MLB Free Agent Reliever Market Already Shrinking
By Jerry Trotta
The New York Yankees locked up Aroldis Chapman on Saturday, agreeing to a one-year extension with the hurler, who will now be with the club through the 2022 campaign.
His signing has made the MLB free agent market in terms of relievers that much more bereft of depth.
The top dogs remaining on the market include Dellin Betances, Will Harris, Daniel Hudson and Will Smith. The rest of the bunch is staggeringly bleak.
With Aroldis Chapman staying in New York, the already-thin relief market this winter gets even more shallow. The top relievers now:
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 3, 2019
- Will Smith
- Will Harris
- Daniel Hudson
- Dellin Betances
- Drew Pomeranz
- Chris Martin
- Joe Smith
- Steve Cishek
- Brandon Kintzler
It's definitely not a good time to be a team looking to bolster their bullpen this offseason. That pot could shrink even further if a few of those names decided to opt into their current contracts.
It goes without saying that Smith, an All-Star in 2019, will be the most sought after player of the aforementioned list as he logged 34 saves, a 2.76 ERA and 96 strikeouts with San Francisco.
Harris has certainly emerged as a hot commodity after his sensational season with the Astros -- he compiled a 1.50 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 68 appearances in 2019 -- but we fully expect that Houston will do everything in their power to bring him back.
The story at dot-com on Aroldis Chapman's one-year, $18 million extension that keeps him with the New York Yankees through 2022, the motivation behind it for him and how the class of available free agent relievers informed the decision for the team: https://t.co/g9owxUVxYe
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 3, 2019
Thankfully, the rest of the free agent pool makes up for (and then some) of what the reliever market is palpably lacking in riches.