Reds Must Use Sean Marshall Right

Just when I was ready to praise the Cincinnati Reds for the addition of Sean Marshall to the bullpen as a potentially critical set-up man I hear that the team might rely on him as a closer.

No, no, no.

The former Chicago Cub thrower is a perfect middle relief guy, but not a certainty for the end-of-the-game role. He was exquisitely cast as a bridge pitcher to the ninth inning (and he had some good moments as a starter), but the Reds looked smart adding Mat Latos to the rotation and they look smart for trying to retain Francisco Cordero as the closer.

After the disappointing 2011 season, following a division title with a fizzle, Reds general manager Walt Jocketty has been judiciously aggressive in the off-season. The pitching needed shoring up and he shipped four guys to San Diego to grab Latos. The potential payoff is big.

Then he swung the deal to land Marshall, a 29-year-old southpaw who for two years has been an exemplary middle man in the pen. In 2010, Marshall went 7-5 in 80 appearances with an earned run average of 2.65. In 2011, Marshall went 6-6 in 78 appearances with an earned run average of 2.26. He hasn’t started a game since 2009 because it seems he has found his niche in a different role.

Don’t mess with it. The Reds are a fine hitting team and when the pitching staff broke down, Jocketty shrewdly tracked down the pitchers he felt he needed to fix the situation. After some swaps, the tools were in place with Latos as a potential ace and with Marshall becoming the counted-on everyday man in the bullpen.

Just think, he played in 80 games two years ago and 78 last year. That means one pitcher made it into the lineup for half the schedule, and compiled superb ERAs both years. That’s a valuable performer.

If the Reds are trying to put a no-weakness team on the field to start the 2012 season, they are pretty close. Cordero has been a lights-out closer most of the time and he wants big bucks. In 2006, Cordero recorded 44 saves for Milwaukee. The last four seasons his saves total for the Reds read this way: 34, 39, 40, 37.

Surely the Reds are willing to pay Cordero well, just probably not for as long as the 36-year-old reliever wants. But Cincinnati can’t afford to mess around with experiments like dropping Marshall into the bullpen as a closer. The Reds are much better off with Marshalldoing what he does best and having Cordero on hand to do what he does best.

The Reds want to be able to sit back and gaze at the roster and conclude they are going to spring training in tip-top shape to contend for the NL pennant, not having to wonder who is going to stop the opposition late in games. If Cordero doesn’t sign, the Reds must trade for another established closer. By shifting Marshall into the closer’s role they are taking a big gamble and might be weakening two spots instead of solving a problem.