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Orioles.com: Here are the O's bullpen candidates for '23


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#1 BSLChrisStoner

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Posted 28 December 2022 - 09:40 AM

Orioles.com: Here are the O's bullpen candidates for '23



#2 Mike B

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Posted 28 December 2022 - 10:08 AM

The bullpen is always the toughest unit to forecast.  We thought last years group was going to be challenged, but Bautista, Perez, Tate and Lopez were very good and guys like Baker, Krehbiel, Akin and others were solid.  If they maintain their levels this year the team should be okay.


@mikeghg

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Posted 28 December 2022 - 12:47 PM

Side note: I think Jake Rill generally does a pretty good job.  It's related to this, but he posed (in another article) whether the Orioles should consider a 6-man rotation.  There could be value to that given Gibson being 35 and most of the other arms at the end of the 'not carried a big workload yet'.  GRod is the only one I'm really managing innings (maybe 135-150) and Hall just isn't that conversation yet (remember last year there was discussion about Hall breaking with the rotation...a year later, not there yet).

 

Gibson

GRod

Bradish

Kremer

TWells/Voth

 

If you go 6, both Wells and Voth are in, but that likely means your bullpen is 7, not 8 so in the bullpen conversation, either Wells or Voth (who is out of options) is in the lock category.  If Voth isn't in, he' has to go through waivers.

 

We've had all of this conversation in the 2023 Bullpen thread.

 

(number of options) - this is important to but generally left out of the story

 

1CSR: Bautista (3) - He has options, but we aren't optioning the closer to the minors unless he's just terrible.  Optioned = bad.

 

2RH: Givens (0) - He's on contract so he's in.

3RH: Tate (2) - He's ARB1 this year so he's getting paid and he's in.

4RH: Baker (2) - He's in to start and looked really good down the stretch last year, he's in, but an optionable piece if you need turnover

5RH: Voth (0) or Wells (3) - whoever isn't in the rotation.  Given what Wells has done, you could option him, but that seems bad.

6RH: Politi (3) - COTs doesn't include him, which is a little strange, but he can't be optioned as a R5 pick, so he's in.

7LH: Perez (0) - He's in

 

You get 8 with a 4-man bench (are pitchers limited this year? 13? 14?) and that's 7 and it's pretty straight forward with the obvious nod to injury or terrible performance.  You only have 1 LHer in the bullpen, so if you wanted a second LHer...

 

8LH: Akin (2) - Performed well last year, can give you more length if needed, another piece that can go back and forth based on bullpen use.

 

Watkins (2) and Zimmermann (1) should be starting at AAA. 

Baumann (1) could too...Bob has him in the bullpen.

 

Krehbiel (1), Vespi (2), Cano (2), Gillaspi (2), Vallimont (2) are most likely heading to AAA based on numbers

 

IL Hall (2) - Jake says "stretch him out" in the minors, but that's really the wrong term.  They need to severely limit his innings early so he can work as a starter later in the season (maybe 100-110 this year).  Ideally he's performing in the rotation after the ASB.  They let GRod go too much, too early last year and even if he'd stayed healthy, he was going to have to be shut down before September.  Personally, I think it's easiest to manage his innings out of the bullpen in Baltimore in a tandem role with someone like Voth and switch them later in the year.  If Hall makes the 8, he has to kick someone off (Akin?) but Hall really isn't leveraged in that second LHer role, you need to schedule his workload, prep, etc.  Maybe easier to do in the minors, but they had trouble limiting GRod last year. If Politi gets canned (or maybe traded for so you can option him) then that can maybe simplify this. 

 

Math and MLB rules and development needs all work in certain ways.  Pitchers and catchers in 2 months.






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