After reportedly agreeing to terms over the weekend, the Nationals have officially struck a deal with veteran reliever Greg Holland. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post tweeted the news, which has now been announced by the team.
Holland will head straight onto the Nats’ MLB roster, the team announced. Righty Jimmy Cordero was optioned back to Triple-A to create space.
In a sense, this represents a culmination of years of dalliances between Holland and the Nationals. Though the sides did not line up during either of his trips onto the open market, the Scott Boras client obviously held appeal all along to the D.C. organization.
Of course, the premise is quite a bit different now than it was in the prior two winters. Holland was recently cut loose by the Cardinals after a rough stint with the team. The St. Louis organization will remain responsible for the remainder of his $14MM annual salary, less a pro-rated portion of the league minimum.
This move represents the latest twist in the Nats’ recent bullpen saga. Even as the club decided not to blow things up at the deadline, it moved veteran reliever Brandon Kintzler. Days later, the team designated and dealt Shawn Kelley after he slammed his glove and stared into the team’s dugout in the midst of a mop-up outing.
In parting with those two hurlers and adding Holland, the Nationals are certainly taking some chances while saving salary. It’s arguable, at best, whether there’s greater upside in the current mix; the floor, surely, is lower.
Holland has a history of excellence and was a quality performer for much of the 2017 season. But he’ll now rejoin former ’pen mate Kelvin Herrera — a mid-season acquisition in Washington — with considerably less fanfare than he would have at most points in the past.
After all, through 25 frames this year, Holland has coughed up exactly as many earned runs and walks as he has recorded strikeouts, with 22 of each. That startling fact is backed by some other problems. Holland has lost another mile per hour on his fastball, even against his diminished post-Tommy John levels. And he’s generating swinging strikes at an 11.8% rate that’s the lowest since his first, brief taste of the majors in 2010.
If there’s cause for optimism, it lies in Holland’s relatively improved work since he took some time off in the middle of the season. He was tuned up for five earned runs in a July 8th appearance against the Giants, but otherwise has thrown 11 innings over which he allowed three earned runs with an 11:5 K/BB ratio since his return in mid-June.
Rizzo really ‘believes in this team’
Rizzo doing his mate Boras a solid here…
Looks like it.
Actually, it’s the Lerner family (Nats owners) who are tight with Boras. Rizzo has to defer when the higher-ups agree on such deals.
We shall see if the addition of Holland in the Nats’ bullpen helps make up for the puzzling, impetuous dumpings of Kintzler and Kelley.
“ . . . the puzzling, impetuous dumpings of Kintzler and Kelley.”
What part of this don’t you get, lester? The team was going nowhere as it was, you know that, right? Rizzo/Martinez thought that the dynamic Kelley and Kintzler brought to the BP was hurting the team and they decided to change it. They have gone roughly 6-2 since. A cheap—both in $ and talent—attempted fix is impetuous but trading Soto, Robles and Romero for Realmuto would have been a solid baseball move?
Curious when all these Boras fans do him a solid what the return is. It isn’t like I see Boras try to give a team a discount.
This seems odd considering they have been fading with play. I remember he was on a one year deal or did they get him with a major league deal with option?
Straight up one year deal
He was a one year deal I believe. So it’ll likely be two months and gone unless he miraculously turns it around and they resign him in the offseason. Not having him spend at least a few days in the minors could be a mistake though.
Probably will be relegated to mop up duty at first. Maybe put him in a 35 to 1 game and see if he throws a tantrum.
Just pitched a scoreless ninth in the first game of a twin bill. The score was 8-3 at the time. Don’t think Holland is in any position to be making demands. I’m sure this was worked out before he signed.
One year deal. No option
This seems like an odd move for Rizzo to make. Holland’s season has clearly been a train wreck so far. The Nats cannot afford to lose any more ground in the standings, so I don’t know if I’d want Holland anywhere near the mound in a tight game right now.
Not at all worth the draft pick he cost. Then again I can’t really think of any relief pitcher worth a QO unless you’re the team offering it.
Maybe letting an agent use your team as his scrapyard isn’t the best idea.
Gift to Boras, but 3 possibilities: Holland is good, and the Nats gain the post-season, Holland is good, but Nats sputter, and they trade him before August 31, or Holland is bad, and the cut him loose. The only want Nats are hurt is if he blows high leverage situations, and I would suspect he won’t get them right away.
Right, they got rid of a late-inning reliever and his direct replacement will only pitch in garbage time. Somehow that can be spun as a positive…?
1 inning, 3 Ks in today’s first game of the doubleheader… championship! :p
Okay, well as long as he at least helps limit the damage in these low leverage situations, it’s not a terrible move.
But all the Nats fans said he was just AAA depth? And that he definitely wasn’t a replacement for Kelley? What happened to that?
The Nats managed to blunder their entire free ride period with Harper along with Scherzer’s prime… signing a washed reliever is not the act of a competitive team. With all the pieces they have and another postseason slipping away, it’s pretty obvious it’s a flawed build, and management should have been more proactive when they still had a chance this season. They need a new GM. That’s the reality.