The Padres’ bullpen was headlined by Kirby Yates, who posted a staggering 1.30 FIP, as well as Luis Perdomo (3.60 FIP) and Craig Stanmen (4.12). Trey Wingeter (3.61 FIP, 5.65 ERA) and Robbie Erlin (3.61, 5.37) seem like prime candidates for improvements in 2020, as part of their 2019 struggles can be explained by bad luck on batted balls, or the Padres lackluster defense. Throw in young flamethrower Michel Baez, who has touched triple digits on his fastball, and it’s clear the Padres already had a strong bullpen.

Padres G.M. A.J. Preller decided that he wanted to take the team’s biggest strength and further improve it. This offseason, he signed Drew Pomeranz, a former starter who found a second wind as the Brewers’ setup man in 2019, to a 4 year, 34 million dollar contract. He also traded for Emilio Pagán, who had an excellent season as one of the Rays’ top bullpen arms in 2019. In theory, having an elite bullpen sounds like a huge advantage, but to secure Pomeranz and Pagán, the Padres had to give up Manuel Margot, who turned in one of the best defensive seasons in center field during 2019 at age 25, as well as a 34 million dollar contract that could have been spent on other key players. Kyle Gibson, who is at worst an average starter, signed with the Rangers for 30 million dollars. The Padres also could have used the money set aside for Pomeranz’s contract to sign Avisail Garcia, who could have filled their hole in right field that was created by the departure of slugger Franmil Reyes. 

With that being said, let’s dive into the pros and cons of investing heavily in the bullpen.

In the past couple of years, bullpens have become crucial to winning teams. Over the past 5 years, as bullpens have become more prominent due to the rise of sabermetrics. Bullpens are now throwing roughly 40% of all innings, and it should come as no surprise that how good your bullpen is has a greater effect on how many runs you give up.

ERA- is a stat that compares a team’s run prevention to the league average. The team ranked 1st in ERA- is the team that allows the least runs after factoring in the ballpark they play in and whether they face a DH or not. As you can see, bullpens explain run prevention now more than ever. 

With that being said, it seems obvious that teams should spend in free agency and trade for key bullpen pieces. Teams that choose to do so, however, must look at what happened to the Rockies. Prior to the 2018 season, the rockies shelled out huge contracts to 3 relievers: Wade Davis, Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee. The Rockies spent a total of 106 million dollars on the three players, and none of them met expectations. Wade Davis, the best of the 3, had a good year in 2018, but totally fell off a cliff in 2020 and pitched to an ERA over 8. Shaw and McGee were also non-factors for the Rockies this past year. Mercifully, all 3 contracts will expire after the 2020 season, but had the Rockies chosen to invest in an impact bat like Mike Moustakas, or a starter like Lance Lynn, they would have been better off. Lance Lynn accrued more WAR (wins above replacement) in 2019 than Davis, Shaw and McGee have in the last 2 years combined, and the Rockies could have used the 100 million dollars they spent on 3 Lance Lynns. 

Now, you might be thinking that the Rockies are just dumb, and that they just invested in the wrong bullpen arms, which is partially true. But the hard truth about bullpen performance is that it is so volatile. None of the top 10 finishers in FIP among relievers with 50 innings in 2017 finished in the top 10 in 2019. The only top 10 finisher in 2018 to make the top 10 in 2019 was Aroldis Chapman. Because bullpens work with so few innings, it can be impossible to tell if one’s performance in the bullpen will carry over year after year. 

It is worth noting that the Padres aren’t going full Rockies mode, and they are spending only 34 million and one Manuel Margot to get a stronger bullpen. But the Pomeranz signing begs the question: why give a guy a 4 year contract when the odds of him being the same guy two years from now is slim to none? Why not try and find the next Pomeranz, a starter seen as undesirable that can turn into a key bullpen piece?

Time will tell us whether the Padres made the right choice. For now, they should have a strong bullpen along with several impact bats, and they should be fun to watch this year.

First of all, let’s get this out of the way. Wentz is the best QB in his division. Not close. In 2019 that was very clear when you looked at how Wentz played down the stretch and how Dak did. One carried an entirely injured offense to the playoffs, one carried a stacked roster to 8-8. This was not a matter of coaching or of defense. This was a matter of one quarterback with the better talent and better drive to win getting his team over the hump despite a terrible situation. 

Carson Wentz also put up better and similar stats in 2019 than Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson, who are considered widely to be top 5 Quarterbacks. Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson were statistically very similar, with Wentz being slightly better than both, with his 27 Touchdown passes to just 7 INTs. Wentz put up these numbers throwing to the worst receiving core in the league down the stretch and injuries piling up on both sides of the ball. While the other two QBs I mentioned are phenomenal and for sure top 10 QBs, I believe that Carson Wentz is not only currently better but will be in the future given proper supporting options. 

