Speculation: 6 of 7 Bullpen Jobs Set?

[Swifty]

Tankersley was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans this morning in a series of moves that reduces the roster to 42.

Manager Fredi Gonzalez said he wants to break camp with 12 relievers. If the season started today, he said six of his seven relievers would be Leo Nunez, Dan Meyer, Brian Sanches, Jose Veras, Burke Badenhop and Renyel Pinto.

That leaves one spot still open, and it likely would go to a pitcher who could also spot start.

“Things can change with trades, waiver-wire acquisitions,” Gonzalez said, “but as of today you got Pinto, Meyer, Nunez, Sanches, the Hopper, Veras – I like his stuff. So, I leave one spot.”

He said Mike MacDougal and Seth McClung are in the mix for that last spot along with Tim Wood and Chris Leroux.

Moderately to very surprising. I just can't see MacDougal as a long-shot and Veras as a lock.

http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/marli...ans/#more-3246

[FishFF]

yeah, didn't know Veras was on the radar. His outing today surely wont help his case.

[Nick]

Who is Veras?

[Chewford]

That guy you didn't know who was pitching.

[Nick]

he sux.

[Swifty]

Mike MacDougal is such a Beinfest reliever though, I cannot imagine us not taking him.

Veras is a Beinfest kind of "guy" (like Bonifacio and Julio) so I guess I'm not that surprised.

[Bobbob1313]

I like Tim Wood.

[Ralph]

Winnie The Pooh

[emkayseven]

i don't understand why badenhop can't be the guy that spot starts

[Party]

i don't understand why badenhop can't be the guy that spot starts

???

[emkayseven]

That leaves one spot still open, and it likely would go to a pitcher who could also spot start.

why can't badenhop be the guy that spot starts, and the other spot can go to a regular reliever?

[m26555]

Probably because Badenhop was so successful in the LR role last season that Fredi doesn't want to tinker with it. I can't really blame him either considering how poorly Badenhop has performed when given the opportunity to start.

[Swifty]

I think it's just an issue of innings, and Fredi feeling that he doesn't have enough in this bullpen to pick up his starters consistently.

Badenhop is fine as a bridge, but you can't ask him to be the bridge, and the spot starter and the mop-up guy.

Unless we have a legitimate #3 emerge (and I've gone over why I think we have three reliable starters yet no 3rd starter) we're going to need to get serious innings from our pen above and beyond what Badenhop can/should give.