If Matt Capps is the Twins closer when the season starts, with the usual and untried suspects making up the rest of the bullpen, you can count me in the camp of those who will question if my season ticket-and-bratwurst money is being well spent.
However, the rage that's being directed toward Terry Ryan over the Capps deal is a bit much.
If the Twins hired The Perfect Closer -- and surrounded him with suspects -- it wouldn't much matter that the end-game reliever was a stud because the Twins wouldn't be reaching all that many end-game situations where his presence would be vital.
I think it's fair to consider Capps a piece of the puzzle, and I assume that Ryan has hit sights set elsewhere to further augment the bullpen.
One of the interesting takeaways from last week's conference call between Ryan and season-ticket holders (and those who found the "secret" call-in phone number) was how the Twins settled on Joe Nathan as their closer eight years ago even though he had only one career save. Ryan talked about it in the context of why the Twins aren't giving strong consideration to Glen Perkins as a closer despite his very good season as a set-up man.
Ryan said that Nathan, a middle reliever for San Francisco before he was traded, had three "plus pitches" that he could use on opponents. Perkins, he said, has a wicked fastball and an acceptable slider. In other words, Ryan wants more from a closer than just smoke.
Using Ryan's reasoning, it's hard to see Capps as the Twins' top choice to close out games. If a healthy Capps returns to the form that he's shown in some prior years, he makes a good addition.
Under Ryan's reasoning, I also wonder all the more about the idea of moving Francisco Liriano into the bullpen and trying to recapture his magic in smaller helpings.