In 2019, Carson Wentz proved that he can turn a terrible situation into a playoff berth. He was not at fault for the bad situation the Eagles were placed in, and would have went 11-5 in the regular season, had his receivers caught just two game winning passes. Wentz will continue to stun critics and his fans for years to come. 

2017-19 Stats

Kenta Maeda’s stats from 2017-19 are pretty good. They’re better than people give him credit for. In the past three seasons, Maeda posted a 3.35 xERA, 3.76 SIERA, 3.77 FIP, and a 3.79 xFIP. Those stats all tell how good he actually pitched. He underperformed his xERA by 0.68, which is great to see. His per-nines are also good. Maeda produced a 10.06 K/9, 2.79 BB/9, 1.24 HR/9, 3.61 K/BB, and a 1.16 WHIP in 413.1 IP in 71 starts and 34 relief appearances.

Jose Berrios’s stats from 2017-19 are good too, but not as good. Berrios produced a 3.84 xERA, 4.11 SIERA, 3.87 FIP, and a 4.22 xFIP. Berrios overperformed his 3.80 ERA by 0.04. Moving onto his per-nines, they are pretty good. Berrios had a 8.96 K/9, 2.67 BB/9, 1.10 HR/9, 3.35 K/BB, and a 1.20 WHIP in 538.1 IP in 89 starts and 1 relief appearance.

Maeda was better than Berrios in xERA, SIERA, FIP, xFIP, K/9, K/BB, and WHIP. Berrios was better than Maeda in ERA, BB/9, and HR/9. Obviously there are more stats out there, but most of them also point to Maeda being the better pitcher. The only real reason one could say Berrios is better is because of the big difference in innings pitched, but Maeda makes up for that in the big difference in stats.

2019 Stats

2019 would matter a lot more than 2017 if you’re trying to compare who is better currently, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t exclude other seasons.

In 2019, Maeda posted a 4.04 ERA, 3.26 xERA, 4.06 SIERA, 3.95 FIP, 4.04 xFIP, 9.90 K/9, 2.99 B/9, 1.29 HR/9, 3.31 K/BB, and a 1.07 WHIP in 153.2 IP in 26 starts and 11 relief appearances.

In 2019, Berrios had a 3.68 ERA, 4.03 xERA, 4.28 SIERA, 3.85 FIP, 4.32 xFIP, 8.76 K/9, 2.29 BB/9, 1.17 HR/9, 3.82 K/BB, and a 1.22 WHIP in 200.1 IP in 32 starts.

Once again, I do believe Berrios has more potential, and that he will be better soon, the stats prove that Maeda is the Twins best starter right now.

Let’s say that Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, Jhoan Duran, and/or maybe Jordan Balazovic get added to the 30-man roster. They get to spend some time in the MLB and make their highly anticipated Major League debuts. They could perform well enough, or another player or pitcher gets injured, and they could take a spot on the 28 or 26-man rosters.

I don’t think there’s a huge chance of the top prospects being on the roster for most or the whole season, but it’s possible. I think Kirilloff could even take over as the starting left fielder if he outperforms Eddie Rosario. Duran or Balazovic could take over as an end of the rotation starter if Homer Bailey falters or someone else gets injured or test positive for COVID-19.

“Yeah, I’ll be kneeling. I stand for what’s right…I’ll definitely be taking a knee,” Murray said.

He also responded to an Instagram comment that was criticizing his intention to kneel during the national anthem.

“You think I give a f–k?” Murray responded. Cardinals RB Kenyan Drake will also join Kyler Murray in kneeling during the national anthem. He mentioned on Good Morning Football that he was “disappointed” he didn’t kneel in the past. This upcoming season is going to be something to watch closely.

Legend: BOLD=Primetime

Week One: Titans @ Broncos, Monday Night Football, 10:15 PM EST. 

This is a very tough draw for the Titans and It’s the last game of opening weekend for the Titans. They will lose this game 27-23. West Coast also the game is in Denver, but this will be an AFC Championship hangover for the Titans.

Week Two: Jaguars @ Titans. 

This is a good matchup for the Titans, but I have the Titans beating the jags at home in Nashville. Overall the Titans have the better team and the Jags can’t stop Henry or Tannehill’s pass attack. Titans on top 30-14. 

Week Three: Titans @ Vikings.

This matchup is both similar teams, both will run the ball and both open up big play-action type plays. Defenses are both very similar. Titans have more of a complete side than the Vikings, but the Vikings have an elite defense. The Vikings win 23-20. 

