Free agent reliever Brendan Donnelly hopes to secure a Major League contract this offseason, according to MLB.com's Doug Miller. The 38-year-old righthander signed a minor league contract with Texas last winter, when he was coming off Tommy John surgery.
"The sense I'm getting this year is that it's similar to last year in general. But personally, I feel really different this year than last year, because last year I was coming off an injury," Donnelly said. "I feel like last year, when I finally got the chance, I showed people I'm back.
"In that way, I can't imagine having to take a Minor League deal this year. I think I've answered the questions that need to be answered on the field. If I had half a season in the NL with a 3.50-4.00 ERA, if the numbers weren't there — especially the strikeout numbers — then I might be singing a different tune."
Donnelly managed to put up a 1.78 ERA with an 8.9 K/9 in 25.1 second half innings for the Marlins last year after Texas cut him and he opted out of another minor league deal with Houston. Based on WAR, it was his most productive season since 2003. Given all of the righthanded relief options on the market (there's 49 of them on our free agent list), it might be tough for Donnelly to get his wish.
