Thoughts on this signing:

 

1) It will be regretted

2) What is a closer for when you are trotting Volstad, Nolasco, Hand, Sanabia, etc. to the mound?

3) Ceda's minor league numbers suggest he can do as well if not better than Bell. I'd give him the shot.

4) The over/under on blown saves for 2012 for Bell is 7.

 

 

I don't expect to see a lot of these guys on the team (Volstad, Nolasco could very well be traded), or for some of them, playing in a Major League game with the Marlins in 2012 (Hand, Sanabia only if someone gets hurt and they haven't been traded). And I'd rather have a proven All-Star closer shut things down than a dude who has pitched a total of 29 Major League innings (Ceda). We're "for real" now.

Thoughts on this signing:

 

1) It will be regretted

2) What is a closer for when you are trotting Volstad, Nolasco, Hand, Sanabia, etc. to the mound?

3) Ceda's minor league numbers suggest he can do as well if not better than Bell. I'd give him the shot.

4) The over/under on blown saves for 2012 for Bell is 7.

 

 

Sanabia, and Hand for that matter are going to be good, if not great major league starters. Sanabia has proven his ability, and hand is still extremely young. Volstad more likely then not will be traded, but even if we sign CJ, or Buehrle at least 1 or perhaps even 2 of those guys will be in our rotation, just hope they(nolasco) gets better. Ceda hasn't even had an entire major league season under his belt, putting him in the closer role is idiotic. If our ballpark plays the way we expect it to, then bell should be very effective, at home at very least. I strongly believe we get reyes, and one of the two others mentioned. The only thing i'm not sure of is what we get for volstad, coghlan, and anyone else we could move. The trades will define how good we are this year, assuming we do get the free agents.

9 mill a yr.. bad deal.

9 mill a yr.. bad deal.

 

Great analysis, as always.

That's the market. If you want to sign a premier player, you have to be willing to spend some money.

would have rather re-signed Leo and given Capuano what the Dodgers just did.

whatever.

great signing I dont care how much it cost or how old he is ... Bell is still the elite closer in the league.

 

I am also all up for Mujica as the set up guy

I've never considered "closer" to be worth the money it commands as saves are a pretty sh*tty statistic, but that doesn't mean that a signing like this will not help solidify a pen. Even if Ceda would be the greatest closer of all time, the additional quality pitcher in the pen will push the inferior players off the mound.

 

As far as the troll criticism of guys like Mujica (and is 1.026 WHIP) - stay classy.

would have rather re-signed Leo and given Capuano what the Dodgers just did.

whatever.

 

 

That sounds like a terrible idea.

Wow.

 

Agreed with bobbob, if this were a typical offseason I wouldn't be real happy with the move. And it may not even make all that much difference in record. But you can't ignore that it looks good, guys like Buehrle and CJ and Reyes see this going down.

 

So if it leads to even bigger things, sure I'm all in. The pen was already basically a strength so I don't think it was a huge position of need, we certainly could've tried out one of the other guys at closer and still jettisoned ex-Leo.

 

I just didn't want them to sign a pricey closer if it was going to limit the amount we had to spend to outbid everyone for a #2 starter. So we'll see what happens.

 

Finally some excitement!

Thoughts on this signing:

 

1) It will be regretted

2) What is a closer for when you are trotting Volstad, Nolasco, Hand, Sanabia, etc. to the mound?

3) Ceda's minor league numbers suggest he can do as well if not better than Bell. I'd give him the shot.

4) The over/under on blown saves for 2012 for Bell is 7.

 

 

Sanabia, and Hand for that matter are going to be good, if not great major league starters. Sanabia has proven his ability, and hand is still extremely young. Volstad more likely then not will be traded, but even if we sign CJ, or Buehrle at least 1 or perhaps even 2 of those guys will be in our rotation, just hope they(nolasco) gets better. Ceda hasn't even had an entire major league season under his belt, putting him in the closer role is idiotic. If our ballpark plays the way we expect it to, then bell should be very effective, at home at very least. I strongly believe we get reyes, and one of the two others mentioned. The only thing i'm not sure of is what we get for volstad, coghlan, and anyone else we could move. The trades will define how good we are this year, assuming we do get the free agents.

