What Should Padres Bullpen Be Today?

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Oct 4, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Kevin Quackenbush (59) in the seventh inning of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers won 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

This article is also dedicated to Thomas L. Webber for the same reason I explained in my article focused on the Padres’ rotation. This piece isn’t just about who should make the bullpen, but what the roles should be. As with my article on the lineup and rotation, this will be using just the players currently on the roster or in the organization.

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In the hopes of not spoiling the rotation article, I advise that you read that one first as the arms not in the rotation will be up for grabs in this one.

The men fighting for the three basic spots are as follows:

Long relief: Carlos Villanueva, Odrisamer Despaigne

Middle relief: Luis Perdomo, Cory Mazzoni, Cesar Vargas, Josh Martin, Blake Smith, Buddy Baumann

Late relief: Kevin Quackenbush, Brandon Maurer, Nick Vincent, Drew Pomeranz, Jon Edwards, Tayron Guerrero

After 13 spots are taken up on the roster for position players and five more for starters, there are seven left for relievers.

Let’s give away slots to the guys we know will be making the roster. Then their roles will be covered. For reasons highlighted in the starting rotation article, Despaigne should be released or sent down. Villanueva makes this mock roster. So too do Maurer, Pomeranz, Quackenbush, and Vincent. That leaves two slots. Perdomo needs to stay on the 25-man roster to stay in the organization as he was a Rule 5 pick.

The last roster spot is actually a rather easy pick. If the Padres were to trade any of these guys, Guerrero should be given a shot. Between AA and AAA last year, Guerrero threw 56 innings and posted a 3.05 ERA in hitter-friendly territory. He’s wind but has a seriously live arm, throwing in the mid- to upper-90s. Perhaps because of that stuff, Guerrero gives up a low amount of hits but a high degree of walks – 5.0 K/9 in 2015. But he remains a perennial top prospect, ranking number 12 on MLB.com. Having just turned 25, it’s a shame his control hasn’t improved. If it had, he would likely be tabbed as the relief ace for 2016.

The last spot then comes down to lefty Buddy Baumann and Jon Edwards. Baumann would make his first roster and his Major League debut. He spent the last three seasons on Kansas City’s AAA team posting ERAs of 2.76, 3.20, and 3.04 respectively (cumulative 3.04). Included in those 216 innings are 17 starts. But those are overshadowed by his 87 relief appearances.

Edwards battled cancer and was then traded to San Diego in the Will Venable deal. He closed out 23 games in AAA in 2015 with a 1.23 ERA. In San Diego, he picked 10.2 innings and had a 3.38 ERA. Considering that the Padres already have a lefty, Edwards seems the better choice heading into his age 27 season.

For their roles, click over to the next page.

Next: More Rotation Options

Apr 5, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Nick Vincent (50) holds the baseball on the pitching mound during a game against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Villanueva is the obvious long man. Perdomo is slotted in as a middle reliever until he proves he can really pitch in The Show. If he can adjust quickly, with his stuff, then there’s no reason he shouldn’t be tabbed for late inning work. But until then, it’s middle relief duties.

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Before getting to the later guys, it’s important to understand how Green might change up how the bullpen is operated. Analytics people argue that having a closer is not using one’s bullpen to the fullest. Why save your best reliever when the most important inning might be the seventh inning? What if the game really swings in the balance before the ninth? Why not use your best guy as they would have before Tony LaRussa put Dennis Eckersley into the closer role we are familiar with now? Green might very well harken back and sign a relief ace.

Edwards was great in AAA. But he doesn’t throw 98 mph. So, until he can prove he can translate that to the big leagues he should be put in for middle relief.

Vincent, though consistently good (2.63 ERA in 150.2 career innings), will not make it as this mock roster’s relief ace. He should be thrown in some of the tougher situations, whether they be against a tough part in the lineup or with men on base in the middle of the inning.

Quackenbush was a closer in the minors, had a good 2.48 ERA in 2014, but struggled in 2015. He threw 58.1 innings – four more than in his rookie year. But his ERA soared to 4.01 and his FIP to 3.56. Perhaps the Padre defense let him down a bit as his peripheries (other than HR/9 which jumped from 0.3 to 0.9) were very similar between the two years. But until he proves he can return to his 2014 form, Quackenbush should not be the relief ace.

Originally, I was thinking Maurer would by my relief ace. He had a 3.00 ERA and 3.31 FIP in his 51 innings last season. Brandon Maurer came over from Seattle and performed well in late relief until he went down with what really seemed to be fatigue more than an injury. In fact, before his struggles started on July 22, Maurer had an ERA of only 2.00 in 45 innings. He has lively stuff and a good, though limited, track record of over 100 innings out of the pen.

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It was a tough decision not to give the job to Maurer. But Pomeranz’s numbers convinced me otherwise. In his 63 career relief innings, Pomeranz has a 2.14 ERA, 1.016 WHIP, and 9.4 K/9. Pomeranz was a once highly-touted prospect in the Cleveland organization.

So, Pomeranz is slotted as the relief ace, with Maurer as the number two and Vincent as the number three. Quackenbush and Edwards are next, though their use should be more as a middle relievers when the Padres are leading. Perdomo would come in when the Padres are trailing as middle relief. And Villanueva is the long man.

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