Week Four: Steelers @ Titans. 

This game will also be very close, because the steelers aren’t injured, and they still have Ben Roethlisberger. But being healthy doesn’t mean the Steelers will win. I have the Titans also winning 28-23. Plus I think Derrick will run all over the Steelers.

Week Five: Bills @ Titans.

The Titans most of the time loss to the Bills at this point in the season, I think the Titans can stop Josh Allen, and pressure him enough the Titans will win this game. 17-10 Titans. Titans get their revenge on the bills.

Week Six: Texans @ Titans.

Another good matchup, two great defenses that could get better pass rush wise. Deshaun Watson loses key receiver De’Andre Hopkins, but adds Brandon Cooks and Randall Cobb. I still think the Titans defense will get to Watson, and the Titans overpower the Texans, 34-20.

Week Seven: BYE, I think this is a good placement for the BYE week for the Titans because it allows their players to get more healthy and put extra work in.

Week Eight: Titans @ Bengals.

The Titans will take down Joe Burrow and the Bengals. The rushing attack for Derrick Henry will once again show vs the Bengals lack-luster defense. It will be close but the Titans will edge out 24-20.  

Week Nine: Bears @ Titans 

The Titans face the Bears, I’m going to take the Titans because Taylor Lewan will neutralize Khalil Mack, and I don’t think Trubisky will do anything out of the ordinary against this Titans team. The Bears got a good defense and the Titans have a good offense and the Titans come away with this one, 17-13.   

Week Ten: Colts @ Titans, Thursday Night Football, 8:25 PM EST. 

The Titans will play the Colts at home on TNF, the game is in Tennessee, so I pick Titans, this game will also be fun to watch. 

Week Eleven: Titans @ Ravens.

The AFC Divisional Round rematch, Lamar was a little off his game and so were his wideouts, especially his Tight Ends. The Titans played great defense against them in the playoffs. But I think the Ravens get their revenge on the Titans and they win 28-17.          

Week Twelve: Titans @ Colts.

The Colts at this point of the season will start to do good with Philip Rivers, I just don’t see the Titans winning in Indy at this point of the season. They split with the colts and lose, 30-17.

Week Thirteen: Browns @ Titans.

Browns and Titans are both similar teams, they both ground and pound the football to open up the pass. Both are gonna look for their star Tight Ends, once again Titans are home and they win 38-27. 

Week Fourteen: Titans @ Jags. 

The Jaguars win this one, Gardner Minchew plays good (so far) against the Titans and they go on to win this game 24-10. The Jags pull the absolute upset. 

Week Fifteen: Lions @ Titans. 

Great time to play the Lions, when they’re hurt, inconsistent and irrelevant. The Lions also haven’t made the playoffs since 2015, with a heartbreaking loss to the Seahawks. Since then the Lions haven’t been anything more of a laughing stock. 

Week Sixteen: Titans @ Packers, Sunday Night Football, 8:20 PM EST.

The Titans match up well against the packers. Derrick Henry also could have a really big game, but the passing game will struggle in Lambeau. Plus this is in December in Green Bay, it will be snowing, and the Titans aren’t too well in the snow, for that reason I have them losing to the Packers, 34-20. 

Week Seventeen: Titans @ Texans. 

The Titans are getting better at the end of the season, so that is why I have them beating the Texans in Houston, 27-20. The Titans rush attack is too much for the Texans to handle on their own. 

In conclusion, I have the Tennessee Titans going 10-6 for the 2020-21 NFL Season, making the playoffs and winning the AFC South. The Titans floor is 7-9, with their ceiling being 12-4. 

Offensive Line

At the center position, we have Austin Reiter who played center most of last season and was decent for his first year starting after being the backup of Mitch Morse. We then have Laurent Duvernay-Tardif at RG who has always been good. Then at LG, we have Andrew Wylie and Mike Remmers, they’ll battle it out to see who will start this season. And as the tackles, we have reliable Mitchell Schwartz who didn’t allow a single sack last season and is an all-pro, and LT Eric Fisher, Fisher is interesting, to say the least. He can be good and bad sometimes but we really really need him, he does take up a huge contract but without him, the Offensive Line plays pretty bad.

