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With time quickly running out until the start of spring training, the Arizona Diamondbacks made one final move in what has been an eventful offseason by signing reliever Tyler Clippard. The bullpen was the one area of the team the Diamondbacks had yet to upgrade this offseason, and getting a pitcher with Clippard’s track record, especially this late in the offseason, is a great addition.
Clippard’s value was down this winter after he posted a 6.59 ERA in September and a 6.75 ERA in the postseason with the New York Mets, which explains why he was still unsigned so close to spring training. However, Clippard’s numbers over the course of the season were consistent with the rest of his career. Also, before his late-season collapse, Clippard registered a 0.60 ERA in 15 innings during the month of August, and his heavy use over that time may have led to fatigue that caused his struggles late in the season.
The bottom line is that Clippard is a pitcher with a career 2.88 ERA, and at 30 years old, he should have plenty left in his arm (and at least a few years left), so the Diamondbacks making a two-year commitment to him is not all that risky. Clippard also has experience as a closer, and while he wasn’t signed to be Arizona’s closer, any time a team adds a pitcher with closing experience to its bullpen, it should be considered a positive move.
The way Arizona’s bullpen is constructed, they don’t have a lot of proven commodities or shutdown pitchers outside of closer Brad Ziegler. Such little depth in the bullpen puts a great deal of pressure on Ziegler’s shoulders, but the addition of Clippard should take some of the pressure off Ziegler. Clippard will likely be Arizona’s primary setup man and a viable closer if Ziegler struggles or gets hurt, providing the Diamondbacks with depth in the back end of their bullpen.
Clippard may have been overlooked among many of the other relievers on the free agent market this winter, but despite his struggles late last season, he has posted an ERA under 3.00 in each of the past three seasons. Arizona needed to add a proven reliever to its bullpen to help complement what is now an excellent starting rotation, and the signing of Clippard accomplishes just that. Clippard’s experience and his consistency will be a welcome addition to the Diamondbacks, who have a legitimate chance of competing for a playoff spot in 2016.
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