Jan. 29: The Rangers have formally announced the signing. Heyman tweets that Kelley will earn an extra $62,500 for reaching his 50th, 55th, 60th and 65th appearance in both seasons of the contract. It’s worth pointing out that Kelley has only appeared in 60 games once in his career, so the top end of those incentives could be difficult to achieve.
Jan. 28, 5:55pm: The two sides are in agreement on a one-year contract with a club option for a second season, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan (Twitter links). MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets that Kelley will earn $2.5MM in 2019, and his 2020 option is also for $2.5MM with a $250K buyout. As such, his total guarantee will be $2.75MM. There are incentives packages in each season that can boost his annual salary to $3MM, and Kelley has already passed his physical, Feinsand adds.
5:49pm: The Rangers are closing in on a contract with free-agent right-hander Shawn Kelley, reports MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). Kelley was said late last week to be choosing among three potential suitors as he neared a decision. The veteran reliever is represented by Frye McCann Sports.
Kelley, 35 in April, just wrapped up a three-year, $15MM deal originally signed with the Nationals (though he finished it out in Oakland). In the final season of that pact, Kelley posted a 2.94 ERA with 9.2 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 1.29 HR/9 and a 30.2 percent grounder rate in 49 innings — his third sub-3.00 ERA in the past four seasons. The interim season was an ugly one, as Kelley limped to a 7.27 ERA in 26 innings as part of a season in which he was hampered by a lower back strain, a trapezius strain and eventually bone chips in his right elbow — each of which sent him to the disabled list.
Texas hasn’t made much in the way of large-scale splashes this offseason, with Lance Lynn’s three-year, $30MM contract and the trade of Jurickson Profar to Oakland standing out as the largest moves to date for president of baseball operations Jon Daniels. However, the Rangers have steadily added a bevy of affordable veteran arms on short-term commitments, with Kelley joining a list that also includes Shelby Miller (one year, $2MM), Drew Smyly (acquired in a trade with the Cubs), Jesse Chavez (two years, $8MM) and Zach McAllister (one year, $1MM). Texas also picked up veteran infielder Asdrubal Cabrera on a one-year pact to help offset the departure of Profar. It’s unlikely that all of those moves will pan out, but the bulk nature of value additions should yield some smaller-scale trade assets for Daniels & Co. this summer.
Kelley will now join Chavez and McAllister as somewhat new additions — Chavez was with the Rangers on a one-year deal last season before being traded to the Cubs, so he’s not all that new to the organization — who will hope to comprise a setup core for electric young reliever Jose Leclerc. Durability will be the chief concern for Kelley, who has never reached 60 innings in a Major League season, but he’s generally been a quality bullpen piece when healthy enough to take the hill.
Solid cheap option in the bullpen.
It does appear to be a good bargain for a contract. The Rangers pitching staff is a full of disabled list candidates. Having another solid option is good to see. They still need to pick up someone who can fill in for long relief and be a occasional spot starter.
Yep, just don’t put him in for mop-up duty.
I agree, good pick up.
Agreed. Last week the reported price was $5m which was inferred as for one year. This suggests to me that Boston may be quietly now expecting to resign Kimbrel. Why else would they not have been in on Kelly at this price?
MLBN is now reporting the Twins could be involved if the price drops.
Wanted him back with the A’s but our pen is full. Good pickup by the Rangers.
I would have preferred the A’s kept him over Rodney, especially at this price. That said, the A’s still need to find a left-handed reliever, since Buchter is currently the only lefty on the 25-man roster.
Was hoping the Mets would sign him that’s a bargain deal imo.
I love the fact that although teams dont seem to have a chance, and may be limiting their spending, they dont just TANK. At least the Rangers are trying to be competitive, unlike other teams.
I mean, can you really PROVE that a team is tanking in MLB? If so, let’s see it. Not spending hundreds of millions of dollars a season doesn’t mean they’re tanking.
Just because in your armchair GM ways you’d spend $50m every month on players, doesn’t mean a GM who doesn’t and operates in the real world is tanking.
