An early look at the 2025 Bullpen

[sportsfan8703]

Elias did put together some depth in AAA last year while trying to contend. I’ve noticed that since we’ve been in contending mode that Elias has done a good job building the depth at the end of 40 man/AAA while other teams are passing on certain players on waivers to look at their own internal options. 

MLB - Bautista, Cano, Dominguez, Webb, Coloumbe, Perez, Soto, Akin

AAA - Burch Smith, Bowman, Selby

More depth see pic.  We’ll see how much stick around for ST. I believe Nathan Webb was rehabbing with us all year from injury, so maybe there’s something there. 

[MCO'sFan]

On 10/14/2024 at 9:06 AM, sportsfan8703 said:

The 2025 bullpen looks like a real strength.

R - Bautista, Cano, Dominguez, Webb

L - Coloumbe, Soto, Perez, Akin

I like having the 4 lefties with the WALL and that should be enough for the regular season.  It allows us to really matchup and take advantage of our ballpark.

That’s a pen with 4 former All Stars.

I believe Akin will still have an option since he made it through the season without burning his last one.  He’d be the guy to go down to AAA for a longman/fresh arm when needed.

Maybe we get our lightning in a bottle reliever throwing near 100 in McDermott or Morfe later in the year.

I don’t think we see much turnover here.  However, I could see Elias electing not to bring back Soto for flexibility reasons, more so than salary reasons.  Could we actually “sell” Soto for something of value?

I think the bullpen will be a strength. RP can be so volatile year over year. I would love to see them get an established set up guy to place in front of Cano so he can handle the 7th and/or match up earlier in the game. I expect Dominguez and Soto to be more consistent this year they both can be dominant for stretches. Perez and maybe Akin are the guys to go. I feel like Perez should be better than he is with the stuff that he has. I love the fact that he doesn't give up homers but I have seen a lot of innings where he walks two and gives up three hits and he doesn't strike out enough guys. I would also like the last spot to go to a young pitcher like McDermott they can get their feet wet in low pressure situations. It seems that ME prefers to keep SP in AAA as rotation depth. When it is all said and done though, it all comes down to how well Felix bounces back. 

[Aristotelian]

49 minutes ago, MCO'sFan said:

I think the bullpen will be a strength. RP can be so volatile year over year. I would love to see them get an established set up guy to place in front of Cano so he can handle the 7th and/or match up earlier in the game. I expect Dominguez and Soto to be more consistent this year they both can be dominant for stretches. Perez and maybe Akin are the guys to go. I feel like Perez should be better than he is with the stuff that he has. I love the fact that he doesn't give up homers but I have seen a lot of innings where he walks two and gives up three hits and he doesn't strike out enough guys. I would also like the last spot to go to a young pitcher like McDermott they can get their feet wet in low pressure situations. It seems that ME prefers to keep SP in AAA as rotation depth. When it is all said and done though, it all comes down to how well Felix bounces back. 

I'm not a huge Akin fan but I don't see us getting rid of Akin. He pitched 70+ innings to a 3.32 ERA with 11 K/9 and 5+ K/BB. Hyde clearly doesn't like him in high leverage for good reason, but he had a very good year for us. He does have an option but we would have to get someone really good to demote him. 

[Jim'sKid26]

If this is the conventional wisdom as to the composition of the 2025 BP:

Bautista, Cano, Dominguez, Webb, Coloumbe, Perez, Soto, Akin

There some questions that need to be asked.

1. Will Bautista be ready for Opening day and how many innings can you expect him to deliver? Is he a one inning closer?

2. Will there be set innings assignments or do they mix and matchup?

3. Is Cionel Perrez worth $2 mm as the 4th LHP out of the BP?

4. Who closes when Bautista cannot? 

5. Do they need a RH long man out of the pen? If so, who is that?

6. If they do upgrade the pen, which many of us feel is needed, who goes down to AAA? 

[Aristotelian]

33 minutes ago, Jim'sKid26 said:

If this is the conventional wisdom as to the composition of the 2025 BP:

Bautista, Cano, Dominguez, Webb, Coloumbe, Perez, Soto, Akin

There some questions that need to be asked.

