SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Building a better bullpen took two mid-market teams to baseball’s promised land.
In 2015, Kansas City won the World Series, in large part because general manager Dayton Moore constructed a stellar bullpen. Last year, a corps of dependable and versatile relievers took Cleveland to Game 7 of the World Series before the Indians lost to the Chicago Cubs.
“For us, it just kind of evolved,” Royals manager Ned Yost said early in spring training. “We couldn’t spend a lot of money on starting pitching. So Dayton said, ‘We’re going to try and build a power bullpen.