If you’re a fan of a Major League team in contention for a postseason berth, then you know that you can never have too much pitching. Especially strong arms coming out of the bullpen in crunch time. Afterall, it cost one of the favorites a chance to win the whole thing during the 2023 MLB Postseason!
ARE YOU KIDDING!?! pic.twitter.com/Q1zWqIj7Li
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) October 21, 2023
Here’s a look at the Top 5 free agent relief pitchers that are still available heading into 2024 MLB Spring Training. Hopefully they won’t lead your favorite team to being “Kimbrel’d” in 2024!
5. RHP David Robertson
The old man of the bunch! David Robertson will turn 39-years-old on April 9 and that may push some teams in the other direction. However, Robertson is one of the craftier relievers in baseball today. The righty has pitched to his career norms over the past two seasons with the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Miami Marlins, respectively. Robertson owns a 2.90 career era with 1,055 career K’s. He owned a 29% strike out percentage in 2023 along with a 42.3% ground ball rate. Both are still sitting right around his career average in those categories. A cutter-curveball-slider pitcher, Robertson is still hitting 93.3 MPH with his cut fastball. Throw the stats to the side for a moment, Robertson has pitched in 42 postseason games during his 18-year MLB career. He’s a crafty veteran that can be a key piece to a contenders’ bullpen.
David Robertson gets a pitch clock violation on a strikeout to end the game and follows it up with a strikeout to end the game again pic.twitter.com/vh62yX3VzU
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 15, 2023
4. RHP Hector Neris
Hector Neris had the best statistical season of his 10-year MLB career in 2023 for the AL West Champion Houston Astros. The 34-year-old notched a 6-3 record with a 1.71 ERA in 71 games for Houston. He allowed only seven homers in 68.1 innings of work and had a 10.1 SO/9 rate. Neris is still grading out in the “great” category on a series of advanced metrics, such as pitching run value and fastball run value, that are highly thought of in today’s game. A four-pitch pitcher, Neris relies mainly on his fastball, split-finger, and sinker with the occasional slider thrown in for good measure. While his pitch velocity has dropped slightly, Neris was able to better control the strike zone in 2023. And, like David Robertson, Neris would bring a club a pitcher with high-leverage postseason experience.
GOT HIM.
Hector Neris gets out of a bases loaded jam 🔥
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/ooO5juPGlK
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 9, 2023
3. LHP Aroldis Chapman
Aroldis Chapman had a resurgence in 2023 that concluded the season as a pivotal part of the 2023 World Series Champion Texas Rangers. Even at 35-years-old, Chapman was still able to bring his signature fastball albeit slightly slower than when he was in his prime. Chapman averaged 99.6 MPH on the heater but was still able to hit 103-plus MPH and paired his four-seamer with a nasty 88 MPH slider. He ended the 2023 MLB season with a 3.09 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. One of the knocks on Chapman in 2023 was his increased walk rate which was at 14.5%. However, outside of a poor 2022 with the New York Yankees, Chapman has been a very consistent relief pitcher throughout his 14-year MLB career. His resurgent 2023 continued into the postseason where he gave up a mere two earned runs in nine appearances during the Rangers’ gallop (sorry) to the world title.
Aroldis Chapman’s 103.8mph pitch to strikeout Jake Cronenworth in last night’s game ties this season’s MLB record.
(via @PitchingNinja) pic.twitter.com/2C2YUbR9TV
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 17, 2023
2. RHP Jordan Hicks
Jordan Hicks had a bounce back year in 2023 after suffering from elbow injuries in 2021 and 2022, respectively. He finished the season with a more than respectable 3.29 ERA and an impressive 58.5% ground ball rate. What makes Hicks’ ground ball rate impressive is his penchant for throwing gas. His average fastball velocity in 2023 was a whopping 100.3 MPH. Hicks has age on his side, he will pitch almost the entirety of the 2024 MLB season at 27-years-old. A former Top 30 prospect of the St. Louis Cardinals, there’s a belief that Hicks might finally be turning into the elite reliever most believed him to be. Hicks also has shown himself to be versatile pitching in multiple roles out of the bullpen including closer.
Jordan Hicks brings the heat to strikeout the side in the 8th. 🥵 pic.twitter.com/hYnxvk1SgY
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 16, 2023
1. LHP Josh Hader
Josh Hader is without a doubt the best closer in the 2023-24 MLB free agent class and that could be his downfall. Hader is on the record stating he would prefer to be locked into the 9th inning traditional closer role. In today’s game that is heavily based on analytics and matchups this just doesn’t fly. That doesn’t mean a team won’t take a chance on Hader, a lefty that tops out at over 100 MPH and has 165 career saves on his ledger. But it will greatly diminish the pool of potential clubs that may be willing to sign the 29-year-old. Hader is reportedly looking for a massive contract.
Josh Hader is looking for a contract bigger than Edwin Diaz’s 5-year, $102M deal, per @JimBowdenGM pic.twitter.com/vy16Pd31wB
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) December 28, 2023
Related- MLB Free Agency: Top 15 MLB Free Agents Remaining Heading into 2024 MLB Spring Training
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