How much would you pay for a closer
 

In a MLB game, I have a closer, it seems he's always winning in arbitration. He's given me 4 40+ save seasons; season 5 was actually a down year for him (26 saves at the trade deadline). He's pushing to sign an extension, but he wants $10 million a year. My entire payroll is $90 million, and no one starter makes that much. I almost didn't make an offer last year in arbitration, because he was estimated to make $8 million; but I did, and as usual, he won ($8,250,000).

Who here would lock him down at that price?

90 million payroll, i'd say no. for a position player or a key starter yes, no for a closer if you feel you cannot afford it.

There's no way at all I am paying someone to pitch 4% of my team's innings 10% of my payroll. I'd sell the CL for the most similar 24 year old guy I could locate that makes league minimum.

I'd never pay that for a closer. I don't care how good. They aren't in your games enough to matter. Others may feel differently. I'd rather use half that money to beef up a position player.

Nope. I've always found that the game overvalues closers. I usually take a guy through arbitration, let him walk when he asks for his exorbitant salary, and promote one of my other pitchers to closer. Doesn't matter how dominant they are, a glorified 1-inning relief man is not worth millions of dollars. As long as you've got a decently reliable arm in that spot, you're fine.

I agree with the 'no's. That said I can't say that I'd NEVER pay that much for a closer. Just depends on my budgets. Smaller like yours I definitely wouldn't, but with say... the Yankee's money? Why not? You can overpay everyone and still have money to spare.

Relievers are or should be cheap, and a CL is simply your best reliever. With a 90 M payroll, no way you can afford to waste 1/9th of it on one player who only plays the 9th inning and even that occasionally. Those 10 M would make the difference between a good everyday position player or some AAA guy hitting .210 starting most matches.

I hear that. I've never paid that much for a closer, but I started wondering if I was mistaken; but this guy's salary is out of control.

1) Don't be deluded enough by save totals to let that make your decision. I'm no sabrnerd, but the save is almost as dumb a stat as the win/loss, and tells you as little.

2) You can probably buy two more relievers of similar quality for the same money and have a deeper bullpen. Buy a righty and a lefty and use whichever depending on the circumstances you have in the 9th.

on the other hand

3) Mariano Rivera. But sounds like your budget won't accomodate that, no matter if he is another Mariano.

Amaro Jr. did with Papelbon and look where we're at now.

Hmm, I've always really valued a strong back-end bullpen in OOTP. That said, not as inclined to shell out money for a closer as I am to target an elite closer in an early draft round.

I can't think of a situation where I was paying premium dollars for a closer, but in a league where good closers were scarce I might.

I've had expensive closers but only when my rotation is cost effective due to youth/pre-FA. It's all about circumstances and opportunity to win. There is no doubt that in some cases the closer sealed the deal for me. Having said that I recently had to eat $23M on a closer who got SEI two consecutive seasons and became mop up quality in the third season of a 5 year contract.:(