 

After 84 major leagues innings Sanabia has proven his ability? Sanabia and Hand are going to be good, if not great major league starters? What have you been smoking?

Well, they're finally signing people. I thought they were going to talk to every available superstar in the league and, I don't know, do something like sign Kyra Sedgwick as the closer.

She ugly.

People aren't happy with the signing because its an overpay for a guy who will give you 65 innings max, who already regressed last year, who is signed through his age 37 season and whos perception was greatly enhanced due to pitching in the best pitchers park in the league.

 

Hensley, Webb, Mujica, Leblanc and Bell? Beinfest and co must have forgotten what park effects are.

 

 

Bell is not a product of Petco.

 

Have Hensley, Webb, and Mujica been a problem?

I've never considered "closer" to be worth the money it commands as saves are a pretty sh*tty statistic, but that doesn't mean that a signing like this will not help solidify a pen. Even if Ceda would be the greatest closer of all time, the additional quality pitcher in the pen will push the inferior players off the mound.

 

As far as the troll criticism of guys like Mujica (and is 1.026 WHIP) - stay classy.

 

Who complained about Mujica?

Bell, Cishek, and Mujica provide a really nice backend on the BP. And Ceda might have figured it out, too.

Thoughts on this signing:

 

1) It will be regretted

2) What is a closer for when you are trotting Volstad, Nolasco, Hand, Sanabia, etc. to the mound?

3) Ceda's minor league numbers suggest he can do as well if not better than Bell. I'd give him the shot.

4) The over/under on blown saves for 2012 for Bell is 7.

 

 

2) The only one of those starters we might plan on trotting out next year is Nolasco.

 

4) Why? Did Heath Bell have a Leo Nunez-like name change that I wasn't aware of?

would have rather re-signed Leo and given Capuano what the Dodgers just did.

whatever.

 

 

Heath Bell > Juan Carlos and Capuano.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/heath-bell-and-park-effects/

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/marlins-reel-in-heath-bell/

The pen was already basically a strength

 

are you kidding me?

 

the pen gave up an OPS of .777 in the ninth inning (dead last in the NL, 29th in majors) and a 3.75 ERA from the 7th inning on (22nd in majors)

 

sure we still need SP, CF, and IF but the pen was the biggest hole in my opinion.

 

whenever you start to feel bad about how much money bell is getting.. just remember what philadelphia just did to secure their pen.

They have a much larger payroll.

I still don't see why people keep saying that Bell is a product of Petco. Sure, he's better at Petco but he hasn't been a bad pitcher away from Petco.

 

Of his last five years, he's only had one bad season away from Petco.

 

The only reason why this should be criticized is because committing to a closer long-term is not the best investment. In terms of how good Heath Bell has been and the market for closers, Heath Bell is certainly worth what he got.

Even if he was a product of Petco, our stadium isn't exactly a hitters park (at least I don't think!).

Any word when the physical was being done today? I wonder when we will get official word.

The pen was already basically a strength

 

are you kidding me?

 

the pen gave up an OPS of .777 in the ninth inning (dead last in the NL, 29th in majors) and a 3.75 ERA from the 7th inning on (22nd in majors)

 

sure we still need SP, CF, and IF but the pen was the biggest hole in my opinion.

 

whenever you start to feel bad about how much money bell is getting.. just remember what philadelphia just did to secure their pen.

Leo/JC was the man to get rid of (in that role at that price, at least), and we did that.

They just discussed the Marlins getting Heath Bell on Intentional Talk. Chris Rose (this guy, ugh) compared signing a closer first to ordering your tux and making dinner reservations for prom without having a date yet. Seriously, he makes Kevin Millar look (mildly) intelligent.