The Cincinnati Reds will sign Justin Wilson to a one-year, $1.5 million contract, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. The deal comes with $1 million worth of incentives and likely cements Wilson’s spot in the Opening Day bullpen. The veteran lefty signed a minor-league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers this winter but opted out earlier this week.
Free-agent reliever Justin Wilson reached agreement on a major-league contract with the Cincinnati Reds, according to sources familiar with the deal. https://t.co/02w9WzGQ2M
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) March 15, 2024
Cincinnati Reds Sign Justin Wilson to Major League Deal
Wilson last appeared in the majors in 2022, his second season with the Reds. However, he only pitched in five games before undergoing Tommy John surgery, missing the rest of the year. The Milwaukee Brewers signed Wilson after the season, hoping to get him healthy for the second half of 2023.
While the Brewers activated him in July, Wilson suffered a lat injury while warming up in the bullpen. The injury cost him his season before he could appear in a major league game. Assuming he stays healthy, Wilson’s next MLB appearance will be his first since April 2022.
Wilson did not make a deep Dodgers pitching staff despite pitching well this spring. Wilson surrendered two runs and two walks with nine strikeouts in four innings over four games. Although spring training numbers shouldn’t mean much, Wilson’s performance at least shows the 36-year-old’s health.
According to Murray, multiple teams expressed interest in Wilson during his 48 hours on the open market. Cincinnati’s need for another arm increased when fellow southpaw Alex Young experienced a setback with his injury.
Reds Lefty Depth in Bullpen
Young experienced back tightness at the beginning of Spring Training and only debuted on Wednesday. However, he gave up six runs and four hits without recording an out. To make matters worse, Young tweaked his back during the outing and is now expected to be out for a few weeks.
The Reds signed Wilson to a low-risk deal to cover Young’s absence but certainly won’t rely solely on him as the bullpen’s only lefty. Fresh off a great campaign with the Colorado Rockies, Brent Suter represents the squad’s main healthy lefty reliever.
Justin Wilson: “I don’t like to live my life in the past. I’m happy to be healthy. The ball feels great coming out of my hand. My elbow feels good. I’m very happy to be here. I feel like I haven’t been far removed from these guys. I really enjoy playing for this team.”
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) March 15, 2024
Cincinnati expected to use Suter as a multi-inning reliever, with Young and Sam Moll pitching more quicker outings. However, like Young, Moll has been slowed all spring due to injury and is expected to open the season on the injured list. Moll has dealt with shoulder soreness all spring and has not appeared in a Cactus League game.
Wilson should provide the Reds with quality innings despite his recent injuries until Young and/or Moll return to health. Wilson has pitched in 11 MLB seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, and the Reds. He has a career 3.42 ERA in 467 innings with 18 saves and 132 holds.
Though he was never a star closer, Wilson was an important member of many good bullpens on contending teams. In his peak years (2015-2020), Wilson owns a 125 ERA+, a 3.40 ERA, 291 innings, and 10.7 K/9. He won’t be expected to produce his prime performance, but the Reds signed Wilson expecting quality innings from a solid arm.
Main Photo Credits: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
