Cincinnati Reds add free agent reliever Jared Hughes

The Cincinnati Reds need pitching

The Cincinnati Reds had another rough year. Although the team lost 96 games, they are improving on both sides of the ball with experience. With the franchise in the middle of a youth movement, they are learning from their mistakes. The Reds have rebuilt for the past couple years, and have vastly improved their farm system in doing so.

With the club still going through the turnaround, there comes the opportunity for youngsters. The Reds are already experimenting in the starting rotation. Other than Homer Bailey, the rest are under 26. This team has plenty of young arms to choose from going forward. Right-hander Luis Castillo is a lock, as he showed ace-type stuff in 2017. Other than that, it seems wide open.

Cincinnati is still a year or two away, so the time is right to see what they have. The Reds are looking to add veteran arms to avoid overextending young arms. The Reds did just that when they signed right-handed pitcher Jared Hughes to a multi-year deal.

The Cincinnati Reds sign veteran reliever

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This week, the Reds signed right-handed reliever Jared Hughes to a 2-year deal with a club option for 2020. The pitcher will get $4.5-million guaranteed, and the third year option worth $3 million with a $250k buyout per Chris Cotillo. In that time, he can earn $750k in performance bonuses. Last year, Hughes tossed a 3.02 ERA in 59.2 innings.

His HR/9 was one of the lowest of his career at 0.60. He is a guy that will keep the ball in the ballpark and strands runners, due to his LOB% of 79%. That is a nice acquisition for a team that ranked in the bottom five in pitching in 2017.

Hughes will be a reliable veteran that will offer a good example to the young guns.

Also, his groundball rate isn’t that bad at 62%. The Reds are getting an arm they can count on in the bullpen. This team has made a shrewd move in building them into a contender. The front office recognizes that there is a need for veteran pitching. In this deal, the Reds got an affordable arm for good value in the long and short-term.

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For a middle-market team, this move is one that is valuable moving forward. This offseason has seen relief pitching prices skyrocket, and the Reds were able to nab one at a reasonable price. In 2017, Hughes was worth $4 million. He just signed a deal worth $4.5 million over two seasons. So, Cincinnati just made probably made one of their most notable deals of the offseason.