SF Giants are setting Tony Vitello up for failure with bullpen strategy

The one thing that irks a baseball fanbase the most is when a manager mishandles the bullpen. That is why the SF Giants are setting up new manager Tony Vitello for failure with the bullpen reconstruction strategy they are trying to employ.

All along this offseason, president of baseball operations Buster Posey and general manager Zack Minasian have made it clear that they plan to opt for more of a low-budget bullpen reconstruction that leans heavily on minor league free agents and one-year contracts.

SF Giants low-budget bullpen plans put Tony Vitello in a tough spot

Their acquisition of left-handed reliever Sam Hentges and reported interest in Michael Kopech has shown that strategy in action. For those who hoped the Giants were going to go out and sign Devin Williams or make a play for Edwin Díaz, who just signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, this is a disappointing development.

Many were hoping the Giants would reunite with Tyler Rogers, arguably the most reliable eighth-inning man in baseball, but he just signed a lucrative three-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Posey has said the team is leaning more towards having a closer competition to sort out who will pitch in the late innings next season. We will see what other arms they add to the mix, but as of right now that likely means Ryan Walker, Joel Peguero, and Erik Miller will be the early favorites to pitch the late innings.

That does not inspire a ton of confidence a season after the Giants had one of the more dominant bullpens in major league baseball in the first half before injuries and trades left that bullpen a shell of itself in the second half.

Now, a brand new Giants coaching staff led by Vitello is going to have to sort through all of these arms and determine what combination will work best.

It is going to be tough enough for Vitello to manage all of the intricacies that will come with being a big league manager as he is coming straight from the college ranks. To add rebuilding a bullpen to his list of tasks is only going to make the transition harder.

Fans will probably show some patience with Vitello next season given his inexperience, but if he mismanages the bullpen early on and makes mistakes, that could put him in a hole with the fanbase early that may take time for him to dig out of.

Managing a bullpen in the big leagues is completely different than managing one in college because more games are played and rest has to be a much bigger consideration as you often do not want pitchers throwing three consecutive days.

It will be an adjustment to learn that dance but the Giants could have put Vitello in an easier position to succeed by going out and getting an established closer so he would at least not have to think about who will pitch the ninth inning on a nightly basis.

There are options out there, but basically all of the premium relief arms are off the board. Those multi-year contracts for closers can come back to bite a team, but even with the risks one of those contracts might have been warranted just to make things a little bit easier for Vitello as he tries to get used to a new role.

As things stand, he and his staff may have a tough task ahead of them to figure out what their best relief options will be next season.