What Does A Yankee Closer Have To Do, To Keep His Job?
December 29, 2015
Peter Solari Follow @4PeteSakeNY
When Mariano Rivera retired after the 2013 season, many people wondered just who would step up and fill that role for the Yankees. Rivera was the greatest reliever to ever play, so replacing him was never a realistic expectation. Apparently the Yankees, and perhaps this is to their credit, don't believe that.
While the Yankees haven't been able to replace Rivera, per se, at the backend of their bullpen, they've done a pretty good job filling his shoes. The club however, doesn't seem to be satisfied with the results. 2016 will be the third season in the post-Rivera era. The team has had a pair of closers in those first two seasons, and the newest Yankee, Aroldis Chapman, who was traded from the Reds for four minor leaguers on Monday, is the third to wear the pinstripes in as many seasons.
The Yankees signed Rafael Soriano in 2011 to be Rivera's setup man, with the idea of him being the heir apparent whenever the future hall of famer decided to hang them up. Soriano got a chance in 2012, when Rivera was lost for the season, and racked up 42 saves in 46 opportunities. When Soriano opted out of his contract at the end of that season, the emergence of David Robertson was enough for the Yankees to move on past Soriano, without even flinching.
It was Robertson who would succeed Rivera as Yankees' closer in the 2014 season, and he did a magnificent job. You would have never known the Yankees were trying to replace a legend, as the team really didn't skip a beat in that area. Robertson's numbers from 2014 speak for themselves.
David Robertson's 2014 stats courtesy of ESPN
At season's end, however, the Yankees weren't impressed enough to offer Robertson a long-term deal. He balked at the the club's $15 million qualifying offer and took his talents to Chicago, joining the White Sox on a four year deal worth $46 million. For the Yankees, it was back to the drawing board.
Prior to the 2015 season, New York brought Andrew Miller in to compete with prospect Dellin Betances for the closer spot. Before the season, Yankees manager Joe Girardi told the press Miller and Betances would split the closing duties, but it didn't take long for Miller to get a permanent grasp on those responsibilities. Like Robertson before him, Miller had never been a regular closer in the majors, and like Robertson, he exceeded expectations.
Andrew Miller's 2015 stats courtesy of ESPN
Over the past two seasons, Betances has also developed into one of the best young relievers in the game. As a matter of fact, the Yankees had one of the best bullpens in baseball in 2015, and Betances was a big part of it. Relief pitching is what the Yankees do best. It's their bright spot, so what was GM Brian Cashman's motivation for bringing Chapman aboard?
Dellin Betances' 2014 & 2015 stats courtesy of ESPN
To be fair to Cashman and the Yankees, Chapman is one of the best relievers in baseball and, as ESPN's Wallace Matthews reports, the domestic assault allegations he faces lowered the Reds' asking price, to a point the Yankees couldn't refuse.
This trade certainly makes sense from a baseball standpoint because the Yankees didn't have to give up the farm to acquire Chapman. The team's initial plan is to keep Chapman, Miller, and Betances on the roster, creating, quite possibly, the scariest three headed monster in the history of baseball.
It's a formula Joe Torre's Yankees of the 90's perfected, and the Kansas City Royals have resurrected it in the past few seasons as well. Three pitchers of that caliber at the back end of a bullpen, gives a team the ability to shorten the game to six innings, taking a ton of pressure off their starting pitchers and their offense. On paper, the Yankees might have the three best ever assembled. According to the Yankees' PR Department, Chapman, Miller, and Betances averaged the highest number of strikeouts per nine innings, as well as the highest total strikeouts, amongst all relievers in 2015. That's pretty scary!
The YES Network's Meredith Marakovitz is reporting that while Cashman intends on keeping all three flamethrowers in the Yankees bullpen, he will still listen to calls about moving Miller. Marakovitz is also reporting that Miller is willing to do whatever the team asks of him.
Miller is saying the right things, but how happy could he possibly be about this? Last year he did everything the Yankees could've asked for and more, exceeding expectations. This year, what does he get for his troubles? A potential trade.
Multiple other outlets are also reporting that Miller is on the trade block, and Yankees fans really shouldn't be surprised if that happens, for several reasons. First, while the Chapman trade is the Yankees' biggest move of the offseason, it doesn't address any of their weaknesses from last season, it only makes them stronger, where they were already very good. If Cashman comes across an opportunity to upgrade the starting pitching or the offense by trading Miller, he may have no choice but to do so.
Secondly, Miller has proven to everybody that he is a Major League closer. There are a ton of teams who could use his services, and he'd probably prefer to close anyway. Another team's desperation for a top-flight closer could drive his price tag up, which could, once again, leave Cashman in a place where he'll have to accept an offer for Miller. This is probably the best scenario for all involved. It would give Miller the chance to close on the Major League level and earn a big payday. For the Yankees, it would allow them to be reimbursed handsomely for the services of Miller and upgrade another mediocre area of their team. However, if you're a Yankees' fan, don't you want to see what the three of these guys could do together?
It's not even January yet, and we've got a ways to go before pitchers and catchers report to spring training. A lot could happen in that time! However, if the Yankees open camp with Chapman, Miller, and Betances all still on the roster, the club might have one of the greatest relief pitching staffs in the history of baseball.
Keep your fingers crossed that it happens, and stay tuned for more in the coming weeks.
