MILWAUKEE BREWERS

Brewers sign Neftali Feliz to $5.35 million deal

Tom Haudricourt
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Neftali Feliz once saved 40 games with the Texas Rangers.

The Milwaukee Brewers added the experienced reliever they were seeking Thursday, announcing an agreement with free-agent right-hander Neftali Feliz on a one-year deal for $5.35 million.

Feliz, 28, who played last season for Pittsburgh, can earn another $1.5 million in incentives, connected to whether he becomes the Brewers' regular closer.

Brewers general manager David Stearns said terms of the agreement were reached over the weekend, as reports suggested at the time, but Feliz had to come from the Dominican Republic for his physical examination, which took place Wednesday in Milwaukee. Feliz missed most of the final month of the 2016 season with an arm issue so the physical exam was an important part of the deal.

The Brewers began pursuing late-inning relief help after trading closer Tyler Thornburg to Boston at the winter meetings in early December, a deal that netted third baseman Travis Shaw and two prospects. Thornburg took over closing duties after Jeremy Jeffress was traded with catcher Jonathan Lucroy to Texas on Aug. 1, the same day left-handed setup man Will Smith was dealt to San Francisco.

The free-agent market included several experienced late-inning relievers, but Stearns said Feliz piqued his interest early.

"We kept in touch with his representatives throughout the off-season and we're happy to be able to get something done with him," Stearns said. "We saw some things last year in his repertoire, in his stuff and usage, that we thought were positive trends. We think he threw the ball very well. We think there's still room for growth with him and we think he's going to be a nice addition to the back of our pen."

Feliz becomes the top candidate to close games in 2017 because of his experience in that role, primarily with Texas. The Brewers' internal candidates for late-inning relief include Corey Knebel, Carlos Torres, Jacob Barnes, Jhan Mariñez and Michael Blazek.

"He's certainly a candidate (to close)," Stearns said. "The fact that he has previous (major-league) closing experience — our other candidates do not at this point — does give us confidence in him. But we're going to go into spring training with the same notion as last year. We have multiple guys we're going to think about in the context of that role.

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"The one thing I know is that Neftali is going to pitch high-leverage innings for us. It certainly could be in the closer's role, but (manager) Craig (Counsell) may want to use him in another role as well."

Feliz reportedly was courted by several teams, including San Francisco, Seattle and Toronto. But he wanted a shot at being a closer and said he felt Milwaukee was the best fit.

"I think getting the opportunity to close the game, that's what I'm looking for," Feliz said. "The Milwaukee Brewers gave me that chance and I'm thankful for that. I think it's a young team but a good team. I think Milwaukee can compete every day."

Feliz once threw 100 mph and was one of the top closers in the game. He compiled 40 saves with Texas in 2010 at age 22, earning American League rookie of the year honors.

Feliz had another big season in 2011 with 32 saves and a 2.74 ERA in 64 appearances. But he blew a save against St. Louis in Game 6 of the World Series in gut-wrenching fashion while one strike away from the crown, surrendering a game-tying, two-run triple to David Freese. The Cardinals won that game in 11 innings and then captured Game 7 to stun the Rangers.

With Feliz’s confidence as a closer harmed, the Rangers tried to convert him to starting in 2012, but he blew out his elbow and underwent Tommy John reconstructive surgery on Aug. 1 of that season. He pitched in only six games in 2013 and returned to late-inning relief in a shortened 2014 campaign, posting a 1.99 ERA with 13 saves in 30 appearances.

Feliz struggled in 2015 and was designated for assignment by Texas at midseason after posting a 4.58 ERA in 18 appearances and losing the closer’s role. He refused a minor-league assignment and became a free agent, signing with Detroit.

Feliz’s slide continued with the Tigers, resulting in a 7.62 ERA in 30 appearances. He signed with Pittsburgh after that season and was performing well in a setup role when he left a Sept. 3 game against the Brewers at PNC Park with arm discomfort.

Feliz never pitched again in 2016 but neither he nor the team provided details about the exact nature of his arm issue. Stearns said the Brewers did "due diligence" on that situation and learned that Feliz was shut down with biceps fatigue, not an actual injury.

"As it got a little later into September and Pittsburgh's playoff hopes waned, both sides agreed it was in his best interests to rest the remainder of the season," Stearns said. "We're confident that whatever soreness he had in September has resolved itself. He pitched a lot for the Pirates, so we don't have any concerns that he's going to be able to take on the workload of a high-leverage reliever."

Asked about his physical readiness, Feliz said, "My arm feels 100% and my body, too. I'm 100% ready to compete for the Milwaukee Brewers."

Though he no longer throws 100 mph, Feliz averaged 95.5 mph with his fastball last season, leading to an average of 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings, his best mark since his debut in 2009. But he also averaged 3.5 walks per nine innings and surrendered 10 home runs in 53.2 innings, a high ratio.

"The extent to which balls left the yard was a little bit of an anomaly," Stearns said. "He's a fastball pitcher. He throws high fastballs a lot. Those are going to leave the yard. But they also generate outs a lot of times. We understand with every style of pitcher, there are going to be drawbacks. That's certainly true in Neftali's case as well."

The addition of Feliz fills the Brewers' 40-man roster but Stearns said he would continue to monitor the relief market.

"We have to remain open-minded," he said. "There are still a number of available players out there, so we remain in those discussions. I would say it's probably unlikely that we would sign another reliever to a major-league deal but not impossible."

        Camp invites: The Brewers invited five more players from their system to major-league spring training — right-handers David Goforth and Aaron Wilkerson, catchers Jacob Nottingham and Dustin Houle, and outfielder Corey Ray, a first-round 2016 draft pick coming off minor knee surgery.