Maybe there never was going to be a battle for the job of closer in the Cincinnati Reds’ bullpen. After Raisel Iglesias, the team’s closer since the second half of 2016, was traded to the Los Angeles Angels in December, it created an opening for which the team had a few possible in-house replacements, along with myriad options on the free agent market. It seemed poised to be a roster competition worth following throughout spring training, but on Sunday, one contender claimed victory before ever throwing a pitch in live action.
Garrett’s declaration shouldn’t be a huge surprise, as he always looked like the frontrunner for the job.