The Washington Nationals continue to add options to their bullpen, as the team is signing right-hand reliever Jeremy Jeffress ahead of Spring Training. The deal would pay Jeffress $1.25 million if he makes the Nationals roster with an additional $1.25 million in incentives, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Nationals manager Davey Martinez confirmed the signing pending a physical and coronavirus protocols.
Jeffress pitched well for the Chicago Cubs last season. He had a 1.54 ERA with a 4-1 record and eight saves in 22 appearances. There is concern he hasn’t had back-to-back consistently good seasons since 2015-16.
Last season was a bounce back year for Jeffress after posting a 5.02 ERA with Milwaukee in 2019. That was following a 1.29 ERA season in 2018 that came after his ERA ballooned to 4.68 in 2017.
That inconsistency could be why the 33-year old was unable to land a guaranteed deal despite a strong 2020 campaign.
Jeremy Jeffress is known for his sinkers and splitters down in the zone. He doesn’t get a lot of strikeouts. Last season he had 6.6 strikeouts per nine innings. However, he also doesn’t yield many home runs, allowing 0.4 per nine innings.
The Nationals are looking to reconstruct its bullpen around the late-inning arms Brad Hand, Will Harris and Daniel Hudson. Realistically, it will be interesting to see how many open spots are available when names such as Wander Suero and Tanner Rainey among others. If Jeffress is able to buck his latest trend and pitch well, he could be a bargained arm to add to the Nationals’ depth.
