After a strong season in which he made his first All-Star game, Brandon Kintzler is picking up plenty of interest this winter, mostly from the Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals and Minnesota Twins.
Kintzler himself has spoken about about Washington and Minnesota looking at him, which makes sense: He played for the Twins in 2016 and part of 2017, before getting traded to the Nationals. The Cubs have been in touch with Kintzler, but so far these are very early goings in the talks.
The ground ball specialist had a strong 2017, posting a 3.03 ERA through 71.1 innings of work and a 1.150 WHIP. He switched from Minnesota to D.C. in late July, and moved from closer to a setup guy. His numbers in Minnesota were better, but overall, except for his cut-short 2015 season, Kintzler has been reliable and productive on the mound throughout his career, which began in 2010, pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Kintzler made $2.9 million last season, and is looking to sign a longer deal this time around. Something around $15 million over 3 years sound right? Kintzler said he prefers a multiyear deal, but will be on himself with a one-year contract if he doesn’t get the offers he likes.
Another thing Kintzler recently said is that his wife would love him to sign for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kintzler would make a good fit there, but there haven’t been any rumors suggesting the D-Backs are actively pursuing him.
Kintzler pitched in the postseason for the first time in October, throwing a total of 3.1 innings in 3 outings as the Nationals lost once again in the divisional round, this time to the Cubs.