PSU how have you never come across a bait runner reel? They are the bee's knees for certain types of fishing, and a rodsaver when you are on a pier with big boys that hit randomly and scream drag. Essentially lets you flip a switch to go very light drag for the strike, then as soon as you reel it engages normal drag to set the hook and fight the fish.
I have a battleship Shimano baitrunner, the older model. I want to say BRT6000. It is spooled with rope sized braid and only sees use in Florida. We've landed some huge fish with that reel. For local use I have a bunch of the Okuma baitrunners. One 1000 size, couple 2000 and couple 3000. We use them mostly for bait soaking for catfish while we actively panfish but they are also handy for leaving a minnow out on the bottom for just about anything. Really no downside to using them.
If you are looking for mid sized reels in this category the Cabela's Salt Striker series is a very nice option.