seatlle closer?

[ogaley]

I see Guardado got the save last night...does anyone know what the deal is? Has Guardado regained the closer role???

[Chuckles]

I see Guardado got the save last night...does anyone know what the deal is? Has Guardado regained the closer role???

Putz pitched 3 straight games...giving Guardado the opp. I don't see Eddie getting the job back because of this...at some point as Hargrove said, he probably will get the chance, but not yet IMO...I did pick up Eddie though!!!

[The Loveable Losers]

I expect that he'll keep the job from now on, actually. Hope not though.

This from CBS:

Because J.J. Putz has pitched in the last three games for the M's, the Mariners will have to look for another closer for Monday's game against Baltimore, should the situation arise. That could mean a return to the ninth inning for lefty Eddie Guardado, who did not pitch Sunday. After Sunday's game, manager Mike Hargrove reiterated that he wanted eventually to move Guardado back into the closer's role because he felt that gave the Mariners better balance.
(Updated 05/22/2006).

I've seen the same reports on Rotowire. It makes all the sense in the world from an organizational standpoint to get Guardado back into the closer role. He has more trade value if he's a solid closer, he's in his walk year, the team has two other solid options to close (Putz and Soriano) and they're not going anywhere this year anyways. If Guardado succeeds as a closer for a month without imploding again or getting hurt then they'll almost certainly get some worthwhile prospects for him in a deal to a closer starved team (Atlanta?). If they keep him setting up they're less likely to get the type of return that they want on him.

Putz has been the better closer. Soriano could do a better job as well. I'm not going to debate with people which pitchers would be better because there's no contest - Soriano and Putz win hands-down. But fantasy players often overlook the business end of baseball and Guardado returning to his closer position is a sound business move for the Seattle Mariners.

[Joe Mauer]

UGH! Now Putz and Walker are available and I am afraid to drop COrdero or Baez for one of them. And I HAVE to drop one of those two.

This is pretty much a no brainer. Drop Baez (who has lost his job and will lose it even more in a week when Gagne returns) and grab Putz!

Thanks for the advice man. Problem is, I only have one move left in this league to make on the closer position and I loose all the past stats of the player I drop and gain all those past stats of the player I pick up. This is a 5X5 roto league.

So I gotta wait it out a bit longer to see if: 1. He is for real the guy for the season...at least projected to be the guy. 2. Cordero continues to be the set up guy. If this happens, Cordero (Francisco) is the one I'll drop most likely. But yes, in a more normal league...it is a no-brainer.

[kid sox]

Thanks for the advice man. Problem is, I only have one move left in this league to make on the closer position and I loose all the past stats of the player I drop and gain all those past stats of the player I pick up. This is a 5X5 roto league.

So I gotta wait it out a bit longer to see if: 1. He is for real the guy for the season...at least projected to be the guy. 2. Cordero continues to be the set up guy. If this happens, Cordero (Francisco) is the one I'll drop most likely. But yes, in a more normal league...it is a no-brainer.

I've never heard of a league where you can drop a player a lose all his past stats.

[pangbones]

"Manager Mike Hargrove said for the first time the current bullpen arrangement of RHP J.J. Putz as closer and demoted closer Eddie Guardado and RHP Rafael Soriano as the primary setup relievers could remain for the rest of the season. "Or it could be for a week," Hargrove said, acknowledging how fleeting bullpen success can be. Hargrove repeated that LHP Guardado, 35, being the closer would be the optimum arrangement because that is how the team's bullpen was designed for this season. But Putz, 29, had six saves in seven opportunities entering Tuesday, led AL relievers with 33 strikeouts and had allowed one run in 13 games. He credits Guardado with teaching him a new split-finger fastball for his success. Guardado got his fifth save in eight chances Monday -- only because Putz had saves in each of the three previous games and was unavailable. "

Putz was terrible last night. That could be the all the "excuse" Hargrove needs to give Eddie the job back. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

[The Loveable Losers]

"Manager Mike Hargrove said for the first time the current bullpen arrangement of RHP J.J. Putz as closer and demoted closer Eddie Guardado and RHP Rafael Soriano as the primary setup relievers could remain for the rest of the season. "Or it could be for a week," Hargrove said, acknowledging how fleeting bullpen success can be. Hargrove repeated that LHP Guardado, 35, being the closer would be the optimum arrangement because that is how the team's bullpen was designed for this season. But Putz, 29, had six saves in seven opportunities entering Tuesday, led AL relievers with 33 strikeouts and had allowed one run in 13 games. He credits Guardado with teaching him a new split-finger fastball for his success. Guardado got his fifth save in eight chances Monday -- only because Putz had saves in each of the three previous games and was unavailable. "

Putz was terrible last night. That could be the all the "excuse" Hargrove needs to give Eddie the job back. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

From Hargrove's quote there I fully expect Jamie Moyer to enter the closer mix at some point this year.

[Howie]

"Manager Mike Hargrove said for the first time the current bullpen arrangement of RHP J.J. Putz as closer and demoted closer Eddie Guardado and RHP Rafael Soriano as the primary setup relievers could remain for the rest of the season. "Or it could be for a week," Hargrove said, acknowledging how fleeting bullpen success can be. Hargrove repeated that LHP Guardado, 35, being the closer would be the optimum arrangement because that is how the team's bullpen was designed for this season. But Putz, 29, had six saves in seven opportunities entering Tuesday, led AL relievers with 33 strikeouts and had allowed one run in 13 games. He credits Guardado with teaching him a new split-finger fastball for his success. Guardado got his fifth save in eight chances Monday -- only because Putz had saves in each of the three previous games and was unavailable. "

How ironic is that?

[zevon]

To describe Putz as terrible last night is a gross understatement, and it's ominous to me that he's out as closer as he wasn't even in a save situation.
I was at 6.2 IP, ERA 0.00, Whip .74, 1 W, 1 Save (Penny, Rivera) - after JJ's "performance" of .1 IP 4 ER 108.00 ERA 9.00 WHIP, I now stand at 7 IP, 5.14 ERA and 1.43 WHIP...
I had cut Jones a couple weeks back and inexplicably, no one picked him up.
He's back on my team now...

[The Loveable Losers]

To describe Putz as terrible last night is a gross understatement, and it's ominous to me that he's out as closer as he wasn't even in a save situation.
I was at 6.2 IP, ERA 0.00, Whip .74, 1 W, 1 Save (Penny, Rivera) - after JJ's "performance" of .1 IP 4 ER 108.00 ERA 9.00 WHIP, I now stand at 7 IP, 5.14 ERA and 1.43 WHIP...
I had cut Jones a couple weeks back and inexplicably, no one picked him up.
He's back on my team now...

My h2h opponent this week has Putz. Good thing too since I have Heilman and Dessens.