Colorado Rockies Reportedly Sign Reliever Greg Holland

The Colorado Rockies did indeed still have one more move up their sleeves this offseason.

Heading into the offseason with the bolstering of the bullpen established as a priority, the Rockies signed left-hander Mike Dunn in December. Now Colorado has added more depth to its late innings, reportedly inking Greg Holland to a contract. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports is reporting the Rockies are in agreement with Holland on a one-year deal with a vesting option for 2018, pending a physical.

Holland coming to the Rockies gives the club another option for closing games. However, he’ll need to show he’s healthy enough to take on that role.

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The 31-year-old right-hander missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Before that, however, Holland was one of the key pieces for the Kansas City Royals. As MLBTradeRumors.com said in their article on the signing, “From 2011-14, Holland tossed 256 1/3 innings of 1.86 ERA ball with 12.6 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 with a 44.4 percent ground-ball rate. Holland racked up 113 saves in that time and anchored the Royals’ bullpen in the 2014 postseason, throwing 15 innings and allowing one run with a 15-to-5 K/BB ratio.”

Depending on Holland’s health, he could well compete with Adam Ottavino for closing duties under new manager Bud Black.

Holland’s arrival will also bring another decision for the Rockies. When the club recently signed Alexi Amarista to a deal, it brought the team’s 40-man roster to 40 players. Someone will need to make room for Holland on the roster.

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We talked about what Holland has done in his career and what he could bring to the Rockies in this article. However, one thing is certain, the signing has a huge risk-reward possibility for the team. If Holland can return to form, Colorado’s bullpen just improved dramatically.