Virtually every team in baseball is looking for bullpen help, and here’s the latest in relief pitching buzz…
- The Yankees are pursuing Aroldis Chapman and will “compete to a certain extent” for his services, GM Brian Cashman told media, including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (Twitter links). The club is also talking to Kenley Jansen and looking at trade opportunities, so the Yankees are clearly flexible in their search for back-end relief help if Chapman’s bidding gets too high.
- The Mets are interested in swinging a deal for Orioles right-hander Brad Brach, tweets ESPN’s Buster Olney. The Mets have been rumored to be seeking right-handed help in the ’pen but aren’t pursuing top-tier free agents. Brach would represent an affordable setup option, but with two years of club control and a 2.39 ERA over his past 158 1/3 innings, Brach should come with a high asking price. The Orioles have been linked to Mets outfielders Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson (they’re said to prefer the latter), but neither of those outfielders would be enough to get the O’s to part with Brach.
- The Mets haven’t ruled out Mike Dunn as a possible signing, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports via Twitter, but the club is “not so high” on the veteran left-hander.
- The Cubs are one of the more serious early suitors for Royals closer Wade Davis, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (via Twitter).
- The Giants are one of the teams who have asked about veteran lefty J.P. Howell, Olney tweets. Howell is reportedly only looking for a one-year contract. San Francisco has an open LOOGY role with Javier Lopez hitting the open market. Howell posted a mediocre 4.09 ERA last year, and though his peripherals were in line with his prior years’ work, Howell was uncharacteristically vulnerable to lefty hitters (.302/.343/.417) in 2016.
- Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters (including ESPN.com’s Scott Lauber) that the Sox “haven’t closed any doors” on re-signing Koji Uehara or Brad Ziegler. Both pitchers fit Boston’s desire for a setup man with closing experience.
- The Blue Jays are one of a number of organizations that have had contact with Ziegler, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets. Toronto is presumably looking to add to to its setup corps in front of closer Roberto Osuna.
- Ziegler has also drawn some attention from the Nationals, per Chris Cotillo of SB Nation. The Nats are also considering fellow free agent Neftali Feliz as they look to bolster their bullpen. Of course, D.C.’s top priority in the relief ranks is surely in the ninth inning, and it is hard to imagine either of those players being trusted with the closing role.
I’d love to see the Pirates go after Ziegler. Ground ball machine
I like the way you think. Hochaver is the other guy the Bucs should target.
I think Jansen is a goner. I’m glad he isn’t going to the Giants but I feel like he will be heading to either the Nationals or the Marlins. Marlins seem like the most serious threat in my opinion. I wish he would return but I understand that this is a business and he has to do what he has to do. I think the Dodgers might be looking to trade for a Closer. Wade Davis makes a ton of sense if the Cubs don’t swoop him up first.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Dodgers made a play for David Robertson from the White Sox. Sox are obviously rebuilding and D-Rob I’d owed a reasonable $25 mil for the next 2 years. Switching to Dodger Stadium and the NL might shave a run off his ERA and boost his K/9 ratio back up to his Yankees days.
The Dodger’s debt intervention by the league definitely ruled them out on re-signing him.
Ziegler would be sick in the 8th, but Shapiro need to focus on getting at least one of Logan, Dunn or Blevins. There’s no way we can go into the season with Loup as our best lefty.
Adding Ziegler, one of those lefties and bringing in another lefty via the Rule 5 draft to force Loup to earn his spot would be great for the Jays BP.
I would like Atkins to target Ziegler/Feliz/Hudson/Hochevar as righty options and also be very aggressive on Dunn and Logan. They really need two lefties and a flame thrower to add to Osuna and Grilli as well. Connor Greene could make some sense too.
“The Yankees are pursuing Aroldis Chapman and will “compete to a certain extent” for his services…”
It would be amazing if going forward, the Yankees, of all franchises, became one of the bastions of “spend a little more responsibly” type thinking!
This boy said bastion
Lmao
I did say bastion and I refuse to back down from it.
Most people who post on here are illiterate, don’t take it personal.
Nice choice of vocab. You’re fWAR is currently an impressive 12.3.
I know I am.
Sign Chapman and yanks will have a lefty /right-hand bullpen also make trade with Texas for 3rd baseman Gallo a young prospect with lefthanded power.
The Yankees haven’t spent a dime in the free agent market the two offseasons prior to this one. Yet this stale, uninformed narrative will continue to exist even if they don’t sign anyone this offseason.
They already signed someone: Ancient Matt Holliday for a bunch of money on a 1 year deal.
He said PRIOR to this one. And $13 million for 1 year isn’t a bunch of money.
They’ve actually been spending more responsibly for several years already, not throwing their financial weight around nearly as much as they used to.
Hopefully the O’s don’t fall for the trap of acquiring Bruce or Granderson. Ask for more from the Mets.
25-30 home runs from grandy each of the last three seasons works I would think
Start counting all of the Grandy K’s….the O’s will go for a package deal so they can get k-long as well.
Stop looking at granderson strikeouts. He walks and gets on base is a solid glove and is one of the best clubhouse guys in all of baseball. So many people are fixated on strikeouts with him. Meanwhile there are plenty of strikeout guys on the orioles and around the league who oriole’s fans love and want. Chill out on the k and look at the whole package. If u want to say his salary is to high or something fine, but strikeouts should be the least of your issues with him.
It’s ridiculous if the Giants are truly in on Howell. They already have three viable LHP for the pen in Smith, Okert, and Osich, not to mention Blach if he doesn’t start. I’d hate for them to add yet another “specialist” that pitches to one or two batters and then gets pulled.
Agreed. It can be pretty frustrating watching Bochy walk to the mound 4 times in an inning.
No im not a fan of osich or okert. Osich hasn’t proven anything and Okert has muffin-top for Christ’s sake.
I like Smith though, he’s got grit.
Trading Brach for Jay Bruce would be one of Dan’s stupidest moves, and he’s made some really stupid moves.
That means he’ll probably do it, right after he re-signs Trumbo for 4/60.
It’s not your average off-season to see the relief pitching market draw all of this early interest. Last year, for example, it was all about where David Price, Zach Greinke and Yoenis Cespedes would land.
heyward was coveted too.
Nice quick hit read.
Cashman doesn’t sound like he will be the top bidder for Chapman, I do think Blevens, Zeigler, and Davis are great relief options if the Yanks don’t want to spend on Chapman or Jansen.
How about Soler to Texas, Davis to Cubs, prospects from Texas to KC?
You’re a cubs fan aren’t you?
Granderson and Bruce for Brach and Joey Ricard or hyoon soo Kim or even both. This way they balance the line up with lefties and fill our outfield problem.
If this is the case why not spend the money on Trumbo or encarnacion and trade whichever big money contract after two seasons to free up room for Machado and Schoop
Brach is worth way more than just Granderson. Maybe Granderson, a solid pitching prospect (Dunn or Szapucki), and another lower level prospect like Cespedes.
He’s good, but he’s just a Reliever, bro. chill out.
And look at the price teams are paying for quality relievers. Look what the Indians gave up for 2 years of Miller. Now I’m not saying Brach is as good as Miller, but he’s damn close. And Brach is only owed around $3 million next year. He would definitely get a good haul.
Prospect like Cespedes lol
There is a prospect for the Mets named cespedes actually
Ricardo Cespedes, don’t seem so smart now do you?
Hahah the smart ass got out smart-assed
Can the Red Sox at least get some new guys who suck?
We’re quite familiar with these guys……..
What a day when a 7th inning guy picked from scraps is worth way more then just a productive every day outfielder