Every spring, someone tries to get cute with an Opening Day roster projection. This year, the big winner is MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon who really went there: a projected Cincinnati Reds bullpen that includes Chase Burns — not as an emergency April cameo, but as a planned swingman role to replace what Nick Martinez used to do. That idea skips over the most obvious reality of how teams treat premium young arms.
If the Reds believe Burns is one of their five best starters right now, he’s not opening the year in the bullpen to play long-relief roulette.