SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The free-agent market for relievers got kooky this winter. Teams handed startling sums to experienced closers such as Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon, while equally experienced setup men struggled to find work.
The Giants benefited from the glut of available relievers. On Tuesday, they signed former Arizona setup man and Sacramento native David Hernandez to a minor-league deal that will pay the right-hander $1.5 million if he makes the club. Last year, he earned $3.9 million with the Phillies.
Though the Giants pursued Melancon aggressively to fill their biggest need, a closer, they showed little interest in adding experience elsewhere in a bullpen that is awfully short on big-league service time.