Adam Ottavino isn’t the only reliever of interest this offseason. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that free agent left-hander Justin Wilson has attracted the interest of “6-7 clubs” so far this offseason, though no one specific team appears to have made a particularly strong offer so far.
Wilson, 31, capped his 2018 campaign with a 3.46 ERA, 5.4 BB/9, and 11.4 SO/9 over 54 2/3 innings with the Cubs. While he struggled to curb a worrisome walk rate and saw a velocity dip on his heater for the first time since 2015, it was hardly his worst season to date. True to form, he logged the ninth-most appearances by any National League reliever — a testament to his year-to-year consistency, as he’s ranked among the league’s top producers for the last five straight seasons — and his near career-high strikeout rate was among the best in the league, to boot. So far this winter, he’s solely been linked to the Mets, but the club doesn’t appear to be exclusively focused on the lefty as SNY’s Andy Martino recently mentioned that they also have their eye on free agent right-hander Adam Warren these days.
While the market appears to be heating up for the likes of Ottavino and Wilson, the opposite holds true for fellow free agent Craig Kimbrel. Per Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston, Kimbrel’s market is currently said to be “crazy low,” and there’s some speculation that his reported six-year, $100 million asking price is to blame — especially with bigger free agents like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado still in play. The right-handed closer is coming off of a three-year All-Star run with the Red Sox and has been previously connected to the Red Sox, Phillies, and Braves.
