It’s no secret the Diamondbacks are looking for high-leverage options in the bullpen — general manager Mike Hazen has said as much — and they’ve discussed a potential trade with the Brewers Devin Williams Before Milwaukee traded him to the Yankees, Arizona Sports 98.7’s John Gambadoro reports.
On the one hand, it’s completely unsurprising that a team looking for a leverage arm would reach out to Williams. On the other hand, this is at least noteworthy considering the number of similarly priced late-game weapons on the market. If the Snakes try to take on the Brewers on Williams, it stands to reason the Cardinals are closer Ryan Helsleylight closer Pete Fairbanks Maybe one in Houston Ryan Pressley All have varying degrees of interest. (It’s worth noting that Pressly’s price of $14MM is significantly higher than the other options listed.)
Unlike many recent offseasons, the bullpen market has been slow to develop this winter. This may be partly due to the fact that names like Williams, Helsley, Fairbanks and Presley (among others) are all likely to come up. The only notable signings so far are Aroldis Chapman (One year, Red Sox $10.75MM), Blake Trenin (Two years, $22MM returned to Dodgers), Yimi Garcia (Two years, $15MM returned to the Blue Jays) and Jordan Romano (One year, $8.5MM from Phillies). Except for right-handers, none of the top relievers on the market are off the board Clay HolmesSigned a three-year contract with the Mets to become a starter.
After last week’s winter meetings, Linebackers general manager Mike Hazen told Nick Piccolo of the Arizona Republic that free agency and trade packages are still in play. Arizona didn’t complete any trades during last week’s event, but Hazen expressed confidence in laying the groundwork for future deals.
“There’s free agency situations and trade situations in all areas that we’re looking at,” said Hesson, who is also looking for help at first base. “Trying to find combinations that come together in different ways is part of our discussion now.”
Top players still on the free agent market include Tanner Scott, Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez. All players are expected to receive multi-year deals, with Scott especially likely to sign a four-year deal. The length of this type of contract could be an issue for a linebacker. Under Hazen, they’ve never signed a free agent reliever for more than two years and never had an annual salary higher than $7MM (as shown in MLBTR’s Contract Tracker ). There are also many interesting year-round options on the market, although any of them David Robertson, Kirby Yates or Kenley Johnson Much more than the $7MM high water mark is needed.
