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New manager David Bell said Friday that Iglesias won't be used strictly in the traditional closer role, John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "He'll be used in the most important spots in the game," Bell said. "We don't want to limit him."
It sounds like the Reds will be among the increasing number of teams implementing non-traditional roles in the bullpen. Iglesias, who signed a three-year extension with Cincinnati in November, is said to be "fine" with the decision. It's hard to envision his role actually changing all that much, but if he's used a bit more in the seventh and eighth, Iglesias could lose out on a handful of saves to the likes of Jared Hughes, David Hernandez and/or Amir Garrett. The bigger concern with Iglesias is the dip in velocity we saw last season, which led to a drop in strikeouts and a big uptick in hard-hit balls and home runs.
