HIGH PAY CLOSERS LEAD TO FAILURE

by Brian P. Foley, The College Baseball Blog

A report from Forbes magazine examines the effect of a high paid closer and the success of the team on the field. The four teams with the highest paid closers were eliminated in the first round of the MLB playoffs. Teams around MLB are currently paying closer's a salary of $3.9 million/year which is 30 percent higher then the average player.

The Red Sox and Rockies faced off in the World Series where the Red Sox used Jonathan Papelbon as a closer and the Rockies split time between Brian Fuentes and Manny Corpas as they led their teams to the promise land. The Red Sox bullpen money is spread throughout the bullpen as Papelbon only received $425,000/year as he is still working under his rookie contract. The Red Sox were able to pay more players quality money. Papelbon ended up pitching 59 innings out of the team's 1500 innings which equals out to playing in only four percent of playing time for a top of the line closer. Fuentes on the other hand makes up 29 percent of the team's bullpen salary. This is still substantially lower then the Yankees who spent 52 percent of their budget on Mariano Rivera.

I know that every fan hates to watch their respective team lose a game in the ninth inning as an ineffective pitcher comes into the game and proceeds to blow the game. This move to paying pitchers big time money to come into the game for the final three outs is Tony La Russa's fault as he made Dennis Eckersley the first real closer in MLB and made it common for the closer to only pitch one inning. This has stuck in MLB since the late 80's and is still used today.

What do you think should be done about closers? Should they be paid better then Starting Pitchers?