Let's be happy for a change: The Yankee bullpen should be crackling in 2019

The 2018 Yankee season ended with Gleyber Torres almost beating out an infield tapper, moments after Gary Sanchez almost launched a three-run homer, a short time after Giancarlo Stanton twirled at three pitches that were almost on the Eastern Seaboard. Hell, they almost won Game Four against the best team money could buy.

Trouble is, all the "almosts" added together would have only meant a return trip to Boston, where, presumably, Aroldis Chapman and the rest of the Yankee bullpen would have been called upon to hold a lead. 

The inconsistency of Chapman and Dellin Betances - the Yankee stoppers - left a troubling stain on 2018, and it's surely why the Yankees recently signed Zach Britton. It's also why they are said to be talking with Adam Ottavino - a RH reliever, whom the Redsocks also are targeting. (Boston let Craig Kimbrell and Joe Kelly walk out the door. They'll surely sign somebody, and Ottavino is said to be the best arm on the market, so things could get dicey.) 

I cannot help but feel queasy about Boston's quiet winter. Last year, they waited and waited while NYC celebrated the arrival of Giancarlo Stanton, then signed the far superior JD Martinez. They are desperately trying to trade Jackie Bradely Jr., which would leave an OF opening, and we should never forget the so-called "mystery teams" said to still be in the running for Bryce Harper. The Yankees better not turn their backs in self-congratulation over Zach Britton.

But wait... this is about the bullpen, so let's stick to the basics...

Right now, here's our staff of First Responders:

El Chapo: Closer by default, though his knee his barking, and he increasingly looks like a Cano contract bomb waiting to detonate. We have him for three long years, and the reality is, it's probably one season too far. (Then again, it's only money; we must never forget that the Yankees have an endless supply.)

Betances: At times last year, he seemed on the verge of certifiable "headcase" status. He'd walk the first batter on four pitches, and it would roll downhill from there. In the post-season, he killed. Soon, he will go to arbitration and probably double his $5.1 million salary. Next winter, he'll become a free agent. Who knows what affect a "contract year" will have? But when he's "on," like El Chapo, he's flat-out unhittable. A ten-pitch inning. (They usually foul one off.)

Britton: Could easily become the de facto stopper. He doesn't terrorize opposing batters, but an inning can go quickly. He's a ground ball machine, though with a potentially porous infield - Miggy, Tulo, Gleyber, Voit. By the ninth, we'll probably see defensive replacements. Can the Yankees afford to disappear their bats in the seventh? Not sure. The smart thing would be for Britton to pitch later in games.

Mean Chad Green: Last year, he threw more innings (75) than any other Yankee bullpen lug nut, with a 2.50 ERA - second lowest on the staff (behind Chapman's 2.45.) He'll be 28 this year and makes nearly the MLB minimum. If he stays healthy, he is the best thing we have going. Print this out: Kudos to Cooperstown Cashman for trading Justin Wilson for Green and Cessa. It was a great deal.

Jonathan Holder: The Holder of Holds. He's 26 and broke out last year with a 3.41 ERA. Another reason for hope. If he becomes the next Mean Chad, we will have the best bullpen in baseball.

Tommy Kahnle: At 29, a complete reclamation project. He was awful last year. Either he turns it around, or he's done. Who knows? Frankly, he doesn't even deserve prominent mention here, but you never know.

Domingo German, Luis Cessa & Chance Adams: From the Scranton Biz-Bag, each is a marginal starter, whom the Yankees chose to keep over AJ Cole (jettisoned to make room for Britton.) Of the group, Adams is still young - 23. The others are reaching mid-20s - which is either their peak or their sell-by date, your choice. But one could emerge.

The bootless and unhorsed, well hyped "depth" of the farm system. This has been a constant drumbeat in recent months: The strength of the Yankee system is the wave of power arms, mostly in the obscure levels of the ocean. Of this group, Jonathan Loaisiga gets the most ink. He's 23. And for LOOGY fans, there is Stephen Tarpley, 25. After that, they are lottery tickets, and as you study the roster, you must remember all the pitchers - Dillon Tate, Cody Carroll, Josh Rogers, et al - that were traded last summer for the Wild Card run.  

This looks like a solid group, and - frankly - it better be. Last spring, the Yankee outfield looked completely overstocked... and then, in August, we went three weeks with Shane Robinson in RF. Injuries are cruel, and a Yankee spring tradition is the annual announcement that some great young hope is heading to meet Tommy John. We can also expect a "breakout" arm. But everything will hinge on El Chapo and Dellin. 

The Yankee rotation has no stud starter capable of regularly pitching into the eighth. We need arms. We need eaters of innings. Ottavino would help - he's a New York native - though Food Stamps Hal doesn't like bidding wars. You can never have enough pitching - everybody knows that - but the Yankees almost have the best bullpen in baseball. Shit. That word again. 

Almost doesn't win you a ring. Almost gets you a wild card. Come on, Hal... one more arm. One. More. Arm.