Ryan Madson
Last offseason, super-agent Scott Boras got into a bit of a tiff with
the Philadelphia Phillies. You see, Boras claims that the Phillies had had a
deal in place with his client, closer Ryan Madson and that there had been more
or less a hand shake deal about the matter, when the Phillies came out of
nowhere and blindsided Boras and Madson by signing arguably the best closer in
fantasy baseball, Jonathan Papelbon away from the Boston Red Sox. The Phillies
still maintain to this day that they never went back on a deal with Boras and
Madson, but what is known is that things have not gone well for Madson since he
wound up being left out in the cold for Papelbon.
After signing a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds, Madson underwent
the dreaded Tommy John surgery in April and missed the entire fantasy baseball,
never seeing the field for the Reds. It was no surprise that the Reds, having
signed a pitcher to a one-year deal only to watch him undergo one of baseball’s
most dubious medical procedures and never play, didn’t pony up the cash right
away to bring Madson back into the fold.
But now, Madson has signed a deal to play for a contender in the
American League, the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels can hardly stand to watch
Madson not flourish in fantasy baseball after a disappointing season where none
of their expectations were met. Apparently, Madson was signed to be the closer,
and this may be one of the only big deals that the Angels make this offseason
after they raided free agency last year to get Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson.
On the other hand, if Madson doesn’t come back strong from surgery, this could
be his last chance to close for a team for quite some time.