Read the linked article. Overpaying for an
'elite' relief pitcher is not a terribly wise course of action.
http://blogs.thescore.com/mlb/2011/11/10/theres-no-need-to-spend-money-on-a-proven-closer/
The article doesn't really make that case. 8 of the 10 listed are specialists that have defined, non-closer roles.
I am absolutely convinced that closers have entirely different mentalities. Raw numbers do not tell the whole story. Further, a true closer (someone who gets the tough saves as well as the easy ones - and can forget a blown save the next day) normally has a domino effect on the rest of the bullpen and team.
I'm also not into over-valuing mediocre closers (Ryan Madsen this year) or giving any closer in or near his prime not named Mariano Rivera contracts longer than 3 years, but if one can get an elite closer, it helps set up the entire bullpen. Pitchers have defined roles and usually thrive in such a system.
At the end of the day, the Jays HAVE to do something to shore up their 'pen. It saps the confidence of the whole team every time the crapshoot that is the currrent Jays bullpen blows another save and it pisses off the starters to no end. Blowing 25 saves in 58 opportunities as the Jays 'pen did this year is unacceptable.
The average save percentage is about 80% - meaning the Jays left
13 wins on the table thanks to a lack of viable closer.
(10 wins if you go with 75% save conversion.) With the margin for error so small in the uber-competitive AL East and with an extra playoff spots coming up, that is a huge difference.
