Veteran reliever Shawn Kelley agreed to a one year deal with the Texas Rangers earlier this evening. The contract is a one year deal for $2.5 million with an option for 2020.
Shawn Kelley’s deal with the Texas Rangers includes a club option, source familiar with it tells ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 28, 2019
Last year with the Washington Nationals and Oakland Athletics, he posted a 2.94 ERA with two wins and 50 strikeouts. With Washington, Kelley had a respectable 3.34 ERA before being designated for assignment. This came in the wake of spiking his glove on the mound after giving up a home run in a blow out win. A few days later he was traded to Oakland. Reports came out that Kelley almost got into a fight with GM Mike Rizzo in Washington.
Kelley was able to reach another level with Oakland as he posted a 2.16 ERA in 16.2 innings. In the Wild Card Game lost the New York Yankees, Kelley posted a scoreless inning. He was one of the more underrated relievers in the deep reliever free agent market, but also suffered from a very slow free agent market. The Rangers were able to add a veteran with experience that can help a bullpen that struggled at time last season. Kelley rarely walks batters, as he has exactly 11 walks in each of the last three seasons. He will be the setup man to closer Jose Leclerc.
Feature Image From MLB.com
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