Greg Holland signs with Rockies on one-year deal

The Rockies have signed former Royals reliever Greg Holland to a one-year deal, $7 million deal with a vesting option, according to Yahoo! Sports reporter Jeff Passan. Incentives could push the deal to $10 million for non-closing duties or $14 million if he becomes the closer. The deal is pending on a physical. The Royals were reported to have had contact with Holland over the off-season, but did not seem to be making a big push for him.

Greg Holland was a two-time All-Star closer for the Royals from 2010 to 2015. In six seasons he had a 2.42 ERA and 145 saves and was named the 2014 winner of the American League Reliever of the Year Award. He suffered a UCL injury late in the 2015 season that caused him to miss the playoffs that led to Tommy John surgery that October. He was non-tendered by the Royals and missed the entire 2016 season.

Holland had a showcase for teams last fall, and was reportedly underwhelming, throwing in the upper 80s. Despite that performance, Holland was reportedly seeking a two-year deal with an opt-out. He will likely get plenty of opportunities to close for the Rockies, as Adam Ottavino was the leading candidate to be their closer for 2017, with him taking over closing duties from Carlos Estevez and Jake McGee late last year.

The Royals have just three relievers on their roster that made at least 30 relief appearances last year - Kelvin Herrera, Joakim Soria, and Brian Flynn. Luke Hochevar and Peter Moylan are still free agents. Ken Rosenthal reports that the Royals had about $2.5 million to spend before the death of Yordano Ventura and were looking for a reliever.