Diamondbacks' Archie Bradley: Will battle for closer role this spring

Bradley will compete with Brad Boxberger and Yoshihisa Hirano for the D-backs' closer role this spring, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Analysis:

While there is little doubt that Bradley has the talent to become an excellent closer, the D-backs may prefer to use him in a more flexible high-leverage role in the late innings, leaving him to handle difficult spots any time in the seventh inning or later and allowing him to get more than three outs at a time when necessary. Even if he's not getting regular save chances, Bradley's potential for a heavy relief workload with a good strikeout rate and strong ratios should make him a useful option in many formats in 2018.