‘There is gold in the streets, just waiting for someone to come and scoop it up.”
— Walter White, “Breaking Bad”
Substitute “relievers” for “gold” (and “are” for “is,” and “them” for “it,” if you’re a stickler), and you have yourself what is left of this baseball offseason.
Now that the hitters’ market freeze has thawed, with Jose Bautista and Mark Trumbo returning to the Blue Jays and Orioles, respectively — Mike Napoli and the Rangers have to find common ground eventually, right? — the bullpen glut stands alone. Why do so many quality relievers remain unsigned?
And can the Mets and Yankees capitalize on this glut?
Throwing from the left side, you have the Mets’ Jerry Blevins, former Yankee Boone Logan (most recently of the Rockies) and the Cubs’ Travis Wood leading the way. If you rather would go to a righty, you can choose among former Royals closer Greg Holland (who is returning from 2015 Tommy John surgery), the Nationals’ Matt Belisle, the Dodgers’ Joe Blanton, longtime Giant Sergio Romo or Met Fernando Salas, among plenty more. Beyond that, reclamation projects galore remain available.
Relievers highlighted this free-agent class, with closers Aroldis Chapman (Yankees), Kenley Jansen (Dodgers) and Mark Melancon (Giants) all surpassing Jonathan Papelbon’s four-year, $50 million deal with the Phillies (in 2011) that stood as the prior record package for closers.
In total, 10 relievers have landed multi-year deals, with Brett Cecil receiving four years from the Cardinals and Mike Dunn three years from the Rockies. A weaker crop of relievers secured 12 multi-year contracts last offseason, with Baltimore’s Darren O’Day’s four-year, $31 million deal topping the list (thanks to the Associated Press’ Ron Blum for his compilation).
Though your first instinct is to call this a buyer’s market, so many contending clubs clearly could use more depth in their relief corps that it feels more like your classic game of chicken. In addition to the Mets and Yankees, there are the Blue Jays, Dodgers, Cubs and Rangers (in light of Jake Diekman’s colitis surgery that will sideline him at least half of the season).
We know where the Mets stand: They targeted the bullpen as a need even before Jeurys Familia got arrested for domestic violence, a transgression that is expected to land him a suspension of at least a month. They wanted to trade Jay Bruce in order to create the payroll flexibility to sign a reliever (as well as clear up their crowded outfield), but that flooded hitter supply has the Mets contemplating a Bruce return — which in turn doesn’t give them the anticipated budget space to pursue a reliever.
Something’s gotta give, right? The Mets can’t attack the National League — and particularly the Nationals, with their dangerous lefty-swinging duo of Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy — with a lefty relief corps of Josh Edgin and Josh Smoker, can they? Last year, Blevins limited Murphy to one single in eight plate appearances, though Harper hit a homer and double and walked in six plate appearances. Can the Mets afford to not give the well-liked Blevins, or a lefty of similar caliber, something in the two-year, $14-million neighborhood?
The Yankees don’t appear inclined to do anything else unless they trade Brett Gardner or Chase Headley. Given their thread-the-needle approach to 2017, maybe it doesn’t make sense to aggressively pursue another reliever. If someone further down the list falls into their lap, though, shouldn’t they extend themselves on a one-year deal?