Shane Greene’s an affordable option for the Seattle Mariners bullpen

The former Atlanta Braves reliever, Shane Greene, would be a sneaky affordable addition to the Seattle Mariners bullpen in 2021

The seven-year veteran who has played for three teams is a free agent after finishing the season with the postseason Atlanta Braves. Shane Greene was acquired by the Braves from the Detroit Tigers in 2019 and signed a one year deal to stay with the Braves for $6.25 million. The Seattle Mariners and Jerry Dipoto are going to build up the bullpen for the 2021 season as the team looks to contend.

Greene throws a mid-90s two-seam fastball with great movement and a nasty slider that is effective against both lefty and righty batters. Greene has a “short-arm” throwing motion which is deceptive to hitters and can provide a sneaky fast feeling to his fastball.

Greene’s $6.25 million put him in 29th for the highest salary among MLB relievers in 2020. And for being a solid bullpen option and closer for the past few years, a $6.25 million contract per year is rather cheap among some of the other free agent options like Blake Treinen.

Liam Hendriks, Kirby Yates, Brad Hand, and many others are also available for Jerry Dipoto and the Seattle Mariners to pursue in the offseason but those four would require a much bigger haul than Greene. The former Braves reliever quietly became a great pitcher when he was converted from a starting pitcher to a reliever.

Greene started his MLB career with the New York Yankees as a starting pitcher. After one season in the Bronx, he was traded to Detroit in a three-team deal involving Robbie Ray and Didi Gregorius. He remained with Detroit until the middle of the 2019 season. Greene became a reliever in 2017 where he remarkedly posted a 2.66 ERA in 71 games. He also recorded nine saves in 2017 which led him to become the closer for the next two seasons.

In 2018, he recorded 32 saves but had a 5.12 ERA. The next season, he bounced back with 22 saves and a 1.18 ERA before the trade deadline. When Greene arrived in Atlanta, he was used as a late-inning reliever and did okay.

Most recently, Greene bounced back with a 2.60 ERA in 28 games during the shortened 2020 season. He was an important member of the solid Braves bullpen in 2020 and will be wanting a good contract offer during the offseason.

Greene does not warrant an annual salary surpassing $10 million. But, signing Greene to a one-year deal for $7-9 million would be a major steal for the Seattle Mariners. There is a laundry list of free-agent candidates and Greene might get lost among the big names. For Dipoto and the Mariners, Greene would be an affordable bullpen addition which would help open up some money for another reliever signing.