It is such a buyers market that Francisco Coredero, who closed games for the Reds the last four season, is going to take a big pay cut, if he gets a job at all.
Madson found out how tight the market was when his team, the Philadelphia Phillies, declined to meet his price and signed Jonathan Papelbon away from the Boston Red Sox instead.
"I wanted to close for a team with a chance to make the playoffs," Madson said.
He left a team with the best starting rotation in baseball. The Phillies are as close as any team can come to being a shoe in. Their starters like to finish games, so Papelbon could be snacking on bon bons in the bullpen much of the time.
Madson, who broke into the Major Leagues as a starter, replaced Brad Lidge at the end of games last season and apparently savored the role. Lidge has been injury prone the last few seasons.
Madson had a 45% percent save percentage in his first seven seasons. He started 17 games in 2006. The save percentage can be misleading because a middle reliever can be charged with a blown save without having an opportunity to earn a save.
He saved 32 in 34 chances for a 94% save rate.
"I learned to take pressure off myself and put it on the hitters," said Madson, who uses a nasty slider as his "out pitch". "The first few times I tried to close, I tried to be perfect. I had some pretty good baseball people tell me that's not the way to do it."
Madson is used to pitching in a small ballpark, like the Reds home confines which are unfriendly to pitchers.
He doesn't walk a lot of hitters and has given up just six home runs in 113 2/3 innings in Citizens Bank Ballpark. He walked just 2.29 batters over the same period of time.
"Now I know when to throw strikes and when not to throw strikes," Madson said.
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