Cincinnati Reds: Three veteran relief pitchers worth signing

Craig Stammen, a reliever the Cincinnati Reds were rumored to be pursuing this offseason, is off the board. What remaining relievers should the team target?

The Cincinnati Reds bullpen is not in shambles, in fact, it’s far from it. However, adding a few veterans the relief corps should be among the finishing touches that Cincinnati’s front office needs to consider before heading to Goodyear, Arizona for spring training. What three remaining veteran relief pitchers should the Reds consider signing?

Relief pitching has garner little attention from the Reds brass this winter. So far, Dick Williams and Nick Krall have focus, mainly, on adding additional bats to help boost a lineup that ranked 12th in the National League last season in terms of runs scored (701). Cincinnati did add Wade Miley as well in an effort to improve the starting rotation.

The bullpen, while a constant source of criticism among fans this offseason, was not bad at all in 2019. The Reds pen ranked seventh in ERA (4.28), and while many throughout Reds Country will bemoan the overuse of relievers, Cincinnati came in 11th in the NL in terms of innings pitched (554.2). Even the batting average against (.235) was among the best in the league.

Still, adding some relief pitchers via free agency would help add depth to the bullpen. Cincinnati was rumored to be interested in Craig Stammen, who reportedly agreed to a multi-year contract with the San Diego Padres yesterday. It appears that advanced age of relievers is not a concern among GMs throughout the league, so let’s take a peek at a few veteran arms who could help the Reds in 2020.