P2Daily: The Long Relief Gambit *Could* Work, But Needs Better Execution

Not surprisingly, the increased attention going to Wil Crowe and Dillon Peters has generated a lot of discussion. Most of it, of course, centers on whether this long relief thing could work. More specifically, on whether it’s possible to have enough relievers to pitch the necessary innings.

There’s no question it can work, because it’s worked for Tampa Bay. Last year, the Rays got fewer innings from their starters than all but two other teams, but they led the AL in ERA. They did it despite having to shuffle their staff constantly due to a tidal wave of injuries. Excluding position players, they used 38 pitchers, but if you check the Rays’ 2021 bb-ref page, nearly all of them pitched well. They also had 14 different guys collect saves, which is wild.

The Rays’ success last year illustrates what’s needed to succeed with starters who don’t last long: Lots and lots of good pitchers. The Pirates are well short of that standard now. To begin with, their starters suck. Really, really badly. Maybe that’ll change. I guess we’ll see. But you can’t waste any spots on the pitching staff if you’re following this sort of scheme, and the Pirates are about two-thirds of a staff short of that goal. Aside from the rotation, we don’t know yet what will happen with Chase De Jong and Beau Sulser. There’s also Miguel Yajure, who badly needs to go to AAA. And they don’t seem to want Aaron Fletcher pitching in key situations, nor should they.

I think the Pirates kind-of had a plan to find the innings they were going to need. Part of it, no doubt, involved the starters not sucking quite so badly. They probably also hoped Yajure could fill a role similar to what Crowe and Peters are filling. They may have had similar plans for Duane Underwood, Jr., before he got hurt. The Bucs tried to use him some as a multi-inning reliever last year, but that never seemed like a good idea because left-handed hitters pulverize him. Then there’s Sam Howard, who occasionally went beyond one inning last year. He’s hurt, too, hence Fletcher. Howard’s fastball is down 3-4 mph from where it was during his strong first half last year, so it’s questionable whether they can count on him.

The problem, of course, is that there’ll always be some pitchers get hurt and others not perform. The Pirates may struggle to deal with that reality.

The team also has a shortage other than just middle relievers: late-inning guys. That may be the more serious issue. As good as they’ve been, David Bednar and Chris Stratton can’t pitch every day.

The circle of trust needs to expand. Well, it needs to expand to include relievers who belong in it. Derek Shelton has tried to shoehorn Heath Hembree in, but it’s not a good fit.

None of this is going to work if the Pirates continue to cling to people long past their sell-by dates. The omens aren’t great. The failed Cole-Tucker-in-the-outfield experiment is in its third season now. There’s also the team’s unwillingness to reach a decision about Tucker or Kevin Newman, bottling up prospects who need opportunities. Moving on from failure has been a recurring problem with this front office. These are the folks who let Gregory Polanco, Michael Perez and Phillip Evans pile up enough playing time last year to finish in the bottom 20 MLB-wide in fWAR.

So there’s quite a ways to go. The rotation remains a long-term project. But the Bucs also need to start giving chances in the bullpen to pitchers other than waiver claims. Maybe Yerry De Los Santos or Cam Alldred. They can’t build depth without digging deep.