The next position is the Tight End. We have Starting All-Pro TE Travis Kelce who is always the reliable big guy, then backing him up we have Ricky Seals-Jones and Deon Yelder. At the Wide Reciever position, we have the Cheetah Tyreek Hill, then playoffs hero and a player who thinks he’s an alien, Sammy Watkins, then we have Demarcus Robinson coming off a mediocre season and bad playoffs, hope to see some more from him and Pro Bowl Returner and electric WR Mecole Hardman. Whenever Hardman is on the field expect a big play from him, and Byron Pringle to finish off the WRs. At RB we have Playoffs hero Damien Williams, first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Deandre Washington, Darwin Thompson, and Darrel Williams. And at the QB position and obviously have the Best QB Patrick Mahomes, and Chad Henne backing him up (for now), then Jordan Ta’amu backing him up. Overall the offense is mostly the same this season. Here are my grades.

QB- A+
RB- B

WR- B+
TE – A

O line – B

Bounce Back:

Khris Davis: the Khrush A’s fans have come to know and love was lost in 2019. After three straight years of 40 HR/.247 AVG, Davis put up a mere 23/.220 mark, along with an 81 wRC+ over the course of 533 PA. He did deal with some health issues, but there was clearly something more going on. However, only one season removed from leading the league in big flies, he no doubt has the skill to bounce back; and that’s exactly what I think he’ll do. Now, he probably won’t be the 40 homer Khrush of old, but that’s unrealistic to expect. What is realistic is a home run total somewhere in the 30-35 range, with a wRC+ back over 100.

Lou Trivino: after a rookie season in which Trivino broke onto the scene with a 2.92 ERA, 3.69 FIP, and a 9.97 K/9 in 74.0 IP, things turned south quickly. In 2019, his ERA skyrocketed to 5.25, his K/9 fell to 8.55, and his BB/9 jumped to 4.65, along with poor peripherals. To me the main thing that hurt him last year was his loss of command. He’s a streaky pitcher, and being more consistent with his pitches is a must for him going forward. However there is plenty of hope for Lou; from 2018 to 2019 he actually improved his exit velocity to 85.5 MPH (95th percentile), barrel% to 3.9 (96th percentile), and xSLG to .343 (90th percentile), along with an xwOBA that only rose from .290 to .296 (3.83 xERA). These factors seem to indicate that Trivino also suffered from some bad luck in 2019, and combine that batted ball data with hopefully improved command, and he’s definitely set up for a bounce back year.

Setback:

Mike Fiers: after trading for Fiers in mid-2018, the A’s have gotten some solid work out of him. In 2019, he started 33 games and pitched to a 3.90 ERA. However, luck was a large part of that success. He overperformed all his peripherals, with a 4.97 FIP, 5.19 xFIP, 5.19 SIERA, and a 5.02 xERA. This is obviously a clear sign of regression, and I really hope A’s fans aren’t expecting too much out of him this season.

Sean Manaea: this one is much more obvious than Fiers, because no one actually thinks that his 1.21 ERA over the course of 5 starts last year is sustainable (I hope). But, his performance at the end of last season has made many A’s fans see him as the ace of the staff. In reality, there is no reason to believe that Manaea has transformed himself into an ace, or even the best starter on the A’s, as Montas or Luzardo should easily be taken over him. A fall back to Earth is awaiting Sean in 2020. However, there are reasons to be optimistic about him. From 2018 to 2019, he used his slider more and his changeup less, clearly working out for him as he rose his strikeout rate from 16.5% to 27.5% between the two seasons. Even in a small sample size, this could indicate that he’s made some advancements as a pitcher, and that some of his success from 2019 was real.

Breakout:

J.B. Wendelken: I’m very excited to see what J.B. is capable of in a full season at the big league level. After 62.0 innings in the majors over the course of three seasons that he spent up and down from AAA, he should finally get his fair shot in the bullpen this year. In 32.2 IP pitched with the A’s in 2019, he impressed, posting a 3.58 ERA, 2.94 FIP, 3.78 SIERA, and a 2.37 xERA, alongside a 9.37 K/9, and a 2.48 BB/9. He also features 76th percentile fastball velocity, and above average spin rates on all his pitches. Everything points to him being a successful big-league arm.

Franklin Barreto: this is not a name that A’s fans have come to think of positively. The once highly touted prospect Barreto has been given many chances at the big-league level over the past few years, and all of them have flopped. In 209 MLB PA’s he’s posted a 57 wRC+, 43% below league average. He’s also shown no discipline, with a 3.3 BB% and 40.7 K%. But, Franklin is still only 24, and is still full of raw, unharnessed talent. He has the ability to hit the ball hard, with a career 9.5 barrel% and .385 xwOBACON. If he could cut down on his whiffs, he could turn into a productive big-leaguer overnight. In a year that’s likely make-or-break for him, keep an eye on Barreto for a potential long-awaited breakthrough.

