i wouldn’t view his decision to go to Washington as a sign of an unwillingness to handle heat. Rather, it’s the best career decision for him. If he goes there and fails as a closer, he can still find teams that will likely offer him setup jobs, as the Cubs are offering. If he succeeds (and I think he would, along with the fact that the job is his for the next year or so – Storen needs a bit more time), then he might be able to cash in in a better economy in a year or so. The idea that going to Washington would eliminate him from the playoffs is somewhat flawed – if he’s that good, someone may try to pluck him in a trade.

If he comes here and fails as a setup man, the chances of him getting sniffs to be a closer are far less, and that would diminish his earnings potential a bit.

I still hope he comes, but I don’t think him going to Washington should be used as something to criticize him in that regards. There’s sound personal reasons for that. Furthermore, as you’ve well noted, it’s not as if the Cubs are some sort of surefire lock to make the playoffs. I like our chances much better than you do, but maybe Capps feels differently.