The Rockies’ plan to rebuild their bullpen took a big step forward Thursday when the Rockies signed left-handed free-agent reliever Mike Dunn to a three-year contract.
Multiple major-league sources confirmed that the deal is for three years, $19 million. The deal includes up to $1 million in games-finished incentives, which means Dunn would pocket extra money should he close out games. He will receive a salary of $4 million in 2017, and then make $7 million in both 2018 and ’19. There is a $1 million club buyout in 2020.
Dunn, 31, formerly a reliever for the Miami Marlins, has close ties to new Rockies bench coach Mike Redmond, the former Marlins manager. He will become the Rockies’ primary left-handed reliever, taking over for Boone Logan, who is now a free agent.
We are ready to start the next chapter in our lives. Denver here we come.
— Mike Dunn (@DunnForAll40)
Dunn is 28-25 with a 3.54 ERA in his seven-plus seasons in the majors. He went 6-1 with a 3.40 ERA with the Marlins in 2016 and is the Marlins’ all-time leader in relief appearances (405), relief wins (26) and holds (104).
Dunn, a native of Farmington, N.M., can strike out batters with some regularity. Over the past four seasons, he has whiffed 242 batters in 221 innings, a rate of 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
