Cleveland Indians: Which bullpen pitcher will break out in 2018?

The Cleveland Indians have lost some key pieces to their bullpen, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still a strength. Now we have to ask just who will step up in the bullpen next?

This offseason was not the kindest to the Indians bullpen. The team lost one of their top relievers in Bryan Shaw, and another reliable arm in Joe Smith. While the bullpen is not weak by any means, it’s certainly not the force it was in 2016 and ’17.

The biggest question now is who will step up in this vaunted Tribe bullpen. They still have one of the league’s best relievers in Andrew Miller under contract for one more season. Unless things go terribly south for the Tribe, there is no chance he is traded this year. The bullpen also boasts stud closer Cody Allen. Allen had an ERA of 2.94 with 30 saves for the Indians in 2017.

After those two, the Cleveland Indians bullpen currently contains Zach McAllister, Nick Goody, Dan Otero, and Tyler Olson. That is much thinner than it has been in previous years, but fans can also expect either Danny Salazar, Mike Clevinger, or perhaps Ryan Merritt to be featured in the ‘pen come Opening Day.

Who will break out of this group in the bullpen?

The obvious answer is Tyler Olson. In case you didn’t pay attention to last season, Olson had an ERA of 0.00 in 20 innings. He also had a WHIP of 0.95.

Last season was by far the most active season in the majors for Olson. He saw 11 games in 2015 with the Seattle Mariners, and just one game with the Yankees in 2016. Neither of those stints were nearly as impressive as his 2017 season.

Nick Goody also became a bullpen staple last season. His 72 strikeouts in 54.2 innings is certainly a good (pun intended) sign of future potential.

The biggest name worth mentioning is Danny Salazar. With how much the Indians have shopped Salazar, I don’t think they will look to include him in the rotation. That would mean he will likely be featured in the bullpen. Salazar has a fastball that can make anyone practically run away from the batter’s box. If he has the kind of rest a bullpen pitcher sees that will help keep his arm bringing all kinds of heat.

Salazar’s 12.67 strikeouts per 9 innings was second only to Andrew Miller on the team. If he can stay healthy and keep that body of work up, he has the makings of a star in the Cleveland Indians bullpen.

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“Salazar as a bullpen star” has a lot of if’s surrounding it. He could make the rotation and find his place there, get traded, or find himself on the DL yet again. But should things work out for the best, he could be what the bullpen really needs to strike fear in opposing teams.