Palladino: Yankees, Mets Not Yet Built In Bullpen For World Series
By Ernie Palladino
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If this classic of a World Series showed the Yankees and Mets anything, it's that one needs a good bullpen to win in October.
At least these days it does.
The world champion Cubs -- sounds odd to hear that after 108 years of futility, doesn't it? -- and Indians proved as much. As well as the Cory Klubers, Josh Tomlins, Jon Lesters, and Kyle Hendrickses pitched in the series, and as well as the Francisco Lindors and Kris Bryants hit, it was people like Andrew Miller, Cody Allen, Aroldis Chapman, and Mike Montgomery who stretched the Fall Classic to seven glorious, heart-pounding games.
Want to know how much the bullpens came into play? It was the first World Series in history that saw no starter from either team go longer than six innings.
If the Royals didn't prove the worth of a postseason bullpen in 2015 with their big three of Kelvin Herrera, Luke Hochevar, and Wade Davis, then the Indians and Cubs certainly nailed the notion down this year.
And the Yankees and Mets might want to take note, since neither has a relief corps that stacks up with either of the World Series participants.
The Yankees used to, of course. Remember, they started off the year with Miller and Chapman in command of baseball's best back end before they traded them for prospects to the Indians and Cubs, respectively.
While that may serve the Yankees well offensively down the road, it really didn't do a lot to improve the relief corps. Dellin Betances did fine as a closer, but they left themselves with a pot-luck selection for innings 6 through 8.
Kirby Yates, Chasen Shreve, Blake Parker, and Adam Warren just don't light anyone's fire. And who can imagine any one of them going multiple innings as Series heroes Miller and Chapman so willingly did, even in the unforgettable Game 7 where both -- exhausted but game -- were touched for go-ahead and tying runs, respectively, after Terry Francona and Joe Maddon leaned on them the whole Series.
The Mets may be in even worse shape. Closer Jeurys Familia could be looking at a lengthy suspension for his recent domestic violence arrest. Add an unreliable postseason profile that includes three blown saves and a homer in Game 1 of the World Series last year, plus his one-inning, three-run disaster in the wild card game this year, and the prospect of him coming to the rescue in a game for all the marbles just isn't comforting.
Addison Reed had a solid season, as did Jerry Blevins. But others like Hansel Robles and Jim Henderson, Antonio Bastardo, and Erik Goeddel all had their missteps.
As their bullpens stand now, the Yanks and Mets are not built for the postseason, and certainly not for a World Series, where pitching roles can change dramatically. The sight of Miller coming in in the sixth inning for as much as 2 1/3 innings of work was shocking, as was Maddon's eight-out ask of Chapman in his Game 5 save.
Starters become relievers, as Lester successfully did in Game 7. Relievers are asked to act like starters, as Miller and Chapman did before both succumbed to cumulative pitch counts in Wednesday's decisive contest.
It's a much different scenario than the regular season, or even the LDS and LCS. And it's hard looking at the Yanks' and Mets' bullpens as constituted now to think that they could survive extended usage in a World Series.
That may never become an issue, of course. One has to get there first. At this point, just gaining the postseason could be a problem if the locals don't bulk up the relief corps. Extended roles in a World Series is a bridge worth crossing when, and only when, one gets to it.
But it wouldn't hurt the Yanks or the Mets this offseason to get another durable arm or two for the bullpen.
As Maddon and Francona proved, it's the stuff classic World Series are made of.
Please follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino
