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They are supposed to be the baseball equivalent of a seal, that little bit of wax poured onto a finished letter and pressed with a stamp to denote that which is finished. Firemen. Stoppers. Closers. Whatever you want to call them, they are all the rage in the free-agent marketplace.Heres some perspective from ESPNs Jayson Stark: Dollars for Kenley Jansen, Aroldis Chapman & Mark Melancon in the last week: $228 million. Total dollars Mariano Rivera earned: $169 million.According to Cots Baseball Contracts, the contracts signed by Jansen (Dodgers, five years/$80 million), Chapman (Yankees, five years/$86 million) and Melancon (Giants, four years/$62 million) are the three largest pacts ever given to relief pitchers, not just in total contract value, but also on a per-season basis.Have teams gone collectively mad?Lets not pin this all on the high-revenue teams that ended up with this years crop of elite closers. The Marlins and Nationals also were reportedly in on the bidding, and ESPNs Jim Bowden reported that Washington offered Jansen even more than he accepted from the Dodgers.The 2016 postseason was terrific for a lot of reasons, but if not for the Cubs curse-breaking run, the thing we might remember most would be the re-introduction of the super-reliever -- that key bullpen arm that could be trotted out at the most crucial juncture of a game even if that moment fell outside the parameters of the modern save situation. Andrew Miller, Chapman and Jansen all helped cement the concept of leverage into the minds of mainstream hardball fans and recalled the days of Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage and Bruce Sutter, when a teams best reliever was often asked to do more than lock down the ninth inning.Still, despite the continuing evolution of postseason bullpen deployment, relief pitchers in general arent any better than they were last year at this time. Baseballs development systems continue to churn out more hard throwers than ever, but all that really has changed is that there seems to be a trend away from the paint-by-numbers method of managing bullpens.Its easy to look at the windfalls received by Jansen, Chapman and Melancon and view this as a unique winter-stove season, when multiple contending teams had ninth-inning holes to fill, the games revenue is at its highest-ever peak and is projected to climb higher, and the overall free-agent class is tepid. Any one of these signings, in a vacuum, is easily justified in a December press conference, and chances are the majority of each teams fan base is thrilled about the signings. And certainly we all are relieved that Jansen wont have to find another walk-in song.Nevertheless, the odds are good that at least one, if not all three, of these contracts will turn out to be terrible values.The teams would almost certainly argue that even if the contracts eventually wont look good on a spreadsheet, that is beside the point. These were aggressive moves made by teams trying to win championships. If they do so, then some dead money down the line will be easier to digest.That may well be a valid way to look at the closer splurge. The Dodgers were two wins short of a National League pennant and Jansens ability to go multiple innings in October was a big reason why that happened. The Giants might have pushed the Cubs even harder in the NLDS if theyd had Melancon, as their second-half bullpen problems extended into the postseason.The Yankees ... well, thats a different case. Its hard to ever really call New York a rebuilding team, but the Yankees did finish fourth in the AL East last season and were outscored by 22 runs during the campaign. They stocked up on prospects at the trade deadline by dealing away Chapman and Miller, so they should have known better than anyone that an elite late-inning reliever on a good-value or expiring contract is a great trade chip to have. Thats why as good as Miller has been the last few years, hes bounced around the majors like a pinball. Chapmans new deal isnt likely to result in the same kind of trade-market cachet.That brings us back around to our seal metaphor: Closers are the last step, not the first, or even the 10th. They are the cherry on the top of the sundae. The Giants and Dodgers can make a claim that Melancon and Jansen is that to them. For the Yankees to do the same with Chapman is a stretch. Thats not to say the Yankees cant contend, but whether or not they do probably wont have much to do with Chapman, especially since the Yankees already had a quality closing candidate in Dellin Betances.Meanwhile, as the Yankees take aim at the 2018-19 free-agent class, they are locking up space under the tax threshold while hoping that Chapman retains his velocity and remains something like a foundational player. Its this last proposition that makes all of these deals suspect. Simply put, just because a closer -- any closer not named Mariano Rivera -- has been elite, it doesnt mean he will remain so. In fact, chances are, he wont.To be sure, the three closers in question have been among the most consistent in all of baseball, insofar as relief pitching is ever consistent. That perception of certainty is a big part of what drove up their respective values. All three of the signing teams better hope that this perception remains a reality.According to the free-agent listings at baseball-reference.com, there have been 182 relievers since 1976 to sign a new deal on the heels of a season in which they saved at least 10 games -- a very low bar to label someone a closer. Barely half (92) saved at least 10 games the very next season. By the third season after the signing, only 24 percent of them were still at the 10-save level, and by the fifth season, that number was