Ryan Franklin to be Extended; No Word Yet on a Beard Extension
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So here's the rub: Ryan Franklin is a very nice relief pitcher. He's too good for middle relief, and plenty good to be an above-average setup man. Problem is, Ryan Franklin is also having a season of ridiculously good luck, which has made him look like a great closer. And unfortunately, at some point that luck is going to even out. When that happens, he's going to go back to looking like the 2007-2008 version of Ryan Franklin. Again, that's a very good reliever to have around; Franklin posted ERAs of 3.04 and 3.55 in those seasons, respectively. But if the Cardinals are counting on him being the utterly dominating force he's been in the ninth inning this season going forward, they're in for a rude awakening.
Bottom line on the Franklin deal: I like it. Franklin has proven for three seasons now he can get the job done in the bullpen. The cost is reasonable; the years are fine. In locking Ryan up for the next two years, the Cards have added some admirable stability to the relief corps. Good job by Mozeliak and company to help shore up what is likely to be a very young and very fluid part of the team for the next few years.
On the other hand, I think we need to be realistic about what we have here: a pitcher in his late 30s who currently looks a whole lot better than he actually is. You hope age doesn't catch up with him, but it could. You hope he can continue outperforming his components, but he almost assuredly won't.
Ryan Franklin is a good pitcher, but not a great one. And the same goes for this contract.
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