Arbitration Avoidation: Pat Neshek
UPDATE 10:57PM PST 11/29/2012: Neshek’s contract was worth $975K for 2013. That is a reasonable amount to bring back Neshek for despite being slightly higher than what MLBTradeRumors had projected for him ($900K).
The cost cannot be found anywhere at the time I write this online, but Pat Neshek has agreed to a one-year contract for 2013. Acquired from the Orioles, the sidearming Neshek pitched to a 1.37 ERA and 4.52 FIP by way of some strange peripherals: 7.3 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and 1.4 HR/9 to go with a .137 BABIP and 100.0% strand rate in his 19 2/3 innings of ball across 24 appearances. I have no complaints about Neshek’s return as I think he provides a quality right-handed arm out of the bullpen. MLBTradeRumors projected him as earning $900K and at that number I’d be fine with his return as I am sure he can manage the 0.1 – 0.2 WAR required to make him worthwhile. In 2012 he was worth -0.1 WAR as Fangraphs bases their figures on FIP which did not favor Neshek. While the strand rate and BABIP are impossible to keep up, Neshek in his career has a .221 BABIP and 82.1% strand rate in 174 innings so it seems that his ERA may in fact carry some more merit as to his quality (career, 3.00) than his FIP (career, 4.07).
