The Daily Chop: Bullpen rankings, Streaming options and more

The Atlanta Braves won 97 games in 2019 despite what could be best categorized as an inconsistent bullpen. Alex Anthopoulos wasted little time this offseason in trying to shore up the area by giving a three-year deal to Will Smith while re-signing Chris Martin and Darren O’Day. Atlanta is hoping the addition of Smith along with the trade deadline acquisitions of Mark Melancon and Shane Greene can turn the Braves’ bullpen from a weakness into a strength.

With that as the backdrop, MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince broke down the 10 best bullpens for the 2020 season with the Braves coming in at No. 6. Castrovince notes that Melancon may be labeled as the “closer,” it will be Smith that will likely handle the highest leverage situations. The Yankees bullpen tops the list and is followed by the Padres, Brewers, Rays and Twins.

Classic Game Streaming

If you are hunting for actual baseball games to watch while the league is shut down, then there is no shortage of options. MLB.com lists five classic games for each team that is available to stream on YouTube via the MLB Vault page. The Braves offering includes Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS, Game 6 of the 1995 World Series, Freddie Freeman hitting for the cycle in 2016, a big comeback win against the Marlins in 2018 and Game 3 of the 2018 NLDS.

FanGraphs also released Part 2 of their favorite games to rewatch.

Additionally, you can now watch every game from the 2018 and 2019 seasons for free via MLB.tv.

MLB News

Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge told reporters on Friday that a CT scan showed “slight improvement” in the stress fracture of his right rib. He is expected to be re-evaluated in two weeks.

San Francisco Giants right-hander Tyler Beede underwent Tommy John surgery on Friday and will miss the entire 2019 season. Beede exited an exhibition game back on March 3 with tightness in his elbow. An MRI exam later showed he had a flexor strain and a UCL sprain.