The Padres are set to re-sign right-handed reliever Craig Stammen to a two-year, $4.5 million contract, per reports from FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. The deal includes incentives of $100,000 for every fifth appearance he makes, from his 20th game until his 50th, and $150,000 for both his 55th and 56th appearances (via Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports). The team has yet to announce the signing.
In 2017, Stammen made a triumphant return to the majors after missing nearly two years with two torn flexor tendons in his right forearm. Armed with a working forearm and a newly-tweaked changeup, the 33-year-old delivered a 3.14 ERA, 3.1 BB/9 and 8.3 SO/9 in 80 1/3 innings, proving himself more than capable of replicating the results that made him so valuable to the Nationals during his peak season in 2013.
Those results -- including a sub-3.00 ERA and 1.0+ fWAR -- are exactly what the Padres hope to get out of the veteran righty in 2018. While there’s no guarantee that Stammen’s injury woes are fully behind him, it’s safe to say that he appears to have made a full recovery after avoiding the disabled list for the entirety of 2017.
