett Cecil listed as the Opening Day closer. Since transitioning into full-time relief, Cecil's had success out of the bullpen. Last year he was 2-3 with a 2.70 ERA, and a phenomenal 12.83 K/9. He had five saves and blew two save chances.
Cecil's past as a starter, and his rapidly improving strikeout rate make him better suited for a fireman role like the one Dellin Betances enjoyed for the Yankees. Cecil may be of greater use being deployed in high-leverage situations early in games, then remaining on the mound as a bridge to the ninth inning.
The options behind Cecil as of now do not inspire much confidence, so K-Rod, even though his advanced metrics are uglier than the more typical stats, would be a welcome addition to the club.
If they do ink Rodriguez before the Brewers decide their course of action on Papelbon, Milwaukee will have to decide whether to sign Rafael Soriano, another free agent reliever, or stick with Jonathan Broxton as their closer.
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