October 22nd, 2013 at 6:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka If you would have told me a year ago that former Giants closer Brian Wilson would become one of the most revered Dodger players by the end of the 2013 season… or ever, I would have deemed you certifiably insane.
Well here we are, October 22, 2013, and there isn’t a Dodger fan out there who does not want to see Wilson, now a free agent, to be re-signed by Ned Colletti and the Dodgers – regardless of the cost.
How did we get from the insane asylum to the 2014 opening day roster? It’s a bit of a long and strange story.
During the 2012 season, the Dodgers had a difficult time trying to decide who their closer should be. Relative newcomer Kenley Jansen, a converted minor league catcher, showed flashes of being the guy but he had an unusual ailment – an irregular heartbeat, which landed him on the DL twice during the 2012 season. Jansen was replaced by Javy Guerra who also had moments of greatness until he was struck in the face by a line drive on April 25, 2012. Ironically, Guerra injured his right knee trying to avoid that liner – an injury that would eventually required arthroscopic surgery. Although Guerra eventually returned to the big leagues, he was ineffective and spent nearly all of the 2013 season at Triple-A Albuquerque, although he is still on the Dodgers 40-man roster.
Dodger Stadium fell silent when Guerra was hit in the face with a line drive off the bat of Braves catcher Brian McCann. Incredibly, Guerra remained in the game. (Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)
Just prior to the July 31, 2012 trade deadline, the Dodgers acquired former Seattle Mariners closer Brandon League for minor leaguers Leon Landry and Logan Bawcom, both of whom were considered to be legitimate MLB candidates. Even though League had lost his closer role with the Mariners after an awful first half of the 2012 season, Colletti felt that with the right coaching League would return to being the dominating closer that he had been with the Mariners in 2011 when he saved 37 games and had an ERA of 2.79.
Although League started off with a bang in his first few outings with the Dodgers, he hit a wall and began to struggle… terribly. Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt spotted a mechanical flaw in League’s delivery and as if by magic, League finished the season as good, if not better, than he had pitched in 2011 with the Mariners; so good, in fact, that Colletti gave now free agent Brandon League a ridiculous 3-year/$22.5 million contract shortly after the 2012 season ended – a contract that caused raised eyebrows throughout the baseball world.
League began the 2013 season as the Dodgers closer but struggled badly and after blowing his fourth save of the season on June 11 (exactly 11 days prior to that magical date of June 22, 2013), Jansen, who had successfully undergone off-season surgery for his heart issue, returned as the Dodgers closer and never looked back. Jansen finished the regular season with a 4-3 record and an outstanding 1.88 ERA, but more importantly, he earned 28 saves while striking out an unbelievable 111 and walking only 18.
Reminiscent of the Eric Gagné days, Dodger closer Kenley Jansen enters games to the roar of the crowd and California Love blaring over the P.A. system. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)
Make no mistake about it – Kenley Jansen is the Dodgers closer.
…or is he?
On July 30, 2013, the Dodgers signed unemployed free agent Brian Wilson, not to be a closer as he had been during most of his seven years with the hated Giants, but to see if he could successfully return to the major leagues after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April of 2012 – the second such surgery of his career. Not only did Wilson make it back to the Bigs, he soared. Wilson finished the regular season with a 2-1 record and an outstanding 0.66 ERA. He allowed only one earned run and eight hits while issuing only four walks and striking out 13 in 13.2 innings pitched. Wilson was so good, in fact, that he replaced Ronald Belisario as the Dodgers 8th-inning setup man for Jansen.
Herein lies the problem.
Wilson, who is once again a free agent, undoubtedly wants to again be a closer. In fact, he absolutely needs to be a closer. But with Jansen securely entrenched as the Dodgers closer and with as many as a dozen (or more) teams in desperate need of a good closer (and Wilson is a great one), it is highly unlikely that Colletti will be able to lure Wilson back to the Dodgers without a guarantee that he will close, not to mention a contract that will probably carry a 3-year/$27-$30 price tag.
This raises the question: Would Kenley Jansen be willing to take one for the team and yet again give up his closer role so that the Dodgers could re-sign Brian Wilson to be their closer?
Stay tuned…
Posted in 
Interesting question.
I don’t think it would be Kenley’s choice. I don’t expect he was asked if he wanted Brandon League to start the year as the Dodger closer in 2013. However he did willing accept his role.
I don’t think Brian Wilson should be signed at all costs. I would not favor an expensive long term contract. Brian will be 32 at the start of next season. Three year contracts for 32 year olds give me the hebbie jebbies. Also, I wonder if we have jumped the gun. Wilson’s 2013 season produced a very good but also very small sample after a year and a half away from the game. The assumption is his arm will hold up for 70 innings or so for three years if that is what would be offered. Jansen’s would not be an assumption as his 76.2 innings led all closers this year.
However, the main reason to have Kenley as the closer is that his best year 2013 was better than Brian’s best year 2010. Wilson had more saves but saves are a direct function of save opportunities.