Written by @trunks.coverage

    As a little run back in history, let’s look back at the top five Blue Jays of all time. Hopefully, this will relieve some pain for the fans from the North who had to endure this previous season.

Qualifications

For a player to be considered an all-time Blue Jay, they had to play with the Blue Jays during their prime. Players would’ve had to play multiple seasons with the Jays. Players who are more recognized for playing for a different team will not qualify.

    The top five list will include both pitchers and hitters. So, a stat we’re going to mainly determine the rankings is WAR (wins above replacement). Another category we’ll look at is each player’s achievements.

#5. George Bell

In the nine seasons George played with the Jays, he put together a great resume to be a top all-time player for the organization. He’s at the top of almost every single stat category for the Jays. He ranks fourth on the Jays all-time RBI list , totaling 740. Since he is a part of many of the Jays all-time lists, we classify him as a top Jay.

Bell with his 12 years spent nine years (which was during his prime) with the Jays. With Bells prime being with the Jays, this makes him qualify as an all-time Blue Jay.

His standout perk in his career is his AL MVP in 1987. Bell is one of only two Jays to ever win an MVP, which is why he is the fifth-best all-time Jay.

#4. Jose Bautista

With two Hank Aarons and three Silver sluggers, Jose Bautista has an impressive award resume but doesn’t quite compare to George Bells MVP. Even though Bautista doesn’t quite have the MVP that George has, he is the fourth all-time because of his great statistical side of play.

Bautista earns his spot at four with his great statistics, such as his crazy WAR. Bautista ranks fourth in WAR for the Jays, and has the single-season record with an 8.3 WAR. Bautista has the second-most homers in Jays history with 288.

With Bautista’s amazing statistical side, he is the fourth-best Blue Jay of all time.

#3. Roy Halladay

Roy Halladay spent 12 out of his 16 years in Toronto, and had the single best season as a Jay. In 2003, he set a single-season club record of 22 wins.

Halladay won two awards as a Jay AL Cy Young and TSN AL Pitcher of the Year both in 2003.

On the statistical side, Halladay is 2nd in every category only to another player on our list. Halladay has the second-best WAR in the club’s history, and has the most single-game wins.

On most teams, Halladay would’ve been the best franchise pitcher. But, he falls second only to our next guy…

#2. Dave Stieb

Dave Stieb was drafted and played 15 seasons with the Blue Jays. 

The former Jays pitcher did not have the deserved recognition, only getting the AL Pitcher of the Year once, and the pitching title once. Stieb also came 4th in Cy Young votes in 1982.

Despite the horrible awarded recognition, Stieb is the best pitcher in Jays history. His stats were above all others, being ranked top in practically every Jays pitching stat. He has the an unsurpassable WAR, making it the Jays record.

Dave Stieb is a next level pitcher, and is by far the best pitcher in Jays history. Although he’s the best pitcher, there is still one more guy on this list.

#1. Roberto Alomar

Alomar only played five seasons with the Jays and is the player with the least seasons played on this list. In his five years with the Jays, he made the playoffs three times and led the team to two world series.

Although he only played five seasons with the Jays, he has the most awards from anyone else on this list. He brought the team to the many playoffs, and he won the Jays their two World Series.

Alomar was an elite defender in the league and was a threat at the plate with his .307 batting average, the 2nd best in Blue Jays history.

Alomar is also the only player besides Halladay in the top 5 in the HOF. He brought the franchise their only championships, as well as three playoffs great all-around play. What’s not to love! Alomar is without a doubt the greatest player to play for the Blue Jays.

• Malaki Branham: SG- Rank: 26th
• Jordan Hawkins: SG- Rank: 62nd
• Jeremy Sochan: SF- Rank: 69th
• Trey Kaufman: PF- Rank: 72nd
• Ike Cornish: SG- Rank: 79th
• Jaden Akins: PG- Rank: 99th
• Jusaun Holt: SF- Rank: 105th
• Robbie Armbrester: PF- Rank: 116th

As you can see, we’re at least in the mix with a good number of guys. Also note that we’ve reached out to some other recruits as well, but at the moment we’re listed as “cool” with the recruit on 247sports. Some of these other names include Jalen Warley, Trey Patterson, and others. What I have taken away from this is that we’re aiming very high for this class, with the intent of adding a few of these guys. I love to see us go after these big name recruits, but as you know, it’s always hard to land guys that are high caliber and there’s no real guarantee that we’ll even get any of these guys. What this means is that this class could turn out to be one of our best ever, but at the same time turn out to be a complete miss. Luckily, we’ve started to reach out to a few 3 star recruits in case things go wrong, but hopefully this class can turn into something special.