MLBTR’s positional preview of the upcoming free agent class continues with a look at the left-handed relief pitchers. Last year’s group was headlined by Josh Hader but there’s no such outlier this time. However, there are still some intriguing options.
Player ages, listed in parenthesis, are for the 2025 season. Stats are through play on September 26. Only players who have appeared in the majors this year are included.
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High-Leverage Relievers
- Aroldis Chapman (37)
Chapman isn’t quite at the same level he was a decade ago, but he’s still one of the most powerful pitchers in the game. Both of his fastballs average in the high 90s and he still racks up the punchouts. The Pirates signed him to a one-year, $10.5MM guarantee coming into 2024. He has tossed 60 innings for them so far this year with a 3.90 ERA. His 15% walk rate is quite high compared to league average but normal for Chapman. He has struck out 36.5% of batters faced while keeping 44.7% of balls in play on the ground. He has 12 saves and 22 holds for the Bucs and will likely be looking for a fairly similar contract this winter.
- Danny Coulombe (35)
Coulombe took a long time to establish himself but is coming off a strong two-year run. He signed a minor league deal with the Twins in four straight offseasons, going into the 2020-2023 campaigns. In the last of those four, he triggered an assignment clause and got traded to the Orioles just before Opening Day. Since then, he has thrown 80 innings for the O’s with a 2.59 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate, 5.1% walk rate and 44.6% ground ball rate. He has three saves and 34 holds in that time.
- A.J. Minter (31)
Minter won’t be going into free agency at his best. He’s had some good seasons for Atlanta but went on the IL twice this year due to hip issues and underwent surgery in August. From 2020 to 2023, he tossed 208 2/3 innings for Atlanta with a 2.89 ERA, 30.7% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate. He recorded at least 21 holds in the three full seasons of that stretch. Here in 2024, his strikeout rate dropped to 26.1%. His 2.62 ERA is still nice, but a .222 BABIP and 94.2% strand rate helped him out there. His market will depend on his health and whether clubs expect him to bounce back.
- Tanner Scott (30)
Scott has had some ups and downs in his career but is coming off a strong two-year run. Most of that has come with the Marlins but he was flipped to the Padres at the deadline, with the Friars sending four prospects to get Scott and Bryan Hoeing out of Miami. Since the start of 2023, Scott has thrown 150 innings with a 2.04 ERA, 31.3% strikeout rate, 10% walk rate and 50.4% ground ball rate. He has 34 saves and 35 holds in that time. Judging by the big trade return he netted the Marlins, he should be in high demand this winter and should be able to command a strong multi-year deal. With the Padres having clinched a playoff spot, he also has a chance to give himself some extra momentum if he can post some good results in the spotlight of the postseason.
Middle Relievers
- Scott Alexander (35)
Alexander and the Athletics signed a one-year deal with a $2.25MM guarantee coming into 2024. That investment has worked out quite well for the A’s, as Alexander has tossed 37 1/3 innings with a 2.65 ERA and 10 holds. There could be some luck in there, with his .267 BABIP and 79.4% strand rate both on the fortunate side, leading to a 3.89 FIP and 3.83 SIERA that are closer to his career rates. His 19.5% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate aren’t special but are normal for the groundballer. His 58.5% rate of getting the ball hit into the dirt this year is well above league average but actually a career low for him.
- Jalen Beeks (31)
Beeks served as closer for the Rockies for a stretch this year, though that said more about the state of that club’s staff than about him. He was traded to the Pirates at the deadline and has a 4.52 ERA between the two clubs this year. That comes with a 17.5% strikeout rate, 8.4% walk rate and 44.6% ground ball rate. He currently has ten saves and eight holds for the season. Signing Beeks would be about hoping for a bounceback. With the Rays in 2022 and 2023, he tossed 103 1/3 innings with a 4.09 ERA, 26.5% strikeout rate, 9.7% walk rate and 45.5% ground ball rate. He was put on waivers in November and claimed by the Rockies but ended up having a down year.
- Jake Diekman (38)
Diekman has a track record that spans more than a decade. Control has never been his strong suit, as he has walked 13.4% of batters faced overall. He has often been able to overcome that with strong strikeout rates, punching out 28.7% of batters faced in his career. He signed a one-year, $4MM deal with the Mets for 2024 but posted a 5.63 ERA through early August and was released. He struck out 27.6% of batters faced and walked 16.6% but was severely hurt by a 29.2% home run per flyball ratio. His deal originally came with a club option but that’s now moot since he has been released. No one has picked him up in the past couple of months so he might be limited to minor league deals if he wants to keep going next year.