If the Dodgers are going to have a stable pitching staff going forward youth must be served. Kenley will pitch all of 2014 as a 26 year old. He provides a closer for several years. Mariano Rivera became the Yankee closer at age 27. Kenley’s stats – IP, ERA, WHIP, K’s, K/BB are just about the best among 2013 closers in all those categories. I don’t think it is in the best interest of the team to change closers again, just as I didn’t think it should be done with Brandon League.
2013 Closer Stats
Do I want Brian Wilson back? Yes but with conditions – not as closer and not with a 3 year $27M contract.
I am well aware of how much you disdain 3-year contracts, Harold, but in today’s baseball climate they are the norm. Teams unwilling to offer them will have a very difficult time acquiring free agents regardless of position. That doesn’t mean that I am a fan of 3-year deals (especially for relief pitchers), but that’s just the way it is today.
Having spent considerable time closely watching Wilson since his first rehab assignment on August 7, he has steadily improved. This is happening much faster than I had anticipated. In 6 weeks his fastball went from 91 to 96 and his cutter and slider from 87 to 91; but what I am most impressed with is his command and control. When Wilson is bad, he is still very good. When Kenley is bad, he is very bad, albeit that doesn’t happen often.
Wilson is always the first guy at Dodger Stadium every day and works as hard or harder than anyone else on the team. He reminds me of another 32-year-old pitcher who recently had TJ surgery who is only two years removed from that surgery and getting stronger almost daily. He is one of the premiere pitchers in the game with a curveball that rivals Clayton Kershaw. His name is Adam Wainwright.
If guaranteeing Wilson the opening day closer role is what it takes to re-sign Wilson, I am all for it – with the understanding that should he struggle in that role, it goes back to Kenley. A Jansen/Wilson (or Wilson/Jansen) 8-9 combo is a terrifying concept for opposing hitters.
Simple question – difficult answer: Why can’t a team have two closers?
Probably no reason Dick but if I was to venture a guess I would say the mindset. That is, is it the mindset of the set up man or the mindset of the closer. Although I don’t know if there is a difference in mindset, I’m guessing, I really don’t want to see Kenley bounced around from role to role.
I also am not a big fan of the “save”. I think it is a misnomer. The game can’t be saved unless it is in jeopardy of being lost. Starting an inning with no one on seems to suggest the game is not in jeopardy. In my opinion there are times when a save actually occurs before the ninth inning. That is, inherited runners didn’t score.
With that in mind maybe Brian Wilson doesn’t care eighth or ninth guy. I agree that other teams will pay big bucks for his services as a closer. If that were not the case i think he would sign with the dodgers as he likes being part of the team and the fans seem to really like him.
I have no idea if there could be an arm issue with big innings. However two TJ surgeries is a bit of a concern for me.
The only reason I don’t like three year contracts are – Schmidt, Guerrier, Lilly, Uribe (gave of 3), League.
Uribe gave 1 of 3 good years.
Has anyone actually asked Brian Wilson if he wants to be a closer next season? Who knows, maybe he’s fine with being the 8th inning guy on a good team like the Dodgers.
I’d leave Kenley as the closer. He proved to me that he can do it for a full season’s length. Brian wilson was lights out, but he also only pitched for a few months, so it’s difficult to say how he would’ve been down the stretch.
I find this very interesting and puzzling, in my little mind. I agree, again with you Ron.
I wonder if Wilson would sign a multi-year contract if he would be offered it as a set-up man and sort of wait in the wings in case Kenley falters or sign a one year contract, maybe with a club option, as the closer, with Kenley in reserve, in case Wilson fails.
Of course I’m saying this thinking that ether way it would probably please the team, but I really wouldn’t know what’s in their thinking.
Wilson will not accept a one-year offer simply because he does not have to accept a one-year offer when he can (and will) receive a three-year offer elsewhere.
This is very similar to Randy Chote last season. Randy wanted to return and the Dodgers wanted him back but they would only give him a one-year deal. Randy bolted the second that the Cardinals offered him a three-year deal.
It’s not about team loyalty or the fans or the food in the clubhouse, it’s all about the money – period.
Show me the money. That’s the reality and I expect we would do the same in similar circumstances. There is also greater visibility and prestige in the closer role.
I think Wilson likes LA. And I agree that games aren’t always won in the 9th. We all know many games are lost in the 7th and 8th. I would want my best arm against their best hitters every day, and that might be any of the last 3 innings. But, that ain’t how it’s measured.
Having said that, it’s always about the money. Wilson doesn’t seem to me to be the kind of guy that would put team first. If someone, anyone, out there offers him 3 guaranteed years, I think he will take it. Who knows, maybe the Guggs can insure everything relatively cheaply and would offer that to him. I think it’s risky. And knowing how it is measured, I don’t think I would give the closer’s job to a guy that is 32, throws that hard, and has had 2 TJ’s. That has League and Schmidt written all over it.