Brandon Lyon 2009

At the moment, Brandon Lyon doesn't have a team. Without knowing where he'll end up, we can't be sure how his role and his home park will affect his value. However, the Cardinals aren't confident in any of their options at closer and are considering signing Lyon. Although I don't think he'd be their best option at closer, this certainly isn't an awful idea. Lyon isn't necessarily BETTER than Jason Motte or Chris Perez, but at least he has a different skill set. While both of them should strike out more than nine batters per game, they're wild. Lyon will have a far lower strikeout rate, but will also have better control. Personally, I think he's not well suited to be a closer because of the low K/9, but he could still be an asset to the team. Because of his large jump in ERA, many people thought of Lyon's 2008 as a bad season. However, his component stats actually improved from 2007 as his K/9 went from 5.1 to 6.4 and his BB/9 dropped from 2.8 to 1.9. Whatever the role, Lyon should pitch fairly effectively again in 2009.