Lefty reliever Boone Logan has agreed to a one-year deal with the Brewers, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (Twitter links). Logan will be guaranteed $2.5MM on the deal, which comes in the form of a $1.875MM base salary plus a $625K buyout on a $4.125MM option for the 2019 season. Logan can also earn up to $3.2MM worth of incentives in each year of the deal. He’s represented by Hub Sports Management.
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Milwaukee was light on left-handed bullpen help for much of the 2017 season and, at multiple points throughout the year, didn’t have a lefty in its bullpen at all. The 33-year-old Logan will give the Brew Crew an experienced option to help remedy that situation in 2018; it’s quite possible that he’ll be joined by young southpaw Josh Hader, who excelled in a relief role last year. Milwaukee could also return Hader to a starting role in ’18, though that could be dependent on what moves are yet to come for GM David Stearns and his staff.
Last season with the Indians, Logan hit the disabled list with a strained lat muscle in late July, and that injury ultimately proved to be season-ending in nature. He wound up tossing just 21 innings in 38 appearances as a lefty specialist in Cleveland, working to a 4.71 ERA. That said, Logan racked up a dozen strikeouts per nine against 3.9 walks per nine along with a 50 percent ground-ball rate in that time and has generally been a quality relief piece over the past eight seasons, with last year’s injury-shortened campaign and a dreadful 2014 season (6.84 ERA for the Rockies) standing out as notable exceptions.
Logan has long offered tantalizing skills, even if the results haven’t always quite matched. He has long boasted well-above-average swinging-strike rates — never higher than last year’s 18.5% rate — with a heater that sits around 94 mph and a heavily used, generally devastating slider. He has registered eleven or more strikeouts per nine in each of the past six campaigns. Of late, Logan has also generated quality groundball numbers as well (around 50% in each of the past two seasons).
Nevertheless, Logan owns a less-than-exciting 4.47 ERA in over 400 career MLB innings. No doubt that’s due in some part to the fact that he has never really figured out right-handed hitters. When pitching without the platoon advantage, Logan has coughed up a .286/.373/.472 cumulative batting line, with a K/BB ratio less than half that he has maintained against same-handed hitters.
Given the relatively meager commitment this contract represents, the Brewers will likely not feel much pressure to extend Logan beyond his area of greatest function — that is, entering to face tough lefties but not being asked to serve in a general setup capacity in high-leverage spots. Certainly, Logan won’t occupy much space on the organization’s payroll ledger, which still seems to offer quite a bit of room for additions for 2018 and beyond.
Stearns does it again on a great team friendly deal
It’s that that great. He’s not even a good pitcher.
He meant it’s a “great team friendly deal” meaning it’s team friendly for an organization that has limited resources. Low risk high reward
I know what he ment. It’s a little overpay tbh. Then again. In less than 5 years. The aav for a spot starter/ long reliever will be like 10mil.
If you only give Logan 45 innings with 75-80% coming against lefties he will out pitch his 2.5M. The Crew haven’t has a pure lefty specialist in the pen in a long time. I’m hoping that’s how Logan is used this year.
I agree. Logan was excellent last year against lefties. This makes all of the sense in the world for the Brewers.
Middle Reliever market marches on
That’s one of the better middle reliever deals this offseason. Money could be as little as 2.5M
If he’s any good he’ll probably end up earning significantly more the 2.5 mil ( no details were given on the 3.2 mil he can get in incentives).
Then there’s the buyout money, which would make it a +$3 mil deal. unless he gets traded.
It’s 1yr/1.875M with a 625K buyout. If he doesn’t hit any incentives it’s at most a 1yr/2.5M with the buyout.
Sorry, I missed that base salary.
You’re right though that if he good it’ll come in closer to 1yr/ 4-5M range with hitting some incentives. I can’t see the Brewers picking up the option that would put them on the hook for up to 7.3M next year
For a 33 year old lefty specialist coming off a nearly 5 ERA and injuries? I’d say that’s about the right salary. You got him confused with some other reliever?
I’m assuming (hoping) we use him as a lefty specialist. His ERA against lefties the last three years is under 2.00
Tribe used him as lefty specialist last year.
And he was a wasted contract. A one out lefty specialist that underperformed and then got hurt wasn’t worth the $7 mil or so they paid him, more like this ~$2 mil deal.
He should be better than last season. Solid pickup
I guess they are all in this year. Nice to see.
I want them to get a ace pitcher. They were one of my fav NL teams last season
Will this open the possibility of stretching out Hader in Spring training? Plus has anyone heard anything on the status of Brett Lawrie?
Hader is a multi inning weapon out of the pen like chad green is and that’s extremely valuable imo. Hader really impressed me this past season
Lawrie is still a FA at this point. Might be wise to reach out to him and offer him an incentive laden contract until Hiruha is ready. As far as Hader is concerned
Love this. If the team is good, it helps, if the team tanks, he becomes a tradeable asset. (Unless there is some no trade clause in the deal…which I doubt he would block to play for a contender.)
Haha Boone! Dude still going, this guy has bounced around quite a bit since he was on the white sox. Nice deal, trying to figure what’s going on with his eye though in the picture lol
Good move by Strearns to continue adding small pieces at this point in the rebuild. No reason to get crazy and try landing a big fish right now. I like the look of this team as of right now.
Its looking good, but I think one more SP and a 2B will round out a very solid off-season.