Some of MLB’s most elite and best-paid closers had up-and-down performances. Those included surrendered leads in high-pressure situations.
This has not been an especially good week for the MLB’s patrician class, the high-paid, high-pressure, lightly used elite closers.
About half of MLB teams employ such a pitcher – defined as one earning $5 million this year or more and tasked primarily or exclusively with getting saves. As a group, they suffered through a week that would get many lesser-profile pitchers demoted to Triple-A.
Take Craig Kimbrel. The Chicago Cubs’ recent signee – who will earn $58 million over the next four seasons – made his second and third appearances of the MLB season this week. They did not go well. On Monday Kimbrel worked a mop-up inning in Chicago’s 18-5 pounding at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He allowed three hits, two of them homers, and three runs.
It would be natural to dismiss that as the result of an out-of-character, non-save situation, except for what happened two nights later. Facing the same Pirates in a save situation, Kimbrel gave up the tying and winning runs.
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Kimbrel was not alone in his misery. The Dodgers’ Kenley Jansen made just one appearance during the week, that coming against the Arizona Diamondbacks Wednesday. Janssen, who has three years and $57 million remaining on a five-year deal, was summoned to protect a 3-3 tie. Instead, he surrendered a go-ahead home run to Carson Kelly. Fortunately for Jansen’s record, the Dodgers rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth and win it in the 10th.
That’s often the way it goes for closers. They often get those big deals under the misperception that there is such a thing as an “unhittable” pitcher, and that they are it, only to subsequently prove the falsity of that assumption.
The Yankees owe Aroldis Chapman $57 million on the final three years of a five-year deal. Chapman made three appearances this week, and two of them went well. In the third, however, Thursday against the Rays, Chapman was summoned to protect a 3-1 lead in the ninth. Instead, he labored through eight batters, two wild pitches, two walks, two hits, and the two tying runs. The Yankees did come back to win 8-4 in the 10th.
Raisel Iglesias is working on a 3 year, $24 million contracts with the Reds. In a week laden with tight games for a team striving to stay in the NL Central race, Iglesias made four appearances, three of them effective. Against the Cubs on Sunday, however, he was cuffed around for three ninth-inning runs, the Reds surviving only because they led by five runs entering the inning.
The White Sox signed Kelvin Herrera to a 2 year, $17 million deal before the season’s start. To date, Herrera has produced zero saves, two blown saves, and a 7.63 ERA. This week he’s made two appearances, allowing three runs.
At least those guys are still closing. Two seasons ago Mark Melancon signed a four-year deal to close for the Giants. That deal has $28 million remaining on it, but it’s not clear that Melancon will earn any of that closing games. He hasn’t recorded a save all MLB season, and in his only appearance this week he allowed two runs on three hits.