Despite a rough year in 2016, relief pitcher Drew Storen could prove quite valuable for the Cincinnati Reds if he rebounds next season.
The Cincinnati Reds had yet to sign a player to a major league contract this offseason until Tuesday. According to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, the Reds have signed right-handed reliever Drew Storen to a one-year contract. The deal is worth $3 million. Storen will look to bounce back after the last couple of rough seasons he has endured. The Reds did not invest a lot in Storen but the deal could turn into an absolute steal for the team. Storen was a low-risk, high-reward signing for Cincinnati.
#reds have signed RHP Drew Storen to a one-year contract. Big league deal.
— Mark Sheldon (@m_sheldon) January 3, 2017
Storen, 29, has struggled over the past three seasons. Last season, with the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays, Storen posted a 5.23 ERA in 51.2 innings pitched. The issue that Storen had to fight through was his hit rate. He gave up 9.8 hits per nine innings. This was by far the worst mark that Storen has had in his career. His home run rate was unusually high also, giving up 1.2 home runs per nine innings. The trouble with missing bats has led to the demise of Storen over the past couple of seasons.
Storen’s best season of his career was in 2014 with the Washington Nationals. He posted a 1.12 ERA in 56.1 innings pitched. His hit and home run rates were both very low that year as well. Storen was missing bats and forcing weak contact. This is the Storen that the Reds hope they have signed. The $3 million deal is not a huge risk and could reap great rewards for the Reds come the trade deadline.
The Reds have been looking for help in their bullpen this season. In 2016, the Reds bullpen was one of the worst in the league. The Reds ranked 29th in all of baseball in bullpen ERA last season at 5.09. The point of emphasis, with those numbers in mind, has to be in the bullpen this offseason. The Reds will not win many games with those numbers coming in during the late innings.
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The signing of Storen for the Reds was a low-risk, high-reward deal. If Storen pitches like he has pitched over the past two seasons, then at least they did not give up a lot for him. But if he pitches like he did during the 2014 season with the Washington Nationals, then the Reds have made one of the biggest steals of the offseason. Storen will be a name to watch this season, especially around the time of the trade deadline.