There is no doubt that MLB is in trouble right now as the possibility of not even having a 2020 season continues to increase. As a fantasy baseball player, you can’t be complacent. You need to continue to prepare, so if the season does happen, you will be ready.

One way you can help yourself is to adjust how you are viewing pitching, both starters and relievers. In a truncated season with hurlers off their usual routines, we are going to see a lot of managers cut their starters’ outings short in an effort to spare their arms any unnecessary wear and tear. To do that, a strong bullpen of both long- and short-relief pitchers is necessary — and in fantasy, those relievers will help you win at a minimal cost.

The Padres are going to be a great team to find the relievers you want. Young hurlers like Chris Paddack, Dinelson Lamet and MacKenzie Gore will need to have their starts monitored, and rookie manager Jayce Tingler doesn’t want to be the guy who ruins their futures.

That’s why Emilio Pagan and Matt Strahm are setting up Kirby Yates. The bridge from starter to closer is going to be walked across heavily and these high-strikeout, low-ratio relievers are going to log more inning and subsequently help your team’s overall pitching totals.

The Astros are relying on Ryan Pressley and Chris Devenski to do the same for them, and based on their career totals, they could become huge assets. The Twins — with Sergio Romo, Trevor May and Tyler Clippard — could do the same, as could the White Sox with Aaron Bummer and Steve Cishek. And finding the right relievers will not just boost your ratios, but strikeouts for some and wins as well.

Before dismissing middle relievers as nothing more than closers-in-waiting, understand the value they provide. This is going to be a season like no other season we’ve witnessed, so an unconventional strategy may just be what the doctor ordered. You’ll have a more definitive answer once games actually start back up, but prepping in this manner now should help you stay ahead of the competition at no extra cost.

Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at Fantasy-Alarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 5-7 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy baseball advice.