Move Over Detroit: Cardinals Make Jose Valverde an Offer

The St. Louis Cardinals have thrown their hat into the ring in the hunt for José Valverde, posing an interesting situation regarding the team's closer position.

Valverde—enjoying free agency at the moment—has been in discussions with the Detroit Tigers, a team that has a vacant closer spot just waiting to be filled. What’s attention grabbing about the Cardinals entering the mix is the outlook on incumbent closer Ryan Franklin.

Both teams can offer closing duties; in Detroit, however, Valverde is more likely to be plugged into the position directly.

St. Louis’ situation is a bit more complicated.

The Cards obviously have Ryan Franklin as the slated closer, but the young Jason Motte is breathing down Franklin’s. 

Even if the Cardinals do pick up Valverde and entertain the notion of utilizing his attributes, they would also be dealing with trading comfort for conformity.

Ryan Franklin is a control pitcher who relies heavily on his craftiness rather than blazing speed, something typical for a late blooming 36-year-old closer. Still, it’s this methodical way of pitching that has afforded the Cardinals the comfort of having a good command pitcher.

José Valverde is on the other side of the spectrum. He’s a bit younger, and can cram a fastball down a batter's throat at over 100 MPH. He has shown effectiveness when he is in control, and it’s his blazing speed that would send the Cardinals down a more conformist road of "power" closers. But without a bigger repertoire of pitches, Valverde could present a risk for St. Louis.

So what does this mean for fantasy?

If you compare the two, Ryan Franklin is definitely proficient, but Valverde has shown himself to be the better pitcher.

Last year, Ryan Franklin posted a respectable 1.92 ERA, with a 1.20 WHIP while grabbing 38 saves out of 43 opportunities. The problem is, he only garnered 44 strikeouts in 61 innings pitched, numbers typical of a command pitcher who doesn’t blow people away.

Franklin’s expanded stats look like this:

H/9	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB value
7.2	0.3	3.5	6.5	1.83 ( A bit low )

The other problem to consider with Ryan Franklin is his reliability. Last September he came under fire when he blew three save opportunities after going 11 out of 11 in August. This is something people are starting to believe could be the byproduct of his age and endurance.

In the case of José Valverde, his stat line from last year was equally impressive. He posted a 2.33 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP while grabbing 25 saves out of 29 opportunities. In addition to that, he also produced 56 strikeouts in only 54 innings, showing that his heat is nothing to be taken lightly.

Here’s a look at his expanded stat line:

H/9	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB value
6.7	0.8	3.5	9.3	2.67 ( very good)

His elevated numbers in the home runs per nine innings category is largely associated with his identity as a fastball pitcher. This disparity proves his need for another complementary pitch if he is to rise to elite status, but his 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings is very hard to ignore.

Conclusion:

I can’t see Ryan Franklin being a viable option in 2010 for fantasy owners with the large sea of closers. He offers very little in the strikeout category and his long term reliability is questionable.

I can see José Valverde being a strong consideration for the Cardinals as the months progress. He throws a lot of heat and it shows in the stats, and his ceiling is much higher than Franklin’s. In the end, however, I think his stock will be more valuable if he signs with Detroit, rather than St. Louis.