The bullpen is probably the hardest position to forecast because relievers tend to be pretty volatile in their perfomances. Because they throw so few innings compared to starters, and because each outing is usually for a few innings at most, there can be a lot of luck in their numbers and perfomances. Even if a guy’s not especially lucky in what happens when he throws the ball, it’s not uncommon to see a reliever have a great year followed up by a mediocre or worse season. Most relievers are guys with positives (good stuff usually, maybe good command) but also glaring negatives (no command with the good stuff, etc.). Sometimes they come out and everything is working, and sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes that changes the next time out, sometimes it lasts all year. Sometimes they’re just bad pitchers.
For all those reasons and others, bullpens tend to turn over a lot, year to year. Relievers, aside from established closers and occasionally set-up men, don’t generall make big contracts, and with good reason, as we’ve discussed above. Teams who give big contracts to relievers don’t often come out on top. In recent seasons, especially since Zduriencik took over, the Mariners have mostly taken the approach of finding as many guys with big arms and good stuff as they can and waiting to see which ones work out. Brandon League probably cost the most, as the team gave up Brandon Morrow for him. Everyone else that I can think of was either in the system or signed or traded for with little talent or money lost. The results have been mixed, but we’ll get into whether the process is good another day.
Roster breakdown after the jump!
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Andrew Long
dpscansen
Joe Loughery
Matthew
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