HBT: Johnson likely to be Orioles' closer

Earlier this offseason there was some talk about the Orioles possibly moving Jim Johnson into the rotation, but he now seems destined to remain in the bullpen and Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com expects Johnson to be the Opening Day closer.

That could still change if the Orioles acquire a veteran closer, but they whiffed on Huston Street and haven?t been linked to many free agents, leaving Johnson as the obvious in-house option after he converted seven straight save chances in September.

Johnson logged 91 innings in a setup role last season, so moving to closer might actually make him slightly less valuable for the Orioles if they limit him to the role?s usual 60-70 innings.

Another option is Kevin Gregg, who has plenty of closing experience and 144 career saves, but he was a mess in 2011 while saving 22 games and has long been a prime example of save totals being a misleading indicator of reliever ability.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/27/jim-johnson-not-kevin-gregg-likely-to-be-orioles-closer/related/

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