Just before the trade deadline last season, the St. Louis Cardinals acquired former closer Jonathan Broxton from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for then-20-year-old prospect Malik Collymore. Broxton was solid out of the bullpen for the Cardinals after the trade, posting a 2.66 ERA over 26 appearances (23.2 innings pitched). However, Broxton’s FIP registered nearly a full run higher at 3.56 (ballooned by an awful walk rate of 11.9%), and this ERA-FIP difference subsequently cast reasonable doubt as to whether or not this performance was sustainable over a larger sample.
Yet, considering there were holes to fill in the 2016 bullpen (Matt Bowman was added via the Rule V draft one day after Broxton signed, and Seung Hwan Oh did not sign until January), general manager John Mozeliak seemingly tossed said doubt aside by inking Broxton to a two-year, $7.