Whats this certain fascination now with Heath Bell? He closed for the first time just this past season and now he's considered a top closer. He's a very good reliever (though he was rocking the 5 era's with the Mets and has now gone down pitching in SD) but I would like to see a Bell, Bailey, Soriano etc.. do it for more than one season in the closers role before I call them "elite" in my book.

I'm looking at it in regards to a 5 tier system, and 2nd or 3rd tier would put him right in the middle of the pack. That's mainly what I was referring to.

 

If the "elite" tier comprises the top 20%, Jenks is roughly in the 60th percentile or bottom of the 2nd tier. That's average-to-slightly-above-average, depending on where the breakdowns occur in the hierarchy.

 

Instead of only looking at raw performance, closers also need to be evaluated contractually. Trading for Soria or signing Valverde to a multi-year deal might put the Sox in a better position to compete in the short-term, but it's going to cost Kenny a heck of a lot more than the $6-7M that will be needed to keep Bobby in a Sox uni for one more year. I'll bet that the Omar Minaya would rather have Bobby's contract than K-Rod's right now.

 

If the "elite" tier comprises the top 20%, Jenks is roughly in the 60th percentile or bottom of the 2nd tier. That's average-to-slightly-above-average, depending on where the breakdowns occur in the hierarchy.

 

Instead of only looking at raw performance, closers also need to be evaluated contractually. Trading for Soria or signing Valverde to a multi-year deal might put the Sox in a better position to compete in the short-term, but it's going to cost Kenny a heck of a lot more than the $6-7M that will be needed to keep Bobby in a Sox uni for one more year. I'll bet that the Omar Minaya would rather have Bobby's contract than K-Rod's right now.

 

I've always suggested that Jenks' highest value is to the White Sox. I've just said he doesn't have a ton of value to anyone else.