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Doc, I always admire your light touch / ability to stick in the rhetorical knife with a smile :) But, to be fair to the original piece - though it's a bit ambiguously worded when he says "maybe the overall staff can be 50 or 60 runs better" - I think he is still referring to just the rotation. (The bullpen "positive regression" factor is probably referring to holding more inherited runs from scoring, thus helping the starters' total.) I am being charitable here because I can't believe any M's fan let alone a top blogger would overlook the massive potential for bullpen improvement.
Regardless, look at 2013 and the bullpen is the clear black hole on the pitching staff. The Red Sox and Cardinals both had playoff bullpens where EVERY key reliever was MUCH better than the very best reliever on the M's (I'm pretty sure...but remind me, who was that again?). M's bullpen gave up 273 runs. 2nd worst in AL. The Royals gave up 147!
But actually forget KC, you know what team the M's should try to emulate to improve their bullpen?..............The Mariners. 2012 version. That would be a 90 run improvement in the bullpen right there! :) Or how about the 2011 Mariners, that would be a 95 run improvement.
Maybe spending that extra $11 million in the budget would have helped in the bullpen Jack?.....can we please spend it this time around? Thanks