down to 10 percent. Thats why were so hard on teams that sign relievers to four- and five-year deals. Few of them work out.The story remains the same if you raise the bar to 30-save guys, a level reached the season before a pitcher hit free agency 65 times over the last three decades. Of those 65 pitchers, only 45 percent hit 30 saves again the season after signing a free-agent deal. (This includes those who re-signed with the same team.) Two years out, that number was down to 25 percent. By the fifth year -- which will eventually apply to Chapman and Jansen -- only five (8 percent) were still at the 30-save level. Not one of the 65 had at least 30 saves in each of the five seasons after his signing.The save is a deeply flawed metric but, lets face it, its one of the key statistics that got these players so much money this winter, and it does more or less describe what a closer does during the regular season. Its a stat that is at least as much about context as actual performance. Thats not comforting in this case because these numbers strongly suggest that, by and large, closers tend to quickly flame out, to the extent that they arent used in save spots within a couple of years.There are always exceptions and the players who populate the all-time saves list are proof of that -- the likes of Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, Lee Smith and Billy Wagner -- who have been both consistent and durable. Its certainly possible that Jansen, Chapman and Melancon will end up on a similar path. Nevertheless, given the history of free-agent relievers, its an expensive gamble.The old axiom about free agency in any sport is that you pay not for what a player has done, but for what he is going to do. When it comes to closers and free agency, its crucial, and exceedingly difficult, to make that distinction. Nike Air Max Tn Australia . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Nike Air Max 95 Wholesale . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. http://www.outletairmaxaustralia.com/air-max-zero-buy-australia.html . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Nike Air Max Fury Australia . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Nike Air Max Australia Online . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask.Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink has vowed to treat the FA Cup with respect and says he will select a full-strength side for Manchester Citys visit on Sunday in the fifth round. However, Blues captain John Terry will miss the game with a hamstring injury. Terry, who has lifted the FA Cup five times, missed Chelseas 2-1 Champions League last-16 first-leg loss at Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night with the problem sustained in last Saturdays Premier League win over Newcastle. Oscar returned from a calf injury in the midweek Champions League defeat and could come in to start, perhaps at the expense of Eden Hazard.Midfielder Nemanja Matic is available following his European suspension, but Alexandre Pato is still short of match fitness and Kurt Zouma (knee) and Radamel Falcao (thigh) are long-term absentees. Chelsea midfielder Oscar could replace Eden Hazard. Meanwhile, Manchester City only have 13 fit first-team players to pick from, according to their manager Manuel Pellegrini, who is prioritising Wednesdays Champions League tie away at Dynamo Kiev.Pellegrini is planning to rest some of his key first-team players and could give minutes to youngsters Bersant Celina, Cameron Humphreys and Angelino.Paul Mersons predictionThis is the pick of the fixtures. This is Chelseas only chance of silverware - top four is gone and I wouldnt have thought they can win the Champions League. Guus Hiddink has confirmed John Terry will miss Chelseas FA Cup tie Manchester City have lost two games on the trot, big games, too.dddddddddddd When was the last time when they lost three games in a row? Manuel Pellegrini said hes likely to make changes for this game as they have to travel to Kiev in midweek, but that was before they lost two matches in a row. It will be close, but I think Chelsea will edge it. PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 (Sky Bet odds 15/2)Opta statsManchester City have won six and lost just two of their last 11 matches against Chelsea in all competitions.Chelsea have won 24 and lost just of one of their last 29 FA Cup matches played at Stamford Bridge (excluding penalties). They were knocked out on penalties at home to Everton in 2011 during this run.The Blues have kept five clean sheets in their last six FA Cup matches played at Stamford Bridge.City and Chelsea have been drawn together five times in the FA Cup with the Citizens winning four and losing just one. Kelechi Iheanacho scored in Manchester Citys 2-1 defeat against Tottenham. In fact, City have won the last four with the Londoners only victory coming back on February 20, 1915.City have won five and lost just one of their last nine FA Cup matches away from home.Hiddink has never lost an FA Cup match with Chelsea (P5 W5), guiding them to the trophy in 2009.Kelechi Iheanacho has averaged a goal every 70 minutes in all competitions for City this season (nine goals in 628 mins).BettingChelsea are odds-on with Sky Bet to dump Manchester City (29/10) out of the FA Cup on Sunday. The Blues are 6/1 shots to repeat the feat achieved during Hiddinks previous spell as boss and win the cup, while City are 13/2 shots. Two of the last three meetings between the sides have finished in draws and its 12/5 or 7/2 for a draw and both teams scoring. In fact, Chelsea have not beaten City in four years so the Double Chance (City or draw) may appeal at 8/11. Check out tips from Sky Sports pundits Jamie Redknapp, Charlie Nicholas and Phil Thompson here. ' ' '