Hector

Rondon

Rondon signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox at the end of spring training, five days after getting released from Phillies camp, but the veteran reliever has now decided to call it quits at age 33. He finishes his playing career with a 3.49 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 441 strikeouts in 436 total MLB innings. He also tallied 92 saves.

Rondon was released by the Phillies last Thursday after exercising his late-March opt-out clause and has now found a new home. The veteran reliever could join the bullpen mix in Boston sometime in April.

Rondon had an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Phillies and exercised it on Thursday. The veteran reliever had surrendered seven runs -- six earned -- over seven innings of work this spring.

The Diamondbacks declined Rondon’s $4 million club option for 2021 after he posted a rough 7.65 ERA in 23 relief appearances last season. However, he’s not far removed from being a useful reliever, so the Phillies will see how he looks in camp.

He’ll get a $500,000 buyout as part of the guaranteed one-year, $3 million deal he signed with the D-backs last winter. Rondon pitched to an ugly 7.65 ERA and 1.80 WHIP across 23 relief appearances for Arizona in 2020.

It’ll be a guaranteed one-year, $3 million contract with a club option for 2021, pending a physical exam. Jon Heyman of MLB Network hears that the option is for $4 million and can escalate to $5 million depending on games finished. Rondon registered a 3.71 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 48/20 K/BB ratio over 60 2/3 regular-season innings with the Astros in 2019, working mostly in a setup capacity for Houston closer Roberto Osuna. The 31-year-old right-hander will now presumably serve as a setup man for likely Diamondbacks closer Archie Bradley.

Rondon will get paid $2.5 million in 2020 and there is a $500,000 buyout on the option for 2021, thus the $3 million guarantee. The option can jump from $4 million to $5 million if the right-hander reaches certain escalators this year. Rondon, 31, posted a decent 3.71 ERA with 48 strikeouts across 60 2/3 innings last season for the Astros and should be a nice addition to the Diamondbacks’ setup corps. He might even see some save opportunities if Archie Bradley falters in that role.

Rondon failed to escape a disastrous first inning and was ultimately saddled with the loss after allowing six consecutive batters to reach base safely to open the contest. He managed to record a pair of outs before serving up an RBI triple to Luis Rengifo, which ended up chasing him from the contest. The 31-year-old veteran righty owns a 4.79 ERA across 38 appearances and can be ignored in all fantasy formats.

Armenteros will be called up from Triple-A Round Rock, and he’ll follow Hector Rondon to work the early-to-middle innings. It gives Armenteros a chance to pick up a win pitching in that role, and while the 25-year-old owns a 5.05 ERA with the Express, he’s pitched reasonably well in his limited time with the Astros.

Rondon is said to be fine physically, but the Astros ramped him up too quickly last spring, so they want to avoid doing something similar this year. He’s throwing side sessions and batting practice right now. Ultimately, he shouldn’t need much work to get ready for the season. Rondon posted a 3.20 ERA and 67/20 K/BB ratio over 59 innings last season, though he largely struggled during the second half.