There are 27 of 30 MLB teams sitting at home hoping to have the opportunity to reach the World Series next season (could be 28 by the end of the night if the New York Yankees defeat the Houston Astros tonight to close out the American League Championship Series). With that, let's take a look at the best upcoming Free Agents that are Relief Pitchers.
Relief pitchers with player or team options are not included. A few examples are Craig Kimbrel (team option - $13 million) and Mike Minor (team option - $10 million).
Wade Davis
Davis was named to his third straight All-Star team in 2017.
In his first season with the Chicago Cubs, the 32-year-old saved 32 games and struck out 79 hitters in 58.2 innings. He finished with a 2.30 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and appeared in 59 games. While Davis did have an excellent 2017 season, he wasn’t quite as dominant as he was from 2014-16 with the Kansas City Royals. In those three seasons, he combined for a 1.18 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 182.2 innings.
Pat Neshek
Neshek was named to his second All-Star team in 2017 as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies. The 37-year-old was traded to the Colorado Rockies in late July. With the two teams, he appeared in 71 games and finished with a stellar 1.59 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. The 11-year veteran had 69 strikeouts in 62.1 innings.
It was the third time in the past six seasons that he has finished with an ERA no higher than 1.87, and he has ended with an ERA under four each season since 2012.
Greg Holland
Holland declined his $15 million player option for 2018 and will be a Free Agent in the offseason. The 31-year-old excelled in his first year as the Rockies closer other than an atrocious eight-game stretch from August 6-26 that saw his season ERA rise from 1.56 to 4.05.
He reverted back to how he pitched before that giving up two earned runs in 10.2 innings in his last 11 outings while holding opposing hitters to a lowly .105 batting average. He led the National League with 41 saves and struck out 70 hitters in 57.1 innings. Holland missed the entire 2016 season, but was a shutdown closer for the Royals in 2013 and 2014 as he had a 1.32 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 193 strikeouts in 129.1 innings during those two seasons.
Jake McGee
After experiencing some struggles in 2016 during his first season with the Rockies, McGee was much-improved this year. He finished 2017 with a 3.61 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 58 strikeouts in 57.1 innings. He was also much better when he wasn’t pitching at the hitter-friendly Coors Field as he posted a 2.64 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in road games. The 31-year old had ERAs under two in both the 2012 and 2014 seasons as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Matt Albers
Albers had a horrific 2016 season, but was phenomenal this year for the Washington Nationals. The 34-year-old ended the season with a 1.62 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and 63 strikeouts in 61 innings. He allowed just 5.2 hits per nine innings. He struggled mightily with a 6.31 ERA in that forgettable 2016 season but was a very dependable reliever from 2012-15.
He had a 2.32 ERA during those four seasons as a member of the Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, and Chicago White Sox.
Other notable free agents: Addison Reed, Luke Gregerson, Koji Uehara, Tony Watson, Steve Cishek, Zach Duke, Bryan Shaw, Juan Nicasio, Joe Smith, Brandon Kintzler, Fernando Rodney, Seung-Hwan Oh, Matt Belisle, Brian Duensing, Brandon Morrow, Anthony Swarzak, Craig Stammen, David Hernandez
