The growing interest in Bronson Arroyo will lead him to sign very soon, and it looks like it’s either going to be with the Cincinnati Reds or the Washington Nationals, who have already handed him a contract offer.
The Nationals have offered Arroyo, who is coming off more than a year away from the game due to Tommy John surgery, a minor league deal. Four other teams, including the Reds, San Diego Padres, Florida Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates, are interested in the 39-year old pitcher, but he seems quite keen to make a return to Cincinnati, while the Nationals seem to be the most serious about him.
Arroyo had a pitching session with Reds catching coach Mike Stefanski on Friday of last week, and from hearing Arroyo talk, he’s hoping Cincinnati and not anyone else end up the team he gets to play for.
I wanted to give the Reds every opportunity to keep me. Bryan Price has told me he’d love to have me in their locker room. I think it benefits both sides. It’s an opportunity for me to come into a less-stressed situation after a surgery and help young guys on the staff. If we can get something that’s in the ballpark financially, I’d be happy.
It seems teams won’t be too comfortable giving Arroyo a guaranteed spot on their 40-man roster. However, a minor league deal with a decent base salary and plenty of incentives could net in quite a lot of money for Arroyo considering his age and the fact that it took him 16 months to get to where he is now. Arroyo made $16.4 million on his final season with the Reds, and $9.5 million in his last year, being bounced around teams before being released by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who bought out the final year of his deal for $4.5 million.
The Nationals rotation is made up of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Joe Ross and Tanner Roark. For the Reds it’s a bit more complicated, and far less impressive: Homer Bailey recovering from the same surgery, Raisel Iglesias and Anthony DeSclafani seem to be almost guaranteed starters while other spots are up for grab. The Nationals are contenders, at least they look like it. The Reds are in rebuild mode, but it’ll be easier getting playing time for Arroyo there. We’ll soon find out what fits him more, assuming the Reds actually want to sign him.