Francisco Cordero was signed to serve as the Toronto Blue Jays' closer. Tuesday night in Oakland, Cordero was asked to protect a 3-2 ninth-inning lead. Here is how Cordero's ninth inning went:
Casey Janssen Replacing Francisco Cordero As Blue Jays Closer
The Blue Jays signed closer Francisco Cordero as a free agent. Francisco Cordero isn’t the Blue Jays’ closer anymore.
-Double
-Sacrifice bunt
-Single
-Stolen base
-Intentional walk
-Passed ball
-Intentional walk
-Grand slam
And that’s how a 3-2 lead turned into a 7-3, walk-off loss. It wasn’t all Cordero’s fault, but a lot of it was Cordero’s fault, and his ERA now stands at a ghastly 9.53. So I guess this is among the week’s least surprising news.
At least for now, Casey Janssen is the new #bluejays closer
— Barry Davis (@SNBarryDavis) May 9, 2012
The Blue Jays signed Cordero for one year and $4.5 million. Just looking at his recent ERAs, he looked like a decent bet. Looking deeper, there was reason to be nervous, as Cordero's strikeout rate plummeted from 33 percent in 2007 to 15 percent in 2011. Cordero's skillset has been eroding, and while he's obviously not this bad - 9.53 ERA bad - Cordero might not get his role back. Usually when proven closers are bounced from the closing role, they get their job back in a little time, but I don't think Cordero's going to have it that easy, unless he does.
Janssen, a 30-year-old righty, has a 5.23 ERA, but, man, do I feel bad referring to reliever ERA this early in the season. Janssen also has 11 strikeouts, one walk, and a neat cutter. As someone who had surgery on his shoulder labrum, it was hard enough for Janssen to get back to being effective in the major leagues. Now he’s being put in a pretty prominent role. Exciting days for Casey Janssen.
See More:
