On the day the Dodgers received news that Zack Greinke was opting out of his contract, they received some good news for their bullpen.
J.P. Howell decided to exercise his player option, bringing him back for $6.25 million in 2016. This was reported by ESPN’s Buster Olney.
It’s always tough to gauge reliever value, as reliever ERA is often unreliable. Nevertheless, Howell put up a 1.43 ERA in 65 games (44 innings) last year. His contract initially made 2016 a mutual option, but that turned into a player option because Howell appeared in 65 games and/or 120 over the last two seasons.