As the Milwaukee Brewers continue their pursuit of Jonathan Papelbon, they've given themselves some insurance in the bullpen and added a left-handed reliever this week.
Brewers' assistant general manager Gord Ash said trade talks for Papelbon are still "there" but "not much has happened lately," according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Last week it was reported Milwaukee was in serious discussions with the Philadelphia Phillies about acquiring the veteran closer, but there's been a holdup due to the financials regarding Papelbon's 2016 vesting option.
The $13 million option kicks in if he finishes 48 games in 2015, which would cost the Brewers a total of $26 million over the next two seasons. As a result, the talks have stalled and the Blue Jays expressed interest in a deal, but they are also concerned with the vesting option.
So in the meantime, the Brewers have added left-handed reliever Neal Cotts on a one-year, $3 million deal, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. The 34-year-old was out of baseball from 2010-2012 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery and a couple of hip surgeries, but he returned in 2013 and has been with the Texas Rangers over the past two seasons. Over that span he's 10-12 with a 2.84 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 131 games (123 2/3 innings).
Cotts' arm is likely to replace Zach Duke, who had a career season as a reliever with the Brewers in 2014. However, Ash says the team is "continuing to look" and "would still like a veteran presence" in the bullpen. Cotts is a solid addition, but he struggled in 2014 after posting a 2-9 record with a 4.32 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 73 games. Perhaps that's not too much to worry about though, because the Rangers' bullpen struggled as a whole and ranked 24th in ERA (4.02) and 23rd in WHIP (1.34).
As for the closer role, the Brewers will probably keep gauging the market for Papelbon, but they also have an in-house option with Jonathan Braxton as well as a potential free agent signing with their ninth inning man from 2014, Francisco Rodriguez. Rosenthal noted the Phillies are "not under a mandate from ownership" to trade Papelbon and are likely to only make a deal if it is to their benefit.
But it is known the Phillies are rebuilding, and they're not going to need a $26 million closer when they're not expecting to be competitive in 2015 and possibly 2016.
