Here’s how far Ernesto Frieri’s stock has fallen in a short time: He opened the season as the Angels’ closer. Then, after struggling, he was stripped of closing duties and traded to the Pirates for Jason Grilli in a swap of relievers needing a change of scenery. And now he’s been designated for assignment by the Pirates.
In between all of that Frieri posted a 7.34 ERA in 48 appearances, which is shockingly bad for a 28-year-old who came into this season with a career 2.76 ERA and 315 strikeouts in 231 innings.
Plenty of teams should seemingly be willing to take a flier on Frieri, who was one of the better setup men in baseball for several years and has still managed 48 strikeouts in 42 innings this season while struggling overall.