The Diamondbacks and left-handed reliever Jalen Beeks are in agreement on a one-year deal, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Beeks, a Frontline client, will earn $1.25MM on the new contract. He opted out of a minor league deal with Houston and was granted his release this weekend. The agreement is pending the completion of a physical.
Beeks, 31, is a veteran of six big league seasons. He split the 2024 campaign between the Rockies and Pirates, logging a combined 4.50 ERA with a 17.6% strikeout rate, an 8.7% walk rate, a 45.1% grounder rate and an average of 0.77 homers per nine innings pitched. His best work came with the 2022 Rays, when he pitched 61 frames of 2.80 ERA ball and punched out 28% of his opponents. He’s since moved away from a pure four-seam/changeup pairing to incorporate more cutters, but the results haven’t been as favorable.
Overall, Beeks has pitched 347 2/3 innings in the big leagues. He carries a 4.40 earned run average in that time. Both his strikeout and walk rates are a bit worse than league-average overall, but he keeps the ball on the ground and avoids homers at better-than-average clips.
Arizona has incurred some injuries in the bullpen recently, which likely helped pave the way for Beeks to join the team. Righty Kevin Ginkel, one of the team’s top late-inning arms, will open the season on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation. Kendall Graveman is IL-bound due to some back discomfort that’s hobbled him in camp. Veteran southpaw Jordan Montgomery, who was likely looking at a long relief role, will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire season.
Beeks gives manager Torey Lovullo a third lefty to deploy. Fellow southpaw A.J. Puk will be in the closer’s mix with Justin Martinez, however, which had previously left Joe Mantiply as the only southpaw option in the middle innings or setup corps. Beeks now presents an alternative, allowing Lovullo to more freely play matchup in the middle stages of a game if needed.