Building the Perfect MLB Pitching Staff for a Modern Team
Here's an interesting thought experiment: You've been put in charge of building an MLB pitching staff from scratch, and you get to take arms from any current big league club.
Hold on, though, there are caveats.
First, we're looking for balance that reflects reality and modern baseball thinking: A mix of aces and mid-rotation hurlers, youth and experience, lefties and righties, bullpen guys and starters. We'll even toss in an opener.
We're also considering cost.
Contracts factor in, and we're imposing a somewhat-arbitrary single-season salary cap of $85 million, which we'll stay slightly under. It's not in the richest range, but it's not penny-pinching, either. For comparison, the New York Yankees were slated to pay the pitchers on their expected MLB roster roughly $131.45 million in 2020 (before the truncated season changed the calculus), per Spotrac.
No. 1 Starter: RHP Max Scherzer
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2020 Salary (non-prorated): $35.92 million
Max Scherzer will turn 36 on July 27, but he's shown few signs of slowing down. He dipped below 200 innings for the first time since 2012 last season with 172.1 IP, but he tallied 243 strikeouts and an MLB-leading 2.45 FIP.
He's also logged 112 career postseason frames with a 3.38 ERA and won his first ring with the Washington Nationals in 2019.
Simply put, until further notice, Mad Max is among the most durable, reliably excellent aces on the planet and has the experience and skills to front any staff.
No. 2 Starter: RHP Walker Buehler
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2020 salary (non-prorated): $603,500
After finishing third in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2018, Walker Buehler fully broke out in 2019.
The Los Angeles Dodgers righty tossed 182.1 innings with 215 strikeouts and a 3.01 FIP. He'll turn 26 on July 28, which means he's just entering his prime.
A cost-controlled ace-in-the-making, he's the perfect complement to Scherzer and helps form a dangerous top two in the rotation.
No. 3 Starter: LHP Blake Snell
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2020 salary (non-prorated): $7.6 million
Blake Snell won the American League Cy Young Award with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018 with a 1.89 ERA and 221 strikeouts in 180.2 innings.
He underwent elbow surgery in 2019 and was limited to just 107 innings, but he returned in September. He also posted a 3.32 FIP and a career-best 12.4 strikeouts per nine.
Assuming he's fully healthy in 2020, the 27-year-old is among the top left-handers in the game and on a relatively affordable contract.
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No. 4 Starter: RHP Jack Flaherty
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2020 salary (non-prorated): $604,500
After finishing fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year race in 2018, Jack Flaherty made the jump from promising young pitcher to burgeoning ace with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2019.
He posted a 2.75 ERA in 196.1 innings with an NL-leading 0.968 WHIP, was fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting and scored down-ballot MVP votes.
At age 24, he's cost-controlled and could soon blossom into one of the best right-handers in the sport.
No. 5 Starter: LHP Mike Minor
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2020 salary (non-prorated): $9.83 million
Mike Minor posted career bests in innings pitched (208.1) and strikeouts (200) in 2019 with a 3.59 ERA for the Texas Rangers and got his first All-Star nod.
The 32-year-old also tied for 19th among pitchers with 4.1 WAR and rose precipitously among the rankings of MLB left-handers.
If you're looking for a fifth starter on a reasonable contract, you can't do much better.
Middle Relievers, Setup Men
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RHP Sergio Romo (2020 salary, non-prorated): $4.75 million
A veteran with ample, high-leverage postseason experience from his days with the San Francisco Giants, Sergio Romo has tallied 129 career saves. He also helped pioneer the opener role with the Rays and posted a 3.43 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 60.1 innings in 2019 between the Miami Marlins and Minnesota Twins. The 37-year-old right-hander provides versatility and is capable of filling multiple roles.
RHP Emilio Pagan (2020 salary, non-prorated): $591,000
Emilio Pagan broke out in 2019 with a 2.31 ERA, 20 saves and 96 strikeouts in 70 innings for the Tampa Bay Rays. The right-hander is now a member of the San Diego Padres and, on an inexpensive salary, would be a stalwart with ninth-inning bona fides in any MLB pen.
RHP Yusmeiro Petit (2020 salary, non-prorated): $5.5 million
Yusmeiro Petit was among the game's best setup men in 2019 with 80 appearances, 83 innings pitched, a 2.71 ERA and an impressive 7.1 K/BB ratio with the Oakland Athletics. The 35-year-old is a workhorse who can go multiple frames if needed and provides ample flexibility.
LHP Taylor Rogers (2020 salary, non-prorated): $4.45 million
The Minnesota Twins handed lefty Taylor Rogers the ninth inning in 2019, and he answered the call with 30 saves, 90 strikeouts and a 2.61 ERA in 69 innings. He'd be a closer on most clubs yet could also capably handle seventh- or eighth-inning duties.
LHP Brad Hand (2020 salary, non-prorated): $7 million
Brad Hand continued his run as one of the game's best closers in 2019 for the Cleveland Indians, notching a career-high 34 saves with a 2.80 FIP and 13.2 K/9. As an auxiliary late-inning lefty, he'd be any manager's dream.
RHP Nick Anderson (2020 salary, non-prorated): $577,300
Nick Anderson tallied just one save in his rookie season in 2019 with the Rays but struck out 110 in 65 innings with the Marlins and Tampa Bay and finished with a 2.35 FIP. He's a closer on the rise at a bargain price and would be a lights-out setup arm.
Closer: LHP Josh Hader
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2020 salary (non-prorated): $4.1 million
Josh Hader has been downright filthy each of the past two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, posting a WHIP of 0.81 in both 2018 and 2019 and K/9s of 15.8 and 16.4.
Add the 37 saves he collected in 2019, and the 26-year-old lefty is arguably the best closer in baseball.
He's also young and affordable and would have more than enough backup in our hypothetical staff to allow for various mix-and-match machinations.
All statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference.
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