Hilarious.
| Pitcher | ERA | FIP | tRA | pLI | Saves |
| Howell | 1.63 | 2.47 | 2.97 | 1.57 | 6 |
| Rivera | 2.6 | 2.75 | 2.86 | 1.7 | 21 |
| Papelbon | 1.75 | 4.12 | 4.4 | 2.38 | 20 |
Either you go by traditional means like ERA, and he's the best of the three, or you go by tRA/FIP, and he's still better than Papelbon. You can't say he's not a high leverage reliever, otherwise Rivera is nearly in the same boat. This came down to saves, plain and simple. I guess the good news is that this keeps his arbitration costs down.
Oh yay!
tborays@ehahman
n Maddon said he felt Fuentes deserved it b/c he's the saves leader
Quick comparison of these two:
| Pitcher | ERA | FIP | tRA | pLI | Saves |
| Howell | 1.63 | 2.47 | 2.97 | 1.57 | 6 |
| Fuentes | 3.49 | 3.11 | 3.03 | 2.19 | 23 |
It's almost like J.P. Howell is one of the three best relievers in the American League.