The Phillies will decline their $7MM club option on right-hander Pat Neshek, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). The veteran sidearmer will instead be paid a $750K buyout and return to the free-agent market.
Neshek, 39, missed nearly a month with a shoulder strain before a hamstring tear in late June put an end to his 2019 campaign (and ultimately required surgery). That pair of injuries limited Neshek to just 18 innings of 5.00 ERA ball and capped off an injury-plagued Phillies tenure, though it’s worth noting that he was excellent when healthy in 2018. Shoulder trouble hampered him again that season, but Neshek pitched to a strong 2.59 earned run average in 24 1/3 innings when he was able to take the ball.
Broadly speaking, Neshek enjoyed a seven-year run as an outstanding setup piece and occasional closer from 2012-18. Over that span, he logged 315 1/3 innings with a 2.51 ERA (3.26 FIP), 8.3 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and 0.91 HR/9. Along the way he tallied 13 saves and 106 holds while making a pair of All-Star teams and pitching in high-leverage spots for the A’s, Cardinals, Astros, Rockies and Phillies. The 2002 sixth-rounder boasts a sub-3.00 ERA and nearly a strikeout per inning in 488 Major League innings.
I’ll take Neshek! He’s got more promise than a whole lot of hurlers.
Where? Out to dinner?
Bring him home to Wisco!
Quality proven relief pitcher; if healthy.
He’s done.
He was a quality reliever when healthy, a good clubhouse guy, and he apparently enjoyed playing in Philadelphia. Thanks, Pat!
I loved when he was with the Cardinals. But what I really like about Pat is that he is a fellow Metalhead. \m/ \m/
Is he? Very cool. I love finding the Metal Head players. Need more players rocking out
Hey Steve, don’t forget that Neshek got his start in Minnesota and was a pretty good relief pitcher for the Twins during their playoff years before he got hurt.
Yep, Neshek/Nathan 8th/9th annoyed me plenty of times as a Tigers fan. Game over.
i know a lot of people in Philly dont like him, but im a fan. shame he’s been injured during the last 2 years.
I like him too, hard to like that signing the way it played out though. Not every reliever we sign can be broken for the entire contract right?
Good reliever but he can’t go on back to back days. But he’ll find a j9b in somebody’s bullpen…
Knock knock Braves. The guy is old, but he has a track record of being really good. Go get him, our bullpen is scary thin right now
good move, cant go into next season expecting to contend with as many question marks in the pen as we did this past season
Smart to decline but worth a gamble for less
Pirates should take a 1 year flyer on Neshek. He’s not one to rely on velocity to get outs so his age should not be a big issue. The Pirates need a late inning arm for 2019 too.
Did he ever get Zack Greinke’s autograph?