Cincinnati Reds Re-Sign Ryan Mattheus, Pedro Villarreal to Minor-League Deals

With the biggest moves of the offseason out of the way (barring a trade of Jay Bruce or Brandon Phillips), the Cincinnati Reds have made the first wave of what should be a number of small moves in an effort to round out their roster.

The team has already announced they’ve re-signed righty reliever Ryan Mattheus to a minor-league deal, while MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reports that another right-handed relief man, Pedro Villarreal, will also return on a minor-league contract. They have been invited to spring training.

Both pitchers were non-tendered by the Reds on Dec. 2.

Mattheus was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels in May and spent the rest of 2015 in Cincinnati. Including his one appearance with the Angels, he went 2-4 with a 4.02 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 3.58 FIP. Per nine innings, he struck out 5.9 batters against 2.9 walks.

Although he produced so-so overall numbers, Mattheus proved to be a reliable innings-eater in the middle of the bullpen, appearing in 57 games and throwing 55 innings, the fourth-highest total among Reds relievers.

More from Blog Red Machine

• Reds: 3 players who may lose their roster spot when Jesse Winker returns
• Reds: Joe Boyle has an absurd strikeout-rate after punching out 10 batters
• Reds vs. Pirates: Pitching preview, prediction, and more
• Reds appropriately designate reliever Brad Brach for assignment
• Reds: 3 reasons why Jonathan India will win NL Rookie of the Year

In a sea of bullpen candidates who are mostly younger than 30, Mattheus (32) may have a slight advantage in that he would provide a veteran presence. Additionally, his high ground-ball percentage (52.7 percent in 2015) and low fly-ball rate (22.9 percent) play well in the hitter friendly Great American Ball Park, especially since he doesn’t strike out many hitters. Despite posting a respectable ERA and FIP, however, he allowed batters to hit .300 against him and struggled badly against left-handed hitters (.340/.355/.515) last season.

After wearing out a trail between Cincinnati and Louisville, Villarreal finally stuck around the big leagues in 2015. Serving in the long-relief role for the Reds, he pitched in 50 innings over 29 games and produced a 3.42 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 4.43 FIP while fanning 5.2 and walking 2.2 per nine innings.

Though it wasn’t enough to earn him a major-league contract, Villarreal left an impression in the 2015 season. With such a young starting rotation, the Reds were frequently forced to go to their bullpen early, which often meant turning to the now-28-year-old righty. On six occasions, he pitched three innings or more, allowing a combined two earned runs in those outings. On the downside, Villarreal also struggles against lefties (.321/.364/.462) and doesn’t have a particularly high strikeout rate. Unlike Mattheus, he isn’t much of a ground-ball pitcher (though he did have a career-high 42.3 GB% last season), leaving him more prone to allowing the long ball.

With the Reds’ bullpen competition being wide open, both relievers will have their fair shot of making the club if they impress during spring training.