No man steps into the same river twice. And no manager reaches into the same bullpen in two different seasons. That’s due in part to changes in the composition of the bullpen of course, but also to changes in the pitchers themselves. It would be nice if a reliever who had top-notch stuff in one year could always be counted on to have it in the next. But that just isn’t always so.
Take José Alvarado, for instance. In 2023 he had a career year, posting a personal best ERA. Nobody was surprised to see him receive the shoulder tap in high-leverage situations, and nobody was surprised to see him thrive in them.