Ranking all 30 MLB rotations, who's in the elite?
One way: Starting pitchers as we knew them are dying out. Every year, fewer guys get to 200 innings. Teams are increasingly concerned about pitchers working a third time through the order, and the Rays have made ample use of their "opener" strategy, discarding tradition. Teams aren't creating workhorses and like using relievers, so they accumulate a number of good ones.
The other way: Starting pitchers as we knew them are dying out, but they're not dead. Starters still throw the overwhelming majority of all innings, and a good starter remains more valuable than a good reliever. Various contenders are going to try to upgrade their rotations because having a good rotation is critical -- down the stretch and in the playoffs. Teams can't just lean on relievers all the time.
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