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Tom Verducci on how today’s bullpens have changed the way baseball is played

Posted on by Paul
Jenrry Mejia (Photo credit: Paul Hadsall)
Jenrry Mejia will return next month from his suspension – but will he provide enough of a boost to turn the Mets’ bullpen into a team strength? (Photo credit: Paul Hadsall)

Tom Verducci has an interesting take on how bullpens are changing the way Major League Baseball is played.

The in-game race in baseball no longer is to take pitches, grind out at-bats to wear down the starting pitcher to drive him from the game and get into the opposing bullpen. The race is to get an early lead. Getting into a bullpen—where the ERA drops by more than half a run and the batting average drops by almost 20 points—is not preferable.

Mets GM Sandy Alderson doesn’t subscribe to this belief – he wants to build his team around a rotation of power starting pitchers, with hitters who walk a lot and “hunt strikes.” His bullpen is an afterthought.

I wonder if the Mets might be better served this year by trying to upgrade that bullpen (beyond the boost they should get when Jenrry Mejia returns from his suspension next month) than trying to force a trade for a hitter that might not be there.

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5 thoughts on “Tom Verducci on how today’s bullpens have changed the way baseball is played”

  1. Geting Parnell back, too, is helpful. You may be right, but there’s got to be a bat out there somewhere who can help out. How about the Marlins Martin Prado, a career .290 hitter who could play multiple positions?

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    1. Are they going to trade him in division? I don’t know.

      The Mets need a left fielder (Cuddyer & Granderson should really be platooning), a shortstop, and more reliable arms in the bullpen…and that’s assuming everybody stays healthy, Travis d’Arnaud comes back & you believe in Wilmer Flores.

      It makes more sense to look at all three spots rather than getting hung up on finding a shortstop, or even a bat in general.

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  2. The Mets should totally trade some of their young pitchers for Troy Tulowitzki. Oh heck it’s Tulo, the Mets should trade all their pitchers for him.

    -Sincerely, the Yankees fan who doesn’t want the Yankees to touch Tulo with a 100 ft pole and wants the Mets to take him so the Yankees won’t.

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