Cory Gearrin

Gearrin accrued extra frequent flyer miles last season, opening the season with the Giants before being traded to the Rangers in early July. Gearrin was dealt to the Athletics for their September stretch run as they looked to fortify their bullpen in search of a wild-card berth. Gearrin struggled with the A's, allowing four runs on 12 hits with only two punchouts in six stanzas before being shut down with a triceps injury. For the season, Gearrin logged a useful 3.77 ERA and 1.34 WHIP albeit with a pedestrian 52 whiffs in 57.1 innings. He scored a one-year deal with the Mariners, who now have one of the most talent-deprived bullpens in baseball. Even so, he probably won't factor into the saves mix, but could log a handful of holds. He's waiver-wire fodder in even the deepest of formats.

On the surface, Gearin's 1.99 ERA last season looks impressive, especially since it came with a decent 64 punchouts in 68 innings. However, a 3.89 FIP and 4.65 xFIP tell a different story. Gearin also issued a hefty 35 free passes, but was rescued by a low 6.9 percent HR/FB, helping to fuel a fortuitous 88.0 percent left-on-base mark. Gearin suffered from control issues early in his career, but seemingly had things fixed coming into 2017. Not especially overpowering with a 92-mph fastball he throws a little over half the time, mixing in sliders and a changeup, Gearin relies on control to be successful. It should be noted Gearin's strikeout rate spiked in the second half, up to 28.6 percent after checking in at 18.9 percent before the break. If he maintains these gains, while cutting down on the walks, he could be useful, though his holds will be tempered unless the Giants vastly improve their offense.

Gearrin made his first Opening Day roster last season at the age of 30. He posted respectable numbers (4.28 ERA and 3.21 K/BB) in 48.1 innings of work, primarily working in the middle innings of games. After returning from a midseason shoulder injury, he did see a few save opportunities after Santiago Casilla was removed from the role. However, his sinker-slider-changeup combination doesn't profile well in the ninth inning, and after the team signed Mark Melancon, it's highly unlikely that Gearrin will be anything more than a part of the bridge from starter to closer.

Like many before him, Gearrin made a successful return from Tommy John surgery in 2014 and was given a second chance in the Giants organization. The velocity on his big sinker was sitting around 92 mph in 2015 after being in the high-80s during his time with the Braves. The added velocity contributed to a 2.72 ERA with a 9.6 K/9 in 43 innings with Triple-A Sacramento. Combining his newfound success with a strong spring training could result in a spot on the Opening Day roster for Gearrin.

A UCL injury, suffered late in spring training, resulted in Gearrin needing Tommy John surgery and ultimately ended his Braves career, as the team cut ties with the former fourth-round pick in November. It made sense from a business standpoint, since the Braves weren't likely to get much from him in 2015, but it came as a disappointing end for the right-hander who posted a 1.80 ERA over 52 appearances from the start of 2012 until May 30, 2013, before his numbers began to deteriorate due to a shoulder issue. The 28-year-old has shown an ability to miss bats at a nice clip when healthy (career 8.8 K/9), but there were still questions about his command before the injuries and it's unlikely any team will sign him until he proves he's close to 100 percent.

Gearrin seemed to be cruising along at the start of the 2013 season, with a 1.80 ERA in his first 30 appearances, but the right-hander was demoted to Triple-A Gwinnett after giving up eight runs in seven post-June 1 appearances. As it turned out, Gearrin was dealing with shoulder tendinitis, and he never ended up pitching for Gwinnett, or at all over the remainder of the season. There were several red flags prior to his diagnosis, as Gearrin's strikeouts were way down (6.7 K/9 from 9.0 in 2012), and his walks were way up (4.6 BB/9 from 2.3). Additionally, he'd lost more than two miles per hour off his fastball (from 90.7 to 88.2 mph), and was thus forced to rely much more on his slider. Gearrin will have to earn his spot in the Braves' bullpen again, but if healthy, the 27-year-old should be able to carve out a middle-relief role this spring.

Gearrin should break camp on the major league team for the first time in 2013 after pitching parts of the last two seasons for the Braves. He made a couple of relief appearances in a brief stint in June before being called up for good on July 31. After that second callup, he did not give up a run in his first 14 appearances. He finished the year with a 1.80 ERA in 20 innings pitched. His 9.0 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 indicate that he should have little trouble finding future success out of the bullpen. The 26-year-old had his first taste of the majors in 2011 where he had a 3.38 ERA over his first 15 appearances before giving up 10 earned runs in his next three games. Gearrin worked through the minors with little issue and should be a valuable reliever for Atlanta.

Gearrin had an impressive season at Triple-A Gwinnett as he increased his strikeout rate to 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings. He struggled when called up to Atlanta, with a 7.85 ERA and 12 walks in 18.3 innings. However, he did manage to strikeout 25 batters in 18.3 innings. Gearrin never had great control in the minors, but he's steadily improved his walk rate. If he can reduce his free passes, he could be an impact reliever for the Braves.