We're number three! We're number three!

Throughout the doom and gloom of the offseason, most of us expected this team to be bad. There might have been disagreements as to just how bad -- once-in-a-generation bad, or eighth sign of the apocalypse bad? -- but few fans had any illusions about the state of the team.

The bullpen wasn't a factor in my personal pessimism, though. The bullpen was pretty iffy last year. It could still be wretched for the rest of this year. But there's no sense in worrying about a bullpen in April, just as there is no sense in being excited about a bullpen before the season starts. Bullpen agnosticism doesn't get enough respect in the world of baseball nerds. Felix Rodriguez is good until he isn't. Pat Neshek is a minor-league relief ace until he's a major league relief ace. The names change, but the volatility remains the same. more...