The Diamondbacks are receiving “lots of calls” on right-hander Brad Ziegler, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). However, the D-Backs have told other clubs that they’d need to be overwhelmed to move Ziegler, who has transitioned seamlessly into the team’s closer role following Addison Reed’s early struggles. As Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets, the Twins are one team with interest in Ziegler.
Ziegler is 35 years old, but the side-armer is enjoying arguably the finest season of his career despite his age. He’s never been a hard-thrower (85.2 mph average fastball in his career) or missed many bats (career 6.0 K/9), but Ziegler is a ground-ball machine that has consistently dominated right-handed hitters and posted strong ERA marks. Righties have hit him at just a .216/.268/.279 clip in his career, and while he at one time struggled versus lefties, he’s held them to a .206/.302/.321 line over the past three seasons.
Thus far in 2015, Ziegler’s posted a pristine 1.08 ERA with 5.2 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a ground-ball rate north of 69 percent in 41 2/3 innings. With Reed losing a handle on the ninth inning early in the year, Ziegler has picked up 15 saves in 16 tries as well. Though he’s typically been deployed as a traditional one-inning closer, manager Chip Hale has shown a willingness to use him for multiple innings recently. Ziegler has been asked to get six outs and five outs in his past two outings — his first multi-inning efforts since May 8, when he was still pitching as a setup man.
Ziegler’s strong results aren’t the only reason that teams are showing interest, as he’s also on an affordable contract. He signed a two-year, $10.5MM extension with the D-Backs that covers the 2014-15 seasons and includes a reasonable club option for the 2016 campaign as well. Ziegler is earning $5MM in 2015, of which about $2.05MM remains. He’s also guaranteed a $1MM buyout of a $5.5MM option for the 2016 season, though given his excellent results through the first three-plus months, that option would seem like a lock to be exercised, whether it’s by the D-Backs or another team following a trade.
What would Zig’s cost……Maybe some High-A prospect………
1.08 ERA, 4.8 H/9 and a 0.79 WHIP and hes owed about 7.5M for the next 2 years.
He’ll cost a lot more than an A ball prospect.
Ot: All the closers on the market… Paps, Ziegler, Kimbrel, KRod, Chapman, Clippard, Johnson, Broxton can close too.
Did you really just say Broxton can close? I think a team would have to be in pretty deep need to look to him as their answer to close games out right now. Don’t mean to be that guy, but that would be a scary ninth inning.
Oh jeez. I just went on past experience, just took a look at his recent stats. My bad.
Why people continue to use what level of the system they’re in as a bar for the type of prospect they are, I don’t know. Saying a guy is a High-A prospect tells you nothing about the makeup of the player or the prospect potential.
The higher up the minor league ladder that prospects move up, the more they thin out.
Maybe MLBTR has some stats on the percentage of players that play high-A ball and go on to have reasonable careers in the major leagues.
So, a lot of teams looking to get Ziggy with it? (yes, that was terrible)
What doe ms Arizona need? Im sure the Pirates have something for you
More good young players. Preferably starting pitchers.
They should move him, His value is never going to be higher, and he only has 1 year left of team control which puts him behind the contention window that it appears AZ is trying to open. (2017)
Great post! Most that I’ve read here think the DBacks should be pennant contenders this year, and that because they aren’t the entire organization is poorly run by dumb people. I too think 2017 is when La Russa / Stewart are looking to contend. They aren’t Preller. They don’t expect to turn on a dime…..and turn and turn. They are getting in their players and establishing the ball they want the team to play. They will ultimately become a very smart, hard-nosed baseball team…..the pitchers will throw inside and the baserunners will break up DP’s.
Ziegler would be a great fit in Toronto due to his high groundball rate and ability to limit HR’s, but I don’t think our defense is a great fit for him with Donaldson and Reyes on the left side. Maybe if we would get Ziegler (or any groundball reliever like him), in the 8th or 9th when its close and Reyes wont have another AB, Gibby could pull him for Goins to limit the errors