- Reds are moving Aroldis Chapman back to closer http://wp.me/p1r8T8-iwH
The Reds deny that a decision has been made, but The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Thursday morning that the team will announce Chapman's return to the bullpen "barring a significant change in minds.""I don't know where that came from," manager Dusty Baker told the newspaper Thursday afternoon. "We didn't say that. There's plenty of speculation every day. We'll let you know soon. Then we can put it to rest and no more talking about it. I'm sure everybody has an opinion one way or the other no matter which way we go. It's a topic of discussion."That is an understatement.Although Baker has let it be known he wants Chapman to close, the debate really heated up last weekend when Chapman said he would rather close than start. That is why this decision, which doesn't necessarily make the Reds a better team, smacks of the organization not so much bowing to the manager's wishes, but to the player's.The Reds signed Chapman to a six-year, $30.25 million contract in 2010. They signed him to eventually start games, not to be a high-priced, one-inning specialist. Chapman conquered the world of closing games, notching 38 saves and striking out 15.3 hitters per nine innings last season. He also harnessed his control and began to develop secondary pitches to accompany his triple-digit fastball.
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#Reds are moving Chapman back into the bullpen. http://ow.ly/jhQwv#FantasyBaseball#MLB - Worth another read as
#Reds try to decide on Aroldis Chapman's role http://fantasysource.sportingnews.com/baseball/experts/freeview/craig-williams/2013-02-12/mlb-fantasy-baseball-projections-closers-aroldis-chapman-starting-rotation-sale …#fantasybaseball
Thursday, March 21, 2013
#Reds Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Reds have decided to shift him back to the closer
HardballTalk 