Tater Talk (2051.10): Spuds trade their closer, marking the end of a Barr-era

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Tater Talk (2051.10): Spuds trade their closer, marking the end of a Barr-era

Post by woods » Sun Jun 26, 2022 12:44 pm

Image The Spuds made their first trade of the 2051 season today, and as you might expect of a last-place team, they sent away one of their longtime fan favorites in an effort to bolster the team’s future.

Closer Manuel Barrera has played his last game for Boise, going to Charlotte in exchange for two prospects, outfielder Hashim bin Hanif and shortstop Imad Emir. Barrera leaves as the Spuds’ all-time leader in saves, as well as the author of the most dominant single season by a reliever in franchise history, last year, in which he posted a 1.65 ERA with 40 saves, and finished fourth in Egan Award voting.

On paper, it was a move that made sense for Boise. Barrera was headed for free agency after the season anyway, and with the Spuds likely headed for another losing season, it was prudent to get something for him now rather than nothing.

But the Spuds still have about 100 more games to play in 2051. So what happens now? In the rare instance where the Spuds have a lead in the ninth, who closes games?

The good news is, the Spuds can hardly do worse in save situations. The Spuds’ bullpen has already blown 12 saves this year in 24 opportunities. Those are historically bad numbers. A .500 average might be okay for some things, but certainly not for converting saves.

Josh Dougherty was the heir apparent to Barrera, but he has struggled more than anyone else, with an ERA that has been in the 9s since early May and hasn’t gone down. The spuds are definitely not handing him the ball in the ninth inning, not until he can work his issues out in more low-leverage situations.

The next option is Felix López, who has been the lone bright spot in the Spuds’ plagued relief corps. The former Rule 5 pick has settled nicely into the setup role, with six holds since being promoted from middle relief in early May. But he’s still relatively young, and the Spuds likely don’t want to expose him to that much pressure too quickly.

But you already knew all that. You can just look at the depth chart and find out who’s next in line to close games. You don’t need us for that. No — you’re reading this because you want a “dark horse” candidate. You want a real scoop about someone you wouldn’t expect to be the closer.

Okay, you want that? Here: It’s Kent Montoya. Kent Montoya’s the closer now. Happy?

Montoya has quietly been pretty good in long relief since losing his rotation spot at the start of the season. He leads all Spuds’ relievers in WHIP. He can get hitters out from both sides, and with his stamina, can go multiple innings if he needs to.

Besides, a shift from the rotation gave new life to Barrera’s career. Why shouldn’t it do the same for Montoya?

The Spuds face division-leading Phoenix this weekend, not an ideal time to be blowing it up. But sometimes a shake-up like this can light a fire and produce unexpected results.
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Re: Tater Talk (2051.10): Spuds trade their closer, marking the end of a Barr-era

Post by Dington » Sun Jun 26, 2022 10:09 pm

Nice title
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