Red Reporter - Reds sign Jonathan Broxton to 3 year contractAAAA Affiliate of the Cincinnati Redshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/30447/favicon.ico2012-11-28T12:35:35-05:00http://www.redreporter.com/rss/stream/34647432012-11-28T12:35:35-05:002012-11-28T12:35:35-05:00Broxton's contract terms
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<figcaption>David Banks</figcaption>
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<p>Honestly, this is not as bad as I thought. I guess.</p> <p><b>2013: </b>$4 Million - OK, I'm down.<br><b>2014: </b>$7 Million - I don't like where this is going at all.<br><b>2015:</b> $9 million - WHY?<br><b>2016:</b> $9 million club option, $1M buyout</p>
<p>If you leave out the fact that the Reds guaranteed paying Broxton $10M during the calendar year in 2015, then this is a pretty good deal. Unfortunately, that's almost half the deal.</p>
<p>But here's something unabashedly positive: Broxton had a 6.67 K/BB rate as a Red. It's only 22 innings, which means this deal is built on a pretty flimsy premise, but pretty much all his peripherals improved when he reached Cincinnati.</p>
https://www.redreporter.com/2012/11/28/3702234/broxtons-contract-termsRijoSaboCaseyWKRP2012-11-28T01:28:49-05:002012-11-28T01:28:49-05:00The Reds and Jonathan Broxton have a deal
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<figcaption>Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Jon Heyman <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/jon-heyman/21167416/broxton-has-deal-to-return-to-the-reds" target="new">broke the news.</a></p> <p>We now know that Broxton has a contract with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a>. All that's left is a series of paint-by-number jokes. This isn't a joke, but if you accept that Broxy is going to be the closer for several seasons, you can then move on to making sure someone modifies The Clash's "Guns of Brixton" in time for his first appearance.</p>
<p>What we still don't know are the details, though this "at least three years" thing that's been repeated in a number of sources makes me feel ill-at-ease.</p>
<p>Broxton has only gotten one proper free agent contract in his career - a $4M deal from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals</a> (with $1M in incentive bonuses) last season. He was coming off an injury-plagued 2011. Before that, he was paid his highest annual salary by the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> - <b>$7M</b> - when they bought out his third year of arbitration. <b></b></p>
<p><b>$7M</b>-per-year is a good guess, since it's also the number that's been kicked around in rumors. But it also might be the floor. Broxton got that much three seasons a go, as a cost-controlled player. If the Reds think he's that pitcher again, you'd expect him to get at least a little more on the open market.</p>
<p>Of course, they might be saving on yearly salary by offering more years. They might also be back-loading the deal. IN any case, it'll probably be unpleasant.</p>
<p>With <span>Ryan Madson</span> headed to LA and two of the remaining most-talented closers also recovering from Tommy John surgery, I totally get going after Broxton. And part of his contract could be the price of admission for Chapman to the rotation. But, even with a growing payroll, this team still shouldn't be handing out big contracts to closers.</p>
https://www.redreporter.com/2012/11/28/3700638/the-reds-and-jonathan-broxton-have-a-dealRijoSaboCaseyWKRP2012-11-27T07:30:21-05:002012-11-27T07:30:21-05:00Possible Broxton Contract: Down-ticket Effects
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<figcaption>David Banks</figcaption>
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<p>Broxy 4 Contract?</p> <p><span>Jonathan Broxton</span> hasn't signed a deal with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a> yet, but <a target="_blank" href="http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/cincinnati-reds-reliever-jonathan-broxton-free-agent-contract-112612">they say it's "serious."</a> Serious enough to get some chatter going -- from the depths of Twitter <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/jonathan-broxton-means-changes-in-store-for-aroldis-chapman/">all the way to Fangraphs</a>.</p>
<p>If the Reds are probably signing Jonathan Broxton, then they're probably making a mistake. Because he's probably getting 2-3 years and maybe $7-8M per year. I'm not nearly as down on Broxton as some, but that's not money well-spent. Not on a closer, anyway. Especially if the Reds' budget isn't increasing significantly in 2013.</p>
<p>But while a team like the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Rays</a> is a model for getting saves on the cheap - they paid <span>Fernando Rodney</span> $1.75M to post a microscopic ERA last season - they also paid <span>Rafael Soriano</span> $7.25M in 2010. A Broxton contract wouldn't be an albatross. And it wouldn't be unforgivable.</p>
<p>So if they're probably bringing back the Guns of Broxton, then they're probably going to try <span>Aroldis Chapman</span> as a starter. Apart from all the reasons we've debated over the past two years for why they need to try this Grand Experiment before it's too late, there's also an easy smell test. I can't imagine a bullpen that pays Broxton and <span>Sean Marshall</span> $10M+, but also contains Aroldis Chapman.</p>
<p>And so if Chapman is probably joining the rotation sometime next year, then <span>Mike Leake</span> is probably leaving it. Anyone who has followed the Reds in the Chapman and <span>Francisco Cordero</span> era has gotten an earful about the sin of multi-year closer contracts and the virtues of Aroldis Chapman as <span>Randy Johnson</span>.</p>
<p>But this Mike Leake part is something a little different. The obvious move is that Leake would head to Louisville if Chapman joined the rotation. Though Leake is a perfectly capable of being a fifth starter or better, if you're not trading anyone, he's first out.</p>
<p>Except the Reds might trade someone. Both Leake and Bailey will be getting raises, so it could be a way to upgrade the offense and offset whatever payroll you're taking on.</p>
<p>That's at least something to talk about here - other than the fact that the Reds may be about to give a closer too much money.</p>
https://www.redreporter.com/2012/11/27/3696066/jonathan-broxton-aroldis-chapman-and-mike-leakes-tangled-webRijoSaboCaseyWKRP