Avocados are a neat little fruit. They\u2019re creamy, high in important nutrients like fiber and potassium, and their mild yet delightful flavor is a great addition to all sorts of dishes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Unfortunately, avocados also have an extremely limited shelf life. If you\u2019ve bought an avocado, you know that once you cut it you have an extremely limited amount of time before it goes brown. Sometimes, avocados go brown before you can even cut them. And if you\u2019re thinking about saving a beautiful avocado for later, just forget it. If you need one later, you\u2019ll need a new one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
You\u2019ve read the headline, so you know where I\u2019m going with this: relief pitchers are avocados. Good ones make great additions to teams of all kinds. They are versatile, and can be used as a supporting flavor or a featured ingredient. Relievers also sour quickly; they have short moments in the sun at their peak, but they almost never last as long as you think (or hope) they will.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Teams need relievers, of course, but their volatility means that you can\u2019t really keep them for the long haul like you can with starting pitchers or position players. The name of the game is to acquire relievers when you need them and to trade your relievers when they have maximum value.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
That\u2019s because, even for the greats, the wheels can fall off pick. Just look at the storied \u201cHDH\u201d Kansas City Royals bullpen. None of the three had anything resembling a calm, steady decline. Greg Holland was the best relief pitcher in the American League over a four-year period through his age-28 season; he then got hurt and was never the same. Wade Davis posted an ERA of 1.18 over a three-year stretch; two years later, it had ballooned to 4.13\u2013the lowest mark of the rest of his career. From 2012 through 2018, Kelvin Herrera was one of the most consistent setup men in baseball. He was out of baseball two years later at age-30.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Stories like that are the norm. So it is frustrating to have watched the Royals time and time again fail to trade their prized relief arms in the midst of lost seasons. Joakim Soria, Scott Barlow, Josh Staumont\u2013all should have been traded. Kansas City held onto all of them for too long. They thought they could outsmart the avocado, but the avocado turns brown regardless.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n