The path to bullpen relevance at some point needs to include young talent rather than castoffs.
Barnes has another year to make up for this lost one. I'll remain hopeful.
Again, Verdugo is top 5% in k rate for hitters (in not striking out). He has an XSLG of 537 (top 15% in game) and his Barrel % is actually a career high of 8.9%. That means he really is hitting the ball well, but just right at people. Maybe his luck from last night will start to carry over.
If bat speed was his problem, he'd be struggling against the heat. He's a +6 run value against 4 seamers according to Statcast. His current runs above average for 4 seamers is 3.22, which happens to be his career high. IDK, if you look at the metrics it just seems like he's a good hitter.