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Pagan seals the win

Cincinnati — One of the Reds’ top aims in the winter was to get relievers who could cover many innings to strengthen the bullpen. They added one on Wednesday, before to the Winter Meetings.

A two-year, $16 million contract between right-handed reliever Emilio Pagán and the Reds has been agreed to, according to various sources who spoke with MLB.com. The agreement is subject to a physical examination, which is anticipated to take place on Thursday, although the team has not confirmed it.

After three seasons with an ERA over 4.40, Pagán, 32, returned to form last season with the Twins, posting a 2.99 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 65 strikeouts over 69 1/3 innings.

Pagán will receive $8 million in 2024 and $8 million in 2025 if his pact is signed. He has the opportunity to opt out after one season in the second year, which is a player option. Bonuses are also included if he is traded.

Pitching for Seattle, Oakland, Tampa Bay, San Diego, and Minnesota, he has a 3.71 ERA, 456 strikeouts, and a 1.07 WHIP in 400 MLB innings since making his Mariners debut in 2017. With the Rays in 2019, he had his greatest season to date with 20 saves, 2.31 ERA, and 96 strikeouts in 70 innings pitched.

With a 4.11 ERA in 2023, Pagán will join a Reds relief corps that was ranked 16th in the Majors.

Emilio Pagán escapes jam

The team’s relievers were counted on for the second-most innings in the National League and the sixth-most in the Majors in 2023, so the Reds have been aiming to add multi-inning relievers and depth to their bullpen.

With Buck Farmer becoming a free agent, Cincinnati will also be losing one of its dependable relievers from the previous campaign. During the previous season, Farmer appeared in 71 relief appearances for the Reds, contributing to 75 of those bullpen innings.  Alexis Díaz is still the team’s closer, with right-handers Lucas Sims, Ian Gibault, Fernando Cruz, and Tejay Antone, and left-handers Sam Moll and Alex Young.

With the exception of the abbreviated 2020 season, Pagán has played in five full MLB seasons and made over fifty bullpen appearances. He has thrown over sixty innings in each of those seasons, including 2023. He also had 14 outings in the previous season where he pitched more than one inning.

Pagán is prone to giving up home runs, however he has also had periodic slumps. He struggled as a set-up pitcher and closer, giving up 12 home runs in 63 innings during his 2022 season with Minnesota.

The majority of Pagán’s Twins outings in ’23 came in lower-leverage circumstances

Pagán uses four different pitches: a low-80s curveball, a high-80s cutter and splitter, and a four-seam fastball that averaged just under 96 mph in 2023.

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