Am I the only joe who thinks maybe this whole bullpen craze is getting just a touch out of control?
Report: Rangers Hoping To Add Yet Another Ace Reliever
The Oakland Athletics have reportedly placed reliever Andrew Bailey on the trade block, and Ken Rosenthal reports that the Texas Rangers are in the hunt:
The Rangers traded for right-handed setup men Mike Adams and Koji Uehara last July. They signed free-agent closer Joe Nathan to a two-year, $14.5 million contract last week.
And they are still trying to upgrade their bullpen.
Not only did the Rangers make a strong push for free-agent righty Jonathan Broxton, who signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Royals, but they also are one of the clubs trying to trade for Athletics closer Andrew Bailey, major-league sources say.
Granted, the Rangers are planning to shift Neftali Feliz to the rotation next spring. But Adams and Koji and Nathan and Bailey seems like overkill, doesn't it? Two erstwhile closers and two guys with closer-like numbers?
As Rosenthal points out, this would make a little more sense if one of these stalwarts were left-handed, but the Rangers will need one of those, too. Presumably someone who's really good, and perhaps someone who's not looking forward to his 41st (or 42nd) birthday. Rosenthal mentions Matt Thornton.
On the other hand, Rosenthal also suggests that the Rangers are building this juggernaut because their relievers combined for a 7.43 ERA in the World Series. I take the opposite lesson from October. The Rangers built an outstanding bullpen last July, and that propelled them to within a pitch or two of a World’s Championship. I think they’re just trying to do what they’ve already done, but slightly more.
I’m not sure if going after four or five excellent relief pitchers is the best allocation of resources. The Rangers don’t have many holes, but last I checked they could have used a potent first baseman and a lefty-hitting platoon partner for Yorvit Torrealba. That said, they seem to know what they’re doing. Generally.
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