Chris Archer, Pittsburgh Pirates (Photo by Ken Lund, via Flickr)
One of the holes the Seattle Mariners need to fill is a reliable closer. It’s been a while since the M’s could turn a ninth-inning lead over to their closer and say “hey, fuggedaboudit” (with a NY accent). Most Mariners fans don’t even need a fuggedaboudit guy. They would settle for someone who doesn’t give them indigestion.
The team hasn’t had a lights-out closer since they traded away Edwin “Sugar” Diaz before the 2019 season. Of course, no fan will be upset about that trade, provided Jarred Kelenic pans out the way everyone thinks he’s capable of doing.
So, how does Emerald City’s favorite baseball team rectify this issue? There are options.
The current list of free agent relievers isn’t overly enticing. Besides Liam Hendriks, Archie Bradley, Blake Treinen, and Kirby Yates, the list is mainly comprised of eighth-inning guys who could be ninth-inning guys. Either that or relief pitchers who failed miserably as closers and teams no longer consider for that role.
Hendricks and Yates are the prized closers. Either would probably be out of the M’s price range. Besides, Hendricks is 31-years-old, and Yates is 34. Bradley and Treinen are considerations, but they’re no longer the dominant relief pitchers they used to be.
Here is a way out of the box approach to filling the closer’s role. Chris Archer can be the reclamation project DiPoto loves to go after. He certainly has the stuff to be a dominating closer.
In my last article, I mentioned: “reclamation project Chris Archer”? Well, the time has come to an end that tease. Archer is a free agent after the Pirates decided to decline his $11million club option. This probably has something to do with the fact that Archer had season-ending surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in June.
It’s hard to believe Pittsburgh has given up on him after they sent Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows to the Tampa Bay Rays to acquire Archer in the first place (ouch!). There have been rumors about the M’s expressing interest. Personally, I don’t want him in the starting rotation. He’d be a better fit pitching out of the Mariners bullpen. If he wants to stay in the majors, it’s time for him to become a reliever.
Archer’s total innings have decreased since his 2015 All-Star year. That was also the last year his ERA (3.23) was below 4.00. Since then, only twice has he thrown over 200 innings. In 2019, his ERA ballooned to a grotesque 5.19. So, why would the M’s want a starting pitcher who is clearly on the decline?
Well, the Mariners don’t need a mid-back end starting pitcher. They have plenty, and there is more to come. What the M’s desperately need is a dominant closer. While Archer has never been a closer, he may want to strongly consider a bullpen move if he wants to continue to be a Major League pitcher. Archer would do better, throwing fewer pitches each outing.
Looking at advanced metrics, FIP and WHIP paints a different picture of him since 2015. Over those last four years, he has a 3.65 FIP (3.5 is great and 3.8 is above average) and 1.26 WHIP (1.25 is above average, and 1.32 is average).
Within those same four years, Archer has an amazing 10.6 K’s per 9 innings. This puts him up in some top-notch company. Major league clubs look for this kind of production from their closers. My proposition is the M’s sign Archer to be their 2021 closer.
Signing a closer from the outside would have a trickle-down effect. Yohan Ramirez just finished his first season in the Majors. He can be the eighth-inning setup man. That way, he continues to work on his craft and pitch command. While also mixing in for the occasional save and high-pressure situation.
Having a veteran closer also puts less pressure on fireballer Andres Munoz to rush his rehab. The Mariners have a gem with his live arm, and they want to bring him back slowly. Then when ready, Munoz can let it rip. He’s the Seattle Mariners closer of the future. By signing someone to fill that role now, Munoz can reach his potential a year or two down the road.
I’ll admit signing Archer to be the closer may be a long shot. Other teams may want him to start. There’s also the fact that it’s not easy to convert a major league starter into a major league closer. The only two that come to the top of my head are Ian Kennedy and Hall of Famer John Smoltz. Starting pitchers like a routine and get used to the mental preparation for their turn in the rotation. A reliever, especially a closer, means they have to mentally prepare every day because they could make an appearance.
What do you think about the Seattle Mariners converting a starting pitcher to a closer? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.