Don Kelly didn’t come right out and announce a bullpen overhaul. He didn’t need to.
With just days left in camp, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ manager said the quiet part out loud — not in a declaration, but in a hint.
“Give them a taste of what that role might be like for them coming out of [the bullpen],” Kelly said of Mike Clevinger and Hunter Barco. “A role that they may be faced with during the season.”
Read between the lines, and a clear picture starts to form: the Pirates aren’t just finalizing a bullpen — they’re reimagining how it works.