In December, the Arizona Diamondbacks made some big moves to bolster their starting pitching rotation.
On Monday, they made a significant move to bolster their bullpen.
The D-backs have reached an agreement with veteran relief pitcher Tyler Clippard on a reported two-year deal. The 30-year-old right-hander has a career 2.88 ERA during nine MLB seasons and is a two-time All-Star, in 2011 and 2014 with the Washington Nationals.
Clippard deal with #DBacks is official, per source: $4M signing bonus, $4.1M salary in 2016, and $4.15M salary in 2017.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 8, 2016
Last season, Clippard posted a combined 2.92 ERA in 69 regular-season appearances with the Oakland A's and New York Mets.
Clippard did struggle during the Mets' run to the World Series in 2015. He posted a 6.75 ERA in 6 2/3 innings of work during the postseason.
Clippard has experience as a closer but has spent most of his career in a middle relief/setup role. He'll look to boost a D-backs bullpen that was one of the worst in the league in 2014 but made significant improvements last season.
In December, the D-backs made waves by signing star pitcher Zack Greinke and adding ace Shelby Miller in a trade with the Atlanta Braves.