Colorado Rockies Agree to Sign Greg Holland
Former Kansas City Royals closer Greg Holland will make his return with the Colorado Rockies, reportedly agreeing to a one-year deal with a vesting option.
The Colorado Rockies made another significant offseason addition on Wednesday, agreeing to a contract with reliever Greg Holland. According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, the deal is for one year with a vesting option for a second.
Source: RP Greg Holland and the Colorado Rockies have agreed on a one-year deal with a vesting option for a second year, pending physical.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 25, 2017
Holland missed all of the 2016 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. However, with high-end relief pitchers at a premium, the 31-year-old right-hander still generated plenty of interest on the free agent market. Clubs like the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals were all linked to Holland at one point or another over the offseason.
Despite the question marks regarding his health, Holland’s impressive track record as an effective major league reliever evidently took precedence in the eyes of many teams. From 2011 to 2014, he posted a sparkling 1.86 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 12.6 K/9 while averaging 64 innings per campaign for the Kansas City Royals. He struggled by his standards in 2015, however, putting up a 3.83 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 44.2 frames. Those numbers can perhaps be attributed to the UCL tear in his elbow, which was discovered late in the season. Manager Ned Yost suggested that Holland may have pitched the entire year with it.
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Holland developed into one of the game’s top closers in Kansas City, notching 145 saves over his six big league seasons. He tallied 47 and 46 saves in 2013 and 2014, respectively, earning All-Star honors both years. There is optimism that, if healthy, Holland can once again hold down the ninth inning, and the Rockies will presumably consider their new signing for the closer role. Fortunately, they now have several intriguing options.
With Holland in tow, Colorado has the makings of quite a deep and talented bullpen. They had already signed lefty Mike Dunn earlier this offseason to add to a group including Adam Ottavino, Chad Qualls, Jake McGee and Jason Motte.
Stacking the bullpen could be a wise strategy for a Rockies club that has had difficulty putting together a serviceable starting rotation over the years. Playing half your games at Coors Field tends to take its toll. Everyone knows what the Rockies’ powerful lineup can do. If an improved relief crew can pick up some of the slack from a suspect rotation, Colorado could find itself competitive in most games.
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Nevertheless, new skipper Bud Black will hope to get the best out of a rotation that does including some enticing younger arms like Jon Gray and Tyler Chatwood. With Holland bringing his veteran presence to the bullpen, the Rockies could end up being a much more well-rounded squad in 2017 than some might have imagined.