Cordero excited for 8th inning role

Francisco Cordero had an offer to close in Cincinnati, but preferred his opportunity with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The veteran reliever will take over as the setup man in the revamped Blue Jays' bullpen and is excited about his role on what he believes is an up-and-coming team.

"They explained my role," Cordero said during a conference call on Wednesday. "I agreed to it. More than happy to do it...I know there was some trouble in bullpen last year. But this is a good bullpen. I know they got a great offence. It's gonna be fun."

Cordero, 36, has changed his approach on the mound in recent seasons and believes his steady veteran presence along with his five-pitch arsenal will make him a major asset for the Blue Jays.

"When you're not that young kid anymore that used to throw 100 m.p.h, you've got to learn how to pitch," Cordero explained. "That's what I've been doing for the past few years. I've been learning how to pitch, in and out, moving the ball a lot better, throwing a lot of sinkers."

Cordero, who signed a one year contract worth US$4.5 million with Toronto, finished with a 2.45 ERA with 37 saves while closing for the Cincinnati Reds in 2011. His walk rate and WHIP drastically improved but his strikeout rate in 2011 was a career-low.

The declining strikeout rate along with his age (he will turn 37 in May) affected the amount of interest in Cordero on the free agent market. Cordero was taken aback by the lack of demand in free agency but the Dominican Republic native was happy to end up in Toronto, where has established relationships with Jose Bautista and former teammates Edwin Encarnacion, Darren Oliver, and Carlos Villanueva.

"I got some friends here," Cordero told the local media. "It was a good choice. Good idea to go to Toronto. I know this is a good city. Nice city."

At this point in his career, the three-time all-star understands the value of being efficient and knowing how to use his pitches rather than trying to overpower hitters and focus on increasing his strikeout rate.

"I'm not worried about getting a lot of strikeouts," Cordero said. "It's good to get a strikeout, but sometimes when you get a strikeout you throw a lot of pitches." "When you become a ground-ball pitcher, you save yourself a lot of pitches and you can pitch a lot more in a series against any team."

The 13-year veteran says the Jays' new bullpen is comparable to some of the stronger Reds' bullpens he's worked with in the past. Along with Jason Frasor, Oliver, Villanueva, and new closer Sergio Santos, Cordero believes the Jays, who will be his fifth Major League club, will form a formidable unit after giving up 25 blown saves in 2011.

He isn't too concerned about his strikeout rate or short-term contract. Cordero just wants to make the most out of his time with his new ball club.

"Pitch one year there, and who knows what happens?" he said.