Pretty sure an objective look at the Houston Astros 2010-14 = “Tanking.” As for all others, that’s a difficult charge to make with evidence. But in Houston’s unique example and the circumstances surrounding two straight 100+ loss seasons followed by an ownership change and a move to the AL, and yeah, a survey of their prospects leant itself pretty hard to keeping Bad going for just another couple seasons. Now they’re up and flying, so it’s history, but at the time, they were so bad there’s just no other compelling explanation for (1) what happened and (2) how their success is in many key ways attributable to their consistently high draft picks over that time.
Yes. When you make no financial commitment to anyone or try to improve your ballclub in anyway you are definitely tanking. The orioles and Royals are prime examples of a couple of clubs who are completely tanking. Plain as day. There’s some in the middle like the Tigers, Jays, even the Rangers who get in on a little bit of action but clearly aren’t going for gold. Pretty obvious when a team isn’t trying
Well, the Astros had a payroll between $22,062,600 (an embarrassment to the sport) and $70,910,100 from 2011 to 2016 and were bottom three in Major League Baseball in all but one of those seasons (when they were 20th). I think it was pretty obvious that that organization had no intention of doing anything but collecting early-round draft picks for a half decade. And sadly MLB’s current set up incentivizes such nonsense.
You could solve that crap in a heartbeat with a salary floor. If you want to be awful, be awful. But no one should be able to spend less than $80,000,00 on team payroll given league revenues.
Rangers are tanking right now, but their payroll is high because of the dumbass use of funds. $56MM this year to Choo, Mile Minor, Andrus and Lance Lynn. Yuck! Next highest guy strikes out 25% of the time and takes 10 walks a year.
Choo would’ve been hard not to sign, and only for that reason: his contract would be unmovable in the later years. No one wants Choo, and yet everyone needs him too. Hits for power and average and gets on base. I think if he stays healthy and continues apace w 2018, there’s still a shot of them moving him in the last 1-2 seasons; probably if they ate a whole bunch of what he’s owed.
Choo gets harder to move everyday they keep him. His productivity window has to be closing. It’ll involve a lot of cash being eaten but if it doesn’t happen by the deadline idk if it ever will.
Me neither. I mean, people keep talking about Chips the Rangers will have at the deadline, but they’re so completely Iffy in just about every category, I still say Choo has the strongest shot at showing anyone a consistent return on investment…and that investment BtW amounts to like a kid playing High A ball and massive amount of salary relief.
You gotta know when to hold ‘em
….. Know when to fold ‘em
Great. Now sign Diekman and Buchholz.
Nice deal. I’d targeted him as a lower cost option for the Angels. Was hoping Grandal/Ramos and a mid level bullpen arm.
Probably a trade chip come July.
Good luck. That dudes a character
I love this deal. Now sign Diekman for the lefty and Buchholz as a 6th starter / bullpen option. JD is quietly having a very good winter.
One of the teams that he was considering was rumored to be the Red Sox. Wonder if this increases the chances of them signing Kimbrel.
how many more relievers are going to sign before Dumbrowski makes a move?!
You speak wachutu?
kimbrels value takes another tick down. he’ll be lucky to get 4/65 sox shud get it done
I just wrote that above. This signing at this price suggests to me that Kimbrel might be coming back.
Great arm. Mike Rizzo is a moron.
He was lights out in Oakland. Hope he repeats himself with the Rangers…
Good Daniels, you are improving the team.
Seems really inexpensive
Guys getting fractions of what they thought this offseason. Let’s all enjoy the last season or two of baseball before the long strike.
A strike would all but end baseball’s run as a major professional sport. If these guys and their reps are stupid enough to strike, they deserve exactly what they get.
MLB was really fortunate to survive the last strike. Another would be a death knell.
The pendulum swings both ways.
Kelley wasn’t great, maybe there’s a bounce back though
It’s gonna be hard to bounce back to something better than a 2.94 ERA, 2.0 BB/9, 3.71 FIP, and .898 WHIP.
Steve missed the Asdrubal Cabrera signing in this article. It’s another low risk/possible high reward signing.
Pretty solid signing, he wasn’t great for the Nationals the last year and half and is 35 years old now but for the amount of money (just 2.5M) they’re giving him it’s worth a shot seeing if he can keep pitching like he did after he got traded.
Really thought the Red Sox should have rolled the dice on this guy for that amount of $… Good low risk gamble for this year.