Brandon Morrow has been removed from the closer's role in Seattle, according to the Associated Press. Manager Don Wakamatsu says David Aardsma and a group of other relief pitchers will save games depending on the situation.

There are a few points we can take from this.

• The Mariners made a bad move giving Morrow the closer's role in the first place. He came through their minor league system as a starter, and he certainly should have the stamina to stay in that role. Seattle gave Morrow only five career starts before determining his role was as a reliever. Put him back in the rotation for a few starts once he builds up arm strength and see what he does.
• The closer-by-committee can only work if the right personnel are in place. Wakamatsu is saying he will choose which pitcher to close games depending on the situation, which is the right thing to say. However, I don't know if they do have the right guys there. Miguel Batista, Sean White and Shawn Kelley are the better relief options outside of Aardsma. Would you feel comfortable with them closing games?
• Because he's had the hot hand so far, Aardsma is likely the best candidate going forward. Look for Wakamatsu to start relying on Aardsma more and more. There's really no reason not to. He's had success in the role.

So, if you're looking for save opportunities in Seattle, I'd only pick up Aardsma. He's likely to be a free agent for a short period of time due to owners dropping him when Morrow returned from the disabled list. No one else is really worth owning.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites