The Opener, or bullpening, reached an unprecedented level of popularity last season. The Milwaukee Brewers may be taking that strategy to another level.
Heading into the offseason, the biggest weakness for the Milwaukee Brewers had been their starting rotation. Chase Anderson was unable to replicate his excellent 2017 campaign, dropping down to his previous level of being approximately league average. Jimmy Nelson, the expected ace, was never able to return from injury, and is a question mark for 2019. Jhoulys Chacin was the unexpected staff ace last year, but can he really pitch at the same level in the coming year?
Yet, if the Brewers had one advantage over any other team, it was with their bullpen. Led by the incredible weapon that is Josh Hader, and combined with Jeremy Jeffries, Corbin Burnes, and Corey Knebel, the Brewers bullpen was dominant. Despite throwing the fifth most innings of any bullpen in the majors, Milwaukee ranked fifth with a 3.47 ERA from their relievers. In 614 innings, Brewers relievers struck out 708 batters while holding the opposition to a .230 batting average.
So far, it appears that the Brewers are doubling down on making their bullpen into a weapon. Trade deadline acquisition Joakim Soria may be gone, but the Brewers have added Alex Claudio and Bobby Wahl in trades. Jake Petricka, a ground ball specialist who had success with the White Sox prior to elbow surgery, signed a one year deal. That strength has just gotten better.
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Even without those additions, it is possible that the Brewers bullpen would have improved. Matt Albers suffered through a miserable 2018 campaign, posting a 7.34 ERA and allowing 2.6 homers per nine innings. If he can get back to his ground ball ways, Albers could once again be a vital cog in the Brewers bullpen.
With that depth, and the weakness of the rotation, the Brewers may be looking at a different path to success. Just as the Rays were forced to utilize the opener out of necessity, Milwaukee may be designing their roster with such a move in mind. With their incredible depth, and relievers capable of handling more than one inning, they could be perfectly set up for such a move.
Of course, there is still a long way to go for the offseason. The Brewers have been linked to Madison Bumgarner as a possible trade target, and could look to add another arm in free agency. Young starter Freddy Peralta could also get a long look in the rotation if he performs well in Spring Training. Yet, if none of those situations come to fruition, the Brewers have the bullpen depth to emulate the Rays strategy from last season.
The Milwaukee Brewers bullpen has gotten even stronger. If they add another reliever, they could take bullpening to a different level in 2019.