I love bullpens. There’s a lot of angst over the decline of the starting pitcher that I’ve never been able to empathize with. I love armchair strategizing about who a manager should tell to get loose and when to make a pitching change. I love the opener and the “filler,” the Josh Hader types that can come in and record six or seven outs without breaking a sweat.
It’s lucky then that I’m a Yankees fan. For the better part of my lifetime, the Yankees have made it a point of pride to have a shutdown bullpen, and 2019 looks to be no different as the team’s locked up two of the four best pure relievers on the market, agreeing to deals with Zach Britton and Adam Ottavino.