White Sox bring back Albers to help bolster bullpen
Rick Hahn is still working the phones in the Yoenis Cespedes chase, but the White Sox made an under-the-radar move Thursday afternoon. Ken Rosenthal reported that the Sox are bringing back reliever Matt Albers on a one-year, $2.25 million contract. According to Rosenthal, the terms of the contract include a $3 million club option or $250,000 buyout for the 2017 season.
Albers, 33, was one of the most consistent arms out of the Sox bullpen last season. He worked 37.1 innings after returning from a compression fracture on his right pinkie, suffered during a brawl between the Sox and Kansas City Royals early in the season. He finished the season with a 1.21 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, which ranked first and second on the club, respectively, among relievers who appeared in at least 20 games last year.
Albers rounds out a bullpen that was considerably improved last year from the 2014 season, which ranked 28th in WAR. In 2015, the Sox pen ranked 16th in the same category.
The Sox are the sixth major league club Albers has been a part of. He began his career with the Houston Astros in 2006 and also had stints with the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cleveland Indians.