The Mariners’ bullpen overhaul continued on Monday, as the team announced, via press release, that it has signed free-agent reliever Steve Cishek to a two-year deal. Cishek, who will serve as the club’s closer, is reportedly guaranteed $10MM over the two years — $4MM in 2016 and $6MM in 2017. He can also earn up to $3.5MM in each season for games finished.
Cishek, a client of Jet Sports Management, will reportedly earn $250K for 25 and 30 games finished, and he’ll take home $500K for reaching 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60 games finished in each year of the deal. Typically, only about five relievers per season finish 60 games, so it will be a stretch for Cishek to earn the full $7MM incentive over two years. Cishek finished 62 games in 2013 and 55 games in 2014.
GM Jerry Dipoto teased the addition on 710 ESPN Seattle a night before the agreement was reported, saying he expected to make a bullpen addition before the end of the weekend. In today’s press release, Dipoto spoke highly of his new right-hander: “Steve gives us a proven bullpen presence with significant experience closing games. He’s a character guy who adds a new angle and fresh look to our pen.”
Cishek, 29, was non-tendered by the Cardinals earlier in the offseason. MLBTR projected a $7.1MM salary via the arbitration process. Of note, Cishek was arbitration eligible for two more seasons. The two-year contract will guarantee those seasons while granting the Mariners some protection if he doesn’t stick in the ninth inning.
Over parts of six seasons, the former Marlins closer has a 2.82 ERA, 9.55 K/9, 3.42 BB/9 and 95 saves in 313 innings. He experienced a shaky 2015 split between Miami and St. Louis. While with the Marlins, he lost his ninth inning duties early in the year to A.J. Ramos. In 32 innings, Cishek struggled with a 4.50 ERA, 7.88 K/9, 3.94 BB/9, and an uncharacteristically high .350 BABIP. He also posted a career low 90.6 mph fastball.
The Cardinals acquired Cishek in late July for right-handed pitcher Kyle Barraclough. While his 2.31 ERA through 23 innings was encouraging, he lost control of the strike zone (5.01 BB/9). ERA estimators like SIERA (4.43) and xFIP (4.55) suggest he experienced some good fortune in St. Louis.
With the signing, Seattle is betting that Cishek can recover the form that made him one of the best closers in the league from 2013 through 2014. Over those two seasons, Cishek was among the 10 best relievers in baseball with 3.5 WAR and a 2.35 FIP.
Dipoto has been busy this offseason. As ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick notes (tweet), Dipoto has now completed nine trades, eight signings, and five waiver claims. The bullpen in particular has undergone a dramatic restructuring. Former temporary closers Tom Wilhelmsen, Carson Smith, and Danny Farquhar were all sent packing. To replace them, Dipoto acquired Cishek, Joaquin Benoit, Evan Scribner, and Justin De Fratus.
ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick first reported the agreement. Yahoo’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link) and FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported the financial terms (via Twitter). Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported the incentives structure (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
No… I wanted the Twins to get him so badly. The Twins’ bullpen is trash and Terry Ryan literally seems to think we’ll be just fine without Boyer, Duensing, Cotts, and Achter… Wtf Terry Ryan?
no you guys need a few relevers sam
Agreed. Not sure why we aren’t making reasonable upgrades.
Nick Burdi and Jake Reed are coming off pretty exceptional showings in the AFL they should both be in the bullpen before the end of 2016.
It’s the start and middle of 2016 that’s going to be awfully ugly if that’s our plan.
Cishek wouldn’t change that really just cost a lot more.
Would that it were true. Our in-house options are that bad. I wouldn’t consider sour grapesing the guys we don’t bring in to be an acceptable strategy to improve the bullpen.
Just because you have not heard of the in house options does not make them bad, Nick Burdi is going to be a future closer most likely. The Twins farm system is kind of really good if you watched the Twins last year two of the best players were rookies.
I miss Burdi closing games at Louisville. His brother is good too.
I could probably name three quarters of the players in the Twins farm system above rookie ball from memory so rest assured I’ve heard of Burdi and Reed. I’m excited about them and they did great this fall. But are they going to be getting high leverage outs starting in April? Unlikely. It’s all on Fien, Jepsen, and Perkins at this point, and maybe May depending on what they do with him.
I don’t get it. I’m perfectly okay leaving the rotation and lineup mostly alone for now, but the bullpen needs serious help and now. With what some of the relievers out there have been going for, I just don’t get what TR is thinking.
“Cishek will serve as Seattle’s closer”
You sure Seattle is going to give the struggling pitcher the closer job so immediately?
Well yeah. You did see they are paying him extra to finish games right?
I don’t think they will give it to him.A competition between Cishek/Benoit/Zych in spring is the way to go IMO.
I agree. Guys are going to have to earn it in competition.
This could explain the Carson Smith Trade from the Mariners end.
I’d rather have Carson Smith still. We need starting pitching if we are going to compete.
I rather have Smith too. But if they were confident they could get it done with Cishek, then they would have logically been ok with giving up Smith.
