There will be a familiar face in the New York Mets bullpen in 2019.
Or should I say Familia?
Jeurys Familia signed a 3-year, $30 million deal with his old club and will be the set up man to the newly acquired Edwin Diaz.
Familia did not have a lengthy exile from the Mets. A mainstay in the Mets bullpen since 2012, Familia was dealt to the Oakland A's in mid-season where he appeared in 30 games. Overall, Familia went 8-6 with a 3.13 ERA along with 18 saves and 83 strikeouts in 72 innings pitched.
Familia isn't the only free agent reliever on the move.
The Joe Kelly Fight Club will be moving out west. After 4½ seasons with the Boston Red Sox, the bespectacled reliever has signed a 3-year, $25 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After being initially utilized as a starter, Kelly has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen since 2016 and was a critical piece in their World Series title in 2018. In 9 post-season appearances, Kelly pitched 11.1 innings giving up only one run on 8 hits striking out 13 and walking no batters.
MLB's very first Tanner for Tanner trade occurred last night when the Washington Nationals sent veteran starter Tanner Roark to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Tanner Rainey. Roark had spent his entire six year big league career with the Nats. In 2018, he led the NL in losses with 15 with only 9 wins to show for it along with a 4.34 ERA in 30 starts. Roark's best season came in 2016 when he went 16-8 with a 2.83 ERA and a career high 172 strikeouts. The 32-year old Roark is eligible for free agency at the end of 2019. As for the other Tanner, he gave up 19 runs in only 7 innings pitched for an ghastly 24.43 ERA in 8 appearances with the Reds in 2018. It is not clear if Rainey will be part of the big league club to start the season.
What is clear is that Lance Lynn will be part of the Texas Rangers' starting rotation as he signed a 3-year, $30 million contract with the AL West club. After spending his first six big league seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Lynn split the 2018 season between the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees. His first season in the AL was a disappointment as he went 10-10 with a 4.77 ERA in 29 starts (20 with the Twins and 9 with the Yankees before being sent to the bullpen). During his Cardinals years, Lynn was one of the most dependable starters in the NL amassing a 72-47 record with a 3.38 ERA. The Rangers are hoping a return to that dependability and an ability to eat up a lot of innings. Lynn has thrown at least 150 innings in each of the last six seasons.
Justin Bour is also coming off a disappointing 2018 season and hopes to rebound in 2019 signing a one year, $2.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels. After having a career year in 2017 with the Miami Marlins in which he hit .289 with 25 HR and 83 RBI, Bour slipped to .227 with 19 HR and 54 RBI in 112 games with the Marlins before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies hoped that Bour's bat would help them to a NL East title or a post-season spot. But Bour only hit .224 with 1 HR and 5 RBI in 29 games as the Phillies would fade down the stretch. As Albert Pujols and Shohei Ohtani recover from injuries, the 30-year old Bour will see a lot of playing time at first base and at DH. This could be a good signing, but some consider the MLB Winter Meetings to be a Bour.
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