Jocketty: Patience pays in signing relievers

Sometimes, it pays to wait. Or, more correctly, if you wait, you pay less.

The Reds signed right-hander Burke Badenhop to a one-year, $1 million deal with a mutual option for 2016 and signed right-hander Kevin Gregg to a minor-league deal.

Badenhop and Gregg are the first proven, veteran additions to the Reds' bullpen this offseason. The bullpen was a major weakness last year. The Reds finished second to last in the National League in ERA at 4.11.

If the Reds had tried to sign either Badenhop or Gregg earlier in the offseason, they would not have been able to afford them.

"Patience and persistence," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. "That's my mantra."

Badenhop, 31, is the big get. He was 0-3 with a 2.29 ERA and one save for the Boston Red Sox. Badenhop is guaranteed $2.5 million in the deal. He'll make $4 million next year if the Reds pick up the option; he'll get a $1.5 million buyout if they do not.

Still, in today's baseball, that's a huge bargain. Consider: Badenhop's WAR (Wins Above Replacement) was 1.5 last year. Zach Duke had a 1.2 WAR last year and he signed a three-year, $14.5 million deal with the Chicago White Sox.

"We've been talking to Badenhop for a while," Jocketty said. "He's a great fit for our ballpark. He's a groundball pitcher. He can pitch in a lot of roles. He gives us a lot of flexibility."

Badenhop had a 61 percent groundball rate last year, according to fangraphs.com, and only allowed one home run in 70 2/3 innings.

The Reds will be his fifth major league team. He broke in with the Florida Marlins and spent four years in the big leagues there with middling success. He's been with a new club each of the last three seasons — going from Tampa Bay to Milwaukee to Boston each time in a trade. Over that span, he's put up a 2.90 ERA over 199 games and allowed 13 home runs in 195 1/3 innings.

Gregg struggled last year — a 10.00 ERA in 12 games for Miami — before having elbow surgery in August. But he was 2-6 with a 3.48 ERA and 33 saves in 2013 with the Chicago Cubs.

He worked out for scouts last week. The Reds were there.

"If fact, we've taken an in-depth look in his medical," Jocketty said. "He should be fine. He just had bone chips removed. Plus, he's a non-roster guy. There's not a lot of risk, but we think he can help us. He can pitch in a lot of different roles."

Adding Badenhop and Gregg raises the chances of right-hander Raisel Iglesias and left-hander Tony Cingrani being in the rotation. The Reds have two spots open behind Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey and Mike Leake.

Iglesias, the Cuban the Reds signed to a seven-year, $27 million deal, is the second-rated prospect in the organization by Baseball America. Scouts think he has the stuff to compete in the majors right now.

Cingrani started last year as the Reds' fourth starter but struggled with shoulder problems. He and Iglesias could be candidates to fix the bullpen. But that's less necessary after the Saturday signings.

"It was important to strength the bullpen," Jocketty said. "We've got a lot young guys competing for those spots in the rotation."

To make room on the 40-man roster for Badenhop, the Reds designated left-hander Ismael Guillon for assignment. Guillon was the 31st ranked prospect in the organization by BA.