Notice the clever illiteration there?
The Cubs announced Sunday that Kevin Gregg will be their closer this year. Carlos Marmol will remain in the set-up role, where he was effective last season, leading all MLB relievers with 114 strikeouts.
Marmol was disappointed with the decision and let his feelings be known.
"I think they knew what they (wanted) to do before I got here," Marmol told the Sun-Times. "That's why I say there's not a competition."
Despite Marmol's complaints, I think this is a wise choice by manager Lou Piniella. You have to consider the composition of the entire Cubs bullpen. Once you get past Gregg and Marmol, it's not very good.
Neal Cotts, Luis Vizcaino, Aaron Heilman, these are the other guys Piniella has to choose from in late-inning situations. Marmol is the only reliever on the staff who can come into a jam and get a couple key strikeouts to get his team out of trouble. Gregg is more suited to starting an inning.
For those reasons, it's a no-brainer to use Marmol in the 7th/8th inning role and Gregg in the ninth.
Here's a potential scenario for you: Say the Cubs are leading 3-2 in the seventh. The opposition has runners at the corners with one out. How do you think has the best chance to get out of the inning and protect the lead? Gregg? Marmol? Cotts? Vizcaino? Heilman?
I'd go with Marmol. Sometimes the game needs saving in the seventh inning, not the ninth.
Piniella had some amusing comments today in response to Marmol's disappointment. The skipper told the right-hander to "get over it and pitch." Classic Lou.
Come June, Carlos Marmol will be the closer.
I don't think Kevin Gregg is anything to write home. Once he blows couple of saves, the drunken Wrigley Field fans will get restless by booing him and threatening Gregg, and then Lou has no choice to use Marmol as the closer just to satisfy the drunks.
Plus, it's easy for Gregg to amass many saves in Florida since he was pitching for a team that had nothing to lose not to mention playing in an environment where no one cares. In Chicago, it's a whole new ballgame, and I am not sure if Gregg is the right guy for that situation. Gregg is shaky when he is out on the mound. Think Todd Jones when you think of Gregg. This is not going to cut it at the North Side.
I understood the reason why the Cubs decided to let Kerry Wood walk when you look at his injury history, but the Cubs should have signed Francisco Rodriguez or Brian Fuentes, who are better closers. It makes sense to use Marmol as a setup guy as long as you have a proven closer in the ninth inning, and Gregg is just not the guy.
The Cubs were never going to be in the hunt for K-Rod or Fuentes, though, because they were trying to free up salary to acquire a left-handed bat. That turned out to be Milton Bradley.
The Cubs cut ties with Wood and traded Mark DeRosa for prospects so they could afford to sign Bradley.
I think they blew it trading DeRosa, but that's another story entirely.
I never understood why they wanted Bradley. Sure he is a good player, but he is hurt often, and I just wonder if Chicago is for him. I am curious to see what happens to Bradley at the North Side.
The Cubs clearly needed a closer. I mean getting Gregg is nice, but again, it will be interesting how he does over there. Give me a prove closer anytime. There is something to be said about closers winning championships. The 9th inning of a ballgame is the toughest job of a closer. Just ask the New York Mets or any closers that closed for the Mets over the years like Randy Myers, John Franco, Armando Benitez, Braden Looper, and Billy Wagner. They overpaid for K-Rod since he has proven that he can seal the deal.
I never understood trading DeRosa either.
I know the Cubs are operating under a certain budget like most teams outside of the Red Sox and the Yankees, but throwing that money on Bradley when they were better off with K-Rod was not a smart thing to do.
While White Sox fans are trying to get Mike MacDougal out of town, how long until Cubs fans get on Kevin Gregg? We haven't completed the first week of the season yet Gregg blew his first save of the game yesterday.
I was watching the MLB Network highlights yesterday, and they had Lou's presser courtest of CSN Chicago, and Lou looked like he wanted to go kill someone after that blown save by Gregg at Miller Park.
Like I said, Marmol will close come July.
If the Cubs move Marmol to closer, they might have trouble keeping the lead through the seventh and eighth innings. The North Siders have quite a motley crew of crap in middle relief: Neal Cotts, Aaron Heilman, Luis Vizcaino, etc. That's the Achilles heel of their team.
So Lou Piniella almost pulls a Terry Bevington last night at Petco Park. The story was Lou was ready to take Gregg out until he realize he did not call no one to warm up as guys were looking clueless. Gregg was forced to be in and walk a batter while a guy was warming up. Gregg had to pitch through it, and he gave up a three-run home run, and it was all over. Another day, another loss for our lovable losers.
Several points to make out:
-- Is Lou getting ripped for trying to pull a Bevington? I find it funny Bevington was ripped for having a reliever come into the game even if he did not warm up. The thing Bevington called up a reliever to walk a batter because he did not want to see that previous pitcher pitch so Bevington has that going for him. What's Lou excuse? That's lack of being alert. Isn't a manager supposed to be aware of this situation not fall asleep in this case? This has me wonder if Lou has what it takes to be mentally aware. He has looked like Forrest Gump all season by not caring or not paying attention. If you are the Cubs, why would you pay a manager that much money for not being alert on little things?
-- I don't see Lou coming back after this. This is grounds for firing or resignation. Either one, and it has to happen after this disappointing season. It's funny how Dusty Baker got ripped for the same mistakes Lou was getting yet Lou continues to get a pass for this? Are you seriously kidding? I remember the jokes at WSI about Dusty's ability to manage. Heck even the folks at Motown Sports got into the act too. Am I missing something? And please stop about me hating the lovable losers. This is a fact.
-- Kevin Gregg was a dumb acquistion. This guy was blowing saves for the Marlins. What part of that did Jim Hendry not figure it out? I don't want pat myself in the back, but I saw that coming when this acquisition was made. The Marlins are better in that closer role than they was last year with Leo Nunez closing games. Problem is who can close? You ask me. I thought Marmol was a better answer, but he stinks this year. Still had Lou named Marmol the closer from the start, I wonder if he would have been ineffective. When you toy a reliever around like that, he would likely struggle.
-- Hendry did not have a good offseason, and if I am the new owner or the current owner of the Cubs, I am not sure I want Hendry to run the Cubs. He screwed up on Bradley knowing full well Bradley gets injured often not to mention the guy can't play in a town where everything gets magnified. He also had to know Gregg was not a closer acquistion. Come to think of it, Hendry should have done his homework on Soriano knowing full well Soriano is too streaky of a hitter that does not deserve that type of money.
The Cubs got what they deserve here last night and this season overall.