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Let me first say this. Signing a relief pitcher to a huge deal often comes to bite a team in the ass. Relief pitchers are too unreliable year to year and the JAYS have experienced this with BJ Ryan recenty. Most successfull closer on teams have been groomed by that team and have earned the role over time.

handing a closer role to a guy just after paying him big money is a big risk.... but I wanted to name some guys that would atleast fill a void for this team.

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Heath Bell: He is the obvious most established but will cost ALOT of cash to even get his interest. I dont want him for that reason as i will also expect AA to stay away, but He has the numbers and experience so he'll get paid some how.... if not the JAYS, someone else will

Jonathan Papelbon: Not as dominant as once was but still young and not far from those years. He is still dependable but the Red Sox have that Bard kid looking very good for the future as a close. I doubt Papelbon wants to be the setup man in Boston cause Bard is gonna take over at some point.

Francisco Rodriguez: of the Brewers is a headcase but I think he can really close games when he given the chance. Not the same guy when he left LAA but he is dependable. Also he is likely gonna gonna be a FA cause he is frustrated in Milwaukee and is complaining of not being given a shot at closing. He likely wont cost the banck either, cause he hasent been a closer for quite a while since he came to the Brewers. He is the most affordable option here

anymore?

He likely wont cost the banck either, cause he hasent been a closer for quite a while since he came to the Brewers. He is the most affordable option here

Going two months without closing isn't going to make him affordable. He'll cost a stupid amount of cash regardless, and we'd be wise not to give it to him. Or to Papelbon, or to Bell. Paying $10-12m a year to a guy who'll only pitch 75 innings is a bad idea, period.

Not worth overpaying for a closer.

There's some less high profile (Betancourt, Peralta..) free agents available. Or AA could try buying low on Broxton on a short term deal.

Are these guys really going to get big money this off season? Are there a lot of big spenders out there looking for a closer right now?

Can we please stop the closer talk? It's getting ridiculous. Either we'll find a cheap, reliable alternative, promote someone from the minors, or, hopefully, completely get rid of having a "closer" altogether. We have other pressing needs that make spending 10 million dollars on a guy who'll pitch 50 innings seem pretty ridiculous,

Shulman thinks we should put Morrow in the pen.

Parkes wrote a good post about how putting Morrow in the pen is the wrong idea.
http://blogs.thescore.com/mlb/2011/09/1 ... more-22464

Morrow reminds me of Burnett great stuff, but doesn't have a clue on how pitch on a consistent basis.

Does Ryan Madson resign with Philadaphia? He could be a potential target. Which inhouse pitcher could potentially be our closer with legit experience? Can't think of any.

Also, what would the asking price for sleeper options like Broxton, Lidge and Capps be?

Madson is a great option but we might have to pay extra because Boras is his agent.

Broxton and Capps are two guys i'd be interested in. Both have closer experience and could probably be had for a reasonable price.

Yeah, Capps is an interesting option when we fill all our other holes first.

I'd like the Jays to have a good closer as much as the next guy, but like most others, I'm not a fan of breaking the bank on relief pitchers.

Bell has said often that he plans on accepting arbitration if its offered. Maybe it's a bluff, maybe not. But he's saying it. I'd think San Diego will call that bluff and offer arbitration -- they'd want that draft pick if he leaves. Despite his claims, I tend to think he wont accept it -- he's turning 35 next year, he doesn't have time on his side to get that large contract. It also means I'd hate if the Jays offer him a big contract -- he only has 3 seasons of closer experience (albeit good ones) at the age of 34!

Yes, Boston likes Daniel Bard and he looks like a closer-in-waiting. But Boston is also one of a handful of teams that can and will break the bank on closers. Papelbon has been great for them for 5 of the past 6 seasons (the one I've excluded is last year, which compared to other closers, was still very good). Bard is still really cheap for another 2 years or so, and considering how unstable their starting pitching has been this year (injuries, mainly), I don't think Boston minds at all keeping Bard as a setup man past this season. A one-two punch like that is awesome, especially if you can afford it (which Boston can).

I wouldn't mind the Jays taking a chance on Jonathan Broxton, although the thought is that he'll lose about 3-4 MPH on his fastball 'cause of surgery. Generally, Matt Capps is alright, but I think his ERA against the rest of the AL East is quite bad. Jose Valverde will probably get a good enough contract to stay in Detroit. I have a feeling the Phillies will give Ryan Madson a good enough contract offer to return, and decline their option on Brad Lidge. Lidge... eh.