MLB Free Agents 2012: Should the Reds Bring Back Francisco Cordero?

The Cincinnati Reds have suddenly been very busy upgrading the club. General manager Walt Jocketty swore to upgrade the club’s pitching, and he has done just that with the acquisitions of Mat Latos and Sean Marshall.

One lingering question about the pitching staff is the closer position. The Reds appear to have a solid starting rotation and a solidified bullpen.

Francisco Cordero was the Reds closer for the past four years, and performed admirably for the most part. Cordero notched 150 saves as a member of the Reds, but at the cost of a $46 million contract.

The problem with Cordero is he is beginning to lose his appeal. Cordero turns 37 years old in May, and last season he regressed noticeably. His K/9 rate has dropped consistently, and he doesn’t have the best save percentage when compared to the elite of his position.

There is also the issue of money. Cordero is apparently asking for a multi-year deal; a deal that made the Boston Red Sox discontinue their pursuit of Cordero. The Reds have their own financial issues with the dilemma of having to re-sign Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and now Sean Marshall.

Jocketty has said that the Reds are in talks with Cordero, but if it doesn’t work out he could see the club using Marshall as a closer. Marshall is the best left-handed reliever in baseball, with a 2.45 ERA in 150 innings.

There is also Aroldis Chapman floating around without an official position even though the club claims they are grooming him to be a starter.

The bottom line is the Reds have a lot of options and appear to be in a win-now mode. How the club handles the closer issue should be a telling sign as to how the Reds will do beyond a weak division and into the postseason.