Originally Posted by
mth123
the numbers show that a lot of teams had bad bullpens last year and the park is definitely a factor, but this bullpen ended up blowing a lot more games than in years past and it really didn't settle down until Givens, Cessa, Santillan and Lorenzen came along late in the season and others were pushed off the roster. Now both Givena and Lorenzen are gone and the other best performer from 2021 (Antone) won't be pitching in 2022. I think they have a solid start at a middle of the pen in Santillan, Cessa and Sims. Guys like Warren, Hoffman and Moreta seem fine for the long relief/AAA shuttle roles and Warren and Moreta might prove better than that. I'm not thrilled about Justin Wilson and Amir Garrett as the lefty options, though Garrett may bounce back by returning to his match-up lefty role and being used carefully. Wilson has been a decent lefty until last season, so given what is on the market, they may be about as good as we can get right now. They simply need to add a closer. They could try Sims in that role, but that makes the 6th, 7th and 8th innings more treacherous. They can't pitch every day, so they need 4 or 5 trustworthy guys who can get people out in the 6th, 7th and 8th inning to hold a lead as well as a somebody to pitch the 9th. I'd feel a lot better about this pen if they could bring Givens back.
Guys are going to get injured, some will be terrible and some will be both. To get through a season, they need a lot more than 8 guys since Starters are basically 5 ad out these days even when they are pitching well. For example, if both Warren and Moreta make the opening day pen, that leaves no depth in AAA unless guys like Greene, Lodolo and Ashcraft come up as relievers (an idea I'm not in favor of). I think adding Givens or some other guy to handle the 9th inning. Bullpen guys are mostly match-up guys to be used in certain situatioons. They can't be used against all comers, That's why they aren't starters. But, the closer needs to be able to pitch the ninth inning no matter who is coming up for the other team. You need a guy who is better than a match-up guy. Sims and Santillan seem like the only internal candidates but using either as the 9th inning guy leaves the rest of the pen too thin IMO.
Lets assume Givens for now, that would leave the pen as
CL - Givens,
Set up guys /Firemen- Sims, Santillan, Cessa
Lefties - Wilson, Garrett
Long Relief - Hoffman
AAA Shuttle/Wild Card - Warren, Moreta
That pen would be OK. Without the 9th inning guy, it thins out way too much and match-up guys can't be matched up as well as they should be. That leads to a lot of blow-ups in the middle innings. I'd rather have an upgrade at lefty relief, but if Garrett bounces back and is used properly (and they get rid of the delusions that he can pitch the 9th and face all comers) he could be a solid late inning lefty again.