Madson will be one year removed from Tommy John suregery come Opening Day 2013. Image: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The Angels blew a league-high 22 saves in 2012, a total that left then sitting in third place in the AL West at season’s end. Madson, who missed all of 2012 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, converted 32 or 34 chances when closing games for the Phillies in 2011. He is expected to be ready by Opening Day.

Of course, being able to pitch and being able to pitch effectively are often not the same thing. While pitchers are coming back faster than ever from Tommy John, frequently we have seen that it isn’t until close to two full years have past before those pitchers get back to being what they were before the surgery. Of course, each individual is different. Billy Wagner was back to old form less than a year after going under the knife. Joe Nathan, however, was back on the mound in a year, but didn’t become Joe Nathan again until the second year after the surgery.

The point isn’t that the Madson deal is bad because a one-year commitment is almost never bad but the odds are that Madson looks more like Nathan of 2011 than Nathan of 2012.

Still, the Angels potentially filled a huge need for them and they did so without breaking the bank, presumably. Madson made $8 million for the Reds last year and didn’t throw a pitch. I’d have to think this deal is for somewhere less than that.

Los Angeles used Ernesto Frieri as their closer for most of last season.

Getting Madson signed also allows the Angels to continue their pursuit of starter Zack Greinke, which is where the bulk of their remaining resources are expected to be used this Winter.

Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE

It’s difficult to envision Madson receiving more than a one-year deal this offseason as well considering the obvious need to prove he can return to full effectiveness following the surgery. The right-hander’s K/9 rate has spiked significantly the past three seasons he’s worked (9.1, 10.9, 9.2 respectively) and in that time period he has established himself as a reliable option at the back-end of the bullpen.

Although Madson has just one full season as a closer under his belt, it appears he’s interested in returning to that role. The Phillies were looking to bring him back as a setup man, but an arrangement could not be made. Recently, the Angels have shot up on his list of suitors, and that isn’t surprising for a team that finished near the bottom with a 4.10 reliever FIP a season ago. Provided that Madson is able to pitch as he did before the surgery (a likely bet with the success rate of Tommy John), he should be more than capable of bolstering any team’s bullpen.

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Many baseball fans round off the fastball speed of pitchers to the century mark, but really almost all of them–the fastest of them–flame out in the high 90s. Not Chapman. He really can zip it up to the plate that fast. Not every throw. Not every time. But when the triple digits go up, the fans get a charge out of hit, a brief thrill. Although there is some question whether it was a genuine speed or not, the claimed fastest pitch Chapman has thrown in the majors was clocked at 105.1 mph.

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Not going to  happen. Not at 42. Not with one foot in retirement even before this. It is doubtful that the New York Yankees’ icon will ever step on a big-league mound again except to throw out an honorary first pitch at Yankee Stadium one day in tribute to his fine career.

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Well, not literally, of course. But they can’t lift their pitching arms above their shoulder, have to walk around wearing a sling, or are unable to high five their five-year-olds without grimacing. Being the last-man-standing reliever is supposed to be a tougher job mentally than physically. It’s supposed to be about performing with grace under pressure, not crying after pitching a third of an inning.

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Before the season started new closer Andrew Bailey went on the disabled list and his throwing arm is in a sling for months, at least. Backup closer Mark Melancon inserted into the role. This is after the Red Sox let long-time closer Jonathan Papelbon walk. So what happens on opening day? Melancon blows a save and the Red Sox lose. Papelbon saves the game for his new team, the Philadelphia Phillies, preserving a win.

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Madson’s elbow is in pieces. Soria needs Tommy John surgery to fix a torn ligament in his right elbow. Bailey is out at least until after the All-Star game. Has this trio of weak arms determined Division races already?

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So far this spring, we’ve seen the following key players injured (in no particular order):

Chipper Jones
Chris Carpenter
Chase Utley
Joba Chamberlain
Ryan Madson
Joakim Soria

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