PHOENIX -- D-backs reliever Archie Bradley saw the reporters wander toward his locker in the home clubhouse at Chase Field and he knew what was coming next.

He was prepared for the question, but Bradley still seemed a bit surprised when he was asked to react to not being named the team’s closer. In Bradley’s mind, he didn’t lose a job. He earned one.

“For me, I’ve literally said this for the last three years here: I literally don’t care what role I throw in,” Bradley said before a 6-3 loss to the White Sox on Monday night in an exhibition contest. “A save is a value that’s been brought along by baseball, but I take just as much value as what I do in the seventh and eighth. I see the value of it and what I’ve been, and what we’ve been able to do as a bullpen the last three years, I think it’s a great role for me.”

On Sunday, the D-backs announced Greg Holland will serve as the closer over Bradley and Yoshihisa Hirano, who both will pitch in the seventh and eighth innings. On Monday, Bradley would have rather talked about doing his part to help the team win than labels for relievers.

“There’s something to be said about getting the last three outs in a game, but for me, it’s not that big a deal,” Bradley said. “Everyone the last couple years has talked about me being a closer or competing for a closer job. For me, it’s about getting guys out. When you look at the innings I’ve thrown and the competition I’ve faced, a lot of times I’ve been in bigger situations than the actual ninth inning. For me, I take just as much pride in that as in closing a game.”

There’s an advanced measurement called Leverage Index that helps support Bradley’s claims. FanGraphs breaks them down into high, medium, and low leverage situations, and Bradley is one of 11 relievers to make at least 100 high-leverage plate appearances last season. Cody Allen, Brad Boxberger, Jeurys Familia, Jordan Hicks, Alex Colome, Brad Hand, Edwin Diaz, Felipe Vazquez, Craig Kimbrell and Blake Treinin are the others.

Overall, Bradley pitched in 76 games last season, the fourth most in the National League. He pitched four times in the sixth inning, 18 times in the seventh, 52 times in the eighth and 10 times in the ninth in 2018.

“Archie was closing out the biggest innings of the game besides the ninth last year and that’s hard to walk away from,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “He got the hardest part of the order and he didn’t let us down very often, and I felt like that was going to give us the best chance to win as many baseball games as possible.”

As for Holland, his reaction to being named the closer was not much of a reaction at all.

“I didn’t put too much thought in that. I knew the biggest thing for me was getting ready to play,” Holland said. “The stuff we’ve done in the training room and in the weight room has gone really well for me. I feel great. I’m just ready to get the season started. It’s a position I’m excited about and I think we’ll have a really deep bullpen as a whole.”

Through a translator, Hirano, who pitched in 75 games last season and saved three games, said Holland has experience in the role and it was a good decision to make him the closer.

“I’m just going to go out there and throw whenever I am called upon,” Hirano said.

Worth noting

D-backs starter Luke Weaver was charged with one unearned run on two hits over six innings against the White Sox. The right-hander struck out five and walked two.

Up next

Right-hander Merrill Kelly will make his final tuneup before the regular season when the D-backs square off against righty Ivan Nova and the White Sox at 12:40 p.m. MT on Tuesday in an exhibition contest at Chase Field. Arizona will have an off-day on Wednesday and open the regular season on Thursday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.