Alfredo Simon decided to return to the Cincinnati Reds instead of pitching elsewhere. The 34-year-old Simon signed a one-year deal with a base salary of $2 million and incentives that could earn him $1.5 million more.
The rubber-armed Simon will help the Reds bide time for injured starting pitchers John Lamb, Michael Lorenzen and Homer Bailey. He will also spare the Reds from prematurely promoting top starting pitcher prospects Cody Reed and Robert Stephenson.
Simon was a reclamation success story for the Reds. He was claimed on waivers from the Baltimore Orioles in 2012. He posted a 5.18 ERA in four seasons with the Orioles.
The Reds proved to be a good fit for Simon. He pitched as a reliever his first two years with the Reds before he was thrust into the starting rotation just before the start of the 2014 season.
Simon made the NL All-Star team in 2014. He finished the year with a 3.44 ERA in 196.1 innings. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers before the start of the 2015 season. He finished the 2015 season with a 5.05 ERA in 187 innings.
Simon’s ineffectiveness in 2015 dropped his free agent value after the season. The Reds are providing Simon with a chance to recapture some of that lost free agent value if he can regain the form he showed in 2014 for the Reds.
The Reds initially gave Simon a chance when his career seemed in doubt. Simon had a murder charge hanging over his head during his final season with the Orioles. It wasn’t until the end of the season that Simon was cleared of a manslaughter charge for the shooting death of a man during a New Year’s celebration in the Dominican Republic.
Simon also found himself facing another off-the-field ordeal while a member of the Reds. He was accused of rape while on a road trip with the Reds early during the 2013 season.
As long as Simon can steer clear of off-field troubles, he should revive the remainder of his career and help the Reds better rebuild for the future in the process.
Robb Hoff writes about the Cincinnati Reds for OutsidePitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
The post Alfredo Simon can help stabilize the Cincinnati Reds appeared first on OutsidePitchMLB.