- Caleb Ferguson (28)
Ferguson is having a down year in terms of surface stats but things aren’t as bad under the hood. After missing 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery, he tossed 95 innings for the Dodgers over 2022 and 2023. In that time, he had a 2.84 ERA, 26% strikeout rate, 9.7% walk rate and 46.8% ground ball rate. He was flipped to the Yankees coming into 2024, then traded to the Astros at the deadline. Between those two clubs, he has a 4.64 ERA that’s well worse than his previous two seasons. But his 26.9% strikeout rate, 10% walk rate and 46.7% ground ball rate are very similar to that stretch with the Dodgers. A .340 BABIP and 66.6% strand rate are probably masking the fact that he’s the same guy he was before this year.
- Amir Garrett (33)
Garrett has mostly been in the minors this year. His major league work consists of just 5 1/3 innings with the Angels, allowing three earned runs while striking out 11 but walking five opponents. He has a 5.08 ERA in Triple-A while punching out 28.5% of batters but walking 10.6%. He has years of experience but his lack of control has generally undercut his ability to strike hitters out. In 330 2/3 big league innings overall, he has a 4.95 ERA and 26.7% strikeout rate but a 13.3% walk rate. He’ll have to settle for a minor league deal if he wants to keep pitching in 2025.
- Tim Hill (35)
Hill has long had an ability to get ground balls, which is serving him well at the moment. After being non-tendered by the Padres a year ago, he signed a one-year deal with the White Sox with a $1.8MM guarantee. That team cut him loose in June when he had a 5.87 ERA, though that seemingly wasn’t his fault. He had a massive .436 BABIP and 63.5% strand rate during his time on the South Side. The Yankees picked him up, presumably figuring he could fare better with a stronger defense behind him. That has largely been borne out, as Hill has a 2.09 ERA since coming to the Bronx. Overall, Hill has a 3.41 ERA on the year while getting grounders on 68.4% of balls in play. His 10.4% strikeout rate is quite low but he doesn’t issue many walks and can clearly be effective if his grounders are being scooped up.
- Tyler Matzek (34)
Matzek has some good results on his résumé but is not coming into free agency on a high note. Back in 2020, he posted a 2.79 ERA, 35.5% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate with Atlanta. In 2021, his walk rate climbed to 14% but he managed to keep his ERA down to 2.57. The year after that, he had a 19.6% strikeout rate and 15.8% walk rate before requiring Tommy John surgery in October. He missed all of 2023 while recovering from that procedure. He made 11 appearances earlier this year, posting a 9.90 ERA, before going back on the IL with elbow inflammation. He was flipped to the Giants as part of the Jorge Soler deal but put on waivers a few weeks later and then re-signed with Atlanta on a minor league deal.
- Matt Moore (36)
Not too long ago, Moore seemed to be engineering a nice second act as a reliever. He posted a 1.95 ERA with the Rangers in 2022 and then a 2.56 ERA with multiple clubs in 2023. The Angels gave him $9MM for 2024 but things have fallen off a cliff this year. Last year, he had a 27.5% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate but those figures are 19.5% and 12.4% this year and his ERA has shot up to 5.03.
- Brooks Raley (37)
Raley underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of May and won’t be a factor until the middle of 2025 even in a best-case scenario. He plans to continue pitching so he could perhaps sign a deal while he’s rehabbing or perhaps wait until he’s healthy and then showcase himself for interested clubs. He has tossed 184 1/3 innings since returning from Korea for the 2020 season. In that time, he has a 3.42 ERA, 29% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate. From 2022 to the present, his ERA is just 2.58, though with similar peripherals.
- Joely Rodríguez (33)
Rodríguez signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox in the winter and has been on and off their roster this year. He posted a 5.93 ERA in 13 2/3 major league innings. His 1.88 ERA in Triple-A looks nice but that’s mostly due to a tiny .175 BABIP.
- Will Smith (35)
Smith has a shot at an incredible feat this October. It’s already amazing that he has won a World Series ring three years in a row with three different teams: Atlanta in 2021, Astros in 2022 and Rangers in 2023. He can add another year to that if the Royals manage to take home the trophy a month from now. He signed with Kansas City on a one-year deal with a $5MM guarantee but has a 6.53 ERA on the year. His 15.6% strikeout rate is by far the lowest of his career, except for his 2012 rookie season when he was still a starter. From 2013 to 2021, his strikeout rate was always at least 28.7%. That dropped to just below 25% in 2022 and 2023 and even farther this year.
