New York Mets: Bullpen without borders may happen in 2018

The New York Mets may have a bullpen in 2018 without any defined roles.

Doctors without Borders does wonderful work around the world, so the analogy is not intended to disparage them in any way. Simply using a play on words, the New York Mets may have their own version of the group when it comes to their 2018 bullpen.

You know how you look around the league and see defined roles for each bullpen pitcher? There is a closer, a set up man, a left-handed specialist, a right-handed specialist, and others. Mickey Callaway has a different idea. According to the New York Post, he is thinking about having a fluid bullpen, where the pitchers are used in whatever role they are needed each night depending upon the situation.

"“I think we’re going to pitch guys when it makes sense, and we’re going to pitch guys to our strengths, and they’re going to face the batters they should be facing,” Callaway said. “If that means [Familia] is going to close every game, that could happen if it lines up that way. We’re not locked into that. I think that we have to make sure we get to a save situation, and if we can’t get there, it doesn’t do any good to have this guy be named the closer. So we’re going to pitch guys when it makes sense, and we’re going to do everything we can to win every night.”"

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It worked with Callaway’s highly successful staffs in Cleveland in 2016 and 2017. The idea comes from experience.

The idea becomes even more interesting when you realize that his previous employer, the Cleveland Indians, are a small-market team. What does that have to do with the Mets?

The Mets SPEND like a small-market team. Despite the fact that everyone’s favorite owner won’t talk about it, the team has financial problems. Whether it is residual damage from the Madoff situation or something else, the Mets don’t spend like a large market team, at least not for a long period of time.

If we all agree that the Mets have financial problems, we also agree that the team has to find a way to improve by working around those issues. We’ve seen small market teams get to the World Series in this era, like the Indians and Royals, so we know it can be done. The question is how?

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The answer is to adapt some of the small-market principles that have made teams successful. One of the principles in action is to use relief pitchers wherever necessary and not hold them to a specific role. That way you don’t overspend for a particular job but they do all of the jobs. It makes a lot of sense.

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