D-backs sign Holland to 1-year deal, designate Barrett for assignment
Jan 31, 2019, 4:55 PM | Updated: 5:15 pm
Washington Nationals relief pitcher Greg Holland throws to first base to put out Colorado Rockies' DJ LeMahieu in the eighth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Free agent reliever and three-time All-Star Greg Holland has signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a one-year deal.
The deal was reported on Wednesday before becoming official on Thursday.
The terms of the contract will start with a $3.5 million base salary and includes bonuses that can double that amount, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
To make room for Holland on the 40-man roster, the D-backs designated reliever Jake Barrett for assignment.
Last year, the 33-year-old Holland split his year with the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals.
The right-hander struggled mightily with a 7.92 ERA and 2.24 WHIP in 32 games with the Cardinals before being released and picked up by the Nats, refreshing his production. In Washington, he appeared in 24 games and finished with a 0.84 ERA and 0.89 WHIP.
Holland was last an All-Star for the Colorado Rockies in 2017, his only season with the NL West rival of the D-backs. Prior, he spent 2010-15 with the Kansas City Royals and was an All-Star in 2013 and 2014.
Known for his fastball and slider combo in his early MLB seasons, Holland has changed his game since a 2015 elbow injury that kept him out of action the entire 2016 season.
He increased his use of a curveball last year, throwing it 11 percent of the time, according to FanGraphs. Holland had never thrown his curve more than 6 percent of the time.
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