If the bullpen is the spot for him, the closer role is probably the best use for him. If he's used in the traditional closer role he'll only be used in save situations (at least at first) and more likely to be used 3 times a week rather than perhaps 5 times. They need someone to help bolster the pen and if they are not going to bring in someone for the outside, this might be the best short term solution. Nothing says that he can't transition back in to being a starter, but this could be a short term fix to address the bullpen needs while bringing Eovaldi back slowly. Ultimately I would like to see him back in the rotation as there is a real need there as well, but is there any real harm in bringing him along slowly in this type of controlled atmosphere? As for the money, yeah 17 million for a closer is a lot, especially for one who is unproven in the role, but that is not how there intended to spend the money and the payroll is what it is so it's pretty much a moot point. You put the players on the roster where you feel they have the best opportunity to contribute to the team. The team payroll is 246 million, that's not going away so the question is do you let a certain player's salary prevent you from using him where you feel he's needed the most/where he might slot in the best coming off an injury? How much were they paying Hanley when they DFAed him? And why was he DFAed? Because that where he was needed the most.