I think you are going to be happily surprised with Wade Miley and Nate Karns. Along with Hernandez, Walker, Paxton, that’s a pretty solid group. Plus Nuno is looking strong in Winter League ball, and it appears the M’s have some faith in getting Montgomery to pitch up to expectations (he was a former #1 draft pick).
As a Mariner’s fan and a Cishek fan, I love this. Mariners need bullpen arms and 2/$10 isn’t bad. Hopefully he can get back to pre-2015 Cishek, but even if he gives league average production, its not a terrible overpay and a two year deal is definetly more contrallable than a three or four year deal.
I honestly really like this. His numbers should do quite well in Safeco; and even if he doesn’t prove to be their closer, I’m sure he will provide an immense amount of value as a possible set up man behind Benoit. Thought they lost Smith, Cishek should add value.
Seattle must be out on Rodney then, and went with the next best walk-machine “closer”.
Except cishek didnt have much of problem with his control until 2015 while rodney was always a walk machine
Sudden Talent Loss Syndrome is a real thing, especially for relievers, but I think there’s plenty of reason to think he can get back to at least being a solid back half of the pen kind of guy.
I am loving all of the Dipoto trades except maybe the Wade Miley trade (should have just signed Scott Kazmir as your LHP), but they all make a lot of sense when you look at it as a whole. Perhaps another SP (and a splashy OF grab) and Dipoto has a very complete and well-rounded team.
Yeah, I was not fond of the Miley trade either. So many other routes available and we gave up an awesome young reliever for it. I agree Kazmir would have been a good option instead.
Miley may do better in a rotation that has better caliber guys.
My thought would be to have Kazmir who is great for going through the first two runs of the lineup and then blows up the 3rd time through. A deep bullpen could handle somebody like Kazmir.
With Miley, I have watched him play as a Red Sox fan and he is simply a hot mess. He can pitch a gem and then blow up the next time through. I honestly do not understand it, but I do know that getting of the sandbox that is Fenway Park and into SafeCo Field (and the other NL West venues) would be great for him, especially with Seattle’s new defense.
The line up seems fairly lopsided though.
Can’t they use a couple more right handed bats?
As of now I would guess their lineup would look close to this:
Aoki (L)
Marte (S)
Cano (L)
Cruz (R)
Seager (L)
Lind (L)/Montero (R)
Smith(L)/Guti(R)
Ianetta (R)
Martin (L)
This is a pretty balanced lineup.
Adam Lind, Seth Smith and Leonys Martin all have discouraging splits against southpaws, but the Mariners can replace the trip with this platoon lineup:
CF Nori Aoki (L)
SS Ketel Marte (S)
DH Robinson Cano (L)
RF Nelson Cruz (R)
3B Kyle Seager (L)
1B Jesus Montero (R)
LF Franklin Gutierrez (R)
C Chris Iannetta (R)
2B Chris Taylor (R)
The defense suffers with Cruz in RF, Montero at 1B and Aoki in CF. However, Cruz gets his wish to take the field (where he posts better hitting numbers) and Cano gets an occasional rest from second base. Martin remains available as a defensive replacement and Martin, Lind and Smith could come in to face a righthanded reliever.
“…but the Mariners can replace the trio …”
If you look at the splits of the guys who are likely on the bench, they play out very favorably for balance. Lind kills right-handers, Montero kills left-handers; Smith does very well against right-handers, Gutierrez the same against left-handers; Ianetta hits left-handers well, Clevenger right-handers. Aoki has good splits both ways. Cruz, Cano, and Seager have acceptable splits both ways.
Miley was selected over Kazmir because the M’s believe he’s more of a long-term solution and an innings eater, with some upside left to go….and because Dipoto prefers trades to the FA market, which is more expensive for similar talent.
Actually, the M’s have picked up relievers Steve Cishek, Joaquin Benoit, Ryne Harper, Jonathon Aro, Anthony Bass, Evan Scribner, and Justin DeFratus. They will join Charlie Furbush, Vidal Nuno, and Tony Zych, along with Dave Rollins and Myckol Guipe to battle it out for the bullpen slots in 2016.
Kudos to new GM Jerry Dipoto, who has completely revamped his roster in less than three months.
He’s surrounded the core of Robinson Cano’, Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager, and Felix Hernandez with complementing pieces that can get on base, hit, run, play defense (LF Nori Aoki, CF Leonys Martin, C Chris Ianetta, 1B Adam Lind), and are much more athletic than the 2015 version.
He’s also added depth (CF Boog Powell, SS Luis Sardinas, C Steve Clevenger), and solidified the starting rotation with the additions of Wade Miley and Nate Karns.
Not every one of these guys will play to the potential Dipoto and his team of analysts has determined is there. But even if 50% of them pan out, the M’s will be a much-improved team in 2016, and a good sleeper pick for a run in the playoffs.
As a Marlins fan, as long as you don’t let him face slap hitting lefties, Cishek should be good. Also, if you are a Mariner fan, you should like him off the field. He is a good dude