Cincinnati Reds: Three veteran relief pitchers worth signing

3. Jerry Blevins, Left-handed pitcher

Another potential left-handed pitcher that the Cincinnati Reds could look to add this offseason might be Jerry Blevins. The southpaw played in 45 games last season after being dealt to the Atlanta Braves. For his career, Blevins’ ERA sits at 3.54. After a rough 2018 season with the New York Mets, Blevins saw an improvement last season.

Blevins’ best seasons came with the Mets during two of his three years in Queens. After a trade from Washington, Blevins joined the Metropolitans in 2015. After taking a comebacker off his left arm early that season, Blevins was placed on the disabled list. A freak accident resulted in Blevins re-fracturing the same arm, ending his 2015 campaign.

The following two seasons, however, saw Blevins put up solid numbers. The southpaw went 10-2 with a 2.87 ERA, 3.09 FIP, and 121 strikeouts while putting up a 143 ERA+ from 2016 to 2017. At age 34, however, Blevins saw his numbers spike in 2018. His ERA rose to 4.85 in 42.2 innings of work.

Blevins would obviously not be tremendous signing, but a veteran left-hander would add some depth to the Reds roster. Blevins’ strikeout-rate, according to FanGraphs, jumped from 21.8% in 2018 to 26.2% last season. His walk-rate, however, has been above 10% for the past three seasons, sitting at 11.4% during that timeframe.

With Drew Pomeranz and Craig Stammen both signed by San Diego, the relief market is quite scarce. Given that Cincinnati’s bullpen currently offers just Amir Garrett as the lone lefty, any additional help from the left side would be welcome. A minor-league deal for Jerry Blevins could be a low-risk/high-reward option if he returns to form.