- Caleb Thielbar (38)
From 2020 to 2023, Thielbar tossed 174 innings for the Twins with a 3.21 ERA, 30.2% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate. In 46 innings this year, his ERA has jumped to 5.28. Part of that is a .341 BABIP and 62.1% strand rate, but his strikeout rate has also dropped to 25.1% while his walk rate has climbed to 11.4%. He’ll surely be limited to one-year offers based on his age and recent struggles.
- Justin Wilson (37)
Wilson hardly pitched over the 2022-23 seasons, mostly due to Tommy John surgery. The Reds gave him $1.5MM on a major league deal for 2024, but Wilson hasn’t found success, at least in terms of surface results. In 46 2/3 innings, he has a 5.21 ERA. That’s despite a 24.8% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate. Making his home in a hitter-friendly park has led to a .328 BABIP and 15.9% home run per fly ball ratio this year. ERA estimators like his 4.67 FIP and 3.33 SIERA suggest he deserved better. For his career, he has over 500 innings with a 3.57 ERA, 25.8% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate.
Swingman
- Ryan Yarbrough (33)
Across stints with the Rays, Royals, Dodgers and Blue Jays, Yarbrough has been consistently deployed as a swingman/depth starter, making spot starts or working in long relief out of the bullpen. He has 195 major league appearances, including 68 starts, with a 4.23 ERA in 764 1/3 innings thrown. That includes a 3.32 ERA in 95 innings between the Dodgers and Blue Jays this year. His 18.7% career strikeout rate isn’t high but he’s limited walks to a 5.5% clip while limiting damage. His average exit velocity and hard hit rate are often among the best in the league, landing in the 98th and 99th percentile this year respectively.
Options/Opt-Outs
- Aaron Bummer (31)
Bummer signed a five-year, $16MM extension with the White Sox back in 2020. Since then, he has thrown 205 1/3 innings with a 4.21 ERA. That figure would be lower if it weren’t for a weird spike in 2023 when his ERA jumped to 6.79 thanks to a .340 BABIP and 55.4% strand rate. During the course of that contract, he has a 29.3% strikeout rate, 10.7% walk rate and 64.5% ground ball rate. Atlanta acquired him going into 2024, presumably attracted to his $5.5MM salary in 2024 and two subsequent club options valued at $7.25MM and $7.5MM, each having a $1.25MM buyout. The net $6MM decision seems like solid value but the club also hasn’t been leaning on Bummer too much, as he has only two holds on the season despite his 3.62 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate, 7.1% walk rate and 60.1% ground ball rate.
- Andrew Chafin (35)
Chafin signed with the Tigers this offseason, a one-year deal with a $4.75MM guarantee. That came in the form of a $4.25MM base salary, incentives, and a $4.75MM club option for 2025 with a $500K buyout. Traded to the Rangers at the deadline, he has a 3.56 ERA in 55 2/3 innings on the year overall. His 12.3% walk rate is a bit high but he’s striking out 28.8% of batters faced. The net $4.25MM decision is a fair price for Chafin. Whether the Rangers pick it up or not might depend on factors apart from him. They had a budget crunch last winter due to uncertainty in their TV revenue situation and may prefer to keep that powder dry, as opposed to locking Chafin up right as the offseason gets going.
- Wandy Peralta (33)
The Padres signed Peralta in the winter to a four-year, $16.5MM deal. That was a bit surprising since the club was dealing with a notable budget crunch but also because of the contract’s structure, as Peralta has the right to opt out after each year of the pact. He is making $3.35MM this year, followed by $4.25MM next year and then $4.45MM in each of the final two seasons. His first year in San Diego hasn’t gone well so far, as he has a 4.10 ERA over 45 appearances. If not for a .239 BABIP, it would probably be worse, which is why he has a 5.44 FIP and 4.46 SIERA. He’s still getting grounders but his 13.9% strikeout rate is a big drop, as he’s usually in the 20% range. He’ll pass on his opt-out chance for now and hope for a better season in 2025.
- Brent Suter (35)
Suter signed with his hometown Reds coming into 2024, a $3MM guarantee that came in the form of a $2.5MM base salary in 2024 and $500K buyout on a $3.5MM club option for 2025. The veteran has continued to do what he always does, which is get weak contact and post good results despite not getting many strikeouts. He has 64 1/3 innings this year with a 3.22 ERA, 18.9% strikeout rate, 4.5% walk rate and 41.2% ground ball rate. Per Statcast, his average exit velocity allowed is in the 94th percentile while his hard hit rate is in the 96th. In addition to those strong results, Suter has a solid reputation as a veteran clubhouse leader. Given the modest $3MM difference between the buyout and option, it seems like this will be picked up.
