Diamondbacks sign reliever Tyler Clippard

The Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a deal with veteran reliever Tyler Clippard. The deal is for two years and $12.25 million, according to reports. This is another item the Diamondbacks can check off their offseason to-do list, as Arizona was looking to upgrade many positions including the bullpen.

Clippard has been very effective over his eight years in the major leagues. He has tossed at least 70 innings since 2010 and has never been on the disabled list. Last season, Clippard sported a 2.92 ERA over 71 innings pitched and was able to save 19 games while splitting time with the Oakland Athletics and New York Mets. Clippard’s ERA was up a bit from 2013 and 2014 with the Washington Nationals. His ERA numbers during those two seasons were 2.41 and 2.18, respectively.

The addition of Clippard will surely bolster the back end of the Diamondbacks bullpen. The only true setup man Arizona had last season was Daniel Hudson, who came off two Tommy John surgeries.

Brad Ziegler is slated to be the Diamondbacks’ closer, but there has been talk of there being some competition for the closer’s role going into Spring Training. That competition will include Ziegler, who was great as closer last year, Hudson and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Clippard get some time closing this spring either.

Ziegler surprised many last season by saving 30 games for Arizona and having a stunning ERA of 1.82. But, Hudson seems to be the logical choice for the closer’s role because he throws very hard and has the mentality for the job. The question is whether Hudson’s arm will be able to withstand pitching back-to-back days. Even though, he saved 30 games last year, Ziegler’s real strength is coming out of the bullpen to induce double plays.

One would think manager Chip Hale would like to bring in Ziegler to get a double play in the seventh inning rather than having to save him for the ninth inning. Clippard, however, is the perfect guy to throw in the late innings. His velocity may have dropped over the last couple years, but he still has the stuff to fool hitters.

Last week, GM Dave Stewart told the media that the Diamondbacks were not active on the free agent or trade markets and then a few days later, Clippard is signed. That goes to show you that anything can happen with this team during this offseason.

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We saw the same thing with the signing of Zack Greinke, which came together in a matter of hours. So if someone says that the Diamondbacks are probably done making moves, just wait. They have addressed most of their needs so far, but the one thing they could still use is another bat off the bench. But the addition of Clippard should make fans happy, as they now have a stable late inning reliever.