February 3, 2021
After breaking apart their bullpen in an effort to cut costs, the Reds took a step towards rebuilding it on Tuesday, agreeing to terms with 34-year-old lefty Sean Doolittle on a one-year deal with a base salary of $1.5 million plus as-yet-unspecified incentives. For as modest an expenditure as it is, Doolittle is just the second major league free agent the Reds have signed this winter from outside the organization (Kyle Farmer was signed to a new major league deal after previously being non-tendered). The two-time All-Star has ample experience closing, something in short supply on the Reds’ current roster, but in order to return to any kind of high-leverage duty, he’ll need to rebound from what was largely a lost season.
MLB Trade Rumors
10:05am CDT
FEB 8: Doolittle has officially signed with the Reds, per MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon (via Twitter).
FEB 2: The Reds are moving toward an agreement with free-agent reliever
Sean Doolittle, according to C. Trent Rosecrans and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). The two sides are in agreement on a one-year deal for the 2021 season, reports MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter). Doolittle’s deal is worth $1.5MM in guaranteed money, according to Jon Morosi, plus performance bonuses.
Doolittle, 34, has spent the past three and a half seasons with the Nationals, leading the team with 75 saves over that stretch. Along the way, he’s pitched to a 3.03 ERA and 3.40 SIERA with very strong strikeout and walk rates: 28.2 percent and 5.7 percent, respectively.
January 23, 2021
Over the last two days, the Reds have made a couple of small trades acquiring Hector Perez from Toronto for a PTBNL or cash and Cionel Pérez from Houston for former South Carolina catcher Luke Berryhill to bolster their bullpen depth. These are the latest in a series of transactions that are part of an obvious effort to pick up change of scenery candidates (Jeff Hoffman, the Perez(s), Art Warren), or players falling off the bottom of other rosters (Edgar Ernesto Garcia, Brandon Bailey) to try to create an above-replacement injury/COVID safety valve at the bottom of Cincinnati’s active roster and in the upper minors. This might prove especially important if the team’s 2021 innings are spread across more pitchers to prevent huge workload increases after the shortened season.
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