Strahm headed for bullpen?

For a Padres starting staff that was peppered by skeptics in the pre-season, lefty Matt Strahm provided an argument for optimism. The rotation was indeed young, but Strahm offered a strong starting pedigree and, perhaps more importantly, was coming off a 2018 season in which he recorded a sterling 2.05 ERA across 61.1 innings. If he could just stave off the injuries that had derailed his career thus far, his advocates argued, the long-haired lefty promised the potential of an ace pitcher.

And at the close of May, those advocates looked justified in their conviction. Through 56 IP, Strahm had logged a tasty 3.21 ERA. Unfortunately, it’s been pretty horrorshow since then.
After logging ERAs north of 10.00 (!) in June and July, word has come from Kevin Acee that Strahm’s recent shuffle to the bullpen could end up being a season-long adjustment.

On the plus side, doing so would essentially (potentially) provide the Padres with a bullpen upgrade. At the least, it’s a role we’ve seen Strahm succeed in, and we could try to ignore the fact that he has allowed a .314 batting average with men on base this season. Relievers never pitch with men on base, right?

What do you folks think, though? Is our best move to move pa-Strahmi to the pen while giving his starting innings to Dinelson Lamet? Leave your theories in the comments below.