The past two days showed how much teams value relief pitching as three free-agent arms out of the bullpen signed new deals north of $8 million per season. None have been closers either which makes it interesting to see how much Free Agents such as Greg Holland and Wade Davis will make.
Here are the free agents who agreed to new deals on Monday and Tuesday.
(To see the free agents who agreed to new deals from December 8-10, click here.)
(To see the free agents who agreed to new deals from December 4-7, click here.)
Drew Smyly - Chicago Cubs
Smyly will be a member of the Cubs after agreeing to a two-year, $10 million deal.
The 28-year-old did not throw a pitch last season and underwent Tommy John surgery last June. He isn't expected back until around mid-to-late August. In 2016 with the Tampa Bay Rays, he went 7-12 with a 4.88 ERA in 30 starts. He had 167 strikeouts and a 1.27 WHIP in 175.1 innings.
Smyly, a left-hander, has pitched five years for the Detroit Tigers and Rays. In 156 career games (85 starts), he is 31-27 with a 3.74 ERA. He owns a career 1.20 WHIP and 552 strikeouts in 570.1 innings.
Tommy Hunter - Philadelphia Phillies
Hunter agreed to a two-year deal worth $18 million to join the Phillies. Spending last season with the Rays, the 31-year-old went 3-5 with a 2.61 ERA in 61 relief appearances. He finished with 64 strikeouts and a 0.97 WHIP in 58.2 innings.
The right-hander has pitched 10 MLB seasons with the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and Rays. Hunter has pitched in 378 games (75 starts) and has a career 51-40 record with a 4.13 ERA. He has 510 strikeouts in 769.1 innings and a 1.25 WHIP.
Bryan Shaw - Colorado Rockies
Shaw will pitch for the Rockies in 2018 after agreeing to a three-year deal.
The deal will be around $9 million per year according to Buster Olney of ESPN. In 2017 with the Indians, Shaw went 4-6 with a 3.52 ERA in an American League-leading 79 appearances out of the bullpen. The 30-year-old struck out 73 batters in 76.2 innings with a 1.21 WHIP.
The right-hander has pitched seven years in the majors with the last five coming with the Indians and the first two with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In 475 appearances (zero starts), Shaw has a career 23-28 record and 3.13 ERA. In 446.1 innings, he has 398 strikeouts and a 1.23 WHIP.
Pat Neshek - Philadelphia Phillies
Neshek will rejoin the Phillies, a team that traded him last July, on a two-year deal worth $16.5 million. The right-handed reliever made 71 appearances for Philadelphia and the Rockies in 2017 and went 5-3 with a 1.59 ERA. He struck out 69 hitters in 62.1 innings and had a 0.87 WHIP.
The 37-year-old has pitched 11 seasons in the majors for the Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, Phillies, and Rockies. Neshek has made 494 appearances (zero starts) and owns a career 33-22 record with a 2.75 ERA.
He has a WHIP of 1.02 and 447 strikeouts in 445.2 innings.
Chris Martin - Texas Rangers
Martin agreed to a two-year, $4 million deal to join the Rangers after pitching two years in Japan. He spent 2017 with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and was impressive in his 40 appearances out of the bullpen. The 31-year-old went 0-2 with a 1.19 ERA and 0.72 WHIP. He struck out 34 batters in 37.2 innings.
The right-handed Martin pitched in 2014 with the Rockies and 2015 with the New York Yankees. In his 40 career major league appearances, he is 0-2 with a 6.19 ERA. He has pitched 36.1 innings in MLB and has a 1.65 WHIP and 32 strikeouts in 36.1 innings.
