Is this the end for Mesa?

[strong]

5 ER in 3.1 IP in last three games, 2 blown saves, 3 losses, 4 BBs, 2 Ks... 4 losses in his last 5 games...

I know he converted 24 straight before this, but he is nearing 40 and often times old players hit a wall and nose dive...

Someone in my points league that needed another reliever just offered Edmonds for him and I was shocked. Took that in a heartbeat.

Perhaps it is nearing Gonzalez time?

[Jwilliams5521]

doubtful. not until he gets traded will gonzalez inherit the job is my guess. hes being showcased for some team to pick him up before the deadline and it would kill his value to be demoted from the closers role.

[strong]

I hear yah... but three bad outings like this has to raise some eyebrows... It would be interesting to see what the Pirates could even get for him...

[Yoda]

Mesa won't be traded. He wasn't last year and it won't be any different this year.

Correct me if I am wrong but Gonzalez is eligible for arbitration? If that is the case, they won't be in any hurry to covert him to a closer.

[ravenmad22]

Mesa won't be traded. He wasn't last year and it won't be any different this year.

Correct me if I am wrong but Gonzalez is eligible for arbitration? If that is the case, they won't be in any hurry to covert him to a closer.

You are correct. I think that Torres would get a crack at it before Gonzalez simply because Gonzalez will come much cheaper without the "closer" tag.

Mesa has a huge leash, though. I wouldn't expect him to lose the job because of bad performance any time soon.

[Secret Avatar]

Mesa will keep the closers job no matter how poorly he pitches SO LONG as he keeps saving games. Real life managers don't care that a closer might be ruining fantasy team's ERA and WHIP totals. But if he keeps blowing games, he's history just like any other closer. He'll probably get the benefit of the doubt, but in the end he's paid to save games and he'll get the boot if he doesn't.

As for thinking that the team might be holding Gonzo back to get him cheap in arbitration, I don't buy that at all. The team wants to win NOW, and the managers have to win NOW, or they'll lose their jobs. I don't see anyway they'd deliberately sabotage their chances of winning in order to (maybe) save a few bucks in arbitration.

[swyck]

None of these arguments make a lot of sense to me.

Are you saying the Pirates would rather lose games then play their best players? I'm not saying bench Mesa after a bad game or two, but if he doesn't turn it around he won't keep the job.

Gonzo is their best reliever after that. If they dont want to keep him then they're going to want to show case him for a trade.

[Mercer Boy]

None of these arguments make a lot of sense to me.

Are you saying the Pirates would rather lose games then play their best players? I'm not saying bench Mesa after a bad game or two, but if he doesn't turn it around he won't keep the job.

I watch every game, and sometimes it does look like they want to lose.

They are playing guys like Tike Redman who is hitting like .180 and has made numerous fielding errors and keeping Jack Wilson in the 2 slot of the order when he's batting .190. None of these things make sense, but the team has such little talent that there's not much else Lloyd can do.

Mesa has said he would retire rather than play for another team. That's going to be in the backs of the minds of any prospective trading suitors. If they don't get a good deal for him, he will stay - that's it. I very seriously doubt they will move him to MR. Two of the games he lost were due to balls that could have been played but were not by the defense. So, it's not all his fault. He isn't just giving up jacks and consecutive hits like Graves was. He has always let people get on base, but he normally gets out of it. You can't expect the guy to go on a Gagne save streak.

That said, I doubt he will be demoted to MR. But, I'm not Lloyd...you'd have to ask him what he's going to do.

[rlee]

I'm not sure Gonzalez is the inheritor to the closing position. I think it may be Salomon Torres.

[reznorsboy]

I think the money issue with Gonzalez prolly plays into this alot more than we think