2020 Braves Preview: The Bullpen

The Atlanta Braves brought in free agent reliever Will Smith to strengthen a bullpen that already had a drastic transformation before the trade deadline last summer. The belief was, “Okay, we’ve gotten it better, now let’s make it one of the best in the sport.”

Well, plans changed when Smith tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks ago. He was and evidently still is asymptomatic, but Smith must test negative twice in a row in a 24-hour period.

So, who knows when Smith will be back. It could be today, tomorrow or in a few weeks. That’s the uncertainty you are dealing with when it comes to this virus.

When Smith does return, there is little doubt the Atlanta bullpen will be one of the best heading into a season. Mark Melancon is set to be the closer. He looked a lot more like the All-Star he was in Pittsburgh last summer than the pitcher who had struggled with injuries in San Francisco.

The Braves brought Chris Martin and Darren O’Day back. They should be top-shelf setup men in the bullpen. Shane Greene is back for the final year of his contract. Greene was an All-Star last summer for the Tigers and then struggled when he came to Atlanta.

This bullpen could be so strong that Luke Jackson, the closer for a large chunk of last season, could be the sixth-best reliever to start the season. And don’t forget about A.J. Minter, who seems healthy and has been really impressive in the Grapefruit League and in summer camp.

The time off has given Jacob Webb more of a chance to get healthy, so he will be an option. Josh Tomlin and Touki Toussaint could be the bridge pitchers that manager Brian Snitker will use in piggyback situations. Patrick Weigel will get a great chance, as well, to get innings this season.

This bullpen, really with or without Smith, is a strength for this team. Add Smith in and it might be great.

Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 p.m. ET on Middle Georgia’s ESPN. You can listen online at TheSuperStations.com. Follow Bill on Twitter at @billshanks and you can email him at thebillshanksshow@yahoo.com.