Once upon a time, maybe not too long ago, MLB relief pitchers didn’t really have many earning opportunities because their role was limited by the starter and the overall approach by managers.
Starters used to pitch much longer, and nobody cared about having their starting hurlers avoid facing a lineup for a third or fourth time.
Baseball has changed, thanks to analytics.
These tools have correctly forced a correction on that front, identifying that when hitters see a pitcher for the third time, their results are amazing.
Bullpens, because of that and a need to preserve health, have become much more important in the last decade, perhaps since the Kansas City Royals deployed their super-bullpen to make two straight World Series in 2014 and 2015.
A Top Bullpen Is Now A Necessity
Now, if you don’t have a top bullpen with at least six or seven top performers, you are one step behind.
It’s the nature of the game: true shutdown relievers are becoming a hot commodity, as proven by large deals given to Edwin Diaz, Rafael Montero, and Robert Suarez in recent days.
It’s a good sign of the health of the game: the players who get the most important, high-leverage outs are getting paid.
“Great sign for industry health: Multiple MLB player agents told me yesterday that they view the lucrative Robert Suárez and Rafael Montero contracts as evidence of a strong free agent market,” MLB insider Jon Morosi tweeted.
Great sign for industry health: Multiple MLB player agents told me yesterday that they view the lucrative Robert Suárez and Rafael Montero contracts as evidence of a strong free agent market. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 14, 2022
Nowadays, it’s better to be a truly dominant reliever than an average or below-average starter.
The four teams in the American League Championship Series this year had elite bullpens, and some that were eliminated a round earlier, like the Cleveland Guardians and the Seattle Mariners, have excellent units, too.
A great bullpen went from a luxury to a requirement in a matter of just a few years.
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