MLB Roundup 1/31: Greg Holland signs in Arizona

Greg Holland signs with the Diamondbacks

Well, there goes another one of those cheap, low-tier relievers the Red Sox have reportedly been targeting. The biggest fish in Craig Kimbrel remains out there, but with each passing day the rest of the market continues to shrink. This time around it was Greg Holland, who agreed to a one-year deal worth a base of $3.25 million. There are reportedly incentives that could make it worth much more than that if Holland performs well. Like anyone else in this tier who is going to agree to a one-year deal with less than $5 million guaranteed, Holland certainly has his risks. He’s dealt with plenty of injuries since his prime with Kansas City, and his control has been a major issue over the last few years. Last season he started the year in St. Louis and was a disaster, finishing his tenure there with a 7.92 ERA with 22 strikeouts and 22 walks in 25 innings. To his credit, he did look much better in 21 ¹⁄₃ innings with the Nationals at the end of the year. Of course, if the Red Sox are insisting this is the tier in which they want to stick to help their bullpen, they are going to have to deal with that kind of risk. Holland wasn’t my absolute favorite option left on the market, but at this point any body who is capable and has some track record in the majors is (probably) better than nobody.