Relief pitchers threw 17,422 innings in 2018 -- that's up from 14,977 just five years ago. That's an average of 81.5 innings per team, so on just a pure volume level relief pitchers are more important than ever. I suspect we may start seeing some of the free-agent relievers start signing this week -- they're usually the first to go. Here's my analysis of the top 10 with a risk rating relative to their potential contract.
The good: With a 1.91 career ERA and 14.7 K's per nine over eight-plus seasons in the majors, Kimbrel still brings upper 90s heat with that unhittable curveball.