Several teams still built on starting rotations

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Forget about this bullpen obsession for a moment. Believe it or not, plenty of big-league teams are still anchored by well-armed rotations.

In this age of openers and closers, with relievers starting games and starters rarely finishing them, it might seem starting pitchers have been devalued by executives all over baseball.

Dallas Keuchel, the 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner, is a 31-year-old free agent still looking for a job. Same for fellow lefty Gio Gonzalez, a two-time All-Star one season removed from going 15-9 with a 2.96 ERA in 201 innings.

Meanwhile, short relievers like Zack Britton ($39 million), Jeurys Familia ($30 million), Kelvin Herrera ($18 million) and Joakim Soria ($15 million) had no trouble getting multiyear deals this winter.

Doesn’t anyone remember what Koufax and Drysdale did for the Dodgers?

Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz with the Braves?

“At the end of the day, your starting staff is the backbone of your team,” Washington ace Max Scherzer said.

Not so for organizations like the Nationals, Red Sox, Indians and Mets, who have built their foundations with starting pitching.

Some say that’s not cost effective, partly due to the rate of injury. And it’s true, having a top-notch rotation can be expensive. That’s a big reason why small-market, low-payroll teams such as Tampa Bay, Oakland and Milwaukee relied so heavily on their bullpens last year, often successfully using relievers as one- or two-inning starters.

“We’ll see where it takes us. The game is evolving,” Mets pitching coach Dave Eiland said. “To each his own. I mean, every club has to do what they feel is best to win baseball games.”

Here’s a quick look at baseball’s best rotations:

CLEVELAND INDIANS

Indians starters threw 9932⁄3 innings last season, most in the majors, and ranked third with a 3.39 ERA. Two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber is a well-established ace. Carlos Carrasco has been remarkably consistent and quirky All-Star Trevor Bauer had a 2.21 ERA and 221 strikeouts in 1751⁄3 innings a year ago. But does anyone outside Ohio realize No. 4 starter Mike Clevinger posted a 3.02 ERA and 207 Ks in 200 innings?

BOSTON RED SOX

Seven-time All-Star Chris Sale is as nasty as it gets from the left side. David Price finally enjoyed postseason success last year and fellow Cy Young winner Rick Porcello is an awfully nice piece in the middle. The defending World Series champions brought back October hero Nathan Eovaldi on a $68 million contract. And with 13-game winner Eduardo Rodriguez at the back end, Boston goes five deep.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

The Nationals have paid handsomely for their pricey rotation. Scherzer has won three Cy Young Awards. He’s joined by Stephen Strasburg, and the Nationals spent $140 million this offseason to replace Gonzalez with lefthander Patrick Corbin.