Free Agent Relief Pitcher Reportedly Has Seemingly Ludicrous Contract Demand This Offseason
File this one under "probably not going to happen."
Free agent relief pitcher Hector Neris is reportedly seeking a three-year deal worth $50 million this offseason.
Per Hector Gomez on social media:
SOURCE: Relief Pitcher Hector Neris is seeking a 3-year, $50 million deal. The #Yankees is showing a lot of interest in him.
Now, Neris is good, that's not up for debate, but there's no way this deal happens, right?
The bullpen is such a volatile market. Unless you are an elite closer, you don't typically see contracts that give relievers more than $16 million per year, especially when those relievers are 34 years old.
And Neris is going to pitch the entire season at 35 years old in 2024, making it seem more unlikely. He's a 10-year veteran of the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros. He's spent the last two years in Houston and has appeared in 141 games over the last two years.
Perhaps some of Neris's desires come from his durability. He's appeared in at least 50 games in every full season of his career, and appeared in 24 games during the pandemic 2020 season, which was nearly half of the games that season.
He's coming off an excellent 2023 for Houston, where he helped them get to the ALCS. He went 6-3 with a sparkling 1.71 ERA, striking out 77 batters over 68.1 innings.
Lifetime, he's 33-36 with a 3.24 ERA. Neris has 89 career saves, having served as the Phillies' primary closer in 2017-2019.
Maybe he sees himself as a closer again and that's why he thinks he can ask for big money. If other teams view him that way, it becomes more realistic, but he hasn't proven he can be a closer again, and his age will certainly be a concern.
The Yankees, who have been connected to Neris, also already have a good closer in Clay Holmes. They have also been connected to Josh Hader this offseason.
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