We also have no idea if the Bell signing in any way helped convince Reyes to sign here and if either signing influenced Buehlre's signing. So it may have been a necessary move.

 

Edit: I'd also like to point out that the Bell signing is only negative if either his on-field performance declines severely this year or if by signing him we lost out on another free agent that would have been more helpful for the team.

In Cishek's case, the more balls are put in play, the better the chances are for baserunners. Especially considering that we don't really have the best defensive infield in the world out there. That's pretty simple, really.

 

If his K/9 drops to somewhere around 8.0 (which is close to his minor league average), it's unlikely to have a severely detrimental impact on his game. That's just a handful of of strikeouts over the course of the season. That's where you are reaching.

 

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Cishek's K/9 beats Bell's in 2012 (who pitched more to contact last year).

I know this is the age of statistics and all, but I think the Heath Bell signing also gives us peace of mind in the playoffs.

 

I mean, who would you rather be closing a Game 7 - Heath Bell or Edward Mujica?

 

I bet that Rangers fans thought they had peace of mind with Neftali Feliz this past World Series.

 

More peace of mind than when they had Darren Oliver and Mark Lowe out there.

 

As a matter of fact, if Ron Washington wasn't such an idiot/sends Feliz out for a second inning, we might just be talking about the Texas Rangers as World Series champions.

 

Or maybe if Nelson Cruz doesn't play the Freese 3B like an idiot; that would've helped too.

I don't remember Feliz pitching two innings in game 6. And weren't you the guy who said that there was no way that Cruz catches that ball?

We also have no idea if the Bell signing in any way helped convince Reyes to sign here and if either signing influenced Buehlre's signing. So it may have been a necessary move.

 

Edit: I'd also like to point out that the Bell signing is only negative if either his on-field performance declines severely this year or if by signing him we lost out on another free agent that would have been more helpful for the team.

 

Unless there is any tangible proof, you can't really make that claim, can you?

 

It seems likely to me that the Bell signing wouldn't have mattered much because there didn't seem to be much of a market for Reyes and no other team appeared close to matching the Marlins' offer.

In Cishek's case, the more balls are put in play, the better the chances are for baserunners. Especially considering that we don't really have the best defensive infield in the world out there. That's pretty simple, really.

 

If his K/9 drops to somewhere around 8.0 (which is close to his minor league average), it's unlikely to have a severely detrimental impact on his game. That's just a handful of of strikeouts over the course of the season. That's where you are reaching.

 

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Cishek's K/9 beats Bell's in 2012 (who pitched more to contact last year).

 

Considering Bell has a history of great K/9's, it's certainly not unrealistic to expect him to have a better K/9 than Bell. It's not as if his velocity, etc. worsened last year. I certainly expect Bell to improve his K/9. Maybe not back into 10+, but certainly near a K per inning, I wouldn't doubt it.

 

Bell has shown elite upside, while there's no indication that Cishek continues it. Again, I'm not saying Cishek won't continue being a quality big-league reliever; I'm saying he's unlikely to be as elite as he was last year. He and Mujica are basically good big league relievers, not in Bell's league.

I know this is the age of statistics and all, but I think the Heath Bell signing also gives us peace of mind in the playoffs.

 

I mean, who would you rather be closing a Game 7 - Heath Bell or Edward Mujica?

 

I bet that Rangers fans thought they had peace of mind with Neftali Feliz this past World Series.

 

More peace of mind than when they had Darren Oliver and Mark Lowe out there.

 

As a matter of fact, if Ron Washington wasn't such an idiot/sends Feliz out for a second inning, we might just be talking about the Texas Rangers as World Series champions.

 

Or maybe if Nelson Cruz doesn't play the Freese 3B like an idiot; that would've helped too.

I don't remember Feliz pitching two innings in game 6. And weren't you the guy who said that there was no way that Cruz catches that ball?

 

I also said he played it like an idiot off the wall, which resulted in the tying run scoring.