The Philadelphia Phillies have signed right-handed reliever Corey Knebel to a one-year contact, the team announced on Wednesday. Knebel will receive $10 million, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.
Knebel, who celebrated his 30th birthday last week, entered the offseason ranked by CBS Sports as the 34th best free agent available. Here’s what we wrote at the time:
Knebel’s sales pitch is so obvious that it’s deliverable in a tweet-sized message: He has big stuff, a mid-to-upper 90s carrying fastball and a wicked curve, as well as ample experience in every role that can be assigned to a modern reliever: closer, setup man, and even opener.
Knebel spent last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He appeared in 27 games and posted a 2.45 ERA (169 ERA+) and a 3.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 25 innings.
It’s at least conceivable that Knebel could enter the new year as Philadelphia’s closer. Last season, the Phillies had seven pitchers record a save, including two pitchers (Hector Neris and Ian Kennedy) notch more than 10 apiece. Both Neris and Kennedy qualified for free agency at season’s end, and Neris has since signed with the Houston Astros. Depending on what else the Phillies do this winter (or, whenever the lockout ends), Knebel’s biggest competition for the ninth inning might come in the form of either left-hander José Alvarado or right-hander Connor Brogdon.
While Knebel is the first free-agent addition the Phillies have made to their bullpen this winter, they had made a number of smaller acquisitions over the offseason’s first half. Those efforts have resulted in them adding left-handers Ryan Sherriff, Scott Moss, and Kent Emanuel, as well as right-handers Nick Nelson and Yoan López.