1. Will Bautista be ready for Opening day and how many innings can you expect him to deliver? Is he a one inning closer?

2. Will there be set innings assignments or do they mix and matchup?

3. Is Cionel Perrez worth $2 mm as the 4th LHP out of the BP?

4. Who closes when Bautista cannot? 

5. Do they need a RH long man out of the pen? If so, who is that?

6. If they do upgrade the pen, which many of us feel is needed, who goes down to AAA? 

1. Yes. He was getting close at the end of '24. I would think opening day '25 is probable. I also think they would use common sense and try to preserve him a bit more.

2. This is Hyde/Elias and we have a lot of guys with platoon splits. They will match up. 

3. My issue with Perez is not the money. He is definitely worth $2m. The question is the roster spot. Someone on your list has to move to make room for guys with options, prospects, and waiver claim guys. I think we need to get rid of two of Perez, Soto, and Akin. Maybe all three if we want to bring in a Kirby Yates type. 

4. I think Dominguez will be fine as a second closer. Maybe Coulombe vs LHB. 

5. Akin is fine. Could be Suarez.

6. This is the problem. Akin is the only guy on your list who can be optioned, and he is pretty important. So if we are going to upgrade we would have to nontender or DFA some of these guys.

[MCO'sFan]

1 hour ago, Aristotelian said:

I'm not a huge Akin fan but I don't see us getting rid of Akin. He pitched 70+ innings to a 3.32 ERA with 11 K/9 and 5+ K/BB. Hyde clearly doesn't like him in high leverage for good reason, but he had a very good year for us. He does have an option but we would have to get someone really good to demote him. 

I agree that he is not a DFA candidate. I was talking more of an area of upgrade. His performance has been up and down year-over-year. He is an Arb2 guy which Fangraphs estimates a 1,2M contract. Not huge but certainly more than necessary. I'd rather have him than Perez but, Akin is middle relief/low leverage at best. 

[sportsfan8703]

3 hours ago, Aristotelian said:

I'm not a huge Akin fan but I don't see us getting rid of Akin. He pitched 70+ innings to a 3.32 ERA with 11 K/9 and 5+ K/BB. Hyde clearly doesn't like him in high leverage for good reason, but he had a very good year for us. He does have an option but we would have to get someone really good to demote him. 

Akin was the first reliever used in the playoffs.  I'd say Hyde trusts him.  He had a darn good year.  He gets results.  

We have the top 8 then a good group of relievers that have already been a part of the Norfolk shuttle.  Baker, Vespi, Smith, Krook, and Bowman.

Is Tyler Wells back in 2025?

[Aristotelian]

11 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

Akin was the first reliever used in the playoffs.  I'd say Hyde trusts him.  He had a darn good year.  He gets results.  

We have the top 8 then a good group of relievers that have already been a part of the Norfolk shuttle.  Baker, Vespi, Smith, Krook, and Bowman.

Is Tyler Wells back in 2025?

Wells does have options.

[sportsfan8703]

I will say this, other than Bautista, I don't think anyone out of our pen scares anyone.  They're all hittable and some will walk you.  Nobody is just coming in and blowing you away.  

[AlbNYfan]

I believe you have to add GRod to the mix of a member of the BP. I would love to see him return to the starter role, but I am concerned about his durability over the season. This added to Bradish, Wells and possibly Means joining the team after in the second half, all of them will have extreme limits for the 2025 season. It seems possible that the O's will use openers at some point of the season. Maybe none of those three will not be ready until 2026 and that's a whole different discussion.

[TommyPickles]

How about Tanner Scott? He's a free agent I'd be excited about.

[Just Regular]

40 minutes ago, TommyPickles said:

How about Tanner Scott? He's a free agent I'd be excited about.

He's going to get super rich.    The Top 2 reliever guarantees last winter were Hader 95 and Stephenson 33...a guess is he ends up closer to Hader than Stephenson.

4/64 would be those two contracts average on the nose, maybe about what he and Hoffman will hope for.

I don't know if Elias missed the evaluation or just had a bunch of randoms he was keen to try in early 2022, but Scott would have been awfully helpful these last three seasons.    We still have the Jud Fabian MLB part before the full story of the trade is over.

Paul Sewald or Yimi Garcia wouldn't be bad.