Despite the rotation depth issues early this season, there is quietly a lot of competition for the back end of the bullpen. Tyler Kinley, Dylan Lee, Dylan Dodd, Hayden Harris and James Karinchak all had strong performances out of the bullpen on Wednesday, with Harris and Karinchak looking particularly impressive. The Braves have four bullpen locks or near locks with Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez, Aaron Bummer, Dylan Lee. If they choose to start the season with a six-man rotation, they will only have 3 spots left in the bullpen. Joel Payamps seems like a likely member of the bullpen, while Hayden Harris, Daysbel Hernandez, James Karinchak, Ian Hamilton, Jose Suarez, Joey Wentz and possibly even Jhancarlos Lara are viable options for the bullpen. Harris, Hernandez, Dodd and Lara all have options, so they could very easily end up in AAA, although Dodd especially and to a lesser extent Harris and Hernandez could have real claims for a top 7-8 option on the 40-man. Hamilton and Karinchak are on minor league or split contracts, where veterans sometimes have the option to opt out if they are not on the active roster, effectively leaving them with no options. Meanwhile, Wentz and Jose Suarez have been ruled out of minor league options.
Personally, I wouldn’t be particularly inclined to keep Jose Suarez because he seems like a replacement-level pitcher, but this front office often chooses to keep depth instead of picking the best guys for Opening Day. I’m intrigued by Karinchak if he can be anything like his old, dominant self. Hamilton has been good in the past, but we have to see what version of himself he resembles. Wentz could make sense as the de facto sixth member of the rotation, who could easily convert into a solid lefty reliever with some staying power over multiple innings if needed. It will be a fascinating battle to watch over the next month.
Austin Riley went to the yard, while Baldwin and Profar collected extra base hits against Paul Skenes and bullpen rivals shined in a 3-1 Spring Training victory.
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