In the latest step of the Nationals’ offseason bullpen overhaul, the Nationals on Thursday agreed to a three-year deal with right-handed reliever Shawn Kelley, according to a person familiar with the situation. According to an ESPN report, the deal will pay Kelley somewhere in the range of $15-16 million.
A week after they agreed to a one-year deal with lefty Oliver Perez, a few hours after they completed a deal with right-hander Yusmeiro Petit, and around the same time they traded for young Angels fireballer Trevor Gott, the Nationals added Kelley, a 31-year-old with a low-90s fastball who is one of 29 relievers to average more than 11 strikeouts per nine innings over the past four seasons. (Perez is another.)
