It seems like the Texas Rangers and I have the same question/problem with Neftali Feliz each spring. Is he a solid closer at a great price or is the arm and stuff so potentially dominant they there would be more value if he started every fifth day?
Well I can adjust a lot easier than the Rangers can, but I would prefer to know their decision if not his success sooner than they will get there. After all a trade is not one of their options but it is for my AL keeper team.
Let’s go back to the 2010 season. Feliz had been promoted from my “Farm Team” to a three dollar salary because he made the Rangers opening day roster. He was the “junior” closer for my team since I had Joakim Soria in the final year of his contract at 15C10. Both had good years and lots of saves and the CAPTAINS won the pennant.
Last winter, I had the following pitchers on my roster
Neftali Feliz 3D10
Tommy Hunter 10F10
Colby Lewis 10F10
Carl Pavano 6D10
Ricky Romero 3D09
Brett Cecil 3D09
I also had three pitchers that were likely to make their teams 2011 Opening Day rosters – Jeremy Hellickson, Michael Pineda, and Jordan Walden. [Our league has a minor league draft every year with each team getting five new minor leaguers after the auction. Rookie status is not a requirement; the players just have to be on American League minor league rosters. With no limit to the number of minor leaguers that can be kept – well other than the $5 for each player kept from the previous year – the Farm rosters can get close to twenty players]
Hunter and Pavano I would certainly waive if they couldn’t be traded. Romero would have to be signed to a contract if I wanted to keep him beyond the 2011 season – Cecil was also promoted as a minor league in 2009 but I wouldn’t be extending him. But the key was Feliz. Would the Mariners keep him closing games or would they stretch him out and move him into the rotation?
If I was losing Feliz as a closer I would not have one on the roster and at that point it wasn’t clear whether Walden was going to make the team much less be closing. So I went looking for a trade and after a few conversations, traded Cecil, Walden and my 3rd round minor league pick for Jose Valverde (17D10), Joaquin Benoit (10F10) and a 2nd round minor league draft pick.
As the freeze deadline neared the Rangers still hadn’t made a decision so I decide to keep Benoit – yes it was Papa Grande insurance but Benoit had terrific numbers in 2010 for Tampa and with my very cheap Feliz, Romero, Hellickson, and Pineda I could afford to spend the extra dollars.
Well hindsight is terrific – as opposed to Benoit. But Feliz remained a closer and Valverde had a career year, so my Saves were in good shape – I didn’t lead the league, in fact my 81 were third, just one save out of second. But my pitching was second or third in all categories but WHIP where I was first. On the other hand Walden closed right away and I no longer had that cheap asset.
Back to this winter and the subject of Feliz in the rotation is back in play. True I can/will keep Valverde for his final year at $17, but if Feliz joins Romero (8C12), Hellickson, Pineda, and Harrison in my rotation, I will have to find a second closer via trade or in the auction. And I still have to decide on whether to retain Lewis or Justin Masterson (10R11) or see if there is a buyer for either.
And I have to decide on what the best contract for Feliz will be – for sure I will extend him for one more year – the question is whether he will be worth an additional five dollars for 2014 – and that would be a lot clearer if I knew if he were starting or closing.
But the Rangers don’t know either